Of Enemies and Endings (17 page)

“Not now, Adelaide,” I said. “Let him deal with it.”

“What do you say in answer, Chase Turnleaf?” asked King Mattanair.

“I know nothing of the Itari,” said Chase, his face suddenly as smooth and respectful as a perfect Fey courtier, “but I did know that I was teaching movements guided by a Fey-forged blade.”

“Where is this weapon?” asked the king.

You would have to know him really well to notice, but Chase stiffened. He didn't as much as glance in my direction. If he was in trouble, he wanted to make sure I didn't go down with him.

Very sweet, but it was going to come out eventually. Besides, he really
hadn't
done anything wrong. “I have it, Your Majesty,” I said.

The Fey all swiveled. They stared at me so blankly that I worried that Lena's gumdrop translator had malfunctioned.

“Who the hiccups are
you
?” asked one of the kneeling knights. Except he didn't say “hiccups.”

I couldn't read the king's face. “This is Rory Landon, bearer of the Unwritten Tale,” he said.

Great. If he knew who I was, then he probably also knew that I'd kind of forced his son to do my bidding the last time I'd hung out with the Unseelie Court. He knew I'd left Fael in Likon's clutches when I escaped the Snow Queen's palace. This king had no reason to like me.

So I said the first thing that came to mind. “Nice to meet you.”

Either Chase choked on his own spit, or he started coughing to hide a laugh.

Luckily, King Mattanair just looked amused. Chase had said that the Unseelie king liked him. I guess that was true. “May I see the sword?”

I had kind of expected this. I also kind of expected never to get the sword back. I tried not to look upset. I drew my sword, balanced the blade flat on both palms, and presented it to him.

He took it. He squinted at the Fey lettering etched on the flat of the blade. “This sword is older than I am. Did you know that?”

I shook my head.

“Where did you discover it?” the king asked. I opened my mouth, but he answered his own question. “The dragon's lair in Yellowstone.”

It never failed to shock me when important people knew so much about my life. I wondered if this had happened to Solange too, a couple of centuries ago, when the first Unwritten Tale had started.

“Under Solange's very nose, hidden in her beast's hoard . . . ,” said the king, like he'd forgotten we were there. The Fey knights' eyes had glazed over, which kind of made me wonder if the king went off on tangents like this a lot.

“Sire, you are keeping our curiosity at its peak,” Lady Ayalla said, half exasperated, half teasing. They must have actually been good friends if she could use that much sarcasm with him.

King Mattanair passed the sword to me. I was so surprised he actually returned it that it nearly tumbled out of my hands. “That is a sword of legend, a relic from an age when the Fey's very name recalled ancient greatness. It is a training sword used by the newly sworn squires of the Itari. All of their make were thought to be destroyed when the knights were overcome, their fortress conquered, centuries ago. It is likely the last one left.”

“Oh.” Now I really couldn't believe that I'd gotten it back.

The knights looked like they felt
exactly
the same way. Their eyes lingered on the blade, and even Jack cast a longing look over it. Before, Chase was the only other person interested in my magic sword. Now I wondered if one of the Fey might try to fight me for it.

I think Lady Aspenwind noticed. “Rory, the writing on the sword—do you know what it says?” She glanced back at her king, worry pinching her face into a frown.

I shook my head. Chase couldn't read it, and Lena had said it was a language lost to most of the magical world. Even her gumdrop translator was stumped.

“It is a training sword,” said King Mattanair. “It was not meant to be kept by one person all their life. In fact, many of these weapons were cursed to discourage one warrior from keeping it too long.”

The jealous looks instantly melted into smugness.

That explained why he'd returned it.
Here. Keep one of our ancient legendary swords. By the way, it's cursed
.

King Mattanair flicked the blade, and a tiny ping ran out in the still room. “ ‘With this edge, I shall protect you.' ” He did the same on the other side with a sly sort of triumph. Yep, definitely Fael's dad. “ ‘With this edge, I shall destroy you.' Hold on to this weapon for much longer, and it will turn against you.”

