by Chris Cannon
Ivy reached across the table and squeezed Bryn’s hand. “Then he’s an idiot.”
The ache that had taken up a permanent place in her chest throbbed for a moment. “I wish I could erase him from my head.”
“Try thinking about something else,” Clint said.
Right. Like it was that easy.
After dinner, back in her room, she searched for something to distract her from the sucky state of her love life. Jaxon’s question from the dance popped into her mind. How had Alec known the layout of her grandparents’ estate? Blueprints must be available somewhere. Either that or someone familiar with the layout had fed Alec information.
If Alec had murdered Jaxon, Lillith, and her, who would benefit? Alec would achieve his revenge, but who else would profit from his actions? The Directorate would crack down on the entire dragon community. Some dragons would rebel. If the Directorate went too far, it might lead to mutiny or civil war.
The Black dragons who lived in the forest had little love for the Directorate. The Orange dragons believed their decrease in numbers was somehow the governing body’s fault. Had the Directorate done something to keep the Orange Clan’s population low? The sonic wave Octavius produced in class was impressive. If hundreds of Orange dragons worked together they could probably take out a building or an army.
This was a cheery line of thought. Maybe if she thought of it as a puzzle, she could figure something out. And since she was looking for blueprints, documents that she knew existed, this search should turn out better than her quest for hybrids. And she knew just who to ask for help.
…
The next afternoon, Miss Enid led Bryn down a hallway and into a small room lined with file cabinets. “Any building the Directorate approved for construction will be filed here under the owner’s name.”
Bryn flipped through the alphabetized folders. The folder with her grandparents’ surname, Sinclair, was empty. “Is there supposed to be something in here?”
“That is disturbing.” Miss Enid rifled through the surrounding files. “I don’t know how this could’ve happened. Blueprints are not to be removed from the library. They’re lent out on an hourly basis but must be kept in the building.”
“Is there any way to find out who looked at the blueprints last?”
“It should be listed in my computer.” Miss Enid exited the room and walked to the front desk. She pulled up a file on her computer and frowned. “The last person to look at the blueprints was Nola.”
Nola? Would Nola have given Alec the blueprints? He was her brother. Would she have known of her brother’s plans? Did she want Bryn out of the picture so she could have Zavien to herself?
“She knows better than to remove them.” The older woman frowned in disapproval.
“What do you mean?”
“Nola studies blueprints all the time. It helps her design the sets for Stagecraft.”
That poked a nice big hole in her conspiracy theory. “How long has Nola been doing that?”
Miss Enid’s fingers were a blur on the keyboard. “Let’s see. Here it is. She started about two years ago.”
Too bad. Nola in prison would make reconciling with Zavien much easier. Evil as the idea was, it made her smile. Back to the mystery at hand.
“Is there anyone who could take the blueprints from the library without checking them out?”
Miss Enid pursed her lips. “I suppose a Directorate member could.”
Fabulous. Someone on the Directorate might have given Alec the blueprints. Ferrin’s name came to mind first. As much as she despised him, he’d never do anything to endanger Jaxon.
“Thanks for your help.”
“I’ll let you know if the file turns up.”
Okay. Now what? Bryn scanned the area for a friendly, or at least not hostile, face. Rhianna studied at one of the long wooden rectangular tables. She’d probably know where Jaxon was. Why should she try to figure this puzzle out on her own?
Rhianna glanced up at Bryn’s approach and smiled. “Hello.”
“Hi. I wanted to ask Jaxon a question about the Directorate. Is he here with you?”
Rhianna pointed to the midnight-blue book bag hanging on the back of the chair next to her. “He went to look for a book.”
“Know which way he went?” Searching for someone in the monstrous library could take all night, and there was no guarantee of success.
“Up to the second floor, I believe.”
Which meant he could be anywhere. “I’ll ask him another time.”
“Thank you,” Rhianna said.
“For what?”
