The Rogue Knight (17 page)

“Do you require anything from your coach?” Monroe asked.

“Not anymore,” she said.

“Then take mine,” Monroe said. “I'll tell the driver to push hard, and you'll reach Merriston late tonight. After that you're on your own.”

“Thank you,” Skye said.

“Least I can do,” Monroe replied, looking around. “Worst disaster of my career. Here's to hoping the officials in Merriston make it right.”

Monroe led them to his coach at the front of the caravan. Cole and Jace climbed in while Skye and Monroe went to talk to the driver.

“You were brave back there,” Cole said.

Jace folded his arms across his chest. “Don't.”

“What?” Cole replied. “You were!”

“I was no better than that Konley guy,” Jace said.

“He didn't even try,” Cole said.

“No point in trying if you can't get it done,” Jace said. “At least you gave the Rogue Knight something to remember you by.”

“I failed too,” Cole said.

Jace looked away. “I noticed.”

“This isn't over,” Cole said.

“It kind of is for me,” Jace replied. “You heard Joe. I would just slow him down. I would have worsened his chances to help her. And he was right. That's why I didn't argue.”

“He just thought you'd be better at helping Honor,” Cole consoled.

“Yeah, right,” Jace huffed. “I bet her guards will be in terror of some kid who doesn't even know how to use a sword. I'm useless without that rope.”

“Not useless,” Cole said. “Mira needed somebody, and you stepped up.”

“She needed somebody to save her,” Jace said. “Not somebody to get pinned down like a weakling. Do you know what the Rogue Knight said to the other knight who held me? ‘There is no honor in harming a child.' And he was right. I wasn't even a threat. I was a baby having a tantrum. If I had my rope, I would have shaken that knight like a bug in a can. They wouldn't have held me down and shown me mercy. They would have been too busy dying to care how old I was.”

“Mira appreciated what you did,” Cole said.

“She shouldn't have,” Jace said. “Good intentions aren't enough, Cole. Remember the sky castles? How many of those scouts do you think intended to die? Here's a clue—none of them. How many survived? Only a few. Your intentions don't matter. All that matters is what you can do.”

“We'll find a way to help her,” Cole said.

“I'll try,” Jace said. “Even if my best is a pathetic joke, I won't quit. She's all I care about. But I'm not what she needs. She deserves so much more than me.”

“She needs people just like you,” Cole said.

“Knock it off! Don't try to cheer me up. I know what happened. I know what it means.” He started to get choked up. “Mira's gone, and I couldn't stop it.” Gritting his teeth, his expression miserable, Jace regained control of himself. “If you want to help, stop bugging me and figure out how you charged up that sword. That might actually be useful.”

C
HAPTER

 17 

LADY MADELINE

W
hen Merriston came into view beneath three moons of varied sizes, Cole was no closer to understanding how he had made the Jumping Sword work. He had spent much of the ride trying to replicate what had happened in the field, but no matter how hard he concentrated, or what mind games he played, the Jumping Sword remained inert.

Jace had quietly sulked all day. He would respond to questions, but initiated no conversation, and made no jokes. Skye seemed extra sullen and contemplative as well.

Watch fires brightened the road as they neared the colossal wall. The mammoth gates stood closed. After the coach halted, Cole heard the driver telling a guard how they had been attacked by the Rogue Knight. A few minutes later, the gates groaned open.

“What's the plan?” Cole asked.

“I told the driver to drop us near Fairview Gardens,” Skye said. “It's a pleasant part of the city. I'm trying to decide how we can access your friend Dalton.”

The words gave Cole his first happy moment since they'd lost Mira—he was so close now! They were making plans to see him!

“We're low on funds,” Jace reminded them.

“My main stash was in the couch,” Cole said. “I still have some ringers in my pocket. Just small change, but it might add up to a gold ringer or two. And I have a jewel I got from a sky castle.”

“There are places I can go for money,” Skye said.

“How much does it cost to get into the Silver Lining?” Cole asked.

“Six gold ringers a person, last I heard,” Skye said. “But that's not the biggest obstacle. Not anyone can buy their way into the Silver Lining. It's by invitation only.”

