True Magics (49 page)

“Same on this side,” said George.

“Can’t see what’s in them.”

“Barrels, I think,” said George. “And some sacks. And furniture.”

They watched as the soldiers with shields formed a circle around the front door. Behind them, other soldiers began unloading the wagons, forming crude walls around the entrance of the inn.

“Dammit,” said Thomas. “They’re making their own barricades.”

“They’re planning to keep us here a while, then,” said George. “Otherwise they’d just try to knock in the door.”

“So why aren’t they trying to knock in the door?” asked Thomas.

“Maybe they’re too busy,” said Graham, behind them. “If there’s still fighting out there, they may not have enough men to take us. So they’re blocking us in.”

“Do we have enough men to take them?” George asked. “Maybe we can make a break and run for the Academy?”

Almost as if in answer to his words, a row of crossbowmen took places behind the barricades, their weapons trained on the door.

“We’d lose a lot of people trying,” said Thomas. “And if the cavalry is still out there…” he shook his head. “Better to wait.”

Thomas kept a dozen men on the door and went back to helping with their own barricades. Within an hour they were finished. The tables were solid and thick enough stop a crossbow bolt. With luck, they’d give the students enough protection to mount a defense if the door was breached.

I hope it’s enough,
thought Thomas.
I hope we don’t even need it.

Angeline and her barmaids tended to the injured and brought stew for everyone. Thomas wasn’t hungry but forced the food down anyway and made everyone else do the same. He checked on the wounded and was pleased to see that no one’s life was in danger. The injuries were mostly bruises and broken bones, and a few knife wounds. Thomas ordered the badly injured ones to sit on the stage, away from any potential fighting.

Keith woke soon after he was tied to the chair and started yelling at the top of his lungs. Thomas sent George and two of the smiths up to tell Keith he could either be silent or gagged. Keith was quiet after that.

Thomas had the company leaders divide their troops into squads of eight and seven, and set rotating watches of the front door, back door, and upstairs windows. Thomas’s company took the first watch so the others could rest.

Then there was nothing left to do but wait.

Thomas had never heard the Broken Quill so quiet. The students that weren’t on watch sat still for the most part. Some slept. Most stared into space or talked quietly with one another. A few went into the private rooms, and when Thomas went to check on them, he heard them sobbing. He left them alone for a time, and then sent up members of his company to talk to them.

It was sunset when Father Alphonse arrived.

He came in a coach, and got out at the barricades. The soldiers had to help him climb over. Eileen, on watch at the front window, saw it all and shouted it down to Thomas.

Thomas hadn’t thought he had the energy to be more scared, but Alphonse’s arrival made him want to lock himself in one of the upstairs rooms and hide. Instead, he called George to the front door and the two of them stationed themselves on either side of the grille.

“What can you see?” Thomas called from the centre of the room.

“Nothing different on this side,” said George. “The barricades are still blocking everything.”

“Alphonse is coming over them on this side,” said Thomas. “They’re helping him down now.”

Eileen ran down the stairs, rapier in hand. “What do we do?”

“Maybe we can bargain with him,” said Graham, behind them. “Agree not to leave the Quill for the rest of the war.”

He doesn’t want a bargain,
Thomas thought.
He wants me.

Father Alphonse took his time, once he was over the barricade. He straightened his robes and spoke quietly to the troops before walking up to the door. Behind him, a dozen crossbowmen sat ready to fire.

“I see you there,” said Father Alphonse. “Thomas, how are you?”

“Well enough,” lied Thomas. “Yourself?”

“Very well, thank you. And your friends?”

“Again, well enough.”

“So many of them were taken in the square, I was worried,” said Father Alphonse. “There were close to fifty bodies, last I counted. And at least as many in the cells.”

Thomas felt his jaw tighten. “What do you want?”

“To tell you what’s happening in the city, of course. May I come in?”

“No.”

Father Alphonse tried to look disappointed, and leaned on his stick. “It is rather hard, standing here, talking through a grille like this.”

“Too bad.”

The Inquisitor shrugged. “As you wish.” His next words were loud enough to reach the windows upstairs. “I just thought you should know that the people have risen up against the king. The city is in flames, and even now the king’s troops are being forced back to the palace. We expect victory within the next few hours.”

“You’re lying,” said Thomas.

“Believe that, if you like.” Father Alphonse kept his voice loud. “I wanted you to know that we will accept your surrender. All you have to do is put down your weapons, swear your allegiance to the Archbishop, and hand Thomas over to be tried for witchcraft. Then you may walk away.”

“You know the king declared that there’s no such thing as witchcraft?” said Thomas.

“The king is corrupt,” said Father Alphonse. “He will return to the teachings of the High Father’s Church when our army is at his door.” He smiled. “And when your fellow students have surrendered, I will personally supervise your confession.”

Thomas hands began trembling, and his stomach roiling. His legs threatened to give out. Thomas managed to say “Go away” and shut the grille before it happened.

“Remember!” shouted the Inquisitor. “Throw down your weapons, swear allegiance to the High Father, and give us Thomas. Otherwise, our troops will storm this building, and we will kill you all!”

Thomas leaned against the door, wishing fervently for Father Alphonse to die on the spot.

“He’s getting back in his carriage,” called a student upstairs. “He’s heading away!”

Eileen took Thomas’s hand. “Now what?”

“Get everyone together,” said Thomas.
And hopefully I can figure out something to say.

Thomas went up on the stage. “Did everyone hear what he said?” Some shook their heads. Others went to tell them, but Thomas spoke first. “The gist of it is that the Church troops will only accept your surrender if you drop your weapons, pledge allegiance to the High Father, and turn me over to be charged with witchcraft.”

