Spell Shock

Book 2: Merry Magic

by Shelley Russell Nolan

Genres: Contemporary Fantasy; Epic Fantasy; Young Adult

Synopsis

Magic always comes with a price
Merry has the first charm she needs to remake the transportation spell to take her home, and four more to get. With the mage guild still after her, she knows reaching the rest of the elemental focal points will not be easy. Not even she expected to be drawn into a plot to destroy the guild.
On the way to the Earth focal point, Merry and her allies are caught up in a Tiranian lord's plan to wrest power from the mages. Her growing ability with Wind magic will not be enough to save them. Faced with a life of servitude, her magic bound to another's will, she will have to decide what she is fighting for. Her freedom or the fate of those already enslaved?
As an enemy becomes an ally, and with time running out to stop the witch hunters gaining access to Tirana, Merry must master the elemental Earth to have any hope of escape. But magic has a cost, one Merry will find hard to bear.

Continue the magical portal fantasy adventure with Merry and her friends now!

Release date: August 20, 2020

Print pages: 166

Sample

Chapter One

Merry dragged herself up from the pile of straw that had been her bed the previous night, plucking bits of it out of her hair as she yawned and blearily gazed around the draught-riddled barn. The stall where Mistress Napally’s two goats had been stabled overnight was empty. The main barn door was open, and a flock of chickens scratched among the straw strewn on the dirt floor. It had been the clacking of the chickens that woke her. Until then she had been dreaming she was back in her own bedroom.

Not that it would be her room for much longer, with the new owners of the flat she rented demanding she be out by the end of the month. She’d packed up the bulk of her belongings, while hunting for a new place to rent, but that hadn’t been easy since she had lost her job the same day she was given notice to move out. If she didn’t get back from Tirana before the deadline, what would happen to her stuff?

She’d been gone three nights, and her parents had to know she was missing by now. They would have notified the police. Merry grimaced at the thought of strangers going through her things, searching for clues as to where she had gone. That search would lead them to Belwich, and the bookshop her grandmother had left her in her will. The bookshop contained a portal to Tirana, the world many witches had fled to in the Middle Ages to escape persecution.

Sadie, if the police break into Merry Magic to look for me, will the witch hunters be able to access the portal?

Why hadn’t she thought of this earlier? Witch hunters could even now be rounding up all the magic users they could find.

Until the wards your grandmother set around the bookshop fade, the witch hunters would need to be invited inside by the owner of the premises. You. It will not hamper the police in doing their duty. Unless, of course, one of them is a witch hunter or knew of Tirana and had ill intentions.

Merry breathed a sigh of relief at the black cat’s words, until the familiar spoke again.

We must not tarry. The wards will fade with the changing of the season. We must get you back there before then, so you can do the spell of renewal on the wards.

Merry grimaced again. It was spring now, back home, but summer was fast approaching. There was a reason Huntington Inc. had given her until the end of the month to sign the contract to sell them the bookshop. If the wards weren’t renewed by then, the company they suspected was run by witch hunters would have no trouble gaining access to the portal that would lead them to Tirana.

Merry had to make sure that didn’t happen.

Ellen was already up, the witch showing no sign she’d had a troubled sleep as she rummaged in her woven pack. Sadie, having allayed some of Merry’s fears, was now chasing a small lizard in a spot of sunshine breaking through a gap in the roof. Though the familiar was quick to point out how superior she was to pet cats, she still acted like them on occasion. Merry smiled as the cat slunk low to the ground, hindquarters wiggling just before she pounced, trapping the lizard beneath her front paws. Then Sadie let it go, and it scurried off into the shadows cast by the nearest stall.

Sadie turned around and spotted Merry watching her. The thrill is in the chase. A sense of a mental shrug accompanied the familiar’s voice. Besides, it helps to hone my hunting and scouting skills. Skills like those will be needed to get you to the remaining four elemental focal points.

As she surveyed the barn, Merry brushed straw from the long green dress Ellen had loaned her to help her blend in. They’d arrived late the night before, so she hadn’t had a good look around. Unlike all the stone buildings Merry had seen since arriving in Tirana, the barn was comprised of timber and had a thatch roof. The floor may be dirt, but the straw had been reasonably fresh if scratchy to sleep curled up in. Not that she’d slept for more than a few hours.

When she’d first lain down in her pile of straw, Merry had been too worried about being pursued by the guild to relax at first. Thanks to magical ability she had inherited from her Tiranian grandmother, a woman she had never met, she had the potential to become a mage. In Tirana, all mages were required by law to swear an oath that bound them and their magic to the guild run by Ophelia Fairweather, her grandmother’s sworn enemy. The fact Merry was from the old world, transported here by accident, didn’t matter. They would make her swear the oath, if they caught her, and destroy the portal that had brought her here, and she would never be able to return home.

As if that wasn’t enough to keep her lying awake half the night, she’d wondered what other obstacles would eventuate as she made her way to each of the remaining elemental focal points. She had four more to get to so she could find the magical charms to enable her to make a transportation spell like the one that had brought her and Sadie here.

‘Mistress Napally has kindly given us some food, in exchange for two of my salves,’ said Ellen as she put down her pack and turned to Merry. ‘She didn’t have much to spare but it will at least allow us to break our fast before we set off for Barrowton. She also gave me a map of Tirana that belonged to her late husband. I’ve never been this far from Dryton, so it will help us plan our journey to each elemental focal point.’

Ellen was a healer. Not a strong one, by her own account, but so far Merry had found her ability to increase their energy levels with her magic water and barter for goods in exchange for her magically infused medicines to be extremely helpful. As a registered field witch, one not bound to the guild, Ellen was required to wear the colour green to signify her affinity with Earth magic. Merry touched the gold embossed leaf on the front of her borrowed dress, the sign for a healer, hoping her cover as Ellen’s apprentice would not be tested.

While her new friend kept up a running commentary as they travelled, there was more to healing than simply knowing what plants were good for various ailments. Merry may have been able to call on the wind and ward off ghosts when they’d taken refuge in ruins haunted by vengeful spirits, but to think she might be in a situation where she was expected to use magic to heal someone was a daunting prospect. Luckily the apprentice cover had worked so far, and she hoped to get home before it was truly tested, and before she had to use her magic much at all.

Merry was still coming to terms with the knowledge she had the potential to become a mage. She looked to where she had placed the staff that had been a plain branch when she’d first picked it up a few days ago. She hadn’t intended to turn it into a staff, but as she’d thought about carving a pattern into the wood, to signify the movement of the wind, she had somehow turned it into a focus tool. Now it glowed when she needed light and helped her to call up wind or create a shield of air to protect herself and others.

