The Golden Tower Read online

  A silence followed.

  “No,” he said, after letting it go several moments. “Callum, as a Makar, what do you know of this?”

  Call cleared his throat and started to panic. This was the kind of situation he never did well in. He always said the wrong thing.

  You don’t know anything either, Aaron told him. Just tell them that.

  “There’s this lizard I know,” Call said.

  He could hear Aaron’s groan in his head, but Call went doggedly on. “And he warned me about something else — something that had been sent into chaos. So I guess the only thing I know is that maybe Alex brought chaos elementals back with him? Like maybe that dragon.”

  Graves didn’t seem impressed. “Could you become a Devoured of chaos?”

  “What?” Call blurted out.

  Graves adjusted his spectacles. “If you used your ability to manipulate chaos without a counterweight, you might well be drawn in and yourself made into one of the Devoured. You would be a creature of chaos, not quite human. But you might be able to take down Alex. It would be a very heroic act.”

  Call just stared at him. He couldn’t believe Graves was really suggesting such a thing, but then he recalled the way Aaron had known they were treating him well because they were going to eventually ask him to die for them. Now Call was the only Makar in town. Unfortunately for the Assembly, Call had never been particularly good at gratitude.

  You thought I was a sucker, is that it? Aaron asked.

  “No!” Call said, then realized he’d answered Graves more directly than he’d intended.

  “Call’s correct. He’s not doing that. It would be suicide,” said Master Rufus, interrupting any possible objections. “Call, Jasper, Tamara — I want you to understand what’s happening here, because telling you that Alex wants you delivered to him is a risk. A risk not everyone here thought we should take.” He glowered at Graves, who glowered back. “Now that you know of Alex’s requests, now that you know of the danger he poses to you directly, you might be justified in wanting nothing to do with it. Alex believes we’d never tell you he’s asked for you as prisoners, out of fear you’d run away, but I trust you. I believe you won’t run because of the death and destruction it would bring on innocent people.

  “We have no plans to turn you over to Alex, but I move that we start building his stronghold, because that will make him believe we’re cooperating and buy us some time. You need to use that time. Call, you are our only Makar. Reach inside yourself. Find your power. Figure out how to defeat Alex.”

  Everyone stared at Call.

  Say you’ll do your best, Aaron told him.

  “If I’m going to do this on my own,” said Call, in a hard voice, “if I have to figure out how to defeat Alex, even though I’m still a student, then I want something from you. Whatever I do, whatever my friends decide we need to do to destroy a Devoured of chaos, I don’t want you to stand in our way. I want you to help me. Enough treating me like I’m an enemy — the Enemy. Understood?”

  There was a silence. Master Rufus’s face was unreadable; Call wondered if he’d gone too far.

  Graves took his spectacles off his nose and squinted down the table at Call. “We understand, Mr. Hunt,” he said. “We understand you very well.”

  “Good,” Call said, and stood up. To his relief, Tamara and Jasper stood up, too, clearly ready to go where he went. “Then I’ll do my best.”

  CALL MADE IT all the way back to their rooms before his burst of fearlessness deserted him. They found Gwenda waiting nervously in the room for them, and there was something about the look on her anxious face that knocked the last of Call’s strength. He collapsed onto the couch, face in his hands.

  “I can’t do this,” he said. “I can’t.”

  Tamara climbed onto the couch next to him and reached for his hand. Call noticed Jasper noticing the gesture, but didn’t care. What did it matter what Jasper, or anyone, suspected about his relationship with Tamara at this point?

  “We’ll help you,” Tamara said. He was glad she hadn’t said everything would be okay. But Tamara was too smart to say that. She knew those kind of promises didn’t mean anything; she made the kind she could keep. “You won’t be alone.” She looked up. “Right, Jasper?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. Of course.”

  And I’ll be here, said Aaron. Remember when it was me on this couch? Remember me throwing my shoe because I knew being the Makar meant I’d have to die for the Magisterium?

  Yeah, Call replied.

  “And I’ll help, too,” Gwenda said, then paused. “Wait, what did I just promise to help with?”

