A Poison Dark and Drowning (Kingdom on Fire #2)(53)

You shall obey her when Sorrow falls unto the fierce army of the Blooded Man.

She will burn in the heart of a black forest; her fire will light the path.

She is two, the girl and the woman, and one must destroy the other.

For only then may three become one, and triumph reign in England.



What a joke it all had been.

“Howel. Demonstrate this, will you?” Mickelmas said, jolting me from my reverie.

He tossed me one of the daggers, then fetched a strawberry and popped it into his mouth. I swiped the dagger through the air, and both times that high keening sound made me wince. Mickelmas sprang to his feet and took the dagger back. “Always have someone incompetent demonstrate first,” he told the boys. “It flatters you even more.” I restrained myself from kicking at his ankles.

“The trick is to swipe upward.” He demonstrated the correct way, with a short, sharp jab. “Ralph Strangewayes claimed he mined these metals from the Ancients’ home world. Listen.” He flipped open the book, slowly read a few lines to himself, and then spoke: “Naught but the very melted and molten soil of their ground affects their skins or humors. I fashioned my dirks and cutlasses from their clay and steel, sometimes their very bones.” The whistle. Had I been putting something from an Ancient’s body into my mouth? I felt ill. “If once you cut them, cut them once again. That is the key.” He looked back up at us and slapped the page. “Several of these beasties have unusually tough hides. You’ll need a great deal of force behind the blade. You especially, my girl, may not have enough physical strength for some blows.”

I wanted to make a snide comment, but after an instant of practicing, I knew he was right. Jabbing up from underneath worked better for me, and the blade did not whine.

“Good. Now that you can use the knife, twist it when you make impact. This little serrated bit on the tip wants to dig into the skin,” he said, pointing at it.

“You might have shared all this information with the Order before,” Blackwood muttered. “Considering you brought these demons upon us.”

Was he really going to be like this the entire session? He remained in the corner, regarding us as though we’d all disappointed him dreadfully. Truly, Lord Blackwood acting a proper ass in Master Agrippa’s library was like going back in bloody time.

“In my experience, one tries to avoid those who would like to put one to death,” Mickelmas said pleasantly. He ambled over to Magnus, who was jabbing at one of Agrippa’s bookshelves with the scythe. Magnus still had one arm wrapped in bandages, and he was making a clumsy job of it. “What, are you trying to pick at it?” Mickelmas adjusted him. “Wide, arcing sweeps, my boy, though perhaps you’d best really go for it when you’re out of doors.”

Blackwood had not done with his conversation, though. “Why didn’t you try this years ago yourself, then?” he snapped.

I’d had quite enough.

“The magicians were scattered and afraid, Blackwood. Can you imagine what that felt like?” I practiced a few more swipes of the dagger.

Blackwood didn’t reply.

“How did you and Mary Willoughby open that portal in the first place?” Dee asked Mickelmas, finally taking a break from playing.

Blackwood stiffened, but thankfully Mickelmas didn’t appear eager to divulge his father’s secrets.

“Runes,” the magician said, carefully. “But I wouldn’t do it again.”

“Why?” Dee asked. “Maybe we could send the beasts away?”

“Experience taught me never to play around with such things. All right?” Mickelmas snapped.

Dee blushed to the roots of his hair and played some more.

Mickelmas had us line up and drill with each of the weapons. I could feel the difference when the swords and daggers were handled properly. While I hated to admit it, I wasn’t physically strong enough to handle the swords or scythe properly. I was, however, very good with the daggers. Mickelmas applauded whenever I struck a clean, upward blow.

“Excellent. And that tiny little one,” he said, plucking the microdagger from my hand. “Well, it’s very…small.” He frowned and flicked his wrist, sending the blade soaring to stick in the front of Agrippa’s desk, its handle trembling.

“How will we know if our training works?” Magnus asked, cracking the whip. He did it as Mickelmas had suggested, swirling it once overhead and delivering it in a straight, sharp downward movement. The violet flash of light did not happen this time, and the sound was akin to a clap of thunder. A bit noisy, yes, but it felt right.

“When you’re face to face with one of the Ancients, you’ll know,” Mickelmas said. “Remember, the whip and the flutes are especially good for Molochoron. You don’t want to get close enough to use the dagger, as the smell can be quite disconcerting.”

I laughed but then grew horribly light-headed. My nose started gushing blood, and the room grew bright before plunging into darkness. Someone guided me to the sofa, where I sat with my head back, pinching my nose.

“Use this,” Maria said, giving me a handkerchief. There was a voice whispering in the corner of the room…wasn’t there? When I turned to find it, a sharp pain stabbed between my eyes. Maria held my head in her hands and shushed my whimpering. “Don’t move.”