That was such a great response for the last chapter - thanks to my lovely reviewers!

21

"What?" Kel shouted, springing up from her seat.

"What?" she heard Neal and Gerard also yell behind her.

"That's ridiculous, how…I mean…she can't have…"

Raoul grabbed her by the arm, pulling her back into her seat. "It's got to be a mistake Kel. That's all. Calm down."

Pleading for some sanity in the situation, Kel looked at Wyldon. He hadn't moved; he was watching the scene in front of him with a frown.

"Sir…you were Training Master once. How could she have failed?"

"I don't know Mindelan," he replied, rubbing the scar on his temple. "I'm as baffled as you. Nothing she did was…she shouldn't have failed. Something's gone wrong somewhere."

Kel looked across the hall at the audience on the other side. Elbert of Brightleigh was making his way down to the judges. His wife was following him.

"Something's gone very wrong," muttered Kel, eyes narrowed. "And I intend to find out exactly what."

xxx

It seemed as though everything had gone into slow motion.

As soon as the judge had spoken those words, Ella's mind had shut down, leaving her standing there in the middle of the hall. Through a muffled wall of sound, she thought she heard the judges' dismissal.

A hand was tugging her arm. She allowed herself to be pulled out of the hall, back into the waiting area – neither properly seeing nor hearing anything.

"I can't believe it! Of all the gods-cursed, stinking, rotten…" Ro's swearing blended into simply noise.

She had failed. She hadn't expected to fail. Of course, every page worried about failing, there was always that tiny chance, but no one actually failed the exams.

Until now.

"Is she alright?" Ella heard one of the boys ask.

What sort of stupid question is that? the small part of Ella's brain that was still functioning asked.

"I…I'm going back to my room." Her voice sounded distant and tinny to her own ears.

Ro took a breath from her generic cursing long enough to look concerned. "I'll come with you."

"No…no, I want to be on my own for a bit."

"Okay." Ro frowned. "It will be alright Ella. It's a mistake, that's all. Auntie Kel will sort it out, you'll see. You'll be a squire. It's all a mistake."

How can it be a mistake? How could the judges make a mistake like that? Ella forced a semblance of a smile. "I'm…I'm sure you're right. I'll see you in a bit."

She didn't want to speak to anyone. She didn't want to see anyone. Ella put her head down and made her way back to her room at a trot, using lesser known corridors.

Somehow she arrived at her door. Fumbling with her key, Ella let herself into her room and slammed the door behind her. She walked over to the bed and flung herself on it, burying her face in her pillow.

She had failed.

xxx

A few hours later saw Gerry pacing up and down at the door of Sir Nealan's study.

"You're going to wear the floor out if you keep on with that," commented Neal, pouring tea into four cups.

He glanced over at where his daughter was sat, elbows on the desk in front of her, staring glumly into space. It should have been a happy day for her, but worry for her friend was eclipsing everything else.

Merric took his tea and blew on it. "Kel will sort something out, don't worry."

"Everyone keeps saying that, but she's been gone for ages!" exclaimed Gerry, finally stopping his pacing and throwing his arms up in the air.

"Gerard, sit down and drink some tea, for Mithros' sake. You panicking is not going to make things any better."

Gerry threw himself down into the spare chair next to his knight master and took his cup grumpily.

"She won't answer the door to me," piped up Ro, miserably. "I knocked and knocked, but she eventually told me to go away. I'm really worried."

Neal patted his daughter on the shoulder. "She's upset, poppet. She's bound to be. Give her a bit of time."

The sound of thudding footsteps outside made them all glance up.

"I know the sound of that walk anywhere," said Neal, leaping from his chair. As everyone made to follow suit, he signalled them all to stay where they were.

Emerging into the corridor, he caught sight of the broad back of the Lady Knight. "Kel!"

She stopped and spun to look at him. "Neal! There you are."

He scrutinised her face. The Yamani mask had slipped, to be replaced with mixed emotions of anger and worry. "What's going on? Did you meet with the King in the end?"

"I did." Her voice was tight. "Raoul managed to get hold of him; the servants kept trying to fob me off with him being 'too busy'. Still, he heard us out in the end…"

"Us?"

"Myself, Raoul, Lord Wyldon and Elbert. We put the case to him and the king ordered the judges to his office to explain themselves. It took a lot of harassing but in the end the truth came out…" she looked at Neal with fury sparking behind her normally placid hazel eyes. "Someone paid them off, Neal. Someone paid them to make sure Ella failed."

Neal's jaw dropped. "But…who would do such a thing?"

