Rise of Allies (The Gryphon Chronicles, Book 4) (12 page)

Sir Peter Quince happened to be passing by and rushed over to take control of the crowd. “Stand back, ladies and gentlemen! I implore you, give him room! It isn’t safe!” he yelled at the spectators, flapping his arms in his long black robes to shoo them off. “For your own safety, move away!”

Jake resented being pushed back. “Why?” he called. “What will happen?”

Sir Peter turned to him in surprise. “If you get too close, you could be sucked into the portal, and without the proper authorization, you will be instantly vaporized! Care to try it?”

“Ah, no.” Jake backed up a few feet, as did everyone else. But Sir Peter failed to give the Lightrider coming in off the Grid quite enough room, himself.

They heard the incoming agent before they saw him. A strange word echoed to them through the pulsating tunnel of light.

“Yeeeeeee-haaaaw!”

A second later, a tall, lanky man in a cowboy hat and a long leather coat burst out of the portal with a loud whoop and barreled straight into Sir Peter, knocking him flat.

As the cowboy fell forward on top of the sputtering wizard, Jake gasped to see several arrows sticking out of his back, another bristling from his thigh.

A tumbleweed rolled out of the glowing circle after him.

He looked up slowly, tipped his hat to the people, and said, “Howdy, y’all.”

“Get off me, Josephus!” Sir Peter spluttered, still struggling at the bottom of the heap.

“Hold on, Pete,” he answered, “afore my guests come a-callin’.” Not even bothering to climb off Sir Peter, the new arrival calmly pulled up his left sleeve, exposing a tattoo like a complicated star on the inside of his forearm.

It was inlaid with tiny chips of light that glowed around the points; he started punching these like buttons with his fingertip in a seemingly random pattern as he spoke. “Folks, y’all better step back in case them Apaches on my tail take a mind to send a few more arrows my way. They didn’t ken to my strayin’ on their territory…”

From somewhere beyond the pulsating portal of light, the Apaches’ whooping war cries were growing louder. Jake could hear a thundering of hooves.

“Hurry, Agent Munroe, they’re coming! Close the portal!” an anxious centaur lady cried, poised to gallop off to safety.

“Hold yer horses, gal, I’m a-tryin’.”

Wide-eyed, Jake leaned forward, trying to see through the portal into the wild, dusty land where the Lightrider had come from, but he ducked back with a startled gasp when a real-life Indian arrow whizzed right past his nose.

To his own surprise, Jake reacted automatically with his telekinesis, knocking the arrow upward so nobody was hit.

As it rocketed off over the people’s heads, the cowboy looked over at him, sizing him up in a glance.

“Nice move, kid,” he drawled.

As soon as he stopped pressing the glowing buttons in his arm, the portal disappeared. “Whew. Ma’am,” he added, tipping his dusty hat to Miss Helena, who had just come hurrying out to fetch Isabelle to start getting ready for the Floralia.

Then the pincushion cowboy promptly passed out from blood loss. Sir Peter struggled out from under him, moving gingerly, given the Lightrider’s wounds.

“What
is
he?” Dani asked in wonder as she and his cousins arrived.

“A Lightrider!” Jake said in awe.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I think he’s…an American,” Isabelle whispered tentatively.

Dani and Jake looked at each other in astonishment.

An American?
This was one type of creature none of them had ever encountered before.

“Worse!” the centaur lady whispered, sounding slightly scandalized. “That one’s a
Texan
. By my troth, they’re the worst kind!”

“Well.” Archie grinned and put his hands in his pockets. “Enter: the cowboy.”

Then they all gazed down at the unconscious, long-haired gun-slinger, from his ten-gallon hat to his alligator boots.

Sir Peter deposited the wounded cowboy on the ground and quickly beckoned to some gnomes. “Get him inside at once. Take him straight to the healers!”

In moments, a dozen little gnomes had lifted the unconscious Yank up onto their shoulders and sped him off to Merlin Hall to have the arrows pulled out of his back.

“Too bad Red’s all out of healing feathers, ’cause that’s gonna hurt,” Jake said.

Dani turned to him, visibly distraught again after seeing the agent at Death’s door. “Still want to be a Lightrider now?” she demanded.

Jake just looked at her. He pressed his lips together, but said nothing.

He didn’t think she’d like his answer.

CHAPTER NINE

Spy Hunting

T
hat night, Isabelle stepped into view at the top of the gilded stairs wearing a celestial-blue silk ball gown with a garland of pink rosettes adorning the skirts at knee-level. With a matching rosette tucked into her blond hair, the almost-debutante looked picture-perfect.

Dani jumped to her feet when she saw her, clapping her hands eagerly. “Oh, Isabelle, you’re so
beautiful
!”

Even Jake and Archie nodded in approval.

“Not bad, sis.”

“Thanks, if only I could breathe! Mother laced me up so tight.” She smoothed her corseted waist with a giggle, her face shining with excitement at the prospect of attending her first ball—the famous Floralia, no less.