She would like to think she would never have to use it again, but so far her time in Tirana had not been uneventful. Just the day before she had been fighting a wind golem and would have failed if a legendary and magical silver falcon hadn’t gifted her one of its feathers. After she had used the feather to destroy the wind golem, it had become the first of the five elemental charms she needed to make the transportation spell.

She looked over to where she had placed her shoulder bag the night before. The feather was nestled inside, along with the spell box that Merry had accidentally triggered to bring her to Tirana in the first place. The charms her grandmother had crafted into a brooch were jumbled inside the spell box; the magic that bound them broken. Merry had to collect new charms from the elements of Earth, Fire, Water and Spirit before she could make a new spell and get home.

‘How far is it from here to the Earth focal point?’ Merry asked as she pulled on her ankle boots. She had slept in her socks, to keep her feet warm. She joined Ellen and was handed a small portion of food wrapped in waxed paper.

She unwrapped it and found a boiled egg and a chunk of bread that was slathered in butter. The bread and the egg were still warm. She began to eat, enjoying the warm food in her belly for a change. Yesterday, after they had fled Breezeway before the guild could regroup and come after them, there had been no time to stop and find hot food. They’d made do with what Ellen could forage along the way, until it had neared nightfall and she’d bartered her services to Mistress Napally and her family to allow them to stay in the barn for the night.

From what Merry had deduced, Tirana was an island nation with large forested areas and small communities scattered throughout. She had no idea if more countries existed in this parallel world and was just thankful it wouldn’t take weeks of journeying to get to each elemental focal point as it would if this place was as big as her home country of Australia. The people of Tirana may have had magic, but the only form of transportation was by foot or horse, making the going much slower. Merry missed her little purple hatchback, just a shade darker than the coloured hair she had to keep out of sight as it made her stand out in a world where people without magic wore drab browns and greys, and those with magic were dressed according to their ability.

After she finished her bread and egg, she finger-combed her long hair and then twisted it into a bun at the nape of her neck. Then she retrieved her flimsy black wrap and used it to hide her hair as much as possible. She was lucky she’d had it on when she’d landed in Tirana. The other clothes she had been wearing at the time, black shorts and a shirt, were now tucked away in her bag. In a world where the women wore long dresses or skirts, the skimpy attire would attract even more attention than her hair.

‘I’ll see if I can find something to dye your hair with, when we reach Barrowton,’ said Ellen as she twisted her long black hair into a thick braid.

Merry gave a nod, and a smile of thanks, and then headed outside to use the rudimentary facilities. Another thing she missed from home was the modern plumbing. She longed for a hot shower, a full wardrobe so she didn’t have to wear the same dress, and a coffee machine. She appreciated the surge in energy Ellen’s magic water supplied but would kill for a good cup of coffee.

Pushing thoughts of all the modern conveniences she was missing out on aside, Merry splashed cold water on her face before using the minty tooth powder that was the Tiranian equivalent of toothpaste. Then she shivered in the cool morning air as she hurried back to the barn.

‘Ready to go?’ Ellen asked when she appeared.

‘Yes.’ The sooner they got to the next focal point the better.

Earth was closest, on the eastern side of the island. Water was to the north and Fire in the west. The hardest one to get to would be Spirit. It was in the centre of Tirana, with the guild tower built on top of it, so they were leaving that one for last. That was also where they would meet Ellen’s mentor, Debra, so she could instruct Merry on how to create the transportation spell.

Merry picked up her shoulder bag and then scooped up her staff. The wood warmed beneath her palms, and a surge of wellbeing washed through her. She always felt so much better, more equipped, when she held her staff. She wasn’t sure if that was part of it being a focal tool, or that she could use it to clobber anyone who got in her way.

She winced, remembering the time she had used it on Gabriel Fairweather. He had been trying to arrest her, but she still hadn’t liked doing it. He’d help her to fight the wind golem and saved her life when she’d almost plummeted to the bottom of the chasm. He was also easy on the eyes and seemed like a nice guy when he wasn’t trying to arrest her. But she’d left him behind in Breezeway, unconscious, though that was from Ellen using her magic to put him to sleep, not from Merry hitting him with her staff. She had to hope they would not meet again, under the circumstances, though part of her was sad about the possibility of never seeing him again before she left Tirana for good.

‘Mistress Napally said we may be able to find a farmer headed for Barrowton and get a lift with them,’ said Ellen, as she shouldered her pack and secured her healer’s pouch at her waist. ‘Master Rooney has the next farm along, and she said today is when he delivers a wagon load of fresh vegetables to the inn there.’

‘That would be great,’ said Merry, as she followed Ellen out of the barn.

Sadie sauntered ahead of them as they made their way towards the dirt road that ran past Mistress Napally’s small cottage. All the roads out in the rural areas had been dirt. Only the towns she had visited had cobbled roads. The air was fresh and crisp, the sun warming the day, birds chirping in the trees and a gentle breeze blowing. There were no exhaust fumes, traffic noise or anything else to disturb the peace.

As much as she was coming to enjoy a world without cars and trucks clogging the roadways, Merry hoped Mistress Napally was right, and Master Rooney would give them a lift. Ellen had given her a salve for the blisters she’d garnered from the previous days of walking, but while it dulled the pain it didn’t remove it completely. With every step, the irritation increased.

She looked enviously at Sadie, who showed no sign days of walking had either tired her or caused any aches and pains. Indeed, the cat seemed to be enjoying herself, occasionally bounding forward to chase a bug or sniff at plants. If Merry hadn’t known better, she would have thought her to be a normal cat from her antics.

Hardly normal. I am a companion. Far superior to those simple cats who choose to live with humans for warmth and food.

Merry shook her head, remembering the disdainful sniff Sadie had given on being greeted by the farm cats when they’d first entered the barn. That sounds like what a companion would do.

Don’t be ridiculous. I am expected to use my wisdom to guide my charge. All those cats wanted was someone to feed them and rub their bellies on demand. There is no comparison.

From what Merry had observed, when Mistress Napally’s youngest daughter had directed them to the barn, Sadie was quite willing to accept belly rubs and slivers of food just as much as the pet cats. She worked to keep that thought hidden. Sadie wasn’t her familiar, or companion as she preferred to be called, but had no trouble communicating mentally with her.