  Jasper told her quickly about the meeting, and the message from Alex.

  “You mean you have to figure out how to defeat a Devoured of chaos?” Gwenda said incredulously. “Actually, wait, we have to figure out how to defeat a Devoured of chaos, since I just promised to help? I can’t believe it. I always wondered how you got sucked into these things, Tamara and Jasper, and now I know.”

  “No kidding,” said Jasper. “How do we wind up saying these things? Who wants to be involved in this kind of stuff?”

  “You don’t have to be if you don’t want to,” said Call.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” said Jasper. “Of course I do. I mean, I don’t want to, but you get the point. What’s our first move?”

  “Do you think Alex has allies?” said Gwenda, sitting down on the table. “Besides Anastasia Tarquin, I guess.”

  “Not like Master Joseph did,” said Call. “Alex isn’t the Enemy of Death. He doesn’t care about ending death and grief. He only cares about power. So a lot of the people who followed Constantine and his group probably won’t follow Alex.”

  “What was up with the dragon?” Gwenda asked. “It must have been a chaos elemental, but it was huge. Was that Automotones? Do you think that was what Warren was warning us about?”

  “Automotones is a different huge elemental, but since Alex came back, who knows what else came with him,” said Tamara. “We have to assume that even if he doesn’t have followers, he can still control enough monsters that a direct attack would be chancy.”

  “No one knows how to stop a Devoured of chaos,” Call said. “I mean, I don’t even know much about the Devoured. Mages don’t seem to like to talk about them.”

  Tamara sighed. “Yeah, when Ravan became one of the Devoured, my family pretended she was dead. They thought it was better that way. But when I needed her help, she was there for me. She still considered herself to be my sister.”

  “Is she … human?” Gwenda asked, looking uncomfortable.

  Tamara shook her head. “She doesn’t have to be human to matter.”

  The last time Call had seen Ravan close up she’d been ushering him and Jasper out of the Panopticon, a pillar of terrifying fire. The last time he’d seen her from a distance, she’d been helping Tamara and Jasper escape Master Joseph. She’d been a plume of flame.

  Don’t forget the battlefield, Aaron said. She was there, too.

  “Alex seems like exactly the same jerk he was before,” said Call. “But Ravan — wait, can you still get ahold of her?”

  “What do you mean?” Tamara asked.

  “We could ask Ravan about being Devoured,” Call said. “About strengths and weaknesses. Maybe she could help us figure out how to defeat Alex.”

  “The mages are still looking for her,” said Jasper. “They don’t like to let Devoured just walk around loose. If they caught her, they’d bring her back to the Magisterium and lock her up again.”

  “We’re not going to get her caught,” said Call. He looked at Tamara in what he hoped was an innocently hopeful manner.

  She sighed. “Yeah, I can contact her, but Jasper’s right. She would be taking a chance sending back a message. She might not try.”

  “Everything’s a long shot right now,” Call said.

  “In the meantime we should try to find Warren again,” Gwenda said. “I bet he knows more than he’s let
ting on.”

  “He always knows more than he’s letting on,” Call admitted.

  “Well,” said Jasper. “It’s time we got it out of him. We need to interrogate that lizard. Get a bright light and tie him to a chair and tell him he will be sleeping with the fishes if he doesn’t tell us everything he knows.”

  Tamara’s eyebrows went up. “He’s always sleeping with the fishes,” she said. “At least he is when he’s not eating them.”

  “We could lure him out with a plate of food,” said Gwenda. “What do you think he’d like to eat?”

  They debated that for a while and wound up using magic, a trip to the Refectory, a net, and a rummage through their own junk drawers to come up with a plate they were sure had something to appeal to Warren. On it were cave crickets, eyeless fish, gems, coals, and lichen that tasted like cotton candy.

  The four of them, Havoc trailing behind, walked through the parts of the cave calling “Warren!” and finally set the plate down to wait.

  Nothing happened. Jasper started to whistle. Gwenda started a game of tic-tac-toe with Tamara.

  “The time is closer … !” Call said loudly, hoping the little lizard would be unable to resist finishing his favorite sentence.

