The Fragile Tower - Book 1 of the No.1 magical fantasy series

Grace's mind went in circles, trying to find a way out and every time hitting against the immovable fact that she was caught, and it was over.

"I'd love to hear all about your travels," Ruidic said, smiling that predator's smile of his, and his evident delight at scaring her made her want to drive her foot into his face. "Let's talk about them as we go."

She heard the Captain make a noise of displeasure, and looked over at him, silently pleading, desperate for him to stop this somehow, or at least delay it. Surely he had some authority here. He hadn't finished questioning her.

He looked back at her blankly, and seemed unaffected by her desperation. He spoke to Ruidic.

"Am I to take it that you'd like to remove this prisoner before I have finished interviewing her?" he asked, and Grace realised something then. He disliked Ruidic intensely, and was struggling to keep it hidden.

"I'm afraid the Queen needs to see her," Ruidic told him, turning his self-satisfied smile on Roschan. "She's been waiting for this one."

Grace heard the Captain sigh, and the little hope she had felt died.

"Very well. I hope I may have the opportunity of questioning her further at a later date."

"Anything's possible," Ruidic said, with a wink.

He took Grace by the arm with such a display of affection that she was sure Roschan wouldn't understand why she was being taken away. He wouldn't be able to see the strength of the grip at her elbow, so firm that it almost hurt.

She thought about those girls with power vanishing, and realised that she should be as much afraid for herself as she was for Benjamin. He had seen her hold the globe on the stage, and he knew what she was.

A wave of hopelessness hit her, and seemed to wash away every thought except one - that he hadn't taken Afi. If she trusted anyone to talk their way to freedom, it was him, and that meant that she had a chance. Though how Afi might help her now was beyond her. There was more than freezing water to drag her out of now.

Perhaps he'll just go back home, she thought. And she knew she should be happy with that thought. At least I won't have gotten him killed, too.

But she knew how much she wanted him to come and save her again, and she felt ashamed of the thought. She was supposed to be the hero; she was supposed to be rescuing Benjamin.

She had expected Ruidic to become sterner once they were out of sight of the Captain, but he seemed to be so pleased to have caught her that he led her to the intention wind plate in high good humour.

"I couldn't quite believe it when I saw you travelling over my head in Cartheno's Fields," he told her.

She clenched her teeth, thinking of how different it could have been if she hadn't woken for a few more hours, or if the Captain had taken her via a different route.

"I thought you would come, though I wasn't sure if it was your mother I should have been expecting. But whichever of you it was, I expected you to be picked up before you ever reached the city."

He shook his head, with the sort of admiring surprise Dad might show if she'd been particularly devious in a kick-boxing match. It seemed bizarre when he had captured her, and had snatched her brother away to trap him and drain his power.

"Instead, I see you inside the palace," he said, and laughed. "I knew you'd be resourceful."

They stepped onto the disc, and Grace tried not to panic as they were carried upwards. She had the sensation of travelling rapidly towards disaster, and still could see no way out. It spoiled the beauty of every new room she saw, one hot and humid and filled with pools of steaming water; and another dimmer than the infirmary, with what looked like stars on each and every side.