They stopped at the cottage and received a warm farewell from Mistress Napally before they set off down the road. Despite her blisters, Merry enjoyed the warmth that seeped through her from the exertion. It helped to stave off the chill morning air, and make it more pleasant to walk, though she knew it would grow uncomfortably warm if they did not seek shade or find a lift soon.

An hour into their journey they came across a farmer coming out of his driveway, a laden horse-drawn wagon stopped half on the road. He was cursing the horse as they neared, imploring it to get moving with colourful yet quaint language that made Merry smile. It was so different from what she was used to hearing back home.

‘Good morn to you, sir,’ said Ellen in a cheery voice.

The farmer’s cursing ceased, and he turned a shamefaced expression their way, reaching up to remove his slouched hat from his head.

‘Sorry, young miss, for my language. I didn’t realise anyone was about.’ He nodded his head in Merry’s direction. ‘Miss.’

Merry smiled back at him, but left it to Ellen to do the talking, sure she would have better luck in getting them a lift, if he was going in the right direction. Everywhere they had been so far, the healer had been welcomed, thanks to field witches like her being in short supply, and the guild mages too expensive for the general populace to employ.

‘Would you be Master Rooney?’ Ellen asked.

He gave a nod and her smile widened. ‘Mistress Napally said you take your produce to Barrowton today and would perhaps be able to give us a lift.’

‘Aye, I’m headed that way. Though unless old Shanks here improves his mood, I’ll be looking for a lift soon myself.’ He flicked the end of the reins in his hand towards the horse’s head.

The horse’s ears twitched, and he stamped his feet, nostrils flaring.

Merry took a cautious step back. Those hooves could do a lot of damage if they landed on her feet.

‘Don’t fret, miss, he won’t hurt you. It’s the cool mornings he objects to. It’s been getting harder to convince him to take the trip to town as the weather cools. Can’t imagine what he’ll be like when winter truly settles in.’

Merry didn’t blame the horse and hoped to be long gone from Tirana by winter. Still, to speed their way, they needed to get the horse moving. She waited to see what miracle Ellen would work.

Ellen stopped closer to the horse. ‘Perhaps I can help,’ she said as she stretched out a hand to stroke his neck.

‘I’d be much obliged if you could get him moving, miss, and would be happy to take you and your friend as far as Barrowton.’

Ellen placed a palm against the horse’s neck, while the other went to her chest, and when goose bumps appeared on her arms Merry knew her friend was using her heartstone pendant to help focus her healing abilities. If it was a minor injury affecting the horse’s temper, she would be able to heal it and they could be on their way. After a moment the healer stepped back, a frown on her face as she looked up at Master Rooney.

‘Shanks has no arthritis, or any other ailment I can sense that would explain his aversion for cool mornings,’ she said.

‘Aye, he’s fit as a young stallion, just stubborn and preferring to stay in his warm stable on a cold morning.’ Master Rooney heaved a sigh and shook his head.

Ellen held up a hand. ‘Let’s see what Merry can do. She has an affinity with animals.’

‘Does she now.’ Master Rooney wore a wry smile. ‘It would have to be a good affinity, to counter this one’s stubborn streak.’ He pointed at Shanks’ head even as Merry turned to Ellen.

‘I don’t know the first thing about horses.’

‘You won’t know until you try,’ said Ellen. ‘Would you rather walk?’

Merry most definitely did not want to walk. But convincing a stubborn horse to pull a wagon was a big ask. She took a deep breath and stepped forward, copying Ellen’s actions from before to place a palm against the warm flesh on the horse’s neck. He twisted his head around, ears flicking and deep brown eyes focusing on her. Merry chanced a smile, her other hand gripping her staff as she tried to ‘talk’ to the horse the same way she spoke to Sadie.

Hello, Shanks.

There was no response from the horse, and nothing to indicate he had heard her greeting. She tried again, this time focusing on feelings, rather than words, projecting the idea that a brisk walk would warm him up. He shifted and Merry thought she’d got through to him. But he just gave a snuffle and stretched out his head to sniff at the end of her wrap. His teeth emerged and she stepped back before he could latch on.

She gave Ellen a shake of her head, and her friend’s face fell.

‘Oh well,’ said Master Rooney. ‘It was worth a try. Nothing for it but to wait until the big lug decides to get moving.’

When he moved closer to the wagon he gave a startled exclamation.

Merry looked to see Sadie with her tail erect as she calmly walked between the farmer’s legs and made her way to the front of the horse. Shanks lowered his head and the two animals stared at one another without blinking for a long moment. Then Sadie turned around and faced Merry.

What are you waiting for? Get in the wagon before the horse changes his mind.

She sauntered to the side of the wagon and agilely jumped up to perch on the side.

‘Well I never,’ said Master Rooney, scratching his head as Merry relayed the cat’s words. But he scrambled onto the wagon and gestured for Merry and Ellen to climb into the back. Then he gave a cluck and Shanks moved off down the road.

Merry stretched out, looking to Sadie. What did you say to him to get him moving?

That I would scratch his eyes out if he didn’t stop acting like a silly foal.

Merry gave a laugh, unable to imagine the little cat taking on a horse. Either way, the threat had worked. This was so much better than walking. Her muscles and blisters agreed, and she settled back against the side of the wagon to enjoy the ride.

They were the only travellers out on the road, though she could see people working in the fields of the farms they passed, many stopping to watch as the wagon trundled by. Then the sound of horses came from the roadway behind them. Master Rooney looked behind them and his lip curled into a sneer. ‘Blasted guild, interfering again no doubt.’

Merry stiffened as she looked back to see a small group of people on horseback, all of them wearing red. Guild enforcers.

She slunk down lower in the wagon, as Ellen did the same, hoping they weren’t looking for her. But the group moved around the wagon, not even glancing their way that she could see, dust swirling in the air from their passage. Once the sound of hoofbeats receded, Master Rooney twisted around to face Merry and Ellen.

‘You sure you still want to go to Barrowton? Those enforcers look to be heading that direction. With the way things are at the moment, their arrival will not be welcome. It might be best to wait until they’ve moved on to visit or do whatever it is you need to do there.’ His brow was furrowed, voice sombre as he gazed at them.

‘What about you? Are you going to return home and wait for them to leave?’ Ellen asked.

He shook his head. ‘The inn needs these supplies, and I need the coin they’ll pay me. It’s getting harder to get by, what with the guild imposing higher tithes. We’ve also had bandits causing trouble, stealing from honest folk and making it harder for them to come up with their share of the tithe. The enforcers have threatened to stop guild protection of Andelmine Province if we don’t meet their demands. Not that their protection has amounted to much lately.’

