Tree ferns carpeted the whole area around the hut.
This way, thought Katti, streaking down the hill into the ferns. Shadow and I threw ourselves in after her. Once underneath their canopy of branches, we could see a vague pathway through them. Katti had disappeared, but Shadow and I found a place to hunker down on our bellies watching the hut. I loaded a bolt into my crossbow. I heard him rummaging in his pocket and the strange little hiss that his talisman made again. Katti reappeared and hunkered down beside us. We all waited.
I heard the voice calling.
“Shine! Shine, Sweetie! Where are you?”
Scinty! It was Scintillant, not Illuminus. I felt myself relax and knew I shouldn’t.
But I did lower my crossbow.
Bright must have heard the call too, because he came running out of the hut and stood in front of the open gate.
Scintillant was flying between the tree trunks, his long dark curls and his black and gold robes trailing out behind him. When he saw Bright standing at the gate, he stopped short, hovered for a moment and dropped down into the clearing, facing him.
The two men stared at each other. Even hiding in the ferns I could feel the hostility between them. This was something I hadn’t known about...
“I wondered if you were up here,” said Scintillant.
“What are you doing here?”
“Looking for Shine and her ghost friend.”
“You’ve no need to worry about them. I’ve got it all under control.”
“Have you, Bright? An unregistered ghost? I know you radicals like them, but have you considered that he might be out here to spy out the land for them?”
“Don’t... don’t try this, Scintillant,” said Bright. “I’m never going to believe a word you say again. What are you really here for? Are you mixed up in the crystal smuggling with Illuminus?”
“He’s simply worried about the ghost,” said Scintillant. “He told me all about it last night. Asked me to come and sort it out.”
“How touching! Hadn’t thought you were so close. But I guess money will bring people together. Crystal smuggler!”
“All this talk about crystal smuggling is a scandalous libel.”
“You’d know all about scandalous libel. All those things you said about Graceson.”
Bright had told me someone in the family had accused Stefan of making advances on some of the family’s young boys. He hadn’t told me it had been Scintillant. After what Bright had told me about Radiant last night, the savage reaction of the family—throwing Stefan into jail without a trial—made much more sense.
“You didn’t have to stand up for him, you fool,” sneered Scintillant. “He’s a mundane. Pretty mundanes are ten a penny. Or you could have broken him out of prison and sent him on his way. But no, you had to openly admit you were lovers. Some rubbish about his reputation! You’re a fool like your mother.”
“My mother is not a fool. And Stefan’s my love. The love of my life. I couldn’t leave him under the shadow of such a suspicion.”
“So you threw away all your wealth and power for love. How very sweet.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to understand. You love no one.”
“I’m tired of this conversation,” said Scintillant. “Are you going to give me that ghost?”
“Of course not,” said Bright. He threw a bolt of power at Scintillant, which Scintillant deflected with a wave of the hand. This was my cue. I was supposed to fire my crossbow at Scintillant while he was distracted. But I couldn’t do it. Anyway, Bright looked confident.
Scintillant pulled something out his robe.
“A gun,” cried Shadow. “No! Stop him!”
Scintillant was pointing a metal tube at Bright. The shape and colour of it reminded me of Hagen’s firework tube. Even as I realized that, thunder boomed and a puff of smoke came out of metal tube. Blood spurted from Bright’s shoulder and he fell, hands clutching his wound, face astonished.
“Bright!” I screamed. I stood up and shot at Scintillant but he was too fast for me and threw the arrow away wide.
I pushed forward to Bright’s side. Getting through the trees ferns was horribly slow, like wading up a river. Scintillant had his metal tube pointing my way, but I didn’t care. I had to get to Bright.
“You slime rat!” I screamed. Scintillant was standing, watching me come, his metal tube pointing at me. He was grinning, the dog. I was so furious, I wanted to shoot him, but I had to get to Bright first.
“Hello, darling,” said Scintillant. “Tell me about—”
Suddenly he jerked and something pushed out of his chest. Blood spurted and he staggered and yelled and fell back among the ferns.
Stefan Graceson charged out of the open door of the hut, crossbow in his hand, and fell on his knees beside Bright.
He was shouting Bright’s name and tears were running down his face. When I reached them, Stefan had already pulled out a kerchief and was padding it over the wound. I loaded my crossbow quickly and went towards where Scintillant had fallen, just in time to see his bloodied, shaking hand rise up out of the ferns holding the metal tube. Thunder boomed three times and smoke filled the air.
The terrible thunder made me stagger back. By the time I’d got over to Scintillant, he’d dropped the tube and was unconscious, curled up on the ground, the crossbow bolt shuddering as it slowly worked its way out of his back.
The tube looked exactly like Hagen’s. Remembering how hot the last one had been, I kicked it into the ferns with my foot and ran back to Bright.
“Is he alive?” I whispered to Stefan.
“Yes!” breathed Stefan back to me. He saw something over my shoulder. “Another mage coming! That must have been a signal. Quick, hide!”
“No! I won’t leave you.” I hoisted the crossbow to my shoulder.
I spun round to face the oncoming mage. In truth, it was too late to run anyway. From the speed she was coming, she must be a woman.
I could see her. Pale green draperies. Chatoyant! Of course, who else?
I stood over Bright and Stefan, crossbow pointed at her. Behind me, I heard Stefan loading his own crossbow.
Chatoyant didn’t pay any attention to us until she had dropped to the ground beside Scintillant and checked that he was still alive.
That done, she came to us.
“You’re really carving your way through my brothers, young mundane,” she said wryly. It was the first time I could remember her speaking to me directly. I levelled my crossbow at her.
“Oh, please, spare me the heroics!” She flipped her finger and the crossbow was ripped from my hands so hard it stung and I yelped. She flipped her finger and I heard the same thing happening to Stefan behind me.
“Good. Now, no more silliness. I want that ghost.”
“Why are you so obsessed with the ghost?” I said. “I haven’t got one. He’s gone.”
“Nice try,” sneered Chatoyant. “But we know about him. Illy saw him yesterday. You made a lovely mess of my poor little brother, but he was still able to write down what he saw. What are you thinking, hiding an illegal ghost?”
“And what are you thinking, crystal smuggling?” From the flicker in her eyes, my accusation had hit home; and yet she denied it.