“You came to me rather than searching him out on your own. We just quashed those strange rumors about you two, and I’d hate for them to start again.”
“How can people be so stupid?” Bryn plopped down in Jaxon’s seat. “I’d never sneak around with Jaxon for two reasons: one, because I like you, and two, because he annoys the hell out of me on a regular basis.”
Rhianna covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled. “I envy your ability to say what you’re feeling.”
“You should try it sometime.”
“This is a frightening development.” Jaxon came toward them carrying a thick leather-bound book.
“Afraid I’ll be a bad influence?” Bryn asked.
“Yes. If you could remove yourself from my seat and stay away from my future wife, I’d appreciate it.”
Bryn leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table. “Now I’ll have to become best friends with Rhianna to spite you.”
Jaxon waved her away from his chair. “Go corrupt someone else. We have homework to finish.”
“She wanted to ask you a question.” Rhianna stood. “I’ll visit with Miss Enid and give you two a moment.”
“You can stay,” Bryn said.
“Thank you, but I’d like people to witness that I trust you together.” Rhianna walked toward Miss Enid’s desk.
Bryn told him about the missing blueprints and Nola’s habit of checking them out. “Patrons aren’t allowed to take blueprints out of the library. Someone did and there’s no record of the transaction. Miss Enid believes only a Directorate member could pull that off.”
Jaxon frowned. “The Directorate is…political. Another Blue might try to outmaneuver my father in a business deal, but a plot to kill my father’s family must’ve come from outside the Clan.”
“That doesn’t narrow the field much.” There had to be a clue they were missing. “If Alec had succeeded, if he’d killed us, who would’ve benefited?”
Jaxon leaned against the table and stared off into space. “I’m not sure. Alec was probably in league with the group that’s been burning down Directorate members’ houses for the past six months.”
“We still don’t know who the arsonists are.” Time to drop the problem in his lap. “Why don’t you think about it and let me know if you come up with anything.”
…
Dry leaves crunched under Bryn’s feet on the walk back to her dorm. Normally she liked fall. Tonight, the dried brown leaves littering the ground seemed discarded and sad. The overcast autumn sky didn’t improve her mood. Happy couples walking by holding hands made her heart ache.
It was Saturday. What was she supposed to do tonight? Ivy and Clint had invited her to join them in Dragon’s Bluff for dinner. As great as they were about having her around as a third wheel, they deserved some time alone, so she had declined.
A chilly breeze brushed against her neck. Goose bumps broke out on her arms. She needed a scarf. Maybe she should learn how to knit and make her own scarf. Since she was destined to be alone, she might as well start a solitary hobby.
Stupid Zavien.
She kicked a rock and watched it skip across the sidewalk. Her future would consist of knitting and adopting a bunch of cats. Life with cats wouldn’t be bad. Maybe she’d knit clothes for the cats and start an upscale cat boutique. Women like Lillith would pay big bucks to outfit their pets in the latest fas
hion. There, she had a plan.
The sidewalk pitched.
What the hell? Heart racing, Bryn fought to maintain her footing. Zigzag cracks appeared in the cement. A fissure ripped open beneath her feet. Acting on instinct, she shifted to dragon form and took to the air.
Where she’d stood moments before, there was now a gaping trench. What was going on?
A rumbling roar filled the air. Grassy areas rolled and heaved. Trees toppled or sank into fissures. Sidewalks were swallowed whole. Anyone on the ground shifted and took flight.
Was this an earthquake? The other students seemed as confused as she was.
A siren wailed. The piercing noise grated on her frazzled nerves. Did they think that noise helped? Flapping her wings, she flew higher to escape the sound.
From this vantage point, she noticed something strange. None of the buildings were affected. How was that possible? No, wait. There, below her, several fissures raced toward the history building like someone was directing them.
Blue dragons converged in the sky and flocked toward the history building. They positioned themselves in front of the building and exhaled frozen flames at the ground, driving spears of ice deep into the earth, like they were trying to create a dam of ice. What good would that do?
