Chapter 19

Chapter

Nineteen

SORSCHA

" S eleste! Winnie!" Sorscha screeched over her shoulder as she clasped the necklace Asa had given her around her neck. "We have to go !

"Hold your damned horses!" Laurent shouted from the other room.

Gaius chuckled from his place in a lounge chair behind Sorscha, Arielle perched on his lap.

"If you don't all come on, I'm going to start pinching you!" Tindle's voice joined the fray.

Anne's giggles joined Gaius and Arielle's from her stool at the vanity, fluffing her already perfect brown hair. "I've never been to a fair," she mused.

"It should be quite an event," Sorscha said before raising her voice to finish, " if these arsehats ever get out the door !"

The door between the two rooms slammed shut, most likely Winnie's doing. She, Seleste, and Laurent had been shoved in their rooms for the better part of two days, watching Chresedia's movements in the scrying bowl and studying their damned star map.

"What are we going to do if they're right?" Anne spun on her stool to look at Sorscha. "If Chresedia isn't headed for Eridon, but somewhere else?"

"At this point," Gaius said, "it's becoming obvious that's the case."

"We'll have Asa and the rebellion factions change course," Sorscha said simply. As long as they had enough time…

The door flung open again, Seleste's face as triumphant as it was distraught. "Helsvar. She's headed for Helsvar."

A string of curses flew from Sorscha's mouth until Anne blushed.

Winnie stomped in wearing her forest green and gold-adorned performance gown. "Get in here. All of you." she snapped. "Chop, chop!"

Anne and Sorscha traded comically fearful looks and followed Gaius and Arielle to the sitting area with the others. Laurent was furiously scribbling something at the table and Tindle was biting his nail.

"We don't have time for a hiccup like this," he hissed at Anne.

"Gaius," Winnie commanded, "find Augustus and Eleanor. Have her and Tomás tell the Druids what's happened. Then you and Augustus get courier ravens out to the faction leaders. They need to change course for Helsvar immediately. "

Laurent turned from the table, handing a bundle of hurriedly scribbled missives to Gaius. "Take these."

"Of course." He brushed a kiss on Arielle's cheek and ran out into the corridor.

Winnie spun to face Sorscha. "Can you get word to Asa?" Sorscha nodded. "Good. Tindle and Anne, find Dulci and keep this fair on track." Looking around at the faces in the room, she sighed. "Where is Emile?"

"He's been down on the green since dawn," Tindle said. "This fair is his baby."

"Seleste, find him and tell him what's going on. We'll need to leave the moment Aggie and Grimm return."

"Have you heard from them?" Seleste asked.

Winnie pulled out a small note and waved it. "Only just before Sorscha started shouting. They stopped off in Eldritch, but they'll be here by nightfall. Apparently, with a Dreadful in tow."

Sorscha perked up. "Livie?"

Winnie looked back at the note. "Gideon?" She shrugged and Sorscha's lips pulled back from her teeth. "Aggie says his magic is too weak right now to transport far, so they're taking it in shorter strides."

" Bábóg ," Laurent interrupted. "We need to go."

"Let's get this show on the road!" Sorscha shouted as they all filed out of the room.

SELESTE

All of them crowded in her rooms had been loud and exhausting, but the fair was nauseating for her cunning.

Still, each step into the chaos was equally exhilarating. Much of the sprawling green and garden area outside Castle Merveille—opposite its cliff and seaside—was similar to the cirque grounds. There were people from all walks of life milling about, just as there were at the cirque, but here, at Emile's fair, they were mingling . Children of different races and statuses ran amok together with sticky faces and filthy knees. Women in gowns far too extravagant for an outdoor event whispered and laughed arm-in-arm with those who were clearly witches. Men played carnival games alongside warlocks without a care in the world. Many of the stalls were run by merchants from Gemme Road, but there were also ones from Mer Row, and several even boasted witchy wares.

Seleste hoped with all her might that Aggie could return in time to see this. The culmination of their work, her work. She couldn't help but also hope that this would be the first of many such celebrations of unity and not the last.

"Seleste!"

She turned to find Emile beaming from ear to ear in his Grand Magus robes. Finally . She'd been searching for him for ages.

His arms spread wide, pure, unadulterated joy alight on his face. "Well? We did it!"

"We did." She came forward and looped her arm through his, giving it a little adoring squeeze, her hand concealed by his billowy sleeves. They walked along together, enjoying the fruits of their labour. "We have something to discuss, I'm afraid," she finally said.

