A Crystal of Time (The School for Good and Evil The Camelot Years #2) - Soman Chainani Page 0,80

and the traitor’s head will be mounted on Camelot’s gates for the world to see.

Sophie could feel herself holding her breath. It was the first message Rhian had written without her help.

Part of her wanted to admire Rhian. The boldness of his lies. The ambition of his Evil.

But she couldn’t admire him. At least not until his head was mounted on that gate.

Wind blew through the holes in the fur that she’d salvaged from Madame Von Zarachin’s scim-ravaged box and magically mended as best she could. A short while ago, she’d been about to get on Hort’s stymph and escape this place. Holding Hort’s hand, she’d tasted freedom. She’d looked into the eyes of a boy who cared about her, the real her, warts and all. She’d glimpsed what happiness could look like in a different life, a different story. . . .

But her story wasn’t about happiness anymore.

It wasn’t about her at all.

That’s why she’d stayed behind.

Under her furs, the white dress itched at her skin, more urgently this time, grabbing her out of her thoughts.

Midnight had long come and gone.

In a few hours, Tedros would be dead. Along with Professor Dovey and five more students and friends.

How do you stop an execution?

How do you stop an axe from coming down?

She didn’t even know where the prisoners were being kept, with Rhian sealing her under Aran’s supervision while he met with the Kingdom Council inside the castle. The rulers of the Woods had descended upon Camelot for a week-long royal wedding, along with their servants and flunkies, packing every last inn and guesthouse, and now less than a day after they’d been dungbombed out of a church, they would gather for the beheading of King Arthur’s son. Until now, they’d mostly sided with Rhian over Tedros, believing their new king to be a Snake-slaying saint. But Agatha’s appearance in the sky had changed all that. Sophie had seen the rulers’ faces outside the church, looking at Rhian with new doubt, new questions. He’d lied to them about her best friend’s capture. He’d lied to the entire Woods. What else had he lied about? they must be wondering. . . . Surely this was why the Council had convened a meeting.

She glanced back at the castle, where she’d seen the leaders stream in before sunset, grim-faced and muttering to one another. There’d been no sign of them since.

Sophie’s heart hummed faster. She had to tell them the truth about Rhian. About the Snake. About everything. They’d never have believed her before, these other rulers. Not after everything Rhian had done to save their kingdoms. But they might believe her now. She just needed to find a way to speak to them. . . .

The pond rippled as footsteps crackled in the grass behind her, a pale, copper-haired boy appearing in the water’s reflection.

“Crystal,” said Japeth, barechested in black breeches, his face and body scalded from Dot’s boiling chocolate. “The first letters in your tales spelled out the word. That’s how you communicated with Agatha about a crystal ball. Clever, I must say.”

Sophie said nothing, watching the workers lay down an ornate block of dark wood, with a divot for a prisoner’s head.

“When the Mistrals told us we were Arthur’s sons, I didn’t believe them,” said Japeth. “It took a pen to convince me. A pen that showed Rhian and me the future. A future with you. You would be queen to one of us; your blood would keep the other from dying. Keep you at our sides and we’d be invincible. That’s the future the pen promised.” His cold breath shivered her neck. “Of course you’re thinking: Which pen? Lionsmane can’t see the future. So it must be the Storian. Except neither my brother nor I ever went to your precious school. So which pen could it be? That’s the part you have to figure out, Clever Little Cat. Just like my brother had to figure out that girls can’t be trusted, even his shiny new queen. He thought if he kept some of your friends alive, you’d fall in line. But now he sees what I’ve been telling him all along. The only way to keep a queen loyal is to keep her at the blade of fear. To destroy everything she loves. You think cleverness can save you. Despair cures cleverness. Pain cures cleverness. That’s why your friends will all die now. My brother made the mistake of thinking you could be reasoned with, but he’s learned his