Wolfsbane (8 page)

I nodded, ignoring Connor’s snide remark, but then frowned. “If Mr. Selby knows about our world, why did he talk about Hobbes in class? Do you know what happened to him?”

Our teacher had discussed
The War of All
Against All—
a topic raised by Shay but strictly forbidden by the school’s proprietors, the Keepers—

and he’d paid for it. I remembered the way he’d flailed at the front of the classroom, spittle running down his face. Magical torture disguised as a seizure.

Anika grimaced, but Connor started laughing.

“Yes, and it happened because he’s a sentimental fool. Nearly got himself caught there.”

He batted his eyelashes at Shay. “He was just so taken with the fact that the Scion wanted to talk about Hobbes. Thought it was a sign from on high or something.”

Shay scowled.

“It probably is,” Silas said. “If you’d crack a book, you’d appreciate the connection. But then again, you’d have to learn to read first . . .”

“You knew something like that was bound to happen when we let him recruit an agent.” Connor ignored the Scribe, speaking to Anika. “Silas has al the wrong priorities.”

“Grant has done exceptional work,” Silas sneered.

“That slipup almost blew his cover,” Connor said.

“It was stupid, and he should have known better.”

“Better than that troglodyte you brought on board,”

Silas said, shuffling through a mound of papers. “I wouldn’t set foot in that dunghil he operates. Then again, you probably already have al the diseases you could catch in the Rundown.”

“It’s Burnout, moron,” Connor said. “And it’s as good a cover as the school. The wolves are there al the time.”

“Burnout?” I gaped. “Tom Shaw is an operative?” I thought of the gruff manager of our favorite dive bar.

A place we found refuge from the Keepers’ scrutiny

—and were never carded. Tom was Nev’s friend, the drummer in their band. Was al of that just for show so he could glean information from us when we hung out at the bar?

“He is.” Monroe glanced wearily between Connor and Silas.

“Hardly the keen observer that Grant has been for us,” Silas sniffed.

“Tom’s got better connections.” Connor had pul ed out his dagger and thumbed the edge of the blade while throwing menacing looks at Silas. “He’l be a linchpin in this al iance. Grant hasn’t gotten his hands dirty the way Tom has. That school is a cushy place to cool your heels.”

If you aren’t being tailed by a succubus.
Grant wasn’t the only one who’d been punished at the Mountain School. I squirmed at the memory of Nurse Flynn’s fingernails digging into my cheeks when she walked in on Ren and me. Then I blushed when I remembered what we’d been doing. I glanced guiltily at Shay, but he wasn’t looking at me.

“I like Mr. Selby,” Shay protested. “He was a great teacher.”

“Of course you like him.” Adne threw a stern glance at Connor. “He’s a brave man and bril iant to boot. Connor just has no appreciation for intel ect.”

“You know you don’t have to defend Silas just

’cause you’re both overachievers,” he said. “My point is, intel ect won’t save your hide at the end of the day.”

“That’s not necessarily true,” Shay countered, looking ready to have a serious debate. But Connor shook his head.

“I cal ’em like I see ’em, kid. I’m not going to argue with you.”

“You just like free drinks.” Silas began scribbling furiously in what