Chapter 50 Seraphine

Chapter 50 Seraphine

Seraphine and her friends travelled north through the plains, where vineyards and cornfields soaked up the sun's warmth, and onwards through a scattering of outlying villages that gave way to the Pinetops.

They went first on foot, and then by wagon, all four of them nestling into the wooden bed. Pippin slumbered between them, occasionally raising his bleary head to watch the flickering city lights get further away. Sera watched them, too, feeling a dull ache in her heart. She tried not to think of Ransom but as night swept in and her eyelids grew heavy, her thoughts betrayed her. She was haunted by the agony in his eyes, and that final press of his lips against her palm. Seraphine, go.

She turned those final moments over in her mind, trying to bury the feelings that came with them. She knew when they met again, he would not be able to show her the same kindness. They were enemies now, and one day soon, they would be rivals vying for control of the same city.

The travellers stopped to sleep in the first village they came to after the moon rose, exchanging coin for a room at the cheapest inn, where they ate their fill before bed. On the first night, in a fit of what felt now like utter wildness, they had decided to journey all the way to Halbracht, the ancient village that had birthed the Versini children and their obsession with magic. Shade, and later, Lightfire.

To four sleep-addled people drunk on cheap tavern wine, it had seemed like a grandly exciting idea, but by the fourth day, when Seraphine's back was aching and the hot sun had scalded her shoulders, she began to wonder if Halbracht was a dream beyond their grasp.

But despite their sunburnt sobriety, Theo remained sure of their destination, and, lacking an alternative, they let themselves be led by his confidence. Onwards they travelled, into the Pinetops, until the wagon could not withstand the terrain and they had to continue on foot. Pippin led them through the sloping hills, higher and higher, until the Silvercrest Mountains loomed on the horizon, and they heard the distant roar of the Hellerbend river. Sera's heart lifted as she glimpsed magnificent hawks swooping high above them, as if to draw them onwards.

‘We're almost there,' Theo called, over his shoulder.

Val swiped a sweaty curl from her eye. ‘What are you, a human compass? How the hell do you know that?'

Bibi was too out of breath to offer her usual optimism. But Theo was sure-footed and smiling as he said, ‘We're an hour out. Maybe less.'

For some reason, they all chose to believe him. And as it happened, the Shadowsmith was right. After another hour or so of trekking, Pippin caught a new scent, his tail wagging as he darted ahead.

Overhead, the jagged peaks of the Silvercrests rose to pierce the low-hanging clouds, and the travellers came at last to a narrow pass. A gate blocked their passage, its spires glinting menacingly in the afternoon sun.

A wooden signpost stood before the gate. It read:

Halbracht

Visitors unwelcome

Val dropped her rucksack with a groan. ‘Well, it was fun while it lasted. Except I can't feel my ass and I smell like a sewer.'

Sera scowled at the sign while Pippin relieved himself against its foot.

Bibi slumped onto a nearby rock. ‘Who wants to try sweet-talking our way in?'

Theo raised his fingers to his lips and whistled so loudly a hawk screeched in reply.

A minute passed, and then another, and just when Sera was going to fling a rock over the gate to see what might happen, a head popped up on the other side. The sunlight glinted off a mop of silver hair and for a second, she could have sworn it was Theo. Only he was standing beside her. And the boy climbing up the gate was younger than him by at least five years.

He gasped, then disappeared. A moment later, the gates groaned open and a woman slipped through. She had the same moon-silver hair braided down her back and eyes as bright as the south sea of Valterre. She took one look at Theo and shrieked with joy.

‘Look at you, Theodore!' she cried as she flung her arms around him, squeezing until he wheezed. ‘You're as tall as a damn beanstalk!'

They all turned to stare at Theo.

When the woman drew back from him, his cheeks were bright red. He cleared his throat, looking at his boots.

‘You little snake,' said Val in disbelief. ‘Between this and the identity of Sera's father, you two should start the Order of Liars.'

‘Go easy on him,' chided Bibi. ‘Who doesn't love a grand reveal?'

Sera was too shocked to say anything at all. She could only gape at the Shadowsmith, who was not from some unknown mountain village after all, but the infamous and secretive Halbracht.

The silver-haired woman clucked her tongue. ‘Not like you to lose your tongue, Theodore. But I suppose I'm charming enough to make my own introductions.' She sketched a bow. ‘I'm Paola Versini, Theo's extremely young and wildly attractive aunt.'

Val and Bibi exchanged a startled look. ‘Did you just say—?'

‘Wait. Wait .' Sera turned on Theo. ‘Are you a Versini?'

‘Only by blood.' He huffed an awkward laugh. ‘We'll get to all that later.'

Oh, Sera would make sure of it. It was one thing to be related to Gaspard Dufort, but quite another to be related to Hugo Versini, the devil himself.

‘So,' said Paola, her bright eyes roving between them. ‘To what do we owe this totally unexpected and obviously ill-prepared visit?'

Theo looked to Sera, and she realized everyone was waiting for her to speak. After all, they had voted unanimously that she would be the head of their new order. It seemed that this moment – this explanation – was to be her first official task. So she rose to meet it, offering the cleanest, simplest truth. ‘We are the Order of Flames, and we've come to finish what Lucille Versini started.'

Paola barked a surprised laugh, and Sera got the sense she knew exactly what she meant. And more than that, it did not unnerve her one bit. ‘You'd better come in, then. Before the mountain goats think the invitation extends to them.'

With Pippin charting the way ahead, Sera passed through the gates of Halbracht and beheld a sprawling mountain village glittering with the promise of magic. Her palm crackled, the lightning inside her leaping to attention. Ready for this new adventure, this new destiny.

She smiled and opened her fist, letting the sparks dance.