His brows lowered, concern in his eyes. ‘You two need to be careful. There’s been talk of witches going missing, those not sworn to the guild.’

‘Missing?’ Ellen stiffened.

‘Aye. If you do wish to continue on to Barrowton, your services will be in demand, but if what they say is true you could also be a target. You might be best to return to the Napally farm. I’ll let those in need of a healer know where you are, and I’m sure you’d receive plenty of customers. I’m also sure Mistress Napally wouldn’t mind sheltering you for a few more nights either, not with the brood she has. Always getting into scrapes they are.’

Ellen exchanged a worried look with Merry, and then shook her head when it seemed Master Rooney was about to pull the wagon over.

‘We have to go to Barrowton. We need supplies and to find a merchant train heading to Greywall. But we’ll be careful.’

He gave a grim nod, and settled forward once more, while Ellen cast a worried glance Merry’s way. But they had no choice. They had to continue on, regardless of what trouble may be brewing in Andelmine Province.

Merry would have liked to lose herself in the silence and the picturesque landscape, but fresh worry ate at her. Were witches really going missing? Ellen has said the guild had no interest in those who weren’t strong enough to become mages, so it didn’t make sense that they would be behind the disappearances.

And what about these bandits?

Merry and Ellen had no real way of protecting themselves if they travelled on their own. As Ellen had told Master Rooney, they hoped to hitch a ride with a merchant train, to give them safety in numbers. With luck bandits, or whoever was responsible for the missing witches, wouldn’t risk going up against a large group of people.

The trouble was, Merry wasn’t so sure. She knew next to nothing about this world. What she might think was reasonable could be so far from the truth here as to be incomprehensible. That fear intensified when they finally did reach town and she heard shouting even before they had got beyond the first building. Shouting reminded Merry of when they had arrived at Breezeway only to find themselves facing a wind golem.

What danger awaited them here?

 

Chapter Two

Master Rooney drove the wagon around the back of a large stone building, one of the largest Merry had seen since arriving in Tirana. She wasn’t surprised to spot a sign proclaiming “Barrowton Inn” attached to the side of a large gate in the timber wall that went from the back of the inn to the end of the block it occupied. The gate was open, and the wagon easily fitted through into a large courtyard with the inn on one side and an equally large wooden stable on the other.

The timber wall was evident on all sides of the courtyard, blocking their view of what was happening beyond the confines of the inn, but not the sound of it. More shouts rose, angry murmurs indicating a large crowd was gathered somewhere nearby. Other than them, the courtyard was empty. Master Rooney tied the reins to a ring at the front of the wagon seat and then hopped down and strode into the stable. He returned a moment later, expression grim, shaking his head.

‘The stable hands must have gone to gawk at whatever is going on in the town square,’ he said, nodding his head in the direction of the inn. ‘It’s to the left of the inn, between the town hall and the school. But I don’t think it’s a good idea for the two of you, and your little friend there, to venture that way.’ His next nod was towards Sadie. ‘With the guild after you, you’d best remain out of sight for now.’

Merry gaped at him. How did he know the guild were after them?

He must have seen the alarm on her face because he gave a low chuckle as he unhitched Shanks from the wagon. ‘I saw the way you two slunk down among my fine produce when the guild passed us on the road. Doesn’t take a genius to figure out you didn’t want to attract their notice.’ His expression soured. ‘Don’t blame you, with the way things are going. You’re not the only ones to run afoul of the guild and for little to no provocation.’

‘Thank you, for the ride and for the warning,’ said Ellen as she gracefully climbed out of the back of the wagon and straightened her skirt.

Merry followed her far less gracefully, catching hold of the side to stop herself from tripping over the hem of her dress. She liked dresses as much as the next girl but was not accustomed to wearing ones with long and voluminous skirts. She shook out the heavy fabric as best she could. Nothing short of a full wash and press would make it completely wrinkle free. Maybe there would be time to get it cleaned while they were in Barrowton.

‘Once I see what’s happening,’ said Master Rooney, ‘I’ll have a word to the innkeeper. She’s a good sort. I’m sure she’ll be pleased to have a pair of healers stay at the inn. In times like these, your skills will be greatly appreciated, what with the lack of witches in these parts. She’ll appreciate the extra custom you bring in, once she’s able to make the townsfolk aware of your presence.’

From the tense set to his shoulders as he unhitched Shanks and led the horse into the barn, Merry wondered if he doubted they would be able to be open about their arrival at all. Her dream of clean clothes and sleeping in a real bed could also be shattered. It would all depend on what was going on in the town square. She and Ellen grabbed their things out of the back of the wagon and placed them up against the stable wall.

After Master Rooney exited the stable and strode off to the back entrance for the inn, Merry turned to Ellen.

‘We need to know what’s going on,’ she said. ‘What if the guild is looking for us? We can’t stand here and wait for them to start searching the town. There were too many enforcers for you to be able to put them all to sleep or for me to bowl them over with wind.’ She gripped her staff tightly, stomach clenching at the thought of having to fight their way free.

‘You’re right,’ said Ellen, frowning as she scanned the courtyard.

Her expression cleared as she pointed to the far wall of the courtyard and what looked like a small herb garden nestled between it and the corner of the inn. ‘We might be able to see through the wall.’

They edged that way, Merry casting a wary gaze around in case someone decided to enter the courtyard, but as the shouting rose in volume and intensity the place remained empty. Ellen led the way through the herb garden, careful not to trample any of the plants as they walked between a row of what looked like basil and another that had mint growing in the rich soil. The shouting had lowered to a level where it was now possible to catch a word or two, as they reached the fence and searched for gaps to peek through, but none of what she could hear made sense.

‘Quiet!’

The roar startled a gasp out of Merry and she banged her forehead on the timber panel in front of her. She gave her head a shake and then refocused on the knothole she had been making for and peered through. Silence had fallen on the other side of the fence and she was careful not to make noise that would signal to anyone within earshot that someone was listening.

Through the hole, at first all she could see was a wall of brown and grey material, the backs of the people who filled the road on the other side of the fence. They jostled about, and through gaps she caught glimpses of red. The enforcers.

‘You can’t arrest them,’ someone called out, a woman with fear throbbing in her voice. ‘They haven’t done anything wrong.’

Her cry was repeated and the roar for silence came again, even louder than before. The fence rattled as the people crowded in the square staggered backward as if they had been hit by an invisible force. Merry could see an enforcer with a bristling black beard standing at the front of the others, hands out, palms facing the townsfolk. Unlike witches and mages, who had the ability to wield elemental magic, enforcers utilised the power of telekinesis. The bearded enforcer must had used his ability to push the crowd back. Now he glared at them as he lowered his hands and crossed them in front of his chest.