He probably expected me to
give
it to him. Maybe not today, but after the Snow Queen was defeated. I was almost sure that was what he wanted.

Ugh. As if my life wasn't complicated enough. I wondered if anyone had noticed I was holding the sword slightly away from my body now.

“We said it was of the Itari tradition,” said the gold-winged knight, clearly afraid the king had forgotten why they were upset. “We said he was teaching our oldest secrets. It is no less than we should expect from a Turnleaf.”

Chase flinched, his shoulders hunched slightly, and if Adelaide hadn't shifted closer to him, I would have. I bit my tongue and looked at Lady Aspenwind and Jack, waiting for one of them to defend their son.

“No less?” repeated the king quietly. No one could see magic, but sometimes you could feel it—a slow crackle that built, like an electrical charge, until the hairs stood up all along your arms. As the king spoke, we could all feel it.

The knights bowed their heads.

“It is true. Chase Turnleaf has chosen not to be of the Unseelie,” said the king. “However, he has chosen to be a friend to our people, and it was well for us that he did so. We would be dead otherwise. Or worse, captured. My knights did not lead me to my freedom.”

Chase managed not to smirk, but joy shone out of his eyes like a beacon.

The knight in green armor was resolute. “Even so, he has no right to share the secrets of our people—”

“Have you not been listening, Himorsal Liior?” the king said impatiently. So the dude with green armor was the one who had been annoying Chase so much. Not surprised. “Chase Turnleaf teaches the lost art of Itari. It would still be lost without him. The secrets are his more than ours, and he is free to share them as he sees fit.”

The king might have felt differently if Chase hadn't saved his life the day before, but this was pretty obviously a victory for Turnleafs everywhere.

Chase didn't have the sense to stay humble about it either. “There's room in my class, if you want.”

Three knights sprang into the air, ready to avenge their honor or whatever, but what the king said next stopped them mid-flight. “A generous offer, Chase Turnleaf. I look forward to hearing of their progress.”

Then he swept from the room before anyone could argue with him. The Itari teacher and his new students stared at each other in horror.

“He cannot be serious,” muttered the knight with gold wings. “Will we spar against statues of our own likeness?” He gestured to the evil Fey dummies in the back wall.

Yikes. So they
had
noticed.

“I refuse to learn alongside humans,” the shortest knight sputtered.

Chase's teacher mode settled over him like armor. He sounded so bossy and indifferent that Hansel would have been proud. “Then you are out of luck. I only have time for one session.”

“Okay, so
what
just happened?” Ben said. It wasn't just him and the triplets looking at me expectantly. It was half the room. Even Kenneth had crept up behind us.

Chatty must have understood Fey; I could hear her cackling through the M3. I wasn't sure if I could explain without laughing too.

“Your study group just got a lot bigger,” I said, gesturing to the Fey glaring at Chase.

Ben looked even less excited than the knights. “You mean, we have to learn with that Himorsal guy?”

“Himorsal is the stupidest name I've ever heard,” Kenneth said.

“That's because it's not a name,” Chatty said through the M3. She hadn't warmed up to Kenneth since Ben's Tale. “It means ‘Captain.' ”

I probably should have told him that. Chase's old students and his new students were never going to get along if they couldn't understand each other. “Maybe I should go see if Lena has any spare translators. She—”

“Where are the Zipes triplets?” Hansel's voice managed to cut across even the loudly protesting Fey and the excited chatters of the other Characters in the training courts.

Kevin's face grew half-worried, half-defensive. Kyle looked like he wanted to get popcorn and watch Chase's first lesson with the Fey. Tentatively, Conner raised his hand.

Hansel charged over, spotting the Canon's champion on the way. “Jack, the Director wants you.” Jack looked extremely relieved to have an excuse to leave, but Hansel didn't spare him a second glance. He turned back to the triplets. “Have you packed? You're relocating to EAS today. I just finished confirming the details with your father.”

