go talk to him. You know, without weapons and magic and . . . meanness.â
âThe Palatinate does not recognize the authority of Vengekeepâs Protectorate,â the shorter Sentinel squawked. âStand aside.â
âItâs okay,â Aubrin said. âIâll go with them.â
âThe zoc you will!â Maloch said. He and I each grabbed one of Aubrinâs arms and pulled her away.
The mages advanced, spellspheres sizzling with power.
âUh, Luda,â I called out, âremember that pledge you made . . . ?â
But the Satyran was already on the move, charging forward with a determined war cry. Her furry hands flew up to her shoulders where she kept two broadswords crisscrossed over her back. With a tinny ssshhhk! , she drew the swords from their scabbards and leaped in front of me.
The tall Sentinel spoke a single word. A cone of smoky gray light shot from her spellsphere and struck Luda. The Satyranâs back arched as her face clenched in a silent scream. A second later, she collapsed like a limp doll.
Before I could check on Luda, the tall Sentinel spoke again. More gray light spiraled from the spellsphere and came right at me. I clutched Tree Bag and braced for the inevitable pain.
But nothing happened. As the gray light touched me, it exploded into a shower of harmless white sparks that disappeared as they hit the street. I looked at the Sentinels. They looked at me. Clearly, that shouldnât have happened.
Maloch charged. Bent over, he drove his head into the stomach of the smaller Sentinel. As the pair fell, they tumbled and brought the tall Sentinel down with them.
A crowd of people had formed a circle, murmuring and pointing at the melee. Using his hand-to-hand kioro training, Maloch fought to keep the Sentinels from using their spellspheres.
âGo!â he shouted to me.
Grabbing Aubrinâs wrist, I pulled her through the assembled throng and ran.
âJaxter!â Aubrin protested. But I was hardly paying attention. My mind raced with options, trying to figure out the closest, safest place to hide.
Then it hit me: the Dowager! The royal family could overrule the Sentinels. I led Aubrin back toward our parentsâ house. If we were lucky, the Dowager hadnât left for her meeting with the Castellan.
Lightning flashed and rain started to fall as I hurried Aubrin through the backstreets and alleys of Vengekeep. Splashing through puddles, we turned the corner and saw our house ahead. I pulled Aubrin tight to me and yelled to the two Provincial Guards at our front door, âGet the Dowager!â
One guard ducked into the house while the other moved, as if coming to help. But before he could get far, the air above us lit up and hummed. The two Sentinels dropped from a new glowing ring and stood between us and the house. The tall Sentinel chanted. Red light encased the guard, freezing him to the spot.
I stepped in front of Aubrin and shook my fist at the shorter Sentinel. âDonât make me get brave!â I warned him, my voice cracking. âBad things happen when I try to be brave.â
I fumbled with my pouches, searching for something to help us escape. But Aubrin laid her hand on my wrist. I looked down. She was smiling, soft and innocent. âJaxter,â she whispered, âitâs okay. You need to trust me. Iâm going with them.â
I stood there, slack-jawed. Aubrin threw her arms around me and squeezed. Then quietly she stepped over to the Sentinels, took a deep breath, and winked. The sizzling ring of energy in the sky changed from blue to green. It lowered around the Sentinels and Aubrin. A flash and they all vanished.
The Provincial Guard, freed from the red light, shook his head and looked around, almost as if heâd forgotten why he was there. A moment later, the other guard emerged from our house with the Dowager in tow.
âJaxter?â the Dowager called out from under a thin