Lewis caught his father up on everything that had happened, including everything Amnis had told him about chimeras. When they were done, his father was pale, but it might have been from exhaustion. He was leaning on the table, his wounds clearly still bothering him. How was he going to walk all the way to Palegrove? Him being there was their best chance of convincing the court of the truth, but Lewis was still worried.

  “Amnis said he wouldn’t allow you to become a chimera,” Stewart said. “He must have something planned.”

  Lewis had wondered about that. “He was so badly weakened, I don’t know what he could do.”

  A knock came on the library doors just before Curtis came inside.

  “We knew you would have a lot to talk about,” Curtis said, “but we need to talk about the plan. We’ll have to leave for Palegrove tomorrow morning.”

  Stewart smiled. “There is little planning to do. The Elder Mages will accompany me to Palegrove, along with the mercenaries. There, we will confront the court.”

  “Esther might make her move soon,” Lewis said. “I want to go with you.”

  Stewart’s smile vanished. “Using your magic is dangerous.”

  “With us there, he hopefully won’t have to use it,” Curtis said. “And we may need him with us. The court is going to have questions, seeing as Lewis has been High Mage while you were missing. We definitely won’t be telling them he’s an Afflicted Mage, but it would be best if he’s there.”

  Stewart sighed. “You are right, but still…” He shook his head. “There I go again, shutting you out. I’m sorry, Lewis. Curtis is right, you carried out the duties of High Mage while I was gone. You’ve had training with your magic.”

  “I’ll avoid using it if I can,” Lewis said. “I have had training, but I’m still barely an Apprentice.”

  Stewart looked at Curtis. “He told me you helped him learn how to use his magic, before Miriam took over. How far did he get?”

  “He can separate water and make it hover,” Curtis said. “He learned that while Miriam was…teaching him. If Esther summons those shadow wolves, Lewis’s spirit magic is the only thing we know of that can destroy them. Weapons and other magic don’t work on them.”

  Stewart looked reluctant. “Then Lewis will have to come with us.” He got to his feet slowly, but seemed steady enough. “Let’s discuss this with the others. What do the mercenaries know about Lewis?”

  “They know he’s an Afflicted Mage,” Curtis said, “but they agreed they won’t share that with the court. They said they will assume we know if he’s dangerous or not. It might help if they see him how he is now.”

  When Lewis thought of what had happened in the tunnels beneath Palegrove, he didn’t want to face the mercenaries. Would they still be afraid of him? He stood. Afraid or not, he had to face them. They would be traveling together to Palegrove. He left the library with Curtis and Stewart. Curtis led them to the room where Miriam, Blake, and the mercenaries had gathered at a round table that took up most of the room. Afternoon light spilled in through the large window along the back wall that looked out at the birch forest.

  There was little else to talk about when it came to the plan. All they could do was hope it worked. When Lewis looked at the mercenaries, he saw their fear of him, but the group became less tense as they talked. When they realized Lewis wasn’t a raging monster that was going to eat them. At least they didn’t know what exactly he was, or the truth about chimeras. He had a strange feeling, a certainty, that he couldn’t spread a blight until he entirely became the chimera. Until he reached the point where he couldn’t come back.

  The mercenaries joined the mages for dinner in the dining hall. Lewis was too tired that night to search the library for books mentioning a past blight. That would have to wait until they returned to Birch Hall. Now that Stewart was back, Lewis would share a room on the second floor with Dale. The Elder Mages had thought it best the two share, and there also wasn’t another room clean and ready. Dale didn’t seem to mind, though Lewis noticed the awkwardness between them. Was it because Lewis was officially no more than an Apprentice?

  When it came to magic, Lewis had far less experience than Dale, despite being older than him. Miriam had said Dale and the twins looked up to Lewis, but he wasn’t sure if they still did. He was too tired to worry about the way Dale kept glancing at him, about how uncertain he looked. Since Lewis and the others were leaving early in the morning, Lorna had volunteered to keep watch in the halls that night, so that the Elder Mages would be well rested for the journey.