"Ah. One moment." Emile paused to purchase a stick of spun sugar, handing it to a little girl nearby. She and her mother thanked their Grand Magus profusely as he waved them off, returning to Seleste's side. "That would mean we have two somethings to discuss, then." He darted off again, this time purchasing a bundle of lovely smudge sticks from a young witch's stall. Walking with Seleste, he handed them out one by one.

"Perhaps you should go first," she laughed, "considering I can't hold your attention."

"No, no. I'm sorry, dear." He made a show of his hands, then clasped them behind his back. "I'm all ears."

They stopped next to a stall overflowing with children. Sorscha sat in one chair and Gaius in the other, painting an endless sea of little faces.

"You're supposed to be painting a squid!" Sorscha shouted over the boisterous noise as she laughed at Gaius' work. "That looks like eight wet noodles!" Several of the children joined in the laughter and Gaius groaned.

"I'm particularly excited to see Winnie perform," Emile said as he sat with a grunt on a bench. "Now, what is it you need to talk to me about."

Time was not on their side, so she sat next to him and cut to the chase. "We did have the incorrect location. The constellation we discerned from the map's symbols was inverted and upside down. Chresedia is headed for Helsvar."

Emile's face contorted in thought. "That's unexpected, but it's a fair bit more poetic, I'd say. Have we let everyone know? "

Seleste nodded. "We've done what we can to inform everyone, yes."

"Good."

"What is it you need to discuss?"

"Ah, well, I received a lengthy letter from Agatha this morning. It would seem she and Grimm have a great deal to tell us. I do hope they make it here in time to see some of the fair."

Seleste murmured her agreement as they both soaked up the sun, the hint of Autumn on the breeze turning her thoughts dark. Summer's End would always be a difficult time for her.

"Did you hear that?"

Emile turned toward her alarmed face. "Hear what?"

Screams broke out across the green, beginning where the field met the forest and bleeding in toward the crowd. Seleste stood, locking eyes with Sorscha across the gaggle of children.

Gaius was already on his feet, paint spilling in his wake as he began shouting at the children to run inside the castle. "Guards!" he roared above the panic. "Guards! Get the children barricaded inside!"

Something was coming. And Seleste feared she knew precisely what.

Sorscha jumped over a fallen chair, dodging the mad rush of people. "Ready?"

"We have to be, now don't we?"

Emile fell into step just behind them as they fought upstream, the crowd wild. He shouted his own set of orders, clear the area , stay calm, go home, lock your doors. Winnie and Eleanor ran from the large tent in the centre of the green, dress skirts in one hand and daggers in the other.

"What's happened?" Winnie yelled over the noise, Tomás and Lydia skidding to a stop behind them.

But no one needed to answer. At once, they all saw it. A wall of at least fifteen snarling, undead beasts, and Laurent already beating them back with sparks of flying magic and an axe.

"A little fucking help here!" he shouted over his shoulder.

As one, they all took off at a sprint, Sorscha's magic raining down fire at the same time Winnie's shot spears of ice.

"Remove their heads!" Winnie screamed, jumping atop a creature as it clawed at her, hollow eyes terrifying in the revealing light of the sun. Eleanor let out a war cry Seleste never would have imagined she had in her, fearlessly slicing at any beast she neared. Emile grabbed Seleste's arm and wordlessly pulled her around to the side of the wall of beasts. They went back-to-back, shooting out magic to wound the creatures long enough for Winnie and Laurent to cut off their heads.

"Behind them!" a voice shouted somewhere off to Seleste's left. Arielle , up in a tree. "Seleste! Behind the monsters!"

"Oh, gods," Emile cursed. Robed Order Acolytes funnelled onto the green, stepping over their fallen beasts.

Sorscha went feral. Dodging the undead, she headed straight for the Acolytes, attacking them with the ferocity of a rabid animal, clawing and scratching as much as she rained her magic down on them.

"Stay here," Seleste commanded Emile before rushing in. A stray shot of magic sliced Seleste's arm as she went straight for the throat with her own magic, cutting off the heads of beasts and Acolytes alike, without pausing to consider how terrible it made her.

Her only thought was for her Sister Spring, surrounded.

