After five days of captivity, I had expected our hostages to look haunted and exhausted. To stare unseeing into a wall while defeat hung in the air like acid. But instead, the opposite had happened.
The first two days, they had been terrified to even breathe too loudly. But after that, when they realized that we weren’t going to hurt them just for the hell of it, they started to relax ever so slightly. We gave them enough food and water since we couldn’t have them dying on us before Quill and his parliament got here, and the building we kept them in was an old athletics hall that had been abandoned when the academy built a new one inside their walls. There were no beds for them to sleep in, but because of the building layout, they had plenty of space to move around and also access to bathrooms whenever they needed them.
As far as kidnappings went, it could have been a lot worse. And I was pretty sure that they realized that too, which was why our thirty-five captives were in relatively good spirits, all things considered.
“You’re certain that your sources saw the Chancellor and his people arrived last night?” Levi asked, arching an eyebrow at Paige.
“Yes,” she replied.
“And they can be trusted?”
“Yes.”
Levi shot a pointed look towards the morning sunlight falling in through the windows. “And yet, we’ve been sitting here all night, and they still haven’t shown up.”
“They’ll be here,” I cut in.
The rickety chair creaked as I turned slightly and swept my gaze over the room. Our hostages were all sitting on the wooden floor, their backs resting against the wall behind and their shackled hands either on their knees or in their laps. Since we had told them to be ready, they knew that their saviors were close now, and hope shone on many faces as they stared towards the door on the other side.
We had taken turns watching them, but when Paige’s contacts had sent word yesterday evening that Quill and his people had arrived in Eldar, we’d had a messenger inform the Chancellor and his parliament where to meet us, and to come alone. And then we had all gathered in here to wait for them. Despite what I had just told Levi, I found it odd that they hadn’t come here straight away.
“I’m just saying,” Levi continued. “If someone was holding my wife hostage, I wouldn’t be dragging my feet.”
“He’s probably plotting something,” Audrey replied. Looking between the four of us, she shrugged. “Trying to figure out a way to get them back without having to deal with us. So be ready.”
As if on cue, a rapid series of knocks in a strange pattern echoed from the front door. We all whipped our heads towards it.
When it stopped, we turned to Paige, who was the only one who could decode the messages from her underworld contacts. There was a determined set to her jaw when she looked back at us and nodded.
“It’s time,” she said. Placing her palms on the table, she pushed to her feet. “Quill and his parliament, plus Lance and his friends, are coming. Five minutes out.”
Gasps and sighs of relief came from our hostages.
“And they’re alone?” I asked while standing up as well.
Paige nodded again. “No other constables.”
“Alright.” I gave her a nod back before turning towards our captives. “On your feet and form a line.”
Clothes rustled and shoes scraped against the floor as they all maneuvered themselves into a standing position and then rearranged themselves so that they formed one long line that faced the door. Glittering hope shone in their eyes now.
“You’ve survived this long, so don’t throw it all away now at the finish line by doing something stupid.” I swept a hard stare over them. “Once we get what we want, you’ll be able to go home to your families. So keep your mouths shut and do as you’re told. Clear?”
They nodded.
“Good. Let’s go.”
A warm morning breeze whirled through the street as we exited the abandoned athletics hall and took up position outside. We made our captives kneel in a long row a few steps away from the building while we stood behind them, keeping them between us and the rest of the street while the wall behind protected our backs.
The street we were on was made of smooth cobblestones, and a few small trees had been planted farther to our right. Their delicate branches trembled slightly as another breeze swept along the road, bringing with it the scent of wet stones and damp soil from the rain that fell yesterday. A few streets to our left, the massive walls that protected the academy rose over the rooftops.
I glanced from side to side. Audrey was standing on my left, with Paige on her other side, while Levi and Henry were positioned on my right. All of them had calm and confident expressions on their faces. I did too, but in my chest, my heart was thumping.
If we played this right, we might be able to win at least half of the war today. And once that half was taken care of, the other part would be much easier. The only problem was of course that Godric Quill, for all his talk of heroism, was a damn shrewd bastard. He no doubt had something planned for our meeting. We just needed to figure out what.
Footsteps echoed into the air. They were coming towards us along the street to our right, and it wasn’t just one pair. It sounded like a large group.
“They’re coming,” Henry said in a low voice.
“Yeah. Stay alert.” I flicked a glance to my left. “Audrey?”
“I know,” she replied.
Touching her palms together, she called up a wide poison cloud. Our hostages sucked in sharp breaths between their teeth and cast panicked glances upwards while some ducked slightly.
“Calm down,” I snapped.