Even though the pressure against them eased, the people of Barrowton cowered back, all except for two young men. Dressed in rough brown clothes, they were on their knees behind the bearded man, facing the crowd, with a red robed enforcer at each of their backs. The enforcers’ hands gripped the hair of the young men in front of them, pulling their heads back.

Faces streaked in dirt and what looked like dried blood, fear widened the young men’s eyes, while pain from the pressure the enforcers were exerting to keep them in place was evident in the stiff way they held their bodies.

‘These men are thieves,’ said the bearded enforcer, his voice once again battering at the crowd before him. ‘You tasked the guild with rooting them out, and yet now you refuse to accept the evidence of your own eyes.’

‘They’re not thieves. They’re good boys.’ It was the woman from before, her slim form shaking as she moved forward. ‘Please, sir, do not take them. I’ll not be able to hold on to the farm if you arrest my sons.’

The enforcer sneered. ‘They should have thought of that before they preyed on innocent travellers.’ He waved a hand and a man in a grey outfit that was in better condition than what the townspeople wore stepped forward. ‘Merchant Gregory, are these not the men who accosted you and stole your coin purse?’

The merchant cast a scared glance at the enforcer and then stammered out, ‘I can’t be sure. It was dark. I didn’t get a good look at them.’

‘And yet, they were found with your empty purse.’ The enforcer held a small leather sack in the air.

‘I found it,’ said one of the boys. And they were boys, Merry saw, barely in their teens.

‘Did I give you leave to speak?’ The lead enforcer moved forward, fist raised, even as the one behind the boy who had spoken tightened his grip.

The boy gave a pained cry, his mother a plea for mercy, while someone in the crowd cursed the guild’s founder, Ophelia Fairweather.

The enforcer spun around and glared at the townsfolk. ‘Who said that? Which one of you cretins dared besmirch Mage Fairweather’s name?’ He held his hands out, fingers curled like claws, a cruel light in his eyes.

Silence fell, only the shuffling of feet breaking the moment.

Then, a loud voice called out, ‘Hold, in the name of Lord Andel.’

Merry stiffened. The voice had come from somewhere to the back of the crowd, filled with authority. The enforcer relaxed his hands and peered at a man wearing a black tunic and light grey trousers who strode through the crowd, six men in similar outfits at his back. ‘What do you want, Baldwin?’

‘You have no authority here, Adams.’ The sneer was evident in Baldwin’s voice. ‘I believe the guild had chosen to withdraw their protection of any town within Andelmine Province that was unable to provide a second tithe. I know for a fact the good people of Barrowton have not given you anything. The guild has left them with barely enough to live on as it is.’

The lead enforcer, Adams, bristled. ‘The guild takes only what it is owed, and these men are thieves.’ He waved a hand behind him, not taking his eyes off Baldwin.

For his part, Baldwin appeared relaxed, a slight smile curing his lips. ‘Are they? From what I observed, the good merchant cannot identify those who robbed him. Finding an empty coin purse is not a crime, last I heard, even for the guild.’ He waved a hand and the men at his back moved forward. ‘But rest assured I will uncover the truth of the matter. You and your enforcers may leave.’ Then he turned his back on the enforcer and surveyed the crowd, seemingly unconcerned by the glowers all the enforcers were sending his way.

‘Good people of Barrowton, you may return to your homes safe in the knowledge Lord Andel has your best interests at heart. I will take care of the matter henceforth, and you can be assured your young people will receive justice this day.’

There were some low mutters and sideways glances but most of the townsfolk left the square. Soon all that were left were the enforcers, the two accused boys, their mother and Lord Andel’s men.

Once the last of the crowd had dispersed, Baldwin turned back to the enforcers and waved a hand. ‘And you, good sirs, are also free to leave Barrowton now your business here is concluded.’ From his tone, he hoped they would leave sooner rather than later.

Adams glared at him for a moment, before gesturing for the other enforcers to follow him. They strode off down the street, without a backward glance, though their spines were rigid. Baldwin waited until they were out of sight and then walked up to the two young men who had been left kneeling in the dirt. Their eyes were wide as he approached them, and they shot anxious glances towards their mother.

Baldwin stopped a short distance from them and held up a hand. ‘There is no need to fear me, lads, as long as you speak the truth. Did you steal the merchant’s purse?’

The merchant had disappeared along with the crowd, seemingly more concerned with getting away from Lord Andel’s men than with his stolen coin.

The two boys shook their heads, voices shaking as they professed their innocence, their words tumbling over each other as they stammered out how they had found the empty purse in the alley moments before the enforcers showed up.

‘Then that is all I needed to know,’ said Baldwin, voice bland. ‘You are free to go.’

The mother bounded forward, spouting effusive thanks as she gathered her boys close and then hurried them off down the street. Baldwin watched them go, smirking, before striding over to join his men.

Ellen tapped Merry on the arm and she leaned back. ‘Time to see if Master Rooney was able to secure us a place at the inn,’ she said.

Merry gave a nod and hitched up her long skirt, turning around ready to tramp through the neat rows of herbs again. She froze at the sight of two men wearing familiar black tunics and grey trousers. Silver insignia, of a mountain peak, was embossed on the right breast of their tunics.

‘You there, what are you two doing?’ one of them called out.

Merry cast a glance at Ellen, leaving it to her to speak, sure they would realise she didn’t belong as soon as she opened her mouth.

Ellen gave a slight smile as she waved a hand at the plants arrayed around them. ‘I was just explaining to my apprentice the healing properties to be found in a standard herb garden. It can be surprising how simple plants we commonly use to season our meals with can also have medicinal properties.’

She smoothed down her skirt as she stepped lightly through the garden, beckoning for Merry to follow. ‘We will continue the rest of the lesson in our room.’

The man who had spoken narrowed his eyes. ‘You’re witches. Healers.’ His low tone sent a ripple of tension through Merry as he surveyed them both.

‘Yes,’ said Ellen, the word clipped as she moved to step around him.

He stepped sideways and blocked her path, a hand going to a long dagger sheathed on his belt. ‘You will need to come with us. For your protection.’

‘I thank you for the kind offer, but it is not necessary. We have all the protection we need inside.’ Ellen tried to go around him, and again he blocked her.

‘It wasn’t an offer. Lord Andel has placed all field witches in Andelmine Province under his protection.’ The words “whether they like it or not” hovered in the air unsaid.