The flower-themed gala had been celebrated since pagan times to welcome the dawning of Beltane. According to tradition, the adults would be staying up all night at their party to watch the first rays of Beltane illuminate the great St. Michael and St. George Ley Lines that ran right through the center of England.

Isabelle didn’t plan on doing that, since she would be going out with the other young ladies at sunrise to share in another ancient tradition: gathering the Beltane dew. This was supposedly a powerful ingredient in beauty potions.

The ballroom on the first floor continued filling up as magical folk of all kinds streamed in, bedecked with flowers, corsages, boutonnieres, gowns in flowered prints, or flowered hats, and glittering with flower-shaped jewels.

Jake and Archie were relieved at being spared this event, but Dani was a little disappointed.

The three of them had been loitering in the sprawling foyer of Merlin Hall to watch all the people going into the ball. They stood out of the way, admiring the smartly dressed adults of their party who now caught up to Isabelle.

Her tuxedoed father, Lord Bradford, took one of Izzy’s gloved hands and tucked it into the crook of his elbow. “There you are, my dear.” He beamed with his lovely daughter on one side of him and his glamorous wife on the other.

Jake smiled at his uncle, younger brother to the mother he had never known.

Next came Henry, escorting Great-Great Aunt Ramona. The Elder witch looked magnificent in a dark green gown with a flowered shawl and pearls around her neck. A flower-shaped jewel of some sort glowed brightly in her upswept silver hair.

Black-haired Miss Helena trailed behind them, wearing a gown that shimmered like a field of dark purple wildflowers.

“How smart we’re all looking, eh?” Derek Stone greeted them with a grin, sauntering across the entrance hall in a tuxedo, his dark mane of longish hair tied back in a small queue.

Jake was startled to see the muscle-bound Guardian looking so debonair in his formal attire. “Evening, everybody. Ah, Jake, glad to see you’re on your feet again. Say, before we go in, there’s someone I’d like you all to meet.”

Jake glanced sourly at Maddox St. Trinian, who had followed Derek over. He was
not
dressed for the ball, but wore ordinary street clothes with a short black jacket.

“This very promising young Guardian is Mr. Maddox St. Trinian. I believe you witnessed his Assessment earlier today,” Derek said.

“Indeed, most impressive,” Aunt Ramona told the lad.

Then Derek went around the circle, telling Maddox each of their names.

“Great work saving that gnome!” Archie congratulated him. But when Derek introduced his protégé to Dani, the redhead merely sent Isabelle a sly smile.

Jake looked over with a scowl and realized Maddox hadn’t heard anybody’s name except for Isabelle’s. She, in turn, was standing stock-still, staring back at him, her blue eyes round as Wedgwood saucers, her cheeks the scarlet hue of Red’s now-shed feathers.

“And this is Jake,” Derek finished, gesturing to him.

“Hullo?” Jake said in a loud, purposely rather rude tone, stepping in front of the boy to make him stop ogling his pretty cousin. “Nice to meet you!” he said in his face.

His pointed greeting jarred Maddox from his daze. “Er, likewise,” he growled, but the irked stare he gave Jake made it clear that their instant hostility was mutual.

Determined to enjoy the evening’s festivities, Derek opted to ignore the tension between his two aspiring heroes-in-training and smiled fondly at Miss Helena. He offered her his arm. “Stunning as ever, mademoiselle.”

“
Merci
. You, too.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Aren’t you going to the ball, Maddox?” Dani simpered with a glimmer of matchmaking mischief in her eyes.

“I don’t dance,” he said flatly.

Isabelle’s face fell.

He glanced at her one last time, then withdrew with a slight bow to the family, and walked away.

“Well, then. Shall we?” Lord Bradford proposed, and with that, their party proceeded toward the ballroom.

Before they could go in, however, they had to wait in the line of guests arriving. That way, they could be formally announced by the butler as they entered the ballroom. While the adults in line stood chatting, Isabelle beckoned the three of them over.

“What is it?” Archie asked.

Dani bounced on her toes, already knowing somehow exactly what Isabelle wanted. “He saw you! He’s so
cute
.”

“I can’t believe he’s not going to the ball!” Izzy whispered.

Jake rolled his eyes. “Try not to be too disappointed, Izzy. Maybe you could dance with the Troll Boy, instead.”

“I’m not allowed to dance with anybody yet, you dolt,” she shot back in a hushed tone. “I haven’t officially made my debut yet, remember? This is just a
practice
ball for me. Mother just wants to present me to some of her lady friends. Supposedly, they’ll help me when I make my debut in London next year.”

“And I thought Assessments were bad,” Jake muttered.

“Listen, I want you to do me a favor.” Blushing again, Isabelle lowered her voice to a whisper to avoid her father’s overhearing. “Find out if Maddox already has a sweetheart.”