“Can somebody in the Unseen help you?” Cole asked.

“I know people who could get us through the front door,” Skye said. “But we don't really want the front door. If we want to find your friend, we need the back door.”

“If Dalton sees me, he'll try to make contact,” Cole said.

“Right, if he sees you,” Skye said. “The Silver Lining is enormous and built like a labyrinth. As the biggest and best confidence lounge in Merriston, it is supported by a huge staff. We could visit the Silver Lining multiple times without your friend noticing.”

“So how do we get in the back door?” Cole asked.

Skye furrowed her brow. “I'm a senior member of the Unseen. I'm a gifted enchanter. There has to be some other way.”

“Other way?” Cole asked.

“Security is very tight at the Silver Lining,” Skye said. “Getting into the back with the staff is much harder than getting through the front door. They have some of the best scrubbers in Elloweer.”

“What are scrubbers?” Cole wondered.

“They wipe away illusions,” Skye said. “Verity was basically a powerful scrubber. Before the staff at the confidence lounges place their seemings on you, they want to know who they're dealing with.”

“So we can't really use disguises,” Cole said.

“Not seemings,” Skye said. “Not to get inside. We won't be able to dodge the scrubbers at the checkpoints.”

“Without the scrubbers, can enchanters tell when you're using a seeming?” Cole wondered.

“Not if the seeming is done right,” Skye said. “I'm no novice, and a skilled enchanter can easily fool my eyes. I only know I'm looking at a seeming if the enchanter does sloppy work. That's why good scrubbers are so valuable.”

“Can somebody sneak us in the back way?” Cole asked.

Skye bit her lip. “Of all my contacts, I can think of only one person who has a chance of succeeding. She isn't a member of the Unseen, she won't be willing, and she's very unpleasant to work with.”

“Who?” Cole asked.

Skye gave a defeated sigh. “My mother.”

After getting dropped off beside lush gardens full of luminescent flowers, Skye guided Cole and Jace along wide, empty streets lined with neat yards and tidy buildings. No lights glowed in any windows.

“Let me do the talking,” Skye instructed. “I know you two like to joke, but my mother was born without a sense of humor. I'll introduce you as orphans I've taken under my wing.”

“True enough,” Jace said.

Cole glanced at Jace. Maybe it was true for him. But Cole had parents who loved him. They might not remember him, and they might live in another world, but they were out there.

It was strange to think that right now, his mom, dad, and sister were living their ordinary lives back in Mesa. Didn't they notice his stuff in his room? Didn't they wonder who the kid was in the pictures with them? He would find a way back to them and make them remember. There had to be a way.

“Only talk if she speaks to you,” Skye went on. “Be brief and polite. Don't mention my dazzle show. Or the rebellion. Try to look as innocent as possible.”

“You sound scared of her,” Cole said.

“That's right,” Skye agreed. “It wouldn't shock me if she turned us in.”

“But you think she'll help us sneak into the Silver Lining?” Jace asked.

“Not if she thinks we're sneaking,” Skye said. “I have a plan.”

She stopped outside a gate and stared up at a stately townhouse. Squaring her shoulders, Skye opened the gate and led them up to the front door. As with the surrounding homes, the windows were dark.

“Isn't it kind of late?” Cole whispered.

“Believe me,” Skye said, “this will be equally miserable at any hour. Catching her a little off-balance may work to our advantage.”

Skye knocked loudly. Before long, a light came on, and a butler in a dark suit answered the door, holding a fragile lantern. Cole wondered if the guy slept in his clothes, although they looked neatly pressed. He was balding, with noble features, and he considered them with disdain. “Are you aware of the hour?”

“Yes, Jepson,” Skye said. “I'm here to visit my mother.”

“Lady Madeline has retired for the evening,” Jepson said. He poked his head out the door and glanced up and down the quiet street. “As has everyone else in the neighborhood.”

Skye walked right through Jepson, as if he were nothing more than a hologram. The butler blinked in annoyance, then turned to face her. Cole heard a low growl.

“Hush, Kimber,” Skye said, crouching to let a dog sniff her, then massaging the loose skin behind its neck.

“It is discourteous to invade my boundaries,” Jepson chided.