The oncoming fissures closed in and hit the subterranean ice wall with a resounding crack. Shards of ice and dirt shot high into the sky, but the fissures slowed and then stopped a dozen feet from the building.
And then there was silence. Bryn checked the ground. No new fissures appeared. The sidewalks stopped their strange gyrations. Was it over?
Time to find someone with answers. Bryn settled on the ground, where she shifted and searched for a familiar face. Jaxon’s friend Quentin stood near the history building.
“Was that an earthquake?”
He shook his head.
“Then what was it?”
Eyes narrowed, he scanned the sky. “It was an attack.”
The only dragons capable of attacking in this manner were the Orange Clan, but that made no sense. Neither Octavius nor Vivian could be involved in this. “How did you know what would stop it?”
“We’re taught how to defend ourselves against the other Clans.” Quentin frowned. “I imagined fighting another male over some offense. I never expected anything like this.”
Bryn surveyed the destruction. It looked like someone had taken a giant knife and slashed gaping raw-edged wounds into the grounds. Clumps of dirt and grass were flung all about. Trees lay broken and twisted, or submerged in rifts. Some of the sidewalks disappeared completely. Others were broken into rubble.
It made no sense.
“Why would someone do this?” Bryn asked. “I know the radical Revisionists hate the Directorate, but I thought they were all Black dragons, unless they started recruiting outside their Clan.”
Quentin flicked a bit of dirt off his sleeve. “Whoever did this purposely attacked on a weekend evening. Imagine what would’ve happened if they’d attacked in the middle of a school day. Hundreds of students would’ve been on the grounds. Many would’ve been injured. This was a warning. “
Bryn hugged her arms across her chest to ward off a sudden chill. “I don’t understand. Why attack the campus?”
“The institute stands for everything the Directorate believes in.”
“That means none of us is safe,” Bryn said.
Quentin didn’t respond.
Chapter Thirteen
All students were required to return to their dormitories and sign in. Teachers were dispatched to Dragon’s Bluff to round up anyone off campus. Bryn sat in the first-floor lounge chewing her fingernails and waiting for Clint and Ivy to walk through the door. When her friends crossed the threshold, she ran to hug them.
“I was so worried about you guys.”
Ivy sniffled. “We didn’t know anything had happened. Mr. Stanton showed up at Fonzoli’s and announced that all students were to return to campus and sign in at their dorms.” She blinked rapidly. “When I saw…”
Clint pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. “It’s all right. We’re safe. The Directorate will investigate and figure out what to do.”
Clint speaking favorably about the Directorate? That was new. “Do you really trust them to protect you?”
He shoved his hand back through his hair. “The Directorate is kind of like your parents. You may try to sneak around and break some of their rules, but when things turn ugly you know they’ll take care of you.”
The way Clint kept his arm wrapped around Ivy sent a pang of envy through Bryn’s chest. If Zavien and she were still together, would he put his arms around her? Wait a minute. Where was he?
“Have you seen Zavien?”
Clint and Ivy scanned the room.
“Maybe he was at the theater building.” Ivy said.
Bryn pushed her way through the crowd to the front door where people were checking in.
“Has Zavien Blackthorn signed in?”
The woman taking signatures flipped through the pages on her clipboard. “He hasn’t. Don’t worry. We haven’t rounded up everyone from Dragon’s Bluff.”
Bryn checked her watch. “When should I start to worry?”
“Anyone who isn’t accounted for in thirty minutes will be declared missing. Security is searching the campus for anyone who might’ve fallen in a rift.”
She shuddered. What a horrible way to die. Now what? With no other options, she went to sit with Clint and Ivy. Every time the door opened, she checked for spiked black hair.
“If he dies before he has a chance to apologize, I’m going to be pissed.”
Ivy patted her arm. “I’m sure he’s fine. He’ll live to apologize and everything will go back to the way it’s supposed to be.”
Time crawled. Bryn stared at the clock, willing the hands to move. It felt like she was in a slow-motion sequence from a movie. People around her talked while the sound of her own heart drummed in her ears.
When twenty-five minutes passed, she shot to her feet. “I can’t take this anymore.” Without a clear idea of what to do, she approached the front door.
The lady with the clipboard gave a sympathetic grin. “Worried about your friend?”
“Yes.” Bryn’s throat felt tight. “Can I go check with the medics?”
“Sorry, I have orders to keep everyone here.”
Bryn growled in frustration. “I have to do something.”
The woman looked Bryn up and down. “If I tell you to stay here, you’re going to sneak out, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“That’s what I thought.” She pulled a sheet of paper from her clipboard. “This is a list of students who are unaccounted for. Take it to the medics and find out how many of them are patients and how many are still missing.”
Bryn exited the building, shifted, and flew toward the science building where the medics were housed. No sign of Zavien outside. In the medical center, she found Medic Williams and her colleagues treating more than a dozen injured students.
“Bryn, we’re spread thin. I could use your help for the minor cuts and scrapes.”
“I can do that, but first, I’m supposed to ask if any of these students are being treated.”
Medic Williams took the list. “Five of these students are here.” With quick efficiency, she checked off the appropriate names. Zavien wasn’t among them.
He’d been by her side during most of her trips to the clinic. She’d thought for sure he’d be here. “So, no sign of Zavien?”
“Don’t worry. The professors enlisted some of the older students to search the rifts. I’m sure Zavien is helping.” She pointed toward a group of students who sat on a bench in the hallway. “The minor injuries are over there. Ask if they mind you healing them, since you aren’t licensed yet. If they have issues, tell them it’s a forty-five-minute wait.
Bryn approached a red-haired girl cradling her right arm.
“Medic Williams ask
ed me to help. I’ve had some training. I can cure minor cuts.”
“This doesn’t feel minor, but do what you can.” The girl extended her arm, which was covered in a blood-soaked towel.
Bryn lifted the cloth and discovered a six-inch laceration on the girl’s forearm. She closed her eyes and visualized her life force as a ball of white fire in her chest. Opening her eyes, she pictured the fire flowing down her right arm into her fingertips. As she traced her fingers back and forth over the girl’s wound, she imagined the skin undamaged. After a few minutes, the edges of the cut began to come together. The skin closed until all that was left was a pink line.
“Better?” Bryn asked.
The girl’s shoulders relaxed. “Much better. Thank you.”
“Can you drop this at the Black dragons’ dorm on your way out?”
The girl took the paper and left.
A Blue male sat next in line. He held a cloth to a wound on his forehead. Before she could speak, he said, “I’ll wait for the real medic.”
“Are you sure? It’s going to be a while before anyone else can help you.”
“Positive.”
Jerk. “Your choice. Anyone else want my help?”
A Green male pointed to the girl leaning against his shoulder. “Help her.”
The dark-complected girl held out her arms, which were covered in superficial cuts and abrasions. Healing the minor damage was easy. Doing this felt right. This was what she wanted to do. Feeling sure about one thing in her life was a relief.
She healed three other students and sent them on their way, then she checked with the stubborn Blue. “Change your mind yet?”
“No.” He scooted away from her like she was about to force herself on him.
“Stop being an ass and let her heal you,” a familiar voice ordered.
Jaxon came to stand by her side. His clothes were uncharacteristically wrinkled and mud-splotched, but she didn’t see any blood.
“Are you injured?” she asked.
“No. I was sent to check on our missing students.” He pointed at the Blue with the head injury. “Heal him so I can take him back to the dorm.”
Bryn turned to find the Blue still wearing the expression of disgust, but he dropped the cloth from his forehead. Jaxon must outrank him in some way. The cut was shallow, and she healed it with ease.