“Uh, why?” Jake drawled, but Dani bounced again and clapped her hands.

“We will! We will!”

“Well, we’ve got nothing else to do tonight, I suppose,” Archie said, nodding decisively. “Very well, sis. I shall see it done. But you’ll owe me one.”

“Thanks,” she whispered to her brother.

“First of all, who cares, and second, I can tell you right now that kid doesn’t have a sweetheart,” Jake said flatly. “I mean, look at him. He’s weird.”

“Jake!” Izzy scolded.

“For all we know, he could be the Dark Druids’ spy! Remember, Aunt Ramona said they might try to send one?”

Dani turned to him in exasperation. “Honestly.”

“What?” Jake said.

Then Lady Bradford gave Isabelle a nudge. It was their turn to step into the ballroom. “Come along, darling.”

None of the younger kids were allowed beyond that point. Izzy waved them off and mouthed the word,
“Go!”

Archie, Jake, and Dani withdrew into the entrance hall again and looked at each other.

“Well,” Archie said, “it seems we have our mission for the night.”

“I like him,” Dani said. “He seems nice.”

“How could you possibly tell? All he did was stare at Izzy! Pretty rude if you ask me,” Jake huffed, folding his arms across his chest.

“We didn’t,” Dani said. “Are you coming with us or not?”

Jake frowned. Of course, he had no desire to wander around by himself all night. He was no troll.

“Tell you what,” he countered. “You two can find out if Mr. Vainglorious has a girlfriend. I’m going to investigate whether he’s our spy.”

Archie looked at Dani. “Maybe my cousin’s still a bit out of his head after the day’s ordeal.”

She nodded. “Probably right. C’mon, Jake, we’ll look after you, my little demented friend. Let’s go
spy
hunting,” Dani said indulgently.

“Hey, I’m serious! What if he is?”

She grabbed hold of his jacket and pulled him along after them. “Quit dawdling. We’ve got to find him before he disappears.”

“If only,” Jake muttered.

A moment later, they burst through the main doors of Merlin Hall, out into the cool, black night—the last night of April. Reveling in their glorious freedom from parents and chaperones, they savored the night’s adventure—especially since it wasn’t a serious one and none of their lives were at stake.

They paused in the courtyard and glanced around, searching for their quarry. They could see the Beltane fires burning here and there around the dark landscape, the maypoles waiting for the morrow’s festivities.

Dani looked around. “Which way did he go? I saw him come outside.”

“There!” Archie pointed. “Hurry, we’ve got to catch up.”

“I wonder why Maddox doesn’t want to go to the ball,” Dani mused aloud as they crossed the courtyard some twenty yards behind the Guardian kid. “He’s old enough.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Jake answered. “It’s the perfect time to break into people’s rooms so he can collect, you know, secret spy information.”

Dani rolled her eyes at him. “You
have
noticed that we’re outside? He didn’t go up to the floors of the palace where the bedchambers are.”

“He might still! He could be going
around
to the back of the building or something. Don’t look at me like that! You saw him today! Well, you have to admit he has the sort of skills that would make a good spy.”

“Jake, Isabelle can sense people’s feelings,” Dani said in an oh-so-reasonable tone. “Do you think she’d like him if he were some slimy liar of a spy? And what about Derek’s Guardian instincts? Don’t you think he could tell if Maddox was a fraud?”

Jake frowned. “I guess you have a point,” he grumbled after a moment.

“You don’t
want
to like him, that’s all,” Archie said. “Walk faster, he’s getting away.” He drew a breath to call out to Maddox, but Jake stopped him.

“Shh! No, don’t! Let’s just follow him for a bit first and see what he’s really up to.”

“Why?” Dani asked.

“Because I said so! And it’s my birthday tomorrow—”

“We know!” they said.

“Well, that means you have to do what I say! So, come on, then!”

Archie and Dani looked at each other and shrugged, deciding without words to humor him.

It was more fun sneaking, anyway.

The process of stalking Maddox St. Trinian actually proved pretty amusing. Deep down, Jake supposed he knew quite well that no protégé of Derek’s could ever be a Dark Druid spy, but Archie was right. He didn’t
want
to like him. Just looking at the older, stronger, faster boy made him feel abysmally inadequate.

He wasn’t used to feeling so insecure and didn’t like it one bit. It was much easier making fun of his newfound rival from a distance.

Archie and Dani could not resist the sense of mischievous fun as Jake, barely suppressing his own laughter, led them dodging from shrub to shrub, and tree to tree amid the shadows, following the Guardian kid.

What little sense of mock-danger they could muster in their stealthy pursuit was nearly lost altogether when they heard a dog barking from straight above them.

They looked up and saw the winged sheepdog chasing one of the Dreaming Sheep across the starry sky. They broke down in laughter at this unlikely sight. A few fairies flying by on their way to the ball looked askance at them. Dani waved, still laughing. “Say hello to Gladwin for us!”