Shadow Magic (25 page)

“Look—look,” said Gabriel, his voice rising in pitch with fear. He stared toward the nearest guards. “There are rules, laws. Laws of hospitality. I am a guest of Castle Gloom. I cannot be harmed within its walls.”

The guard drew his sword. “You’re not within its walls, m’lord.”

Thorn hated Gabriel. The boy was all that was wrong with the world. But his hate was nothing compared to the Shadows’ resentment of the Solars. The countries had been at war for centuries. The Solars had taken over vast chunks of Gehenna and were now, with the marriage to Lily, about to take over the rest. The people would be slaves to the white flag.

They wanted revenge.

K’leef came up in front of him and put his hand on his chest. “No, Thorn.”

“Get out of my way, K’leef.”

The Sultanate boy’s dark eyes hardened. “Do not do this. If Gabriel is guilty, then we’ll do it properly, according to the law.”

“The law doesn’t count for people like him.” Thorn pushed K’leef, who tried to move forward, but one of the Gehennish held him back.

“Don’t be a fool, Thorn!” K’leef shouted.

Thorn wasn’t listening. Gabriel was going to pay for his crime right now.

“Stand back!” Gabriel screamed. “Get back, or I will use my magic on you!” He raised his arms. “This is your last warning!”

The mob came closer.

“I’m warning you!” Gabriel threw out his arms. “Stay back or else!” His face went red and he trembled. “It’s…coming…”

Lights flickered on his fingertips. Small fairy lights that shone and faded like sparkles off a firework. Just not as impressive.

Gabriel gritted his teeth.

The sparkles became a dazzling fountain of light.

It was pretty for about five seconds.

Thorn shook his head. Typical Gabriel. Pathetic.

“We don’t want trouble,” said one of the Solar squires.

Thorn pointed at Gabriel. “We just want him.”

Would the squires side with Gabriel? There were six of them. Maybe enough to almost even the odds.

The squires looked at each other and then stepped back, abandoning the duke’s son. He stared around, terrified. “You…you can’t leave me!”

“Why ain’t I surprised?” Thorn grabbed Gabriel and shoved him to his knees. “Any last words?”

The boy sobbed. “You can’t do this….”

“I can.” It was the plain truth.

He knew Gabriel had done it. Either killed Rose on purpose or by accident, sneaking up and shoving her in the moat and letting the thick weeds and her heavy dress do the rest. Rose, who’d done nothing to anybody.

“You tried to poison Lily,” said Thorn. “You messed that up, so you had another go and drowned her. And just like with the poisoning, you got the wrong victim.”

“Poison her? No, I didn’t! You have to believe me!” Gabriel tried to beat off the hands holding him. “I didn’t do anything!”

“You’re lying. Rose saw you put something in Lily’s cup that night of the feast.”

“It was spittle! I spat in her cup! That’s all.” He looked around, his face white with terror. “She insulted me. In front of everyone. In front of my father. She snubbed me when she danced with…him!” Gabriel stabbed his finger out at K’leef. “He’s our prisoner! So I spat in her cup to teach her a lesson. That’s all. Please, I’m telling the truth.”

Gabriel’s confession smacked Thorn in the face.

He held the strip of silk before Gabriel’s eyes. “And this?”

“That’s off my old suit. The one I was wearing when you dropped me in that horse dung. I threw it away right after! Someone must have gathered it up. Please, you have to believe me!”

He’s telling the truth. He’s too scared to lie.

“Get up,” said Thorn. “Get up and run.”

Gabriel remained on his knees, shaking. “What are you going to do to me?”

Thorn grabbed his collar and lifted him to his feet. “I said run.”

Gabriel wiped his nose and looked at the gathering. “You’ll pay for this.” He turned around and ran back across the bridge. A few stones and clods of earth were thrown at him halfheartedly, but none hit.

The man holding K’leef let him go. K’leef scowled, then joined Thorn. “You did the right thing.”

“Then why do I feel so bad?”

One of the servants shoved Thorn angrily. “You should have let us have him. He deserves it. Look what he did to Rose.”

K’leef stepped between them. “Don’t you realize that Thorn just saved your lives? If anything had happened to a single blond hair on Gabriel’s head, the duke would’ve had you all dangling on ropes by dawn. Now get back to your homes before you make things worse.”

“What about Rose?”

K’leef took off his coat and laid it over her. “We’ll look after Rose.”

I
t was Tyburn’s hand that had covered Lily’s mouth. He had tracked her down at the fair and brought her home through an underground tunnel she had never seen before. He had put two guards on the door to her rooms and given her a strict warning not to leave again. Then he had headed back out to try and restore some semblance of order.

Tyburn knows the secret ways in and out of Gloom. What other secrets is he keeping?

Now Lily sat in her chambers, a bar of chocolate on her lap. She had planned to give it to Rose as a thank-you present for helping her escape tonight.

Rose is dead because of me.

Why had Rose gone out there?

Because she had wanted to show Fynn how fine she looked, wearing that dress. Like a princess.

In the corner of the chamber was the Mantle of Sorrows, hanging from a stone mannequin. It was not made of any mortal cloth, but woven out of misery and guilt. Every ounce of suffering, every poor mistake, every wrong judgment made by the ruler of House Shadow added to its length and weight.

How heavy would Rose’s death be?

Mary entered. She said nothing and did not look at Lily. She walked to the table, took a taper from her apron, and lit more candles.

“I want it dark,” said Lily.

“That won’t make it better, my love.”

“Nothing should make it better.” Lily fought the urge to cry, but all she could feel was this wave, a huge overwhelming wave of sadness rising from deep inside. She couldn’t give in—if she did, she’d drown. “What have I done, Mary?”

