Chapter 22

CHALLENGE

The black serpent spiraled up the table leg, its body winding and flexing precisely. The head hooked outward and curved onto the top of the table, followed by the rest of its sinuous length. With syrupy grace, the snake flowed across the table toward Cole, who watched with wide eyes as it reared up and bared a pair of slender fangs.

“That looks pretty real,” Cole said.

“Thanks,” Dalton replied.

Suddenly, the snake had the head of a chicken. The body became a slender pink balloon. The chicken head pecked the balloon body, popping it without making a noise.

“A little less real,” Cole said.

The seeming vanished.

Cole and Dalton sat on cots in a small, damp room. A flimsy table, a hammock, and some wooden crates added to the decor. At least they had a door. Some of the rooms in the Unseen hideout were only made private by shabby curtains. They had slept in the cots one night so far. Skye planned to spend one more night there before going to the Bloated Udder to find Joe and Twitch.

“Do you wonder why the Unseen aren’t already running for it?” Dalton asked.

“Maybe they will,” Cole said.

“Sounds like it’s going to get ugly here before long.”

“Things were ugly in Sambria too.”

Dalton folded his arms. “Will Skye want to go after Morgassa?”

“Maybe,” Cole said. “If Morgassa is Honor’s power, finding Honor might be the only chance to beat her.”

Dalton stared at Cole, lips compressed.

“What?” Cole asked.

“Do you ever wonder if staying with Skye might not be the best way to help Jenna? Would we find her faster if we took off and did our own thing?”

“Maybe,” Cole said. “I’ve considered it. But the Rogue Knight has Mira. I can’t just abandon her. She’s great. She’s a real friend.”

“Aren’t those other guys going after her?” Dalton asked.

“Joe and Twitch,” Cole said. “They’re on her trail, but I won’t leave here until I know she’s all right. I wouldn’t leave you either. I’ve thought a lot about this. Aside from everything else, I really think that staying with Mira will be the best way to help Jenna and the others. Don’t get me wrong. I hear about Morgassa, and I want to run.”

Dalton nodded. “It might not be a bad time to search in other kingdoms for a while.”

“I hear you,” Cole acknowledged. “But with Mira, we get help from the resistance wherever we go. And if Mira can defeat her father, we might free everybody. I don’t think that happens without her help.”

“We also might get caught breaking into Blackmont,” Dalton pointed out. “Or we might get killed by some horrible monster.”

“I didn’t say it was safe,” Cole said. “But if we want to help Jenna, staying with Mira beats wandering blindly without any help. Don’t forget, sticking with Mira led me to the people who helped me find you.”

The door opened without warning. Jace burst in, his eyes bright with excitement. “Have you guys heard the news?”

“I don’t think so,” Cole said.

“The Rogue Knight challenged the Dreadknight to a duel,” Jace said. “The Dreadknight accepted. They fight tomorrow for control of Edgemont.”

“Whoa,” Cole said. “Seriously?”

“Everybody is talking about it,” Jace said. “I guess word is out all over town. Only residents of Edgemont are supposed to attend the fight.”

“Have you talked to Skye?” Dalton asked.

“I can’t find her,” Jace said. “She must have gone out to follow up on the news. You get what this probably means.”

“The Rogue Knight learned about Honor from Mira,” Cole said. “Do you think she told him on purpose?”

“Maybe,” Jace said. “She may have decided the Rogue Knight was the perfect tool to bust into Blackmont Castle. Or maybe the Rogue Knight pried the information from her and wants to add another princess to his collection. Either way, there’s a good chance Mira will be at the duel.”

“There’s also a good chance it’s a trap,” Dalton said.

“What do you mean?” Jace asked.

“Rustin Sage wants the Rogue Knight out of the picture,” Dalton said. “But he doesn’t want to risk his championship. If Rustin knows where the Rogue Knight will be tomorrow, it would be a golden opportunity.”

“We have to be there,” Cole said. “It’ll be our best chance to help Mira.”

“Let’s hope Skye is working on it,” Jace said.

Skye returned later in the afternoon. She came to Cole’s room with Sultan. The boys had been playing a dice game Jace had taught them to pass the time.

“You heard the news about the duel tomorrow at dawn?” she checked.

“We’re going, right?” Jace asked.

“Sultan will help us,” Skye said. “It’ll be complicated. We have information from contacts within the Merriston guardsmen.”

“Rustin Sage plans to surround Edgemont tomorrow during the duel,” Sultan said. “He’ll let them fight it out, because if anybody can beat the Rogue Knight, it’s the Dreadknight. If the Rogue Knight loses, problem solved. If the Rogue Knight wins, Rustin Sage and his knights will descend with his guardsmen and a battalion of legionnaires.”

“Isn’t that against the rules?” Cole asked.

“They have an excuse,” Sultan said. “Because of his robberies, they’ve labeled the Rogue Knight a criminal. They’ll deny him his rights as a champion and take him by force. The governor is backing the plan, along with Alderman Campos.”

“We have to be there,” Skye said. “If the Rogue Knight loses, we’ll rescue Mira and get away. If the Rogue Knight wins, there may be a window of opportunity to free Honor. Should the Dreadknight fall, the Rogue Knight will temporarily be master of Blackmont Castle.”

“Until the Merriston guardsmen and the legionnaires take him out,” Dalton said.

“It’ll be dangerous, but I’m not sure we’ll ever have a better chance,” Skye said. “Get some rest. We’ll leave in the night. I want to arrive well before dawn.”

By the time the first hints of sunrise began lightening the sky, Cole sat huddled beneath a blanket at the Edgemont Arena. Many people had already claimed seats on the tiered benches surrounding the battleground. Skye and Sultan had disguised themselves and the three boys as an actual family who lived in Edgemont. Sympathetic to the rebellion, the family had agreed to skip the fight.