The Grimjinx Rebellion (10 page)

The band immediately started playing again and my family launched into their demented jig. When Nalia stood as if to call an end to the festivities, Da sashayed over, hooked his arm in hers, and spun the mage around vigorously. The crowd went naff-nut, cheering Nalia on.

With everyone distracted again, I inserted my picks into the lock. I felt the tumblers inside shift. Zoc. Another Moxnar. I jammed my picks in deep, hoping to catch the lock off guard.

“What are you doing?”

The tinny voice reverberated as the barrel of the lock moved like a pair of lips.

Oh, zoc. A Class
4
Moxnar. The kind that could speak.

“Guards!”
The lock shouted to be heard over the music and rhythmic stomping.
“Thief! Thief!”

As the box's guards stirred, I ducked and scurried on all fours, hoping they wouldn't see me.

“Hey!” one of the guards shouted. “What are you—?”

I pretended that I'd been dancing all along. I sprang up, bounced around, threw my hands in the air . . .

. . . and tripped on my own two feet.

Sprawling forward, I crashed into Aubrin. We went down together. As I reached out to break our fall, my fingers snagged Aubrin's veil, yanking it from her face.

“The augur!”

Xerrus sprang up from his seat behind the Lordcourt, pointing at Aubrin. On hands and knees, Aubrin and I backed away. I eyed the box, trying to decide if I could make it to the relics. A trio of Sentinels moved forward, not even sparing the box a glance. Nalia smiled.

Behind me, Ma gasped. Then Da groaned. And one by one, we all realized the same thing. The seers were important to the Palatinate. But not nearly as important as the most powerful seer. The augur.

My sister.

With the relics nearby and Aubrin at their feet, we'd accidentally delivered everything the Palatinate needed to rule the Five Provinces.

16

The Fall of the House of Soranna

“The foolish thief looks to tomorrow. The wise rogue uses tonight.”

—Ona Grimjinx, master thief of Korrin Province

T
he High Laird rose from his chair. “What is going on here?”

I yanked off my veil. “Your Highness, Nalia and the Lordcourt want to depose you. If you give them the relics—”

“This little game has been fun,” Nalia said, her monocle glistening in the sun. “But it's time we brought it to a close.”

With a flick of her wrist, she produced her spellsphere and sent a bolt of energy toward the dais. The guards dove for safety as the top of the box exploded, revealing a pair of gauntlets, a scepter, an orb, and a coronet.

Nalia led the Lordcourt to the relics. She pulled the gauntlets over her long fingers. Hissing in the magical tongue, she lifted her arms to the sky. Shafts of green light shot from her fingertips. Screams rang out from the crowd.

“Hear me!”

Nalia's voice shook in my chest and seemed to come from everyone at once: down the road, around the corner, right behind me.

“Benevolence? Wisdom? The Soranna family claims to have served the Five Provinces. That may have been true in the past. But
this
High Laird serves only himself.”

Nalia pointed to the High Laird, who looked bewildered by the sudden betrayal. I almost felt sorry for him.

“The time has come for a new law of the land. The Palatinate will guide you now. Under magical rule, there will be new order.”

The crowd murmured. Some people seemed to think this was an entertainment, like the dance. Others looked unsure, as if trying to decide which leader they wanted to follow.

“Gadris Soranna,” Nalia said, “I charge you with treason against the people of the Five Provinces. Guards, arrest him. And take that child”—she pointed to Aubrin—“into custody.”

The Provincial Guards on the stage drew their weapons. My family moved to surround Aubrin, putting themselves between her and the guards. But instead of arresting the High Laird or even glancing at Aubrin, the guards advanced on Nalia and the Lordcourt.

Nalia's lips curled. “You serve a new sovereign now. Stand down and obey me.”

When the Provincial Guard refused to back away, all the members of the Lordcourt took out their spellspheres and spoke as one. The air over Vesta rippled as dozens of quickjump rings materialized overhead. Everything grew still. Then, like the opening of a floodgate, hundreds of monsters began pouring through. Some flew on leathery wings. Others dropped right onto the crowd, screeching as they descended. Each wore a golden control medallion.

A host of bloodreavers fell upon the guards closest to the Lordcourt, driving them back. Spindly creatures with four arms and two sets of jaws, the bloodreavers clawed and bit as they attacked. The soldiers closed ranks around the High Laird. While a wall of guards fought off the bloodreavers, the Chancellor and the High Laird's confidants rushed the monarch away down the back of the stage.

When Nalia saw this, she slashed the air with her gauntlets. A wave of power knocked the guards off their feet.

“Find him!” Nalia shouted at the nearest Sentinels. “The High Laird cannot be allowed to escape.”

But the Provincial Guards weren't done. They got up and took arms against the Sentinels, doing everything they could to buy the High Laird more time. And maybe it was seeing that—the unwavering support of the Provincial Guard—that turned the crowd against the Palatinate.

It also hadn't helped that the Lordcourt had just summoned a legion of monsters.

A wave of patriotism took over the crowd. Whatever concerns they'd had about the High Laird, everyone apparently had even
more
concerns about putting the mages in charge. People rushed the stage, pitching vegetables, food on sticks, and anything else they could find at the Lordcourt.

That's when it occurred to me. Despite all the High Laird had done, people still supported the House of Soranna. If he was free, the Provinces would never be loyal to the Palatinate.

And the same was true of the Dowager. I had no doubt that a mix of Sentinels and monsters was on its way to Vengekeep to apprehend her. I couldn't let that happen.

