Page 88 of Thornlight

“I know what the markings are,” Brier said at last. She wrapped the rag around the blade, then held up the knife so the gathered stormwitches could clearly see the engraved hilt.

“This is the Hightower crest,” she said. “The queen’s crest. Only a member of the queen’s family would own a knife like this. And the only members of the queen’s family still alive are the queen, and her little sister.”

Silence followed her words.

Then Talla said hopefully, “Maybe someone stole it from her? Brought it into the mountains?”

“Or maybe the queen came into the mountains herself,”said Brier, her voice hard, “and has decided harvesting lightning isn’t the only way she’d like to kill witches.”

The stormwitches shifted, shook their heads, hunched their shoulders miserably. Talla’s mouth trembled.

“Tell me,” said Brier, looking at each of the gathered stormwitches one by one, “would any of you be interested in a little sneaking around? I know of many doors that lead into the castle, and I think the queen owes us all some answers. But I can’t do it alone.”

“Brier!” Mazby whispered. “What if we justgoto the queen and ask to talk? There’s no need to sneak around anywhere!”

“I have a feeling she won’t want to talk to us at all once she sees that most of us are stormwitches,” muttered Brier. “She’ll want to silence us so we can’t spill her secrets. No, we’ve got to surprise her.”

Zino, grinning a little, glanced at Talla, then back at Brier. “I like this idea. What’s your plan, Brier Skystone?”

She hesitated. “I’m not sure yet.” Which was true. But Brier wasn’t worried. Brier had spent four years bossing around old men and grumpy women and a strong-willed unicorn. A crew of stormwitches couldn’t be harder to wrangle than that.

“Take Erko inside, get him some food,” she instructed. “By the time I join you, I’ll have a plan.”

Brier didn’t wait for them to acknowledge her. She could see, in the sparkling, wide-eyed looks on their faces, that they couldn’t quite believe their luck: the famous Brier Skystone turning traitor for them, offering them a path into the queen’s own castle?

Lucky indeed,Brier thought bitterly, turning away.They’d be luckier, maybe, if I’d never been born.

Not so many witches would have died, if there hadn’t been a Brier to catch them.

She sat on the cliff’s edge, legs crossed. She used a rag to scrub hard at the blade in her hands. But the blood had long dried, and didn’t wipe clean easily.

“You don’t have to do this,” Mazby whispered, watching forlornly from her pocket.

Brier scrubbed harder.

Zino sat down beside her.

“It’s a brave thing to turn on your queen,” he said quietly, “and to turn on your friends too. You must be...” He scratched the back of his neck.

Brier didn’t help him find his words. She bore down hard on the blade, scrubbing and scrubbing, careful to avoid the sharp edge.

“You must be worried about them,” Zino said at last. “Your friends, I mean.” He paused. “I found more blankets for them in my grandpop’s chest. And my guards are being quite kind. I promise.”

Brier nodded tightly, watching through glazed eyes as the blade began to shine.

Zino tapped her boot with his. “You should rest before we go.”

Brier held up the knife, examining the blade. She had made good progress, and in so little time. Though some stains remained, the rest of the blade shone a clean silver.

“We’ll leave tomorrow morning, I think,” she said sharply. “That should get us to the castle by nightfall. The queen won’t see us coming.”

.33.

The Midnight Breach

The curse was too powerful for a simple collar to defeat. Even quiet, even far from Celestyna, it whispered.

It woke her in the middle of the night with atap, tap, tapagainst the rungs of her spine.

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