I opened my mouth to deny Ezra’s statement, but instead I asked, ‘What does it matter to you?’
Ezra let out a groan before standing and shoving Jet hard. ‘How could you do this to her?’
Jet didn’t even try to protect himself. He fell to the ground. Boy turned on Ezra, growling so menacingly that the hair on my skin stood tall.
‘Don’t touch him,’ I said, my voice strange. ‘Jet hasn’t done anything to me, apart from being my friend, apart from not letting me down.’
Ezra, who was standing over Jet, stumbled away.
My words were as sharp as a needle. ‘I’m learning what I need to so I can help my family and Violet. So unless you have news, you need to leave here and never come back.’
‘You…can’t mean that.’
I raised an eyebrow.
Ezra rubbed his face before he spoke, his voice cracking. ‘Violet and your family’s trial is this Saturday night, at 8 p.m., in the town square.’
My heart thrummed in my chest. Four days!
From his pocket Ezra produced a key. ‘Here’s a key to their cell.’
I stared at the key, wanting to snatch it from him and head straight to my family.
‘They’re being heavily guarded,’ he said, as though reading my mind. ‘But at 6 p.m. on Saturday, there will be a meeting about the trial that will last fifteen minutes. At that time, there will be minimal security – that’s when we can get them out.’
‘We?’ I asked.
‘I know where they are and I know how we can help them escape,’ said Ezra.
Jet got to his feet and sat down in the closest chair. ‘How?’
Boy stopped growling and Ezra sat down beside him.
‘There’s a labyrinth of tunnels underneath the town hall,’ said Ezra, bringing out a map from his pocket and passing it to Jet. I sat next to Jet and studied the complicated tunnel network spreading out underneath the city.
Ezra moved his finger across the map. ‘Once we have everyone, we can take this tunnel – it will bring us to the jetty. I’ll have my boat ready. If we’re quick and you…use some of that magic of yours, we should be able to get away – leave Melas.’
‘We?’ I asked.
‘I want to come too – with my mum – if you’ll let us.’
WHAT! The colour from my world faded, and I was left in a silo of white.
‘Eva,’ said Jet, placing his arm on mine, pushing some heat back into me.
When I could see properly again, there was no denying the accusation on Ezra’s face.
Jet swore and shook his head. ‘You’re good – I’ll give you that. Why can’t you just stay away from her?’
‘You mean, why can’t I stand back and let you have her – destroy her,’ said Ezra, making Boy snarl at him.
‘Stop it,’ I said. ‘Both of you! I don’t belong to either of you. And if I’ve changed, that’s been my choice, not Jet’s.’
Ezra and Jet glared at each other but remained silent. Boy came to stand next to me. I leaned forward and studied the map. I placed my finger on the entrance to the tunnel that was closest to the woods. ‘We’ll meet you here at 5 p.m.’
Ezra nodded. ‘That will give us plenty of time to get them out.’
‘How are they?’ I whispered.
Ezra’s mask slipped for a moment before he assured me they were okay.
‘Tell me the truth,’ I demanded.
‘It’s not been easy for them, but they will recover.’
A cry escaped from somewhere deep in my soul, and both boys placed their hand on my arm. I glanced between them before standing, their arms slipping from me.
Ezra stood, stepped towards me, reached for me. I stepped backwards.
‘Just go,’ I said, turning away.
Ezra groaned. ‘Don’t turn away from me, please.’
I stayed where I was, my heart racing.
Why does he want to come with us – and bring his mother?
‘You heard her. Take a hike,’ said Jet.
Ezra sighed. ‘I’m going, okay – but I need to know – can we come with you?’
‘Why now?’ I said, wiping the tears that sprang to my eyes.
‘It’s…unbearable at home…without you. My dad…he’s completely out of control and my mum…she can’t face it anymore.’
I thought then of Ezra’s mum, Gretel – the tight way she held herself, as though she might be struck at any minute.
‘Fine,’ I said quietly. ‘But once we’ve escaped and are well away from here…we’ll go our separate ways.’
Hurt flashed on Ezra’s face before he could compose himself. ‘Eva…’
Jet stood and whistled to Boy, who returned to his side.
‘Eva has made her decision, and consider yourself lucky you get to travel with us. Come on, I’ll help you with your boat.’
If looks could kill, the one that Ezra gave Jet would have done the job.
‘I don’t need your help and I don’t need you to tell me what to do. I need you to stop teaching Eva your dark magic…before it’s…too late.’
Jet glanced at me. ‘I don’t want to. Eva–’
Ezra’s face turned to stone. ‘Don’t then. Simple as that. If something happens to Eva, I’m holding you personally responsible.’
‘You are going to do no such thing,’ I said. ‘You stopped having a role in my life when you chose not to be with me. So what I do with my life is not Jet’s responsibility and it’s not yours either. It’s mine!’
Ezra opened his mouth, then clamped it shut. Narrowing his eyes at Jet, Ezra stormed from the campsite. He took one last brooding glance back at me before disappearing from view, leaving the remains of a storm cell that neither Jet nor I seemed to know how to deal with.
Chapter Twelve
‘No!’ said Jet, for what felt like the hundredth time. ‘I’m not teaching you any more dark magic. It’s already…changed you. I won’t be responsible for turning you into the Fire Queen.’
I held back the words that I wanted to let fly, that I had been letting fly for the last two days since Ezra visited, prompting Jet to change his mind about teaching me more black magic.