  Lewis slept better than he’d thought he would. He didn’t have any strange dreams. Dale and Priya had breakfast with Lewis and everyone else, even though it was early. Even Lorna was there, though she looked half asleep after being up all night. After breakfast, Lewis and the others set out into the forest. Lewis wore the brown robes of an Apprentice. When they reached the city, he would keep his hood up. They didn’t want Esther to know he was there right away.

  The three day journey passed uneventfully. The four mercenaries were friendlier than Lewis had thought they would be, but by the time they reached Palegrove at night, Lewis still didn’t know their names. The mercenaries clearly wanted to keep some distance between them and the mages. The court summons hadn’t included Tanza, so the group chose a less expensive inn. In the morning, Lewis raised his hood again before going down to breakfast. There were no travelers in the common room, but the innkeeper stared at Stewart, looking baffled.

  “When is the court meeting?” Stewart asked quietly.

  “At midday,” Blake said, frowning at the front window. “If we can tell when that is.”

  It was a gloomy day, dark clouds roiling overhead. Lewis shivered. It was an eerie reminder of the sky in the dream where shadow wolves had chased him, and the place where he’d seen the old god after opening the book. The group stayed at the inn until midday. By then, it was raining, but not hard. The group was led into the throne hall and introduced to the court, but Lewis was introduced only as an Apprentice, not by name. He followed the others to the throne, bowed to Martin where he sat on the throne, then moved into the crowd nearby. No one around him appeared suspicious of him in the least.

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  For a moment, a heavy silence fell over the room. The only sound was the rain hammering against the windows and roof. It was raining much harder now. Lewis caught sight of Esther standing in the shadows near the throne, obscured by her black cloak. Despite the shadows, he could clearly see she was looking in his direction. Did she somehow know it was him? Martin stood suddenly, moving to the front of the two wide steps that led up to the throne.

  “We have gathered to discuss the fate of Birch Hall,” Martin said, his voice echoing through the throne hall.

  Whispers spread among the court before quickly quieting again. It seemed everyone in the hall was staring not at Martin, but at Stewart. That’s who Martin was looking at, but his face was expertly blank. Lewis saw Martin glance at the mercenaries as well, who stood just behind the mages.

  “There are other matters we need to discuss first,” Stewart said. “There are several things these mercenaries would like to share with the court, and I also have much to say.” He looked around at the court. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m back.” He smiled briefly. “After all, did I not retire? Did I not leave behind a letter naming my son the next High Mage before disappearing without a word?” He took a deep breath, grimacing for just a moment. His wounds hadn’t reopened on the journey, but they must still hurt. “That letter was forged.”

  Whispers spread through the court again, but this time they were louder and didn’t fall silent until the leader mercenary spoke. He told the court about Martin hiring them to abduct the High Mage. Someone else was hired to forge the letter and place it within Birch Hall, sending another copy to the queen. Martin assumed Lewis wasn’t a mage, since he had never been trained at Birch Hall. He planned to reveal the lie to the queen, to shake her trust in Stewart and the mages. The mercenaries told the court about Martin hiring the assassin to kill the queen.

  “You have no proof!” Martin said. “All you have is the word of mercenaries!”

  “And the High Mage standing right before us,” a woman of the court said. “The court has long trusted him, Martin. His word carries far more weight than you seem to think it does.”

  Martin took a small step back, his entire body rigid. That was when Esther moved, stepping out of the shadows, drawing a dagger from the folds of her cloak. Lewis pushed through the crowd, running up the steps as Esther raised the dagger. Gasps spread through the court. Martin turned, but he would be too late. Lewis got between them, grabbing Esther’s hand on the hilt of the dagger. She growled, yanking her hand free of his with unexpected strength. Lewis’s hood had fallen back. He heard murmurs from the court about him, a mere Apprentice, having been High Mage. At the moment, it didn’t matter what they thought about it.

  Esther made a small gesture to the side. Howls split the air, shadow wolves rushing out of the corners of the hall. Screams and shouts erupted from everywhere in the hall. Martin ran, shoving his way through the crowd toward the doors. Esther ran after him. Lewis followed, tearing apart the core of a shadow wolf that leaped at him. The wolves weren’t attacking the court. They were all running out the doors after Martin.

