The Right Side of History (Schooled In Magic Book 22), Christopher Nuttall [books to read romance TXT] 📗

insult. Void had every right to take offense and it was unlikely anyone would suggest otherwise. Even if they believed Emily was Void’s daughter, they’d still expect him to keep her under control.

“Your choice,” Void said. “We can have the hearing now. Or I can take her home and you can follow standard procedure.”

Master Lucknow’s eyes flashed murder. “We shall proceed to Resolution,” he said, curtly. “The hearing will be organized as soon as possible.”

Emily glanced at Void, who nodded shortly. Behind him, Jan looked pale. Emily didn’t envy him. His master was going to be pissed. Master Lucknow would be looking for someone to bear the brunt of his anger. And if Jan hadn’t fetched Void, the plan would have worked perfectly. Emily hoped Jan had the sense to cut off his apprenticeship and go. He already knew enough to make a decent living. He didn’t have to stay with his master.

Void took her arm. “Brace yourself,” he said. “This is going to be bumpy.”

“And you, go back home and wait,” Master Lucknow said to Jan. “I’ll deal with you later.”

Emily wanted to say something, although she had no idea what, but she felt Void’s power building and hastily closed her eyes. The ground lurched violently under her feet, a storm of magic billowing around her before slowly fading. Her body ached, as if she’d been hit repeatedly without any clear memory of it. She staggered against Void, nearly losing her footing as the ground lurched again. She had the uneasy sense they’d just crashed through a pair of wards intended to keep them out.

Her eyes snapped open. They were in the center of a dimly lit chamber, barely illuminated by light that had no visible source. Powerful wards surrounded them, confusing her senses even though they didn’t seem to be focused on them specifically. She thought she sensed the beating of a nexus point in the distance, but it didn’t seem to be linked to the wards. It was hard to be sure. She tried to reach out gingerly, to study the wards, but it was like staring into a blinding light. It was impossible to pick out the details, let alone start planning to crack the wards from the inside.

“Resolution Castle,” Void said, as he let go of her arm. “Home of the Order of Mediation.”

Emily nodded, looking around with interest. They were alone, trapped in a chamber that looked very much like a prison. A line of doors stood in front of her, each heavily warded. There was no one else in view, but her instincts insisted she was being watched. She glanced at the doors, wondering if anyone was behind them. There were no visible peepholes, but that proved nothing. Peepholes weren’t useful if the victim knew they were there.

That doesn’t prove anything either, Emily reminded herself. Some peepholes and observation spells are designed to be obvious, just to convince the victim they’ve found and blocked them all.

Void chuckled, humorlessly. “Their taste in interior design leaves something to be desired.”

Emily looked at him as he cast a pair of privacy spells. “What happened?”

“Good question.” Void spoke quietly, despite the spells. “They certainly didn’t follow standard procedure.”

He looked her up and down, thoughtfully. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore,” Emily said. Her body ached. She hadn’t felt so sore since the first time she’d taken Martial Magic. It was hard to believe, even in hindsight, that Sergeant Harkin had gone easy on her. “Sore and drained.”

“You did well,” Void said.

Emily frowned. “How much of the fight did you see?”

“There were eight combat sorcerers and a dozen apprentices in the area,” Void said. “If you hadn’t done well, they would have taken you prisoner with ease. You could have done more, though...”

“I didn’t want to kill people,” Emily said. She thought about the townspeople she’d met over the last few weeks and shivered. None of them deserved to be tormented by the witches, let alone killed because they’d been caught in the middle of a full-scale fight. “I thought...”

“Sometimes, you have to make that choice,” Void said. “Trying to snatch you off the streets... that’s not good. Lucknow’s practically thrown his career to the dragons.”

Emily frowned. “I thought he was on your side. Your team.”

“No one is ever truly on another person’s side,” Void said, shortly. “People work together because they have common interests. When those interests diverge, so do the people.”

“And why...?” Emily shook her head. She wasn’t sure she wanted to discuss it here, in the middle of the castle. “Where is he?”

“Probably running around, trying to make arrangements,” Void said. He chuckled, darkly. “He was always very good at planning the immediate steps, but his long-term planning often leaves something to be desired.”

Emily looked away as a door started to rattle before opening, revealing a grim-faced man in a suit of charmed armor. It looked absurdly fragile, but she knew from experience that it could deflect or absorb enough spells to give its wearer a chance to deal with the caster before it was too late. The man’s face was oddly blurred, suggesting he was using a charm to hide his identity. She supposed it made a certain kind of sense. The prisoners might want revenge on their gaolers if - when - they were released.

The man stepped up to her and stopped. “Lady Emily,” he said. He moved with a delicacy that suggested he’d been wounded in his youth and the damage had never fully healed. Rare, for a magician. She thought, just for a second, that he might be a homunculus. “Please come with me.”

“I will be accompanying her to the cell,” Void said. His tone made it clear it wasn’t a request. “And you will be held solely accountable for her treatment.”

Emily shivered. The gaoler didn’t show any visible reaction. Instead, he turned and led the way through the door. The corridor beyond was cold, but nowhere near as dark and dank as King Randor’s cells. Indeed, there was something oddly sterile about