  “What?” Gwenda said, and then yelped as Warren scuttled out of the shadows. He made a beeline for the plate and devoured a cricket.

  “Delicious,” Warren said. “Many thanks for food kindly provided.”

  “Warren,” Call said. “We need your help.”

  “Warren guessed that,” Warren said, discarding the lichen. He snapped up a few more crickets. “You have seen the Devoured of chaos, yes? You know why Warren warned you.”

  “Yeah, we know,” said Call.

  “Though in the future we’d appreciate more concrete warnings, you know?” said Jasper, totally failing to grab Warren and interrogate him. “Less of this beating around the bush. Just say what you mean.”

  The lizard regarded him darkly and ate the last cricket. “Come with Warren. I have something to show you.”

  “Does he always refer to himself in the third person?” Gwenda whispered as they followed Warren out into the corridor.

  “Not always,” said Call. “It’s inconsistent.”

  Gwenda muttered something about not being able to believe they were doing this. It was late, and the corridors were dimmed with low light. No students were around as they hurried after the bright lizard, who turned corners so swiftly that they were soon all lost. Call could sense his companions growing uneasy as the ground slanted down and down, and the walls became more splotched with damp. He felt as if he could sense the presence of the weight of the whole mountain above him, pressing down.

  They came at last to a passage that was more like a crack in the rocks. It was horribly narrow. Warren scuttled into it, clearly expecting the rest of them to follow. Havoc, unable to fit, hovered worriedly by the entrance.

  Call glanced toward Tamara, who swallowed hard and slid into the space after the lizard. They had to shuffle sideways to push themselves along, the stone pressing against their backs and stomachs. Call could hear Jasper complaining that he should have eaten less lichen at dinner. Please, please, don’t let me die stuck here, Call prayed, and I’ll do everything I can to defeat Alex.

  He heard Tamara give a gasp of relief, and a moment later he popped out of the narrow space like a cork out of a bottle.

  All around them were walls made of hardened volcanic rock, black and craggy. The heat was intense. Both Jasper and Gwenda gasped as they emerged into it. Fire was audible in the distance, crackling like thunder.

  “Where are we?” Jasper looked around. A wide corridor led between two long rows of cages, whose bars were made of glimmering gold carved with fire symbols. Call had been here before, though he’d come through Anastasia Tarquin’s offices.

  “This is where they keep the Devoured,” said Tamara quietly. “Those who have been consumed by elements. This area is for fire.”

  “Warren?” said Call. “Warren, what are you doing? How did we get in here?”

  “There is a secret way into every place,” said Warren. “And someone here wants to see you.”

  He began to scamper down the corridor. After a moment, the four students followed. It was so hot that Call felt as if every breath were searing his lungs. Tamara and the others looked miserable, too. He was glad Havoc hadn’t come — a fur coat was the last thing anyone needed down here.

  Most of the cages were filled with what looked like roaring bonfires; some were blue or green, most red and gold. In one cage, lava dripped from the ceiling like fiery rain. A wheel of fire spun in the air.

  Tamara paused in front of an empty cage. The inside was blackened stone. Her lip trembled. “Ravan,” she said, touching the bars.

  “Your sister is free.” The voice crackled like fire itself — Call knew immediately who it was. The students turned to face the cage opposite them.

  Marcus, Devoured of fire, sat on a burning throne inside his cage. He was all black smoke, except for two burning eyes made of fire. He had been Master Rufus’s own teacher, until he had let fire control him.

  Warren ran squeaking into Marcus’s cage and scampered up one smoky leg. He perched on Marcus’s knee as the Devoured scratched his scaly back. Warren half closed his eyes and purred. Call had seen a lot of weird things, but he had to admit this was one of the weirdest.

  “Wow,” Gwenda whispered.

  Privately, Call agreed. He went up to the bars of the cage, as close as he could without getting burned. “Marcus, we need your help,” he said. “You’ve helped us before.”

  “And to what benefit to myself?” Marcus inquired. “I am still here, inside this cage.”