‘We are not from Andelmine. We are from Rangleemore Province,’ said Ellen.

A hard smile curved his lips. ‘Don’t matter where you come from. You’re here now, and that means you have to abide by the laws of this province.’

Ellen twisted to look at Merry, movement slow as she placed a hand on her chest, to where her heartstone pendant hung, out of sight behind the bodice of her dress. Merry’s eyes widened as she realised what the gesture meant. She was going to try to put the men to sleep.

Merry sucked in a breath, trying to look innocent as she edged out of the last row of herbs and moved to the side, hoping to draw the men’s eyes her way, to give Ellen time to work her spell. But no sooner did goose bumps appear on her arms, than four more men entered the stable yard, one of them Baldwin, the man who had thwarted the guild enforcer. A fierce grin lit his face as he stepped closer.

‘What do we have here, Corporal Jansen?’

‘Healers, sir, from Rangleemore Province they say. I’ve told them they must come with us.’ Jansen’s voice was filled with relish.

‘Well done, Lord Andel will be very happy with this catch. You and your partner will be rewarded handsomely.’

Jansen grinned at his partner, eyes gleaming.

Merry shared an anxious glance with Ellen. There was no way the healer would be able to put six men to sleep, and if Merry were to knock them down with wind they would know she was more than a field witch.

Ellen lifted her chin, shoulders back. ‘We are no one’s catch.’

Her voice shook, but she appeared otherwise calm. Merry was anything but. Who knew what this lot intended to do with them? Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.

‘In Lord Andel’s domain, you are whatever I say you are.’ Baldwin’s grin did not abate, though he squinted slightly as he looked at Merry. Then he lunged forward and ripped the wrap from around her head.

He gave a delighted laugh. ‘Well, gentlemen, it seems we’ve found the guild’s missing witch.’ He leaned in close. ‘There cannot be too many young witches running around with hair of such an… unusual hue. Tell me, why is it they want you?’

Merry shook her head, her tension ratcheting up a notch. ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’

She eyed the men arrayed around him, wishing she hadn’t left her staff with the rest of their gear propped against the wall of the stable. Some of the men were staring at her, with puzzled expressions, as if they were trying to place her. She only hoped none of them noted her resemblance to her grandmother, as Ellen and Kassandra Piermont had.

Baldwin waved a hand and indicated for Ellen and Merry to walk ahead of him. ‘All field witches in Andelmine Province are required to present themselves to Lord Andel at his manor, for their protection in these troubled times. Luckily for you two, I am heading that way with my squad, and we are more than happy to escort you to the manor now our business here has been concluded.’

Merry looked to Ellen and saw her shrug. At this point it didn’t seem they had a choice. Then, as the guards waited for them to grab their gear, Master Rooney exited the inn. She hoped for a rescue, but he was one man against many, and his query as to what was going on was waved aside with the same words Merry and Ellen had been given; this was for their protection.

At the worried look Master Rooney gave them as they were led away, she was sure he was thinking the same thing she was, that this supposed protection was the reason for all the witches who had gone missing. Either way, she and Ellen couldn’t afford the side trip. They would have to look out for any opportunity to escape so they could continue on their way to the Earth focal point.

When they rounded the corner of the inn and she saw the horse-drawn carriage, more stylish than anything she had seen since arriving in Tirana, she wondered if escape would be possible. Not only were there at least another six guards on horseback near the carriage, but there was a man with a receding hairline wearing a purple tunic over grey trousers.

Purple was worn only by those with an affinity with Spirit magic and, at first, she thought he might be affiliated with the guild. Then again, if he were a guild mage, he would be wearing a purple robe instead of a tunic. As she got closer, she saw his tunic bore the same silver insignia as the ones worn by Baldwin and his men.

He was one of Lord Andel’s men.

He had to be a field witch, not strong enough to be of interest to the guild. Regardless of whose side he was on, he would make it harder for them to escape. She had no real idea what a Spirit witch could do, but the memory of her time with the ghosts in the ruins of Ralinin made her wary.

The witch smiled as they were marched up to him, an avid expression in his pale blue eyes. ‘Well, this has been an interesting trip, Captain Baldwin. First you get the best of those guild puppets, and now you bring me two healers. Lord Andel will be pleased.’

He opened the door to the carriage and gestured for Merry and Ellen to step up into the interior, his grin widening when Sadie darted in before them.

‘One of you has a familiar. Who does it belong to?’ He looked them over but neither Merry nor Ellen spoke.

He shrugged. ‘No matter. We’ll find out soon enough.’ He shut the door, locking them inside.

Merry’s relief that he had not climbed in after them was subdued by the knowledge they were trapped, and that he now knew one of them had a familiar and was more than just a field witch. What he would do with that information was the concern.

It couldn’t be helped. Sadie jumped lightly to the seat beside Merry. I would never have been able to keep up with you if I remained on foot.

‘It’s okay, Sadie. We’ll figure it out.’ Merry leant back against the soft cushions as she hoped she was right.

The carriage gave a jolt and then began to move, muffled voices coming from the guards mounted around them as it set off. There wasn’t much Merry and Ellen could do, though she wished they’d had a chance to get some food from the inn. It had been a long time since breakfast.

Merry’s stomach rumbled, loudly, and she was pleased when Ellen rummaged in her pack and produced a package similar to the breakfast one, with bread, cheese and a slice of roasted meat, leftovers from the meal they had shared the night before with Mistress Napally and her large family.

They washed it down with water and settled in for the trip to Lord Andel’s manor.

They travelled for over an hour before the carriage stopped and they were allowed out. With guards surrounding them, they were ushered to the back door of a large two-storey house made of grey stone. There was no sign of the Spirit witch or Captain Baldwin as she and Ellen were escorted down a short hall and shoved into a dark chamber. Sadie slid in behind them and seconds later the door slammed shut.

Merry check the handle. Locked.

She surveyed the room in the dim light seeping through a gap between heavy grey drapes. It was small and sparsely furnished, with only a chaise lounge and a table. She crossed the room and swept aside the drapes, to find the window barred and locked. Still, the sunlight streaming through it allowed her to inspect the room better, and she spotted a doorway on the left wall. This led to the most advanced bathroom facility she had seen since arriving in Tirana, with an old-fashioned toilet and basin, with running water. It was the first physical evidence she had seen to confirm travel between Tirana and her world. That travel had stopped forty years ago when the guild destroyed all the portals they could find.

Merry felt almost refreshed and ready to face whatever came next when she emerged from the bathroom moments later.

