The Golden Tower Read online

“Miri,” he breathed, taking the weapon back. “Tamara — thank you.”

  Now, if anyone in the Refectory bothers you, you can chop off their head, Aaron thought cheerfully.

  Call started to choke, but luckily, Tamara chalked it up to emotion and patted him on the back until he stopped.

  WALKING INTO THE Refectory gave Call a feeling not unlike déjà vu. He felt as though he was in a familiar place, but nothing quite looked right. And he realized it was because he recognized so few of the other students. All the older kids he knew were gone. He didn’t know anyone in their Iron Year, barely knew anyone in Copper or Bronze Year, and even the Gold and Silver Year students he knew looked a lot different. A few had what looked like the scraggly beginnings of beards.

  Call put his hand to his own face. He should have shaved this morning. Tamara would probably like that.

  Focus, Aaron told him.

  If Aaron were here, in a separate body, he would remember to shave. He would sculpt his facial hair with natural confidence and skill, and everyone would admire him for it.

  We’ll find me a body soon enough, said Aaron.

  Wait. What? Call thought.

  But before he could dwell on that more, Tamara gave him a shove toward the food. With his stomach in knots on the way to the Magisterium, he hadn’t eaten very much, but having Tamara on his side made him feel so much better that he found he was starving.

  He got some greenish lichen, some slices of large mushroom, and a few purple ball-like dumplings in a blue sauce.

  Get some turnip cakes, Aaron said. They’re good.

  Call had never cared for the pale turnip cakes, which looked too much like they were made from eyeless fish for his taste, but he plopped a few on his plate anyway. Taking a cup of tea, he followed Tamara to a table. She found one where it was going to be just them, set down her tray, and looked around, as though daring someone to approach.

  No one did. Lots of people were looking at their table and whispering, but no one was coming over.

  “Hey, um, how is Kimiya?” Call asked finally, just to say something.

  Tamara rolled her eyes but surprisingly also grinned. “Grounded and kept home from the Collegium for a whole year for making out with Evil Overlord Alex. Also for joining his evil army of evil.”

  “Wow,” said Call.

  He looked up to see three Iron Year kids heading toward the table. Three boys — a pale kid with white-blond hair, a darker-skinned kid with lots of curls, and another kid covered in freckles.

  “Um, hi,” said the pale kid. “I’m Axel. Are you really the Enemy of Death?”

  “He’s not the Enemy!” Tamara said.

  “Well,” said Call, “I have his soul, I guess. But I’m not him. You don’t have to be afraid of me.”

  All three Iron Years had taken a step back when he’d begun talking, so he wasn’t sure how convincing he’d been. They were looking at him as though waiting for him to bare his teeth, when Jasper came up behind them.

  “Scram, munchkins!” Jasper yelled, causing them to yelp and run back to their table.

  Jasper laughed uproariously. He had an even weirder haircut than before — somehow both spiky and shaggy at the same time — and was wearing a leather jacket over his uniform.

  “That’s not helpful,” said Tamara. “We must reach out to them with understanding, not scare them off like they’re little kids at a Halloween party.”

  Jasper made a face at her. “Good to see you all, too!” he said, and headed off toward Celia and the food. Call couldn’t help gazing after Celia, who was wearing a headband in place of the old sparkly hair clips she’d worn when she was younger. Once, she’d been his really good friend. She’d even wanted to date him. Now, she wouldn’t look at him.

  “Hi!” Call turned to see Gwenda, tray in hand. She sat down opposite them and started eating calmly. Call looked at her in surprise. Either she was enormously out of the loop of school gossip or she didn’t care about anything.

  “What’s up?” she asked.

  “I’m the Enemy of Death,” Call said to her, in case she hadn’t heard.

  She rolled her eyes. “I know. Everyone knows. Too bad about Alex — he was pretty hot.”

  “He wasn’t hot, he was evil,” said Tamara.

  “Evil, yeah. Everybody knows that, too,” said Gwenda. She waved across the room. “Kai! Rafe! Over here!”

  Kai and Rafe were standing over by a huge soup tureen. They looked at each other and shrugged before moving to join the table. They both nodded at Call before digging into their food.