  It was raining even harder outside now. Lewis thought he heard someone calling his name, but he didn’t look back, running after Esther and her wolves. The wolves faded into nothing in the rain just before Esther ran out through the gate. Martin was just up ahead. He was slowing, breathing hard. Lewis lost sight of the two among the pale birch trees, but he didn’t stop. If he didn’t get there in time, Esther would sacrifice Martin. That gave him the extra push he needed to keep running, despite his ragged breath from running across the city.

  The ground was muddy and slippery, slowing him down further. Martin was on the ground up ahead, the side of his head bleeding, and his eyes closed. Esther knelt beside him in the mud, her dagger raised. The hood of her black cloak had fallen back. She was using the same appearance she used in the mines before she had become the mercenary man again. Was this her true appearance? The one with the black hair and dark blue eyes? Did she even have a true appearance?

  Lewis ran at her, tackling her from the side. She kicked him in the chest, striking with her dagger. Lewis moved out of the path of the blade barely in time, but he kept himself between her and the unconscious Martin. Esther glared at Lewis as she got to her feet. He followed. She glanced at Martin, but she didn’t make a move. Not yet.

  “You still haven’t seen reason,” Esther said. “We exist to bring back our god. That is why he made us what we are. Why don’t you see what an honor it is to be chosen as his vessel?”

  “I don’t want to be his vessel,” Lewis said. “I didn’t ask for this magic, and I’m not grateful to him for it. How is it an honor to become a monster that could spread a blight across the land, killing everything in its path?”

  Esther sighed. “We are not like others in this world, Lewis. We are so much more.” She lunged, her eyes on Martin.

  Lewis reached out to the rain with his magic. It flowed together and slammed into her chest, but it was only a small orb of water. Esther stumbled, but only a little. The darkness in Lewis’s magic rushed to the surface, pulling and tearing at him. He cried out, falling to his hands and knees in the mud. Esther stared down at him, a strange hunger in her eyes. Rain dripped down the blade of her dagger, running through the strange carvings in the metal. Was it specially made for the sacrifice to free the old god?

  She knelt beside him. “Give in. Become the chimera and spread a blight. That will give our master power enough that I won’t have to sacrifice anyone to bring him back. As the chimera, you would be the ultimate vessel for our master.”

  Lewis fought back against the darkness inside of him. “No.” The single word took far more effort than it should.

  Esther’s jaw clenched. “This is a fool’s fight. You cannot resist forever.” She stood. “There is nothing you can do to stop this, Lewis. I have another plan besides you and Martin. You cannot truly thwart me.” She sighed, eying her dagger. “I could always kill you and wait for another Afflicted Mage if I must. Blessed as I am with power from our master, I will live as long as I must.”

  A blast of water struck her, sending her stumbling back against a tree. Stewart moved between Esther and Lewis, the rain around him gathering into a watery shield.

  Curtis knelt beside Lewis. “Don’t let it have you. Fight it.”

  Lewis pushed back against the darkness inside of him as hard as he could. Esther glared at Stewart, but Lewis thought he saw uncertainty in her eyes for just a moment. She turned and ran deeper into the forest, in the opposite direction of the city. Lewis took a deep breath, the darkness pulling back. The scales, feathers, and fur went back into his skin. The claws and talons on his hands were gone, but there were bruises all over him, and he hadn’t even changed all the way.

  “What happened?” Miriam asked, appearing among the trees, breathing hard. Blake was close behind her.

  “She escaped,” Stewart said, the shield of water dropping to the ground.

  Blake knelt beside Martin. “He’s alive.”

  Stewart stared down at the unconscious man with a sigh. “I can’t say I’m relieved to hear that, but it is better than him being sacrificed to bring back the old god. And now he can attend the trial the court will no doubt hold.” He grabbed Martin’s arm roughly, he and Blake pulling him to his feet. “Let’s go back to the city.” His expression softened when he looked at Lewis. “Are you alright?”

  Lewis nodded, getting to his feet slowly. “Just bruised.” How close had he come to becoming the chimera? He wasn’t sure he could stop it the next time.