‘The guards brought food and drink,’ said Ellen. ‘I have checked it as best I can and have found no trace of sedative or anything harmful. It should be safe to consume.’ Then she slipped past Merry and entered the bathroom.

Merry eyed the sweet pastries and dainty sandwiches on the platter set in the middle of the table. Sadie was beside the embroidered chaise, delicately consuming the contents of a small bowl that had been set out for her. The realisation the staff had known in advance to expect the arrival of a cat was concerning, but it was the steaming pot in the middle of the table that caught Merry’s attention, a familiar aroma filling the air.

‘Is that coffee? Real coffee?’ Merry lifted the lid and inhaled deeply, pleasure thrumming through her at the rich scent.

A small jug of milk and a container of sugar sat beside two white china cups, and Merry didn’t waste any time pouring herself a coffee. She perched on one end of the chaise and sipped the hot drink. It tasted as rich as it smelled, and it was glorious. By the time Ellen left the bathroom, Merry was onto her second cup, a plate containing a generous selection of the pastries and sandwiches on her lap, while Sadie was curled up beside her.

Ellen joined them once she had her own plate of food and cup of coffee. Then they sat there and waited for something to happen. They talked softly, not sure if anyone was outside listening in, but soon their conversation stalled.

After an hour Merry was starting to think they had been forgotten, while a quick check of the door showed it was still locked. Another hour passed, and the sun outside the window dipped in the sky, making the room darken. There were sconces on the wall, with thick candles, but they had nothing to light them with. Merry was finding it hard to keep her eyes open, just sitting there doing nothing, despite all the coffee she had consumed. Sadie had fallen into a deep sleep between her and Ellen, ears occasionally twitching as if she were caught in a dream.

Bleary eyed, Merry was considering giving in and joining the cat when the door finally opened. She sluggishly got to her feet and straightened her dress, Ellen getting up as well, though Sadie did not stir.

The Spirit witch entered, two guards looming in the open doorway behind him, only he was now wearing a purple robe. According to what Ellen had told her, only mages were allowed to wear robes, not field witches. What was he?

He cast a benevolent smile at them and held his hands out wide. ‘My name is Mage Fowler, and I do apologise for keeping you waiting, my dears, but I had urgent matters to attend to. Now I can devote my full attention to seeing to your needs. First though, to ensure your continued protection, I will need you to swear fealty to Lord Andel.’

Merry shared a startled glance with Ellen.

The healer took the lead. ‘I’m afraid that is not possible. We are mere visitors to this province. We come from Dryton, and as such our fealty belongs to Lord Ranglee.’

Fowler’s lips curled into a sneer; blue eyes cold. ‘Ranglee cannot help you here. All field witches in Andelmine Province are required by law to swear fealty to Lord Andel, whether they are merely visiting or not. It is only a formality, a way to ensure your protection in these troubled times.’ He held out both hands, palms up, showing a sliver of a shimmering stone in each.

Merry sucked in a breath. It was heartstone. The most valuable stone in all of Tirana according to Ellen.

‘Take the stone and swear fealty, and you will receive enduring protection from Lord Andel,’ said Fowler.

‘And a lifetime of servitude,’ said Ellen, crossing her arms in front of her chest. ‘If we swear an oath on heartstone we will be bound for life. It is impossible to break such an oath.’

His eyebrows twitched at her words, and then he gave a slight nod. ‘Think of it more as a means of protection rather than servitude. Lord Andel uses these oaths to ensure you pose no danger to him or his province. He has no intention of forcing you to serve against your will. You will be able to resume your lives, once the oath is given and you have answered a few simple questions regarding your abilities.’ His gaze flicked to the sleeping black cat.

Merry didn’t need to be telepathic to know he was lying. Whatever this oath was for, it was not for protection, theirs or the Lord’s.

They had to get out of there.

But how?

 

Chapter Three

‘There is no way we are taking that oath,’ said Ellen, chin jutting out.

Mage Fowler bristled. ‘Don’t be foolish. Working for Lord Andel will give you more status than being a simple healer. The guild doesn’t value your services, but he does. Take the oath and you will want for nothing.’

‘Except free will.’ Merry shook her head, standing shoulder to shoulder beside Ellen. ‘You can take Lord Andel’s offer of protection and shove it. We are not swearing any oath to him, and you can’t make us.’

‘You’re making a huge mistake, girl.’ His tone hard, expression cold, he loomed over them.

‘Maybe, but it’s my mistake to make.’ She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

He glowered at her. ‘Perhaps a night in the dungeon will change your minds.’ He snapped his fingers. The two guards entered the room, swords drawn.

Even if she had a clue how to use her magic, Merry knew she couldn’t do anything before they would be able to skewer her, so she settled for glaring at them as another guard entered the room and grabbed up their belongings at the mage’s command. Then they were ushered out into the corridor at sword point, to find three more guards waiting for them.

Sadie woke and bolted for the door, but Mage Fowler slammed it shut before she could leap out. The little cat’s mental curses filled Merry’s head as the six guards surrounded her and Ellen and led them down the corridor in the opposite direction to the one they had entered by. They were directed to turn left at the end of the corridor only to stop midway down the next one.

Merry looked about in confusion. There were no doors she could see, the walls obscured by colourful tapestries hung from wooden rails near the ceiling. A guard in front lifted aside one of the tapestries, one depicting a woodland setting, to reveal a heavy wooden door set in the wall. He secured the tapestry with a corded tie and attached it to a hook in the wall before stepping back.

The mage produced a large brass key and unlocked the door, pushing it open to reveal a narrow set of stairs. Two guards entered the stairwell first, and then Merry was prodded in the back and ordered to follow them.

There were no fancy furnishings on the walls of the stairwell, and not in the equally narrow hall at the bottom. A pungent aroma swept towards Merry and she lifted a hand to cover her nose. This was ten times worse than the stable she had spent the night in before, hinting of unwashed bodies and their waste products.

‘It is not too late to change your minds, my dears,’ came the smug voice of Fowler from somewhere behind Merry.

She didn’t bother to turn around or respond. Whatever they were about to be faced with had to be better than swearing their life away to some lord on a power trip. When they reached the end of the corridor and entered what appeared to be a small guard room, the smell intensified and she fought not to gag as she watched the guard who had snatched up their belongings stuff them in a cupboard. Then they were forced through an open doorway on the other side of the small room, skirting a wooden table and two chairs.