“You, Lily? You’ve done nothing.”

“But I made Rose wear my clothes. The killer thought she was me.” Horrible thoughts tumbled around in her head. She hadn’t saved her family, and she hadn’t saved her dog, and she hadn’t saved Rose. She’d failed them all. “I’m so useless.”

“Don’t say that, Lily. You’re just—”

“I am! I’ve never done anything good, ever! Not since I was born. Just a useless girl with no purpose but to marry the village idiot. My parents gave everything to Dante because he was everything they wanted. They never needed me, and they never wanted me.”

“Of course they did. They loved you just as much as they loved Dante.”

“Then why did they leave me?”

Mary said nothing but opened up her arms.

Lily pressed herself against her old nanny, clutching onto her desperately.

There was Mary’s heartbeat. Strong, solid, and constant, as it had always been.

“The Solars killed her,” said Lily. “I know they did.”

“Hush now. Don’t fret about that,” said Mary. She brushed her fingers through Lily’s hair. “Hush, child.”

How could Mary’s heart be so steady? The Solars had robbed her of more than most: her only children. Mary’s two boys had helped Lily climb trees to get apples, had brought her cakes steaming hot from the kitchen. Lily remembered the day when Mary had waved them off to war, all crying and smiling and proud.

Then, not much later, Mary had watched Old Colm lead a cart back through the gates with them both lying pale and gashed by sword and spear.

How could her heart still beat at all?

Lily looked at the face that she knew almost as well as her own. There were wrinkles, and there was silver hair, and her eyes were not as bright as they’d once been. Yet it was the face Lily had kissed more than any other. “Never leave me, Mary.”

Mary stroked her cheek. “As if I ever would.”

A fist banged on the door.

“Lily!”

“It’s Uncle Pan.” Lily wiped her face. “Let him in.”

Pan barged in and stared at her. “Lily, thank the Six you’re safe. I heard something…terrible.” Pan’s hair was a tangle of greasy gray rat tails that hung twisted over his equally gray face. Wine stained his shirt, and his trousers were undone, exposing the pasty white flesh of his bulging midriff.

Lily was appalled and disgusted. This was her uncle? It was as if she was seeing him for the first time.

When had things gotten so bad?

“Where have you been?” snapped Mary.

Pan wore a mask—or rather, had pushed it up onto his forehead. He took it off and fiddled it with it nervously. “I had some business at the fair.”

“Buying more junk from con men, Uncle?” said Lily. “How much did you give him this time?”

He’d gone disguised, wearing that mask, perhaps hoping no one would know what a fool he was. Lily grabbed it from him.

“Lily!”

She looked at it. It was hideous, a piece of rubbish. Maybe it had been elegant once, but it had obviously been broken and poorly repaired. There were pieces missing, and the joints hadn’t been glued properly.

“I could buy you something better, Uncle,” she said more gently. “You only need to ask.”

He snatched it back. “I do not need my niece to look after me!”

Why is he so angry? Can’t he see I just want to help him?

Tyburn entered and stared at all three of them. Lily wiping her tears away, Pan glowering, and Mary adjusting some cushions.

“We need to move Lady Shadow,” said Tyburn, breaking the awful silence. “Her apartments have too many ways in and out.”

Mary spoke. “Baron Sable’s castle is a day’s ride. We’ll take her there.”

“I am not leaving Castle Gloom.”

“Lily, be sensible.”

“I’m staying.”

Tyburn looked at Mary. “Put Lady Shadow in the Needle.”

“But that’s a prison!” Lily protested.

“And probably the safest place in the castle,” replied Tyburn. “You will remain there until we find this assassin.”

Lily sank into her chair. Her oldest friend was dead, she was moving to a prison, and in seven days she would have to leave Castle Gloom, forever.

“What am I supposed to
do
?” Lily asked the moment Tyburn and Pan had left.

Mary opened the first wardrobe and took out three dresses. “Stay out of trouble.”

“And Thorn,” added Lily. “How come Thorn can help, but I can’t?”

“It seems that boy has unique skills suited to this line of work.”

“I have skills, too.”

“Yes, but I’m not sure how much use embroidery will be right now.” Mary rubbed her forehead. She always did that when she felt a headache coming on. “Until we know who killed poor Rose, you’re in danger. We can’t have you wandering around the castle on your own.”

“And the poison,” said Lily. “The person who killed Rose poisoned Custard, too.”

Mary frowned. “Hmm…I suppose. Well, if that’s all, I think you need to rest. It’s been a terrible day, and I’ve still got to arrange your move to the Needle.”

“For how long? I’m going to hate it there.”

“Until it’s over, Lily.”

Lily stopped. There
was
something she could do instead of just sitting locked up in a tower. Something frightening.

“Where is Rose’s body?” she asked as innocently as possible.

Mary sighed. “In the chapel. Her parents will collect her soon and take her home for burial.”

“Castle Gloom was her home. I…I want to pay my respects.”

Mary didn’t look like she believed her. She knew Lily was up to something but couldn’t figure out what. “That’s good and right,” said Mary, warily. “But can’t it wait until morning?”

“No, it really can’t.”

“Then take the guards with you. I don’t want you roaming the corridors alone.”

“I’ll take K’leef and Thorn.”

Mary scowled, but Lily insisted. “Tyburn trusts Thorn to look after me, and K’leef’s a sorcerer.”

“Hmm. All right. Pay your respects, then. But be quick.”

Lily kissed her nanny’s cheek. “Thank you, Mary.”