  “Jasper and Celia are back together again,” Gwenda said, gesturing with her fork. Call followed her gaze and saw that Jasper and Celia had indeed taken their trays to a table by themselves and had their lips fused together like two snorklers. Jasper had his hands in Celia’s blond hair.

  “After the whole battle at Master Joseph’s, Celia decided Jasper was a hero,” said Rafe. “Instalove.”

  “Instabacktolove,” corrected Gwenda. “Since she dumped him before that.”

  Soon they were all chatting about who at school had broken up or gotten together, who the new Masters were, and what movies were showing in the Gallery. Aaron stayed quiet in Call’s mind, listening. It felt normal — so normal that Call started to relax.

  Just then Celia pulled away from Jasper and caught Call’s eye. Her look was icy. Jasper tried to draw her back, but she was on her feet, stalking over to Call’s table.

  “You,” she snapped, pointing at him. The whole room fell silent, as if they’d been waiting for this. “You’re the Enemy of Death, you liar.”

  Tamara bolted to her feet. “Celia, you don’t understand —”

  “I do understand. I understand everything! He lied to all of us! Constantine Madden was sneaky and evil, and now Call has snuck back into the Magisterium and Aaron Stewart is dead because of him!”

  It’s not because of you, Aaron thought quietly. Don’t listen.

  But Call couldn’t avoid listening.

  “Celia,” Jasper said, coming up behind her and putting his hands on her shoulders. “Celia, come on. He’s more like the Frenemy of Death.”

  But she shook him off.

  “I have family who would still be alive today if it wasn’t for you,” Celia said. “Constantine Madden killed them. And that means you killed them, just like you killed Aaron.”

  “I didn’t kill Aaron,” Call managed to say. His whole face felt hot and his heart was speeding. Everyone in the whole Refectory was looking at them.

  “You might as well have!” Celia said. “The Enemy of Death’s Chaos-ridden and his minions were all looking for you. They were fixated on you. You’re the only reason any of them were at the Magisterium.”

  Miserably, Call couldn’t think of anything to say to that.

  It’s not your fault, Aaron said, but Aaron was wrong.

  “I’m sorry,” Call finally replied. “I don’t remember being anyone but Call, but I would do anything to have Aaron back. I would do anything for him to have not died in the first place.”

  Celia looked as though the wind had gone out of her sails. She looked around at the people sitting at Call’s table, at Tamara. Celia’s eyes got a strange shine, like maybe she was blinking back tears.

  “You’re trying to make me look bad, like I’m the mean one,” Celia said.

  “Remember how you spread rumors about Aaron?” Tamara asked. “You’re not perfect, Celia.”

  Celia’s neck flushed a painful red. “Call is the Enemy of Death. He’s a megalomaniacal monster, but I guess because he doesn’t gossip, it’s okay.”

  “Call is a good person,” Tamara said. “He’s a hero. Because of him, the Enemy’s minions are disbanded. Master Joseph is dead.”

  That one was me, Aaron said, which almost made Call snort with surprised laughter. If he had, the whole Magisterium might have decided Celia was right about him.

  “It’s a trick,” Celia said. “I know it’s a trick, even
if you’re all too stupid to see it.” With that, she turned on her heel and stomped out of the Refectory.

  “We’re, uh, still working stuff out,” Jasper said, hurrying after her.

  Call stood up, not wanting to be there anymore either. Everyone was staring at him and he just wanted to go to classes and be alone with Tamara and Master Rufus. He couldn’t keep on pretending everything was normal.

  An announcement came echoing through the room: “All apprentices should make their way to the main entrance hall. Classes will be canceled for the first half of the day for a general assembly.”

  With a sinking feeling, Call was sure that this had something to do with him.

  STANDING IN THE great entry hall, Call remembered being there for the first time, listening to Master Rufus speak, his heart beating as hard then as it was beating now. He remembered marveling at the glittering mica floor, the flowstone walls, the enormous stalagmites and hanging stalactites, the bright glowing blue river snaking through the room, making you have to be careful where you stood, even though the place was enormous.

