Instrument of War (Symphony of the Cursed Book 2) by Rebecca Hall

Author:Rebecca Hall [Hall, Rebecca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FA Modern & Contemporary Fiction, YAF019010 YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Fantasy / Contemporary, FIC009010 FICTION/Fantasy/Contemporary, FM Fantasy
ISBN: 9781911409175
Publisher: Elsewhen Press
Published: 2017-06-01T16:00:00+00:00

Family Reunion

“I really hate that thing,” Mitch muttered, wrenching his eyes away from the obsidian mirror. The heptagram had been inlaid with silver sigils and they always seemed to twist and move in the corner of his eye. Rhadassa sat at the centre, encompassed by a confused tangle of sigils that Mitch could make neither head nor tail of. The sigils themselves led to the dozens of hourglasses surrounding the mirror, each a different size and filled with a differently coloured sand.

“I think it’s pretty,” Amelie said, still leaning over the railing to study it. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the obsidian seemed to suck in the sunlight instead of reflecting it and blinding her.

“You won’t when you’re standing on it,” Mitch said, sitting down next to Nikola where they had a little shelter from the wind. The observation platform stood over the hourglasses and was open to the sky. It was freezing.

“What do you think Nikola?” Amelie asked, looking over her shoulder.

He yawned and shrugged, more interested in the sigils themselves than the aesthetics, and exhausted after their exams.

“You’re hopeless,” Amelie sighed. She blinked, freezing in place for a second while she studied something behind them and then she dashed across the platform and clattered down the stairs.

“What?” Mitch asked. Maybe her classmates had finally arrived, the testing was rarely interesting enough to warrant standing around in the freezing cold to watch someone suffer through it.

“Ready to meet the parents?” Nikola asked, climbing to his feet.

“No. Why didn’t you warn me?” he asked as they followed Amelie at a much more sedate pace.

“I wasn’t expecting them either.”

The group coming down the path towards them appeared to contain an abnormally large number of teachers and gaping students. No doubt they would have been part of the parade as well if Amelie hadn’t insisted on coming down to the mirror as soon as they finished breakfast.

The focus seemed to be on a slender, silver haired man. Mitch gulped, his features were similar enough to Amelie’s to tell him who he was. The Seelie King had come to the Academy.

“Oh stars,” Nikola breathed, his eyes on the woman at Oberon’s side.

“She looks normal,” Mitch said, following his gaze.

“That’s Isane,” Nikola said tightly, “she’s my legal guardian.” Mitch blinked and studied her more intently, trying to match her up with the picture in his head. Nikola never spoke much about his guardian, it was easier to get him to talk about Gawain, but Mitch had built up quite a picture of her over the last few months. It wasn’t a pretty one.

“And the woman with her?” Mitch asked. A skeletally thin woman with straw-like hair clung to her, constantly twitching and looking around with wild eyes.

“No idea.”

“Daddy,” Amelie cried, her voice carrying on the wind. She launched herself at him and he caught her easily, spinning her in a circle before setting her down again. “You came.”

“Of course I did,” Oberon replied. “I could hardly miss my little girl’s testing could I? Ms Melchner tells me that you’ve been doing very well.

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