Her expression darkened further. "I didn't stay to hear the outcome of that part of the conversation. But I have a bloody good idea who."

"You don't think…not the Stone Mountain lot again?"

"Who else?"

Neal rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh. "So what happens now? For Ella?"

To his surprise, Kel's cheeks started to turn red. "I'm…I'm not sure…I didn't stay for that part either."

Neal raised his eyebrows.

She sighed. "I may…I may have lost my temper a little bit." Her blush deepened. "When…when we finally got to the truth of the matter, I may have shouted something about…I can't quite remember the exact words…conservatives always trying to ruin lives of honest people…and then when King Jonathon told me to calm down, I may have thrown this job back in his face and told him to…to stuff it."

There were words somewhere to answer this. Neal was sure of it. He needed to say something to his rather sheepish looking best friend, who never lost her temper and who would surely never really shout at her monarch. "Tell me you're joking, Kel."

She covered her face with her hands. "I wish I was."

"You quit? As Training Mistress?"

"Yes," came the muffled response.

"What?"

They both looked round at the surprised shout from Neal's study. The door creaked open to show three shocked faces.

"Sir Merric!" said Ro, hands on her hips, looking disgruntled at having her eavesdropping discovered.

The knight flushed a colour to match his still flame-red hair. "Sorry, but…Kel, you never quit! At anything!"

Neal glanced back at the Lady Knight, who seemed to be attempting to pull herself together. "Well, there's a first time for everything. I can't take part in a system like this anymore that is so…so corrupted. It's time for me to go and fight some proper battles, not these political ones."

"Wait," said Ro, looking eager. "So, Ella didn't actually fail her exam?"

Kel managed to crack a smile. "No, she didn't."

"So she can become a squire after all?"

Kel shared a look with Neal, which meant she wasn't sure of the answer. "I don't know, Ro. I do know that Raoul and Wyldon were still fighting her corner with the king when I…left. I made my own feelings clear on the matter. It looks more hopeful than before, let's leave it at that."

The beam that broke out on Ro's face could have lit up a room. "But that's great! Come on, Gerry!" She grabbed her stunned cousin by the arm. "We're going to go and tell her the news!"

The two of them raced off to the pages' wing.

Neal watched them go and shook his head. "I still can't believe you quit over this." He paused, before adding, "Do you think it will be alright? That Ella will be declared a squire?"

Kel's face did not reassure him. "I don't know."

"What's wrong?" asked Merric. When Neal glared at him, he rolled his eyes. "I mean beyond the obvious. There's something you're not telling us."

"I don't know," Kel shrugged. "There's something else not quite right about all this. I have a bad feeling this is not the end of it after all."

xxx

The door opened at her push. That was the first thing that alerted Ro to the fact not all was right.

"What is it?" asked Gerry, frowning.

"I'm not sure," whispered Ro back. She entered Ella's room. It was deathly quiet. "Ella? It's only us! We've got good news. Sort of."

"Sort of?" muttered Gerry.

"Well how would you feel if your family potentially sabotaged your dream of becoming a knight?" hissed Ro back. She paused to listen. Nothing. "Ella?" She walked over and stuck her head in the dressing room. It too was empty.

"Ro."

The tone in Gerry's voice made her run back into the main room. "What? What is it?"

Mutely, he held a piece of paper out to her. Ro took it, her hand already starting to tremble. She read the letter, her eyes going wide.

"I didn't think she would do something like that," murmured Gerry, his face white.

Ro didn't answer. She read again and then a third time, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

The sounds of people approaching made them both start. It was the grownups, who had obviously followed them down to Ella's room.

"Ro, Gerry…what's going on? Where's Ella?" Ro's father said, looking concerned.

In answer, Ro held the paper out to Auntie Kel. She took it and read; by now, Ro knew what it said.

Dear everyone. I'm sorry. I failed you all. I tried my best, but it wasn't enough. I'm leaving now. I hope you understand. You will hear from me soon, when I have sorted out what I'm going to do next. Please do not worry about me. I will be fine. Yours, Ellabelle x

"She's run off!" exclaimed Sir Merric, reading over Kel's shoulder. Kel did not reply, she looked at Ro, questioning.

"We should be searching, she can't have been gone for too long, surely!" added Neal.

"I don't think she has, but there's something else," said Ro. Her gods-mother was staring at her, almost willing her not to say what she had also worked out.

"What do you mean?" asked Gerry, finally finding his voice.

"I don't think Ella has run off…because that letter was not written by her."

Kel's face was like thunder, but she said nothing. She simply crumpled the letter in her fist.