  Back then he’d been worried about eyeless fish and getting lost in the tunnels. Now, those worries seemed to belong to a different person.

  Tamara took his hand and squeezed it, surprising him.

  Did that mean she still liked him? Did that mean they might get back together after all? Jasper had gotten back together with Celia and he was a pill, so maybe Call had a chance.

  Celia is also a pill, Aaron said, which was mean for Aaron. She shouldn’t have said that stuff to you.

  “I thought you liked Celia,” Call said, and Tamara looked at him in surprise. He’d spoken quietly, but not quietly enough.

  “I do,” she said. “I did. But when she says those things to you — I mean, she’s insulting all of us. I know she thinks we’re brainwashed minions.” She flushed with anger. “Celia can go eat an eyeless fish.”

  More and more students were crowding into the entry hall. Call was forced to move slightly closer to Tamara, which was fine with him. “What happened to reaching out to people with understanding?”

  “I took a break from it,” said Tamara. “Look, Celia might come around, she’s just very —”

  A sound like a massive metal gong being struck rang through the room. Metal magic — Call felt Miri, strapped to his hip, vibrate in tune. There was the rush of air being displaced and suddenly Master Rufus was hovering above them all, looking down. Beside him were some other mages, familiar teachers and unfamiliar ones. Master North loomed to one side, with Master Rockmaple and Master Milagros on the other.

  Call hadn’t seen Master Rufus since the battlefield. A shudder went up his spine at the memory. He had been so close to dying. And even closer to losing everything that mattered to him.

  “Students,” Master Rufus boomed, his voice amplified by air magic. “We have called you here because we know that rumors and anxiety are running rampant among you. This is indeed a time of great instability in the magical world. Master Joseph, a minion of the Enemy of Death, tried to destroy the mage world in the name of Constantine Madden. But he was defeated.” The word boomed out defiantly. “We have all known people who went over to the side of the Enemy out of selfishness and out of fear.”

  There was a murmur. Call realized quite a few people were looking at Jasper and flashed suddenly to an almost-buried memory of an Assembly guard dragging Jasper’s father away from the battlefield with his hands bound.

  “Many of those mages are now in the Panopticon or being held by the Assembly. Treat those who have family members who are being rehabilitated with compassion. Their disappointment in their loved ones is already great enough.”

  Jasper flushed dark red and looked at the floor.

  “We must learn from this lesson that we cannot allow fear to rule us,” said Master Rufus. “Gossip, suspicion of your fellow apprentices — all that comes from fear. But fear has no place in a mage’s heart. It was fear of death that set Constantine Madden on his path. When fear rules us, we forget who we truly are. We forget the good we are capable of.”

  The crowd had fallen silent.

  “There are those among us who you may fear because you do not understand them,” said Master Rufus. “But Callum Hunt, our Makar, helped close this last chapter on the tragic legacy of the Enemy of Death. When it mattered, he rose up on the side of law and order, of goodness and humanity. Evil will always rise — and good will always defeat it.” Rufus crossed his arms over his chest. “A round of applause for Callum Hunt.”

  The applause was faint. Tamara dropped Call’s hand so she could clap, and slowly others joined in. It was hardly a standing ovation, but it was something. It died away quickly as Master Rufus and the other mages floated down from their high perch and stalked majestically from the room, signaling that the meeting was over.

  “So … now what?” asked Call, hanging back as the other students filed out. He didn’t want any more attention drawn to him.

  Tamara shrugged. “We’ve got time. I guess we could go back to our room.”

  “Okay,” Call said with mixed feelings. He wanted to be alone with Tamara, but he was also worried that maybe he didn’t know what to say to her. After all, the only reason she wasn’t mad at him was because of what Aaron had told him to say — and if she liked the stuff that Aaron said, maybe it was really Aaron she’d always liked. That’s what Jasper had thought. That’s what Call had thought, too, if he was honest with himself. Everyone liked Aaron better than Call. Why would she be any different?

  She told you she likes you, Aaron said, and Call winced. He didn’t mind Aaron hearing most of the stuff he thought, but he wished he could hide the thoughts he had about Aaron himself.