“Not as discourteous as turning away your employer's only child,” Skye shot back. “Do you think I'd be here if it wasn't important? Please wake her.”

“As you insist,” he said with a slight bow. He turned to the door. “Am I to understand these urchins form your entourage?”

“They're with me, yes,” Skye replied. “Come in, boys.”

“Are you certain they're safe?” Jepson asked, eyeing them warily.

“I'm positive,” Skye said.

Cole stepped through the door, careful not to touch the butler. Jace came after him.

“Kimber, door,” Jepson said.

The dog padded away from Skye and nudged the door shut.

Jepson faced Skye stiffly. “You may wait in the parlor. Please encourage the young gentlemen to keep their hands off the furnishings.”

The butler went up the stairs, taking the small lantern with him. Skye produced a glowing orb in her hand to replace the lost light. She led the boys down a hall floored with glossy, reddish wood. Cole passed a vibrant floral arrangement in a delicate, pale green vase. A sliding wooden door granted access to the parlor.

The room had a high coffered ceiling, a huge marble fireplace, and a floor where narrow, crisscrossing boards formed complex patterns. A tall grandfather clock stood against one wall, pendulum swinging. All the furniture looked too expensive to use.

Skye tossed her orb up, and it split apart, darting to various glass objects around the room and filling them with light. The objects worked as lamps, illuminating the room evenly.

“How'd you walk through Jepson?” Cole asked.

“He's a figment,” Skye said. “An autonomous seeming that mimics life. Like a semblance with no substance, made of pure illusion.”

“Are there many figments around?” Cole asked.

“They're not common,” Skye said. “Figments are extremely difficult to create. I'm no rookie with seemings, and I can't make one. My mother has some skills as an enchantress, but a figment is far beyond her abilities as well. I'm not sure anyone in Elloweer, besides the Grand Shaper, could currently make a figment with enough complexity to imitate a human being. Mother inherited Jepson from her parents. He has been in the family for generations.”

“He didn't actually open the door,” Cole realized.

“Right,” Skye said. “Kimber did. Jepson partners with trained dogs. He trains them himself—no small feat when he can't pet them or directly feed them. Each dog is named Kimber. The current Kimber is looking old. I've seen her twice before, I think. He's probably already working with a replacement.”

They sat in silence for a moment. The clock tolled the half hour. Cole saw that the clock read six thirty. He pointed at it. “Does that mean six and a half hours since sunset?” Cole asked.

“That's right,” Skye said. “Sometimes I forget you're from outside. Those with clocks reset them to twelve at dawn and at sunset. Some nights are eight hours long. Some are fourteen. Eleven or so is most typical.”

“How'd your mom get so loaded?” Jace asked.

“She inherited most of her fortune,” Skye said. “Father worked with a local bank. He passed away more than ten years ago. My great-grandfather was a well-regarded alderman. He accomplished a lot of good for Merriston and for Elloweer. Mother keeps a busy calendar, but doesn't really do much. She knows everyone, though.”

“Do you think she'll help us?” Cole asked.

“There's a chance, or we wouldn't be here,” Skye said. “It depends. She'll make us wait before appearing. It's all part of the social games she plays. You might want to get comfortable.”

Cole sat down on a soft armchair. Jace lay down on a sofa. Cole only lasted five minutes or so before his eyes began to droop.

He awoke with Skye shaking his shoulder. “She's coming,” she said. “Look alive.”

Standing up, Cole rubbed his face, hoping to wipe away the signs of sleep. His mouth tasted fuzzy, and his eyes didn't want to focus quite right. According to the clock, they had been waiting for nearly an hour.

Lady Madeline glided slowly into the room and regarded her daughter coldly. She was old, with painted eyebrows and a gray pile of hair pinned at the top of her head. Slightly plump, she wore a dark dress with sleeves and a long, full skirt that rustled as she moved. Many rings sparkled on her fingers, and gems dangled from her earlobes. She carried a black cane, though she didn't appear to need it.

“This seems an appropriate hour for a visit from a spy,” Lady Madeline said, her voice proper and authoritative, her words clearly pronounced. “At least there is a chance my neighbors did not see you enter. What possesses you, child?”