  “You’ve done good in the world,” Tamara said firmly. “You helped us defeat Master Joseph.”

  “And now his apprentice rises, more powerful than ever he was,” said Marcus. “Perhaps there is no victory, Rufus’s children.”

  “He actually only became my Master fairly recently,” said Jasper. “I mean, for the record.”

  “Marcus,” Call said firmly. “What do you know about Alex Strike? The Devoured of chaos?”

  “I heard rumors such a creature had risen,” said Marcus. “At first, I did not believe. To be Devoured of chaos is to be overcome by the void. That which is not. The emptiness at the heart of the whirlwind.”

  “Well, believe it,” said Tamara. “Is Automotones back?”

  “Many have returned,” said Marcus. “The Devoured One was consigned to chaos. But he was able to tear open a door into our world and return. He brought with him those he thought might help him here — Azhdaha, the Great Dragon. Automotones. The most savage of the Chaos-ridden ever to be hurled into the void. All have returned at his side.”

  “What about Stanley?” said Jasper.

  “Who the heck is Stanley?” said Gwenda. Even Marcus looked puzzled.

  Call sighed. “He was a Chaos-ridden who was loyal to Constantine. Me. Whatever. I don’t think Stanley was his real name either; it’s just what I called him.”

  “Stanley?” said Gwenda.

  “Forget him,” said Tamara. “Marcus, we need to know how to kill a Devoured of chaos.”

  “Yes, you do,” Marcus said.

  Call was frustrated and sweaty. “Why did you want to see us? Warren said you got him to bring us here.”

  At the sound of his name, the lizard scuttled up to Marcus’s shoulder and began kneading it the way a cat would, flicking his tongue out at the hot air. Call guessed they were closer than he’d thought.

  “It was you who sought Warren,” Marcus reminded them. “I had him lead you to me because of Rufus. Had I not become Devoured, Master Rufus might have been less distracted, less willing to allow Master Joseph to get close to Constantine. We all bear a share of the responsibility for the Enemy of Death, and I would like to discharge mine by aiding the defeat of this new threat.”

  “Great,” Call said. “Then help me
. Help us!”

  Marcus looked at him with burning eyes. “Everything you need is already with you.”

  Does he mean me? Aaron asked.

  “That’s not helping!” Call said. “Just say what you mean for once. No more riddles!”

  “Good luck, mages,” Marcus said, then burst into a column of flame. When it died down, no one was there but Warren, the gems on his back gleaming brighter than ever.

  “I will take you home now,” the little lizard said, racing ahead before waiting for a response, leaving them to scramble after him.

  “That was Master Marcus,” Gwenda said as she followed. “I can’t believe you know him. I can’t believe we just talked to him. He’s a legend. And terrifying. A terrifying legend.”

  “Yeah,” said Jasper, looking a little pale. “We’re really cool like that.”

  Call’s leg was hurting as he scrambled through the tunnels and he felt the opposite of cool. In front of the Assembly he’d acted like he was capable of finding a way to stop Alex. But as they headed toward the less stuffy parts of the Magisterium, he started to despair.

  We’re going to be fine, Aaron said, but he didn’t sound entirely sure himself.

  Warren paused, alighting on a rock above a wending stream that flowed through the caves. They were back in the familiar part of the Magisterium.

  “The time is now,” said Warren.

  “Wait,” said Gwenda. “I thought it was closer than we think.”

  “The time is now,” Warren repeated, then scuttled away into the shadows.

  Gwenda turned to Call. “Does he always say that? Please tell me this is normal.”

  “Uh,” Call said. “No.”

  “Forget Warren being cryptic,” Tamara said, dusting off her uniform and tucking a stray strand of hair behind one ear. “Maybe we’re overthinking this. Maybe what we need is a weapon.”

  Jasper looked back at her. “What kind of weapon?”

  She gave them all a fierce look. “That’s what we’re going to find out.”

  A few hours later, they had covered the table, the couch, and a large chunk of the floor in their common room with books they’d borrowed from the library. Each of them had a stack and were skimming through, looking for weapons that might be useful against Alex.