  Well, you can’t, said Aaron.

  With a sigh, Call walked through the halls of the Magisterium, trying to concentrate on not thinking at all. Maybe he could take Havoc for another walk. Havoc liked walks.

  As Call waved his wristband in front of the door and it slid open, he saw that Master Rufus was waiting for them. He sat on the couch, peering at Call and Tamara from beneath his bushy, expressive brows.

  “Welcome back to the Magisterium,” he said. “I hope you’re pleased to be here.”

  “It’s better than the Panopticon,” said Call. “That was quite a speech you gave.”

  “Yes,” said Master Rufus. “I thought so, too. I hope you’re both ready for your next lesson. You might have learned enough magic to walk through the Gate of Silver, but you haven’t learned the same magic as the other apprentice groups. You’re going to have to hustle to catch up.”

  Call rolled his eyes. “Great.”

  Master Rufus went on, ignoring this comment. “As Tamara is well aware, there are awards given to students at the end of their Gold Year, awards that will help you toward getting ahead in the Collegium and in the mage world beyond. No time for dawdling if you’d like to win something.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” said Call. “Nothing I do in my Gold Year is going to keep people from thinking of me as that guy who used to be the Enemy of Death.”

  “Perhaps,” said Master Rufus. “But what about Tamara?”

  Call looked over at her guiltily. “She’ll do great,” he said, wanting it to be true. Thinking about Tamara not getting all the awards and prizes she deserved made him feel awful. She’d been the best at the tests in the Iron Trial. She was the best at everything. If she didn’t win, it was because of him. No wonder he needed Aaron to tell him what to say to her.

  “I’ll try,” said Tamara, and elbowed Call. “We both will.”

  Tell her you’ll work as hard as you can, Aaron said.

  “I’ll put my best effort into it,” Call said, and both Tamara and Master Rufus looked at him in surprise.

  “Glad to hear it,” Master Rufus said finally, rising to his feet. “Are the two of you ready to go?”

  Call was startled — he hadn’t realized the lesson was going to start now. “Guess so,�
�� he said.

  It seemed to him that Tamara was looking at him strangely, but once they reached the corridor, she fell into step beside him and even bumped his shoulder with hers, so maybe he’d been imagining it. Master Rufus stalked ahead of them, cutting a swath through the crowds of students heading back from the entry hall.

  “What do you think it’s going to be?” Call said under his breath as Master Rufus led them into a less crowded corridor, then down a set of natural stone steps that descended into a cathedral-sized cavern. A blue underground pool glimmered in the center; Call had forgotten how weirdly beautiful the Magisterium could be. “What’ve I missed?”

  “Everything,” Tamara said, but without rancor. “Um, finer control of fire magic, storm control, weather magic, metallurgy …”

  Call’s leg had started to ache fiercely by the time they reached the pebbled floor of the cavern. He’d shattered it when he was very young and it hadn’t healed right. Several surgeries later, he was sure it never would. Other students had already arrived; Call recognized Gwenda, Celia, Rafe, Kai, and Jasper, looking sullen. Master Milagros was there, too, and quickly explained that they’d be splitting into teams. She assigned Celia and Jasper to be team captains.

  “Great,” Call muttered to Tamara. “Now I’m never getting picked.”

  Celia had first choice and picked Rafe. Then it was Jasper’s turn. He strode up and down the line of waiting students like a drill sergeant in a war movie inspecting uniforms. He was even squinting one eye shut and chewing an imaginary cigar, which Call felt was overkill.

  “A tough choice, a tough choice,” he announced finally, coming to a stop with his hands behind his back. “A lot of fine candidates.”

  “Jasper, get on with it,” said Master Rufus. “It’s one exercise, not a lifetime commitment.”

  Jasper sighed, as if to say misunderstood again. “Callum Hunt,” he chose.

  There was a low buzz of surprise. Even Tamara made a startled noise. Call was too puzzled to move, until Tamara poked him in the back. He went to join Jasper, all eyes on them both.

  Celia was pink-cheeked with annoyance. Jasper looked at her sadly. “She doesn’t understand why I picked you,” he said as Call joined him.