Christopher G Nuttall [School Lessons in Etiquette (epub)

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.Professor Thande had claimed that turning gold into lead lasted longer, but apparently it wasn’t a skill that was in great demand.I’m going to have to set up a proper mint, Emily thought, as Lady Barb motioned for them to stand up and head out to the carriages.And then standardize all of the currency.There was no fort blocking the road into Red Rose, somewhat to Emily’s surprise, before she realized that any large raiding party would have to come through Tarn before it reached the next kingdom.The mountains would make it harder for bandits to operate, although Emily suspected that they would never be eradicated completely.But if both kingdoms were quietly leaving the mountains as a barrier between them, it was likely that they rarely patrolled the area.The mountain folk wouldn’t have to turn to banditry to survive.The countryside seemed marshy, almost completely abandoned.Emily looked out of the carriage as the sun started to set in the sky, wondering if she’d been wrong about the mountains being the only natural barrier.The marshes would provide another problem for an invading army, as well as being almost completely devoid of supplies.A small party might be able to survive–the sergeants had taught Emily what plants could be safely eaten and how to obtain water–but an army would find itself in serious trouble.No doubt the inhabitants of Tarn were quietly delighted that Red Rose couldn’t really expand towards them either.Emily sighed as the stars started to appear in the sky.There was no such thing as being able to read the future in the stars–or so she had been told–but she had learned how to use some of them to navigate.Several of the route marches the sergeants had taken them on had been in pitch darkness.This world didn’t have streetlights pushing back the night.And the countryside was often infested with creatures that only came out when the sun had vanished below the horizon.“Traveling at night isn’t safe,” Alassa said.“But we can’t stop until we reach the Red Castle.”“As long as we can stay on the road,” Emily muttered.Outside, it was so dark that she could see almost nothing outside the carriage.Even the use of one of the night vision spells didn’t help much.“What happens if we drive into the bog?”“We die,” Alassa said.“Hardly anyone lives here and they’re never friendly to outsiders.They normally just ignore everyone, even tax collectors.But then, they have very little to collect.”Emily scowled and closed her eyes.God alone knew how long it would be before they reached the Red Castle, but she might as well try to get some sleep.There would be dancing when they arrived and she would be expected to join in.Or would she? She hadn’t had to dance at Alluvia.Wait and see, she told herself, and drifted off to sleep.Chapter ThirteenWAKE UP,” ALASSA HISSED.“YOU’LL WANT to see this.”Emily opened her eyes and stared out of the window.The Red Castle was rising up in front of them, a towering fairy-tale structure that seemed too fragile to be real.It couldn’t possibly be intended for war, she decided.She wasn’t even sure how it managed to remain stable.It shouldn’t be able to exist.Magic, she thought, remembering Whitehall’s interior.A wizard did it.The castle seemed to be glowing with an eerie red light, casting an odd sheen over the surrounding buildings.There didn’t seem to be a full-sized city, merely a handful of buildings and guardposts.Emily guessed that the castle had actually been designed as a place for the royal family to visit when they wanted a break and would therefore be some distance from the capital city.But they couldn’t rely on it in wartime.A single mana-eating spell would cripple the spells holding the castle together and it would simply collapse under its own weight.She felt the waves of magic as the carriage clattered over the drawbridge and into a large courtyard.There was more magic running through the air than anywhere Emily had ever been, apart from Whitehall.And it felt oddly familiar, reminding her of the nexus that existed under the school, where she’d fought and beaten Shadye.Had the Red Castle been built on another nexus? The advantages of such a position were obvious–and they might explain why the castle itself was so fragile.There would be no way to take down its wards without inside help.Which was precisely what Shadye had at Whitehall, Emily thought.The memory still horrified her.He had me [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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