By now, the streets were in chaos. The Palatinate monsters that weren't attacking Provincial Guards were corralling the rowdy glut of spectators. The citizens of Vesta scattered, trying to get as far from the monsters as possible. With the Lordcourt distracted, my family joined hands and hid in the river of people trying to escape.

“We should head to the docks,” Ma said. “Quickly, before the ships realize there's trouble and set sail.”

“But, Ma,” I said, “we can't leave the Dowager. We have to get to Vengekeep.”

Da nodded at Aubrin. “Right now, your sister is a bigger threat to Nalia. We'll get her hidden first, then go find the Dowager. She's a smart woman. She'll know to hide.”

Luda led the way, clearing a path as we headed west toward the docks. Callie and I flanked Aubrin, squeezing her between us. Ma and Da brought up the rear, casting nervous looks over their shoulders to be sure the Sentinels weren't following us.

Suddenly, a vine of magical light sprang up from the ground, wrapping itself around Ma and pulling her arms tight to her sides. Nalia stormed toward us, her spellsphere crackling in the palm of her gauntlet.

When Ma cried out, Luda stopped. A twinkle lit up Nalia's monocle and before Luda could attack, another magical rope appeared and ensnared the Satyran.

Callie hugged Aubrin close as Da and I blocked Nalia's path. Nalia laughed.

“You're coming with me, augur,” Nalia said sweetly.

“The zoc she is!” Ma said. Bending at the waist, she charged into the mage, sending them both to the ground. As Nalia's concentration broke, the magical ropes around Ma and Luda vanished. Da and I ran to help Ma but stopped when a pair of Sentinels spotted us.

“Get the girl!” Nalia cried to the Sentinels as she and Ma wrestled on the street.

“Go!” Ma yelled at us. “Ona, get them out of here!”

“No!” I said, reaching for my pouches. I could distract the Sentinels with a smoke cloud. But Da didn't even give me a chance. He snatched my wrist, picked up Aubrin, and led us away. The last thing I saw before we rounded the corner was the Sentinels casting a spell that made Ma fall limp.

The people of Vesta had lost their taste for battle. It had become obvious quickly that fighting the Palatinate's monsters was useless. The creatures began to herd the crowds down alleyways in an effort to clear the streets. In the confusion, we ducked into the dress shop.

As Luda put her armor on, I pulled away from Da and grabbed Tree Bag. “How could we just leave Ma?”

“Your ma and I have a rule,” Da said. “We do whatever it takes to protect you two. She let herself be captured so you and Aubrin could be free. If we get caught now, she did it for nothing.”

Callie peeked out the window. “We can't stay here. Something big and spiky is getting closer.”

Da scratched his chin. “You might be right, Jaxter. Getting to Vengekeep and rescuing the Dowager might be our best bet now. I'm just not sure how we get out of the city. They've probably already started sealing off the exits.”

“The fastest way to Vengekeep is a quickjump spell,” Callie said, pulling Xerrus's spellsphere from a pocket in her dress.

“Wish you'd thought of that at the Creche,” I said. “We could have gotten here faster.”

“It's very advanced magic,” she said. “I'm almost positive I can't pull it off. But given the circumstances, I have to try.”

Callie peered into the spellsphere and started chanting. It took a couple of tries before a quickjump ring appeared on the ground. The ring twisted and didn't look exactly stable. But we could see the streets of Vengekeep through it. Callie's face strained at the effort of keeping it open.

“Hurry,” she whispered. Da tested it by tossing Luda's discarded corset through. A second later, it landed in Vengekeep.

Da poked Aubrin in the nose. “You first. I'll be right behind you.”

Aubrin stepped to the edge of the ring and jumped in. She reappeared above the streets of Vengekeep, landed, and tumbled to safety.

“Bangers, Callie!” I said. “It worked. You next, Da.”

Da kissed my forehead. “If we get separated, Jaxter, you know what to do.”

I nodded. A moment later, Da landed softly next to Aubrin in Vengekeep. He waved, letting us know it was safe to follow.

“I need to go last to keep the ring open,” Callie said. “You go.”

I pulled Tree Bag tight and leaped into the air. But the second I touched the ring, it disappeared in a flash.

Callie stomped her foot. “But it was
working
!”

My stomach fell. The image of Vengekeep was gone. Da and Aubrin were on their own to find the Dowager and get her to safety. And
we
were stranded in the heart of the revolution.

Callie opened her mouth, as if to try the spell again. But the building shook and a nearby wall collapsed as a nightmanx, battling a squadron of Provincial Guards, fell through the gaping hole and into the dress shop.

Acting quickly, Luda hoisted Callie and me up under her arms. She charged out into the streets. As we got closer to Vesta's perimeter wall, we could see that Da was right: Sentinels and monsters were already blocking many of the exits. Whirling about, Luda spotted an unguarded gate. Moments later, we were running through the wilderness just outside the capital city.

My mind swam. Ma . . . Da . . . Aubrin . . . All gone.

If we get separated, Jaxter, you know what to do.

“South, Luda,” I said. “We need to go south.”

“To Vengekeep?” Callie asked.

“Too dangerous,” I said. “We need to go somewhere safer.”

“Where?” Callie asked.

Behind us, Vesta fell to the Palatinate. By now, I imagined, Sentinels were on their way across the Five Provinces, monsters in tow, to secure the Palatinate's victory. I couldn't be sure how long it would be before all the Provinces were under their control. A week? A month? One thing was certain: soon, nowhere would be safe.

My sister was the key to everything now. I had to make sure they didn't touch her. No matter what. But first, that meant finding her. Luckily, I knew just how to do that.

“South,” I repeated.

And we ran.

PART TWO

THE REBELS