Audrey moved her green mist so that it hovered right above their heads, ready to drop down and choke them at a moment’s notice if Quill and his people did anything even remotely threatening.
When our captives realized that the poison would stay above their heads for now, they blew out small sighs of relief and returned their gazes to the street.
A few moments later, a large group became visible.
Chancellor Godric Quill, wearing an impeccable charcoal suit, marched at the front. Sunlight fell across his features, making his hair appear the color of steel. His sharp blue eyes snapped straight to me and Audrey as he drew closer.
On either side of him, flanking him like bodyguards, were Lance, Darren, Jessica, and Leoni. Jessica cast worried glances at our hostages while both Lance and Darren kept their features blank. Leoni, on the other hand, was glaring at us with unbridled rage.
The other thirty-five members of Quill’s parliament trailed behind them.
Crackling tension hung over the whole street as they came to a halt and positioned themselves right opposite us while still keeping almost the entirety of the wide street as a buffer between our two groups. The parliament members shot worried glances between their captured loved ones and the poison cloud that swirled above their heads. Since the hostages were on their knees, the glittering mist was only chest level with us, allowing us to meet their eyes properly.
As if on some unspoken signal, Audrey, Levi and I gave our enemies a slow and vicious smile. It was the cold and psychotic smile of a killer, and it made several members of parliament flinch. I had to suppress the urge to laugh at the fact that the three of us had had the exact same thought. Were we dark mages really all the same after all?
“You have gone too far this time,” Chancellor Quill announced in a voice filled with barely restrained anger. “Kidnapping civilians. This is unforgivable.”
“Aww.” Audrey pressed a hand to her chest in a mock show of regret. “And here I was, desperate for your forgiveness.”
Next to me, Levi chuckled under his breath.
Rage flashed in Quill’s eyes as he locked them on Audrey. “Do you know why I despise you most of all?”
“Because of my charming personality?”
“Because you had it all.”
From the corner of my eye, I could see Audrey furrow her brows slightly in confusion.
“I was born without magic in one of the poorest parts of this city,” Quill continued. “I had to work my fingers to the bone to rise all the way to the top. But you… You were born into a wealthy family in a nice neighborhood. You had magic and, from what I’ve heard from your former teachers, you were also naturally gifted, allowing you to breeze through school without effort.”
The poison cloud before us whipped faster as Audrey squeezed her hand into a fist.
Quill jerked his chin towards me. “In some ways, I understand people like him. Born into a poor family with seven other siblings. I can understand resentment in people like that, in people who are forced to make do with less. But you… You had everything. You’ve never had to work for anything in your entire life. And still you weren’t satisfied. You became a dark mage because you wanted more. More. When you already had everything!”
“You know nothing about me,” Audrey said, her voice flat.
Ice skittered down my spine at the sound of it. If Quill didn’t stop talking soon, she was going to start poisoning everything and everyone in sight.
He raised his eyebrows. “Don’t I?”
Right then, footsteps sounded from the street to our left. Magic flashed to life in our hands as we whipped towards it, expecting to see constables rushing towards us. But it wasn’t constables. I squinted. It was four civilians. Two older women, and one younger, and one older man.
Surprise slammed into me as their faces came into view.
Next to me, shock and dread washed across Audrey’s face for a second, and she actually stumbled a half step back.
Audrey’s parents, along with her sister Jenny, came to a halt next to Leoni, who was guarding Quill’s right flank. But my eyes were not on the black-haired trio who stared at Audrey from across the street. No, my gaze was on the fourth person. The other older woman. My mother.
Her hair had been a dark brown color when I left. It was gray now. Faint wrinkles were etched into the skin around her eyes and mouth, but her brown eyes had lost none of their sharpness. She squinted towards me.
“Is that Callan?” she asked, pointing at me while looking towards the Chancellor.
I wished I was surprised, but I wasn’t. She had never paid me much attention, even when I was living in her house, so it didn’t surprise me that she didn’t recognize me.
“Yes,” Quill replied.
“Are you sure? I don’t recognize him at all.” Her eyes returned to me. “Young man, regardless of who you are, anyone who does something like this…” She pointed towards our hostages. “Is no son of mine.”
Her words didn’t even sting. I hadn’t cared about her opinion of me for almost fifteen years. I didn’t know what Quill was thinking, bringing her here. It didn’t affect me at all, so why…
Dread surged up inside me as a sudden realization struck. I flicked a quick glance down at Audrey.
Oh, shit. This was Quill’s plan. To rattle us by bringing our families here. To rattle her.
And based on the pain that flickered across Audrey’s stunned face as she stared at her family, it was working.