Sorscha cried out, a blade of magic slicing her thigh. Still, she fought, Seleste cutting through and coming up beside her. Together they sliced down three Acolytes, with too much of their own blood spilt. Sorscha had a nasty gash on her thigh and one on her cheek, but Seleste's adrenaline was pumping too hard for her to register where her own wounds were.

The green finally went eerily quiet, and Winnie came up behind them, panting. "Sit down," she gasped out. "I need to heal you both."

Sorscha collapsed to the grass, Seleste close to doing the same, but she looked to the side where Emile had been standing. And he was gone.

She took off at a hobbled run, Winnie near to tackling her as she hauled her to a stop.

"Emile!" Seleste cried. "Where is he!"

Winnie slammed a white-hot hand against Seleste's stomach, making her double over. The healing magic flowed through her swiftly, just enough to rejuvenate her. "Go!" Winnie shouted, and Seleste took off at a sprint again.

Something was wrong.

Arielle dropped down from her tree. "It was Chresedia! Emile, he ran after her. She—she had blood, I could sense it."

Seleste didn't need to hear any more. There was only one reason that woman would come with blood without attempting to take the kingdom by force.

Seleste took off at a run again, Laurent catching up. "What is it?" he huffed as they ran the way Arielle pointed, around the castle toward the cliffside .

"A body. She needs a new body before the eclipse."

"Fucking Hades," Laurent cursed.

Just before they reached the cliffs, Laurent pulled Seleste to a stop. "What's the plan here?"

"Oh, my gods…"

Laurent's head whipped around to make sense of Seleste's realisation. "No, no, no." He looked every which way as if that could help. "What is he thinking ?"

Emile had discarded his white and gold robes and was slinking through the trees toward Chresedia. Seleste started to dart forward, but Laurent pulled her back just as Emile broke from the treeline. His presence distracted Chresedia, and she whirled around, the wind off the sea whipping at her hair.

"Gods dammit ," Laurent spewed as they watched Emile walk slowly forward toward the young woman caught in Chresedia's web of magic. Anne .

"Cloak! Now!" Laurent commanded as he rose, slinking forward until she could no longer see him.

Cloaking herself with her magic, Seleste tip-toed through the brush, her heart lodged in her throat. What were they going to do? If she could be silent, maybe she could sneak in front of Anne while she was invisible, and wait for an opportunity to grab her.

"What do you want, von Fuchs?" Chresedia spat, pulling Anne's hair tighter until she winced and cried out.

"Give me the girl," he demanded.

Chresedia only tipped her head back and cackled. "My, my have you changed. It's too bad. You could have ruled Seagovia in my stead once I left here on the eclipse. You could have had everything. Instead, you helped them thwart me. Helped them keep me from having a throne in this realm. You and that deplorable queen of yours."

"Just give me the girl, Chresedia." Emile scooted forward almost imperceptibly as Anne whimpered. "The eclipse is in less than a fortnight. You don't need another body. Once you leave here, you can have any body you want."

Seleste dared a few steps forward, trying to catch sight of Laurent—a glimmer in his cloaking magic, anything.

There . Just behind Chresedia, a rock moved. Then another. He was sneaking up behind her.

Chresedia grinned, her teeth rotted, and inhaled deeply with her nose at Anne's neck. "But I want this one."

A stone clattered against rock somewhere off to Laurent's right, and Chresedia's attention flew in that direction. Emile shot forward, his magic searing into Chresedia's hands, causing her to let go just long enough for him to pull Anne from her grasp.

Chresedia screeched like a banshee, her hands going up and magic shooting out of them.

Everyone moved at once.

Laurent slammed into Chresedia from behind, knocking her to the stones.

Emile shoved Anne behind him.

Seleste dove for Anne.

A scream of rage split the cliffside. Seleste fell, unable to reach Anne, and Laurent stumbled through nothing in the space where Chresedia had been. She was gone and the cliff was trembling, slipping.

" Run !" Laurent shouted, sliding through the rocks to haul Seleste up. "Get to the trees!"

Emile grabbed for Anne, the cliff cracking further. His magic threw her into the air, as Laurent's shot forward and wrapped around her waist, hauling her to the safety of the treeline.

Seleste turned back just in time to see the resignation on Emile's face and the gaping gash in his chest, where Chresedia's magical blow had landed before the cliffside broke free and crashed into the sea with him on it.

Anne wailed, screaming and kicking against Laurent as he hugged her to his chest, covering her ears.

When the cliff hit the sea, the force reverberated up through their feet.