Oh wow. A
lot
of people were moving to EAS this week.

Kyle shoved Conner's shoulder. “Told you. Destroying Fey courts is enough to freak out even Dad.”

“That was a factor,” Hansel said, “but the Director offered him space in the stables for his livestock.”

“For
what
?” said Ben and Kenneth together.

“We live on a working ranch,” Kyle said, like he didn't understand why this concept was hard for the rest of us to understand.

“Enough,” Hansel said. “Have you packed or not?”

“
We
packed,” Kyle said. “Months ago. Mom and Dad haven't.”

“Then you can wait here,” Hansel said. “The move begins as soon as your father confirms that his last herd has been relocated.”

“Got it,” said Kyle, sounding a little relieved. I was too. Tonight our whole grade would be safe at EAS.

“Who's on call?” Kevin asked.

“The rising ninth graders,” Hansel said, surprised that this was even a question.

Our first mission since the Snow Queen's invasion of the Fey courts. Since my
birthday
. Since the Snow Queen had stopped her hunt and started waging war.

Something sharp and cold pricked deep inside my chest, like an icicle had lodged itself there.

I didn't know how the Snow Queen would find out about this mission, but it seemed impossible that the move would go smoothly. It seemed way more likely that something worse than the Wolfsbane clan would show up.

I wasn't the only one worried. Everyone went quiet. Everyone but Adelaide. “But we can't. Chase and I have dinner reservations with my parents.”

At the look Hansel gave her—at the look we
all
gave her, somewhere between revulsion and disbelief—I'm pretty sure even Adelaide wanted to sink into the ground and disappear. Her cheeks flushed a little but she pressed on. “We've been planning this for weeks. My parents haven't even
met
Chase yet, and—”

Kyle cut her off. This was the first time I'd ever heard him sound angry. “Chase! We're moving today. You interested in helping?”

The shard of ice in my chest morphed into a clamp, squeezing the air from my lungs. I hoped the doubt didn't show on my face.

Chase looked up from the wolf dummies he'd been moving into position. “Kevin, didn't you say that you had a horse as cool as a Dapplegrim? That I gotta see. I'm in.”

Hansel did something rare. He bestowed an approving smile.

“But—” Adelaide started.

“I'm going,” Chase said, and he turned back to his class. Then he caught a glimpse of Himorsal Liior's scowl, which clearly said,
Our king orders us to learn Itari and you abandon us during our first lesson for a horse?
Chase turned back reluctantly. “Well, as long as the call comes an hour from now. I want to get them started on a few drills first.”

“Take your time,” said Kevin. “Dad will probably try to drag this out.”

Hansel humphed, which basically meant,
Not if I have anything to do with it
. “Meet me outside. I want you suited up in fifteen. Turnleaf can join later.” Then he turned and stormed out, probably to go track down our archers.

Chase looked at me, and my face must have been doing
something
. His grin faded. “I'll be there.”

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe that something had changed since yesterday. I wanted to pretend that Chase had never let me down.

But he had, all summer.

“Great,” said Kyle, but all the triplets were eyeing Adelaide, her pout and crossed arms. I knew they expected to be disappointed too, just like I did.

evin had called it right. His dad was definitely dragging out the move, and we'd been waiting for
hours
. Eventually, standing around sweating through our armor gave way to stealing some of the couches from under the Tree of Hope and moving them over to the Door Trek door to the Zipes's place, painted a dusty sort of hunter green. Paul and Vicky took over a love seat for themselves, staring into each other's eyes and sitting entirely too close for people wearing chain mail. Tina asked them what time it was every few minutes, but I think it was mostly to keep reminding them that they were surrounded by people and not allowed to make out. The triplets had helped Lena and I move one of the tables over to the door too. Lena and Melodie kept themselves busy—attaching a stack of shiny new M3's to easy-to-carry covers.