Two rows of cells lined the walls in the space beyond the doorway, all of them containing people wearing clothes in a variety of colours. Some lay on bunks, others sat on the stone floor with their backs propped against the walls, while others were huddled in tight balls in the centre of the cells. Most of them looked up as Merry and Ellen were marched into the centre of the cells. Many wore looks of sympathy, while others appeared so dejected it was as if they barely registered the presence of newcomers.

Merry was still fighting the urge to gag when she and Ellen were shoved towards a cell down the end on the left. The door was unlocked by one of the guards and then she and her friend were roughly pushed in to join the cell’s single occupant. This was a woman who also wore a green dress.

Merry stared in horror at the state of the woman and the cell. There was a bucket in one corner that appeared to be filled with human waste, the stench of it horrendous in a space with no windows. The woman was stretched out on the only bunk, thin, gaunt, hardly able to lift her head as Ellen hurried to kneel at her side.

Ellen clutched her chest and reached out her other hand to place it on the woman’s forehead, seemingly unconcerned by how dirty she was.

‘Don’t, child. Save your strength.’ The woman weakly tried to push Ellen’s hand away, her voice as weak as her actions.

‘Hush,’ said Ellen in a soothing tone. ‘It will be fine.’

Merry rubbed at the goose bumps on her arms, conscious of the witches in the other cells watching on as her friend did what she could for the woman in their cell. None of them spoke until Ellen had finished her spell and moved back.

‘I’ve done what I can,’ she said as she got to her feet. ‘There is little I can do against starvation, but you should be more comfortable, at least.’

‘I thank you,’ said the woman, some of the weakness gone from her voice, grimacing as she pulled herself into a seated position. ‘But it was foolish of you to waste your energy on trying to heal me. You need to conserve what strength you have, or the next time you face that accursed mage you may find it hard to refuse his demands.’

Ellen scanned the witch, and then those in the adjourning cells. ‘You have all refused to swear the oath of fealty to Lord Andel?’

‘That we have,’ said a man in the cell opposite them, his rumpled and stained tunic proclaiming him an Air witch. ‘And we will continue to do so, until death comes to us and frees us from this prison.’

‘Death!’ Merry’s voice squeaked.

The man looked over at her. ‘That is the only way out of here, unless you decide to take the oath. He’s got some of us that way, when they were too weak to think straight or sick of being starved to death.’

Merry’s legs weakened at the thought of being locked down here forever, growing weaker and weaker until the idea of swearing fealty and condemning herself to a lifetime of servitude didn’t seem so horrendous in comparison. If she did that, she would never be able to return home.

She turned to Ellen. ‘I thought heartstones were only supposed to amplify magic. Not enslave people.’

The healer nodded. ‘It is the same principle. Only, with an oath, it amplifies the imperative to obey. Small stones, like the ones Mage Fowler has, would only work to bind one person. The guild has a large stone, as big as a man’s head, and it is capable of binding hundreds of oaths.’ Her expression grim, she added, ‘There is talk that it can even be used to oathbind those without magic.’

Merry gulped down revulsion at the thought of being forced to swear an oath, to Lord Andel or the guild. 

They had to get out of there.

Sadie was still upstairs. Maybe there was a way for her to free them. Fowler had locked her in the room, but the little cat had magic of her own. Merry wasn’t sure what a familiar could do, but she might be their only hope.

Even as she had the thought, Merry looked to those around her. Their clothing, tattered as it was, suggested the witches locked in the dungeon represented all five elemental abilities.

‘You have magic. Couldn’t you escape?’ she asked.

The Earth witch Ellen had tended to waved a grimy hand at the cell door. ‘We’ve tried. Believe me. The bars are warded against us with more powerful spells than even the best of us could overcome. It would take a guild mage to have any hope of breaking free. Even then it would take one who possessed mastery of all five elements to achieve the task. Lord Andel’s pet mage has had those of us who have succumbed to the oath reinforce the spells daily. The only way out of here is if you have the right key.’

‘Where do we find a key?’ Merry asked.

‘Fowler keeps it on a chain around his neck, and before you think about overpowering him, he never comes down here with fewer than six guards. As Rupert said, the only way out is to give in to him, or to welcome death.’ With that she subsided back against the wall, the energy Ellen’s ministrations had given her fading.

Merry was not about to give up. She reached out to Sadie. Any chance you could escape from that room, steal a key from around the neck of the mage, and let us out of here?

She got the sense of a dry snort. They sprayed a sleeping gas into the room under the door, stopping me from escaping when they finally opened it again. Now I’m trussed up in a cage in the guard room. I won’t be going anywhere. You will have to free yourself, and then me. And do it quick. The cage is similar to the one you encountered in the stable at Pillingston.

Damn. Merry quietly filled Ellen in on the problem, hoping the cage was big enough that Sadie wasn’t being zapped every time she moved. The giant falcon she’d rescued had been punished in such a manner until she’d opened the cage door and set it free. She would get Sadie free too, somehow.

She moved over to the cell door, carefully stretching out a hand as she tried to sense the warding spell. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck lift as her hand hovered just above the lock, but she couldn’t tell what the spell was meant to do. She sent out a gust of wind, rattling the door but having no effect on the lock. If she’d had her staff, she would have tried to pry the door open with it, enhancing her magic, but without it they were stuck.

‘You’re a guild mage,’ said Rupert.

Merry shook her head. ‘I’m no mage.’

He snorted. ‘Don’t give me that. No field witch would be able to call wind as easily as you just did.’ He squinted his eyes and gazed intently at her. ‘Who are you? You’re not from Andelmine Province.’ He shifted his gaze towards Ellen. ‘Are you a guild mage too?’

Ellen stepped up beside Merry. ‘We’re healers, from Dryton. Merry is my apprentice. She is just starting to come into her abilities, but we are not members of the guild.’

‘You’re lying.’ His gaze hardened. ‘She’s no healer. She’s an Air mage. A guild Air mage, or a plant for Lord Andel.’

There were low mutters from some of the other occupants of the dungeons, those not so far gone that they were unable to understand what was being said.

‘I’m telling you, we are not with the guild or Lord Andel,’ said Ellen, her tone remaining even. ‘We are prisoners, just like you. We need to work together if we want to be free.’ Her eyes flicked towards Merry, then she looked back to Rupert.

‘It’s true that Merry does have some ability with Air, but she is not trained. Do you know of a way she could use that ability to free us all?’

Merry held her breath as he continued to stare at her, waiting for his answer.

Then he heaved a sigh, shoulders slumping. ‘With training, and if she was strong enough, she could call up a gale to batter at the walls. But it would batter us as well, and these walls are reinforced stone.'