No one said anything, though many cast wary glances at one another. In their faces Thomas read fear, exhaustion and pain. Some looked like they were ready to give up. Others had their jaws set in mutinous expressions, as if they could defy the Archbishop through sheer force of will. Others looked guilty, as if they had at once thought of surrendering Thomas and immediately realized how awful they were for thinking it.

“Don’t just sit there,” said Thomas. “Discuss.”

“Who said we wanted to surrender?” asked one of them. “We’re fine in here.”

“We’re fine in here for now,” corrected another.

“We have food, we have drink and they can’t burn us out. We’re good!”

“It doesn’t mean they can’t smash their way in eventually,” said a third.

“Thomas can stop them!” said another. “With lightning!”

“I can stop some of them,” warned Thomas. “But the magic is exhausting and lightning would make me pass out after two shots.”

“Can’t you just make them all vanish?” asked a lanky one near the front.

“If I could do that I’d have done it in the square,” said Thomas.

“Then what good is magic?”

“I’ve been trying to figure that out since last summer,” said Thomas. “Near as I can tell, it annoys the Church, so that’s something.”

He was rewarded with some chuckles from the group.

“He get us all killed!” shouted Keith from upstairs. “We’ll all die because of him! They’ll kill us all because he’s a witch!”

“He’s got good ears,” said Graham.

“And big mouth,” said George, rising to his feet and heading for the stairs. “I’ll be right back.”

“He’s right, unfortunately,” said Thomas. He saw read the relief on the faces of the students who wanted to say those very words but hadn’t. “As long as I’m here, they won’t accept your surrender, so if they break in, they’ll kill you all.”

“Are… are you asking us to turn you in?” asked Carl.

“No!” said Thomas. He stopped then, and sighed. “Not yet, anyway. But it’s something we might have to consider if it starts to get bad.” He looked at the bloody, exhausted students that surrounded him. “Or worse, I should say.”

“It won’t get worse if you’re not here,” said Graham. “So you’d better leave.”

Thomas’s eyebrows went up. “And how am I supposed to do that?”

“You’re the smart one,” said Graham. “Think of something.” He jumped up beside Thomas on the stage. “The soldiers are going to break in eventually. When they do, we’ll only be able to hold them off for so long. Especially if they bring in crossbows. Now, I know we can fight until reinforcements come, if we know they’re coming. I also know that, if reinforcements don’t come, we’re going to have to surrender eventually. And we can’t do that with Thomas here.”

The students muttered back and forth amongst themselves. Graham let them for a short time. Then he raised his voice. “So I say we find a way to get Thomas out and send him to get some reinforcements while the rest of us sit here with food and wine and the glory of holding off the Archbishop’s army! Sound good?”

There were thoughtful faces in the crowd, then nods of agreement, then calls of “Aye” and “Yes” and “Why is he still here, then?”

“There you are,” said Graham, grinning at Thomas. “Since you botched rescuing us the last time, you get to do it again.”

“Fine,” said Thomas. “But you’re in charge until I get back.”

“Fine,” said Graham. “Now hurry up and get out of here so I can run up your tab.”

The students chuckled at that. Thomas sent them back to their posts or to their rest. He wandered through the building twice, from the cellars beneath to the rooms that Madame Blossom and her staff kept on the third floor, trying to figure out a way out of the place. Nothing came to mind. Madame Blossom and her barmaids brought out more stew for dinner. Thomas took his and sat on the stairs. George and Eileen joined him. For a while they just ate, watching the students. Most were lying down, trying to get some sleep. Others talked in quiet groups, or stared into space.

“So,” said George. “How
do
we get you out of here?”

“You’re asking me?” Thomas said around a mouthful of stew. “I’ve been through the place twice and I have no idea.”

“The balcony is no good,” said Eileen. “The alley is blocked.”

“I could go out the front door,” said Thomas. “That might surprise them enough that I’d get away.”

“Probably not,” said George.

“What would Henry do?” asked Thomas.

“Burn the place down and run out the back?” said George.

“No,” said Eileen. “Henry would have brought archers.”

“Or cavalry,” said George. “Where is he, anyway?”

“No idea,” said Thomas. “I haven’t seen him since this morning.”

“I hope he’s all right.”

Me, too
, Thomas finished the last of his stew and looked around one more time, contemplating the ceiling. The attic above had only two windows. One looked over the street and the other was above the alley, and they were too small to climb through, anyway.

Could we go through the roof?

Thomas went to Fenris. “Can you take me up to the attic again, please?”

Fenris took him through the kitchen door and up three flights of stairs to the family and the barmaids’ quarters. There were five rooms. “Too bad you didn’t install windows on the sides as well,” said Thomas. “We’d have been able to go out and get help.”

“It is a failure we will regret, I’m sure,” said Fenris without cracking a smile. Thomas rolled his eyes and tapped against the sloped ceiling. They had plastered over it, but Thomas could feel wood right behind. “How thick are the roof slats?”

“No idea,” said Fenris. “They’ve been plastered since well before my time.”

“I don’t suppose there’s a trap door that leads to the roof for cleaning the chimney, is there?”

“We put a ladder on the balcony.”

“We’d need to break through to get out.” Thomas sighed. “How much will Mistress Blossom charge us for doing that?”

“A fair amount, I should think,” said Fenris.

“Less than what it will cost if the Church gets impatient and burns the place down,” said Thomas. “What’s on the other side of it?”