Why was Gerard Montaigne in Tamron? And why did he have his army collected just across the border? He should be back in Ardenscourt, facing off with his brothers.

Karn bowed to his king. “Your Majesty. We have five jinxflingers from Mystwerk.”

“Good,” Montaigne said, his eyes flicking over Micah and the others. “Have you explained to them the services we require?”

“The answer is no,” Fiona said, straightening to her full height. “Now release us immediately.”

Montaigne moved, quicker than light, smashing his gauntleted arm into Fiona’s face and knocking her to the ground.

Micah leaped forward, but Wil Mathis was closer. With a cry of rage, he sprang at the prince of Arden, who drew his sword and calmly ran him through.

Wil and Montaigne ended face-to-face, a foot separating them, Wil’s eyes bulging wide in amazement. Then Montaigne shoved him away with his booted foot, freeing his sword. Wil teetered, then fell backward, hit the ground, and lay still, blood pooling around him.

“Wil!” Fiona cried, trying to scramble to her feet, but Micah knelt next to her, gripping her shoulders and holding her in place.

“No,” he said fiercely. “You can’t help him.”

“Does anyone else wish to have a conversation about this?” Montaigne asked.

No one moved and no one spoke. Raisa had to bite her lip to keep her acid tongue in check. Wizard or not, Wil had always been among the best of the breed. More than that, he was a citizen of the Fells, and so, her responsibility.

Montaigne paced back and forth in front of them, his sword in his hand. “Now that we understand each other, perhaps we can do business. Captain Karn has convinced me that jinxflingers will be useful in bringing this long war to a conclusion. If he is right, it may be that we will only require your services for a limited time.”

He’ll never let them go, Raisa thought. Gerard Montaigne will always have use for an army.

“Like I said, think hard before you say no.” Karn ran his eyes over the captives. “So, what’ll it be?”

“All right,” Micah said abruptly, standing. “We will teach your charmcasters what we know, and aid you in any way we can. The sooner you achieve victory, the sooner we can be on our way. Bear in mind that we are just first-years, so our knowledge is limited.”

He walked forward and put a hot hand on Raisa’s shoulder. “I would, however, ask you to release our servant. She is not gifted, and so would be of no help to you.”

Raisa froze, scarcely breathing. Was Micah really trying to engineer her release? She turned her head slightly so she could see his face. His expression didn’t change, but she felt the pressure of his fingers as he squeezed her shoulder.

“Your... servant, is she?” Montaigne said. He looked at Karn, and he nodded.