“That’s why the king and Jori have searched for magic all these years? Because she told him he would be king?”
“It’s all come to pass, Griffin.”
He couldn’t deny that was true. “She was speaking of you, then.”
“The king firmly believes it was Xavier she spoke of because he proved himself tonight. Or I did, nearly killing poor Bradyn.”
“How exactly did you do that?”
She shrugged. “Don’t know. I’ve never done it before. Not even in Rendicryss’s memories that I saw. It happened so fast.” She thrust her arm out, palm up. “Then . . . boom.”
“Do it again.”
She stood up, intrigued. “Here? What if someone sees or hears? Bradyn was blasted across the room. It was all very . . . loud.”
“Really?” Griffin jogged to the door, peeking out, and returned unable to hold back his grin. “Come on. There’s no one in the hallway. Besides, if it draws attention, we’ll come up with a good explanation.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Take advantage now. Show me. . . .”
“I don’t know if I can.” She held her hand out, aiming it at him.
“I have enough scars.” Griffin scooted out of the way. He pressed her elbow, shifting her outstretched hand to face the changing screen. “You won’t miss that.”
Maggie narrowed her eyes on the target. A crease formed between her brows, as if she were concentrating hard, trying to will it to happen. Seconds later, she was still standing in the same position, as was the screen. “It’s not working.”
“You should close your eyes.” The room was stuffy. Griffin paced to the loop, opening the window, allowing fresh air in.
She glanced back, taking a deep breath, and Griffin swore he saw the moon pulse like a star.
Griffin moved behind her. He turned her hips, straddling her stance. “For balance.” He picked up her other arm. “Open your hand. Can you feel the moon outside the window?”
She closed her eyes. “Yes.”
He drew upon his own training. What he was taught when he first began. Understand the weapon’s particulars first. “Let’s think of it this way. The energy is the arrow, and you are the bow. Draw back, taking it with you, then let it travel through you, out your other hand.”
Her eyes flew open. “I don’t think that’s how it works.”
He leaned on her, whispering in her ear, “You’ll never know unless you try.”
She reached back, pressing her fingers on his face, pushing him away. Her fingers were bitter cold, as if dipped in a brook in winter. It hurt. “I have a better idea,” she proclaimed, stretching farther. She made a mad scooping grab, and suddenly light emanated through the cracks of her clenched fist.
“Maggie . . . look . . .”
She opened her eyes, squealed, and threw it at the screen. But the shock-white light had another target in mind. It arced at an angle, instead hitting a table, sending it crashing into the door.
Maggie cringed. “Oops.”
“It was brilliant! You did it!” Griffin could only imagine what it would be like to have that kind of power at your beck and call.
“Pathetically. I cannot aim it.”
Griffin padded to the other side of the room, beside the head of the bed, and held two fingers up. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
“Two.” She scooped the light, pitching it at him. He flinched, but the light bent, smashing into the changing screen. “I can see perfectly well, Griffin.”
He laughed. “And you can shoot moonlight.” He picked up a smoking shard from the broken table, regretting the decision. His fingers burned before he could drop it. “It’s frigid.” He shook them out.
“The moon looks like it would be very cold, doesn’t it?” Maggie clapped. “What if this . . . this power could break Rendicryss’s chains?” Her eyes went wide with excitement. She went to the wardrobe, retrieving Sybil’s cloak, as if she were leaving to find out right now.
“You can’t do that.”
“How will I know unless I try?”
“What will you do if it works? You’ll just let her loose on the city?” Terrifying images flashed through his mind. That dragon crashing through the city’s buildings, stampeding the many, many people who called this place home.
She brought the wool over her shoulders, closing the clasp at her neck. She was really going.
Griffin blocked the door. “I won’t help you free a creature that will hurt innocent people!”
She stamped her foot. “How do you know she’ll hurt anyone?”
“How do you know she won’t?” He unclasped the cloak. It fell on the floor behind her.
“What are you, a child?” She picked up the cloak. “You’re being ridiculous!”
“And you’re being impetuous! I know you think that creature is linked to you—”
“Think? I know she is, Griffin. But you don’t believe me, do you?” She stepped back, crossing her arms.
The door rattled. Someone knocked hard. It was locked but Griffin leaned on it anyway. Whoever was on the other side pounded impatiently.
“Maggie? Are you in there?”
It was Jori. He would stop her.
Griffin yanked the door open. “Sire.”
Jori’s hands slipped formally behind his back but he didn’t enter the room. “Griffin. What are you—”
“He helped me with Bradyn after you refused,” Maggie said bitterly.
Jori looked completely flummoxed. “I didn’t refuse, Maggie. My father—”
“Yes, well, doesn’t matter now.” She waved, literally dismissing the prince.
Petal walked past the prince and around Griffin, bringing fresh linens. She eyed them both as if they had the plague.
Maggie waved them out the door.
“It’s late and I have to be up very early in the morning. Good night, Sir Griffin. Prince Jori. I will see you both at the tournament.” She closed the door, throwing the bolt.
“Was that her way of asking us to leave?” the prince asked.
“I believe it was.”
“Women.”
Prince Jori hardly spoke on the return to their side of the castle until they reached Griffin’s door. He was about to say good night when the prince asked, “Why does she have to be up early?”
Griffin’s heart lodged in his throat. Why hadn’t he picked up on that? “To rehearse with Xavier before the tournament.” One day soon, these lies on her behalf were going to catch up with him.
“I see. Well, good night, Griffin. And good luck tomorrow.”
As Jori walked away, Griffin was tempted to go back to Maggie’s room and seal up the hidden passageway he’d taken her through, but what was the point. She was going to try to free Rendicryss and there was nothing he could do to stop her.
Thirteen
Maggie
I woke before dawn, dressing in the dark, hoping not to wake Petal. I intended to use the secret passageway Griffin had showed me to sneak out of my room and leave the castle for the Oughtnoch. Risky, yes, but it was necessary for two vital reasons. One, to see if Rendicryss could show me any memories that might help me wield the moonlight. And two, to see if said power could break her Phantombronze bonds. But I never made it out of my room.