From The Ashes (The Ministry of Curiosities #6)(7)

The entire world had gone mad in one solitary evening. Or had I fallen through a portal to an alternate realm? "Meredith, what are you talking about?"

Someone screamed again. It was quickly followed by several more screams, including Meredith's. Another booming crash brought an eerie silence over the castle, however. My stomach plunged. I preferred the screams.

"Meredith!" I shouted, shaking her. "What's happening?"

"The French army is attacking the castle! We're under siege!"

I sat back on my haunches and stared at her. Either she was mad, or I was. There was only one way to find out. I got to my feet, hauling her up as I did so. She sobbed loudly. "Tell me everything that has transpired overnight." I took her hand and dragged her with me.

She planted her feet and pulled back. "I'm not leaving. If the castle falls down, it's safest down there in the dungeon."

"Not if the entrance is blocked by rubble. Trust me, Meredith, the safest place is far away from here. Where are Mrs. Denk and the others?"

"Mrs. Denk left early this morning to negotiate with the army." Her face crumpled. "She didn't return."

"So…it really is the French army, or are you simply repeating what Sir Geoffrey said?"

She hugged her body. "I don't know if they're French or not," she cried. "All I do know is, there are hundreds, if not thousands of soldiers surrounding the castle. Some are mounted, most are on foot. One holds a banner with a red heart on it."

"That is not the French flag."

She swiped at her tears. "An emissary asked for Alice."

"Alice! What has she got to do with any of this?"

"I don't know," she wailed. "But Mrs. Denk refused to hand her over. She demanded to know the meaning of their presence, and the emissary simply stated that Alice was wanted for treason against their queen and country."

"Which country?"

"I didn't hear."

"What did Mrs. Denk do then?"

"She claimed the entire thing was ridiculous. She thought the locals were having a lark, or a mock battle on school grounds. She was furious, and marched out to confront them and demand they leave. Sir Geoffrey warned her not to, but she couldn't hear him, of course. Only I could and…" She burst into a fresh round of tears. "…and I didn't pass on his warning and now she's dead!"

I took her in my arms and patted her back. "We don't know that," I said half-heartedly. My mind reeled with all sorts of scenarios, but one thing became clear. Alice was the key. She'd dreamed about a queen chasing her, and here was the army of a queen on our doorstep, demanding her return.

Alice's dream had come to life.

It was ridiculous, and yet I'd seen some strange things in the last few months. I'd be a fool to dismiss any theories, no matter how fanciful.

I heard Sir Geoffrey shout, but I couldn't make out his words, followed by more screams from the girls. They must be extremely frightened. Meredith whimpered.

I grasped her shoulders. "You must wake Alice." If my theory was correct, then Alice had it in her power to stop the army, simply by waking up. If they were a figment of her dreams, then they would disappear if she wasn't dreaming. If my theory was wrong, however…

"What are you going to do?" Meredith asked.

"Pass on Sir Geoffrey's instructions to the girls. He knows this castle's strengths better than anyone, and I'd wager he's seen more battles than all of us combined." I picked up my skirts and ran up the stairs. "Go!" I shouted.

I passed a girl in the grip of hysteria on the stairs. I tried stopping her, but she was determined to reach the dungeon. I waited to make sure Meredith didn't succumb to the temptation too, and when I saw her following me, continued on my way up to one of the towers at the top of the castle keep for the best view.

What I saw took my breath away. A large gap yawned in the crenellated battlements. Going by the rubble and the matching gap on the other side, the tower had been blasted by a great force.

I picked my way through the mess, careful not to slip on the icy surface, and peered over the edge. "Dear God." A sea of soldiers dressed in red and white amassed on the frosty lawn, a giant catapult on wheels in their midst. Mounted soldiers ranged behind and to the side of the main army, sunlight glinting off their swords. Most of the soldiers were on foot, either carrying swords or long bows. It was these archers who now removed arrows from their quivers.

A movement to the left caught my eye. Sir Geoffrey! He drifted down to the tower, his attention on the army below. He hadn't seen me.

"Take cover!" he bellowed. "Incoming!"

A hail of arrows arched upward like a flock of swallows then changed course and plunged from the sky. "Jesus!" I ducked back down the winding staircases, out of the way. An arrow slipped down the stairs and came to rest beside me.

Sir Geoffrey's spirit suddenly manifested in the stairwell. His craggy features creased into a frown. "You got out."

"Meredith rescued me," I said on a breath. "Sir Geoffrey…is this truly happening?"

He nodded grimly. "The castle will be lost. We don't have any weapons, and the maidens cannot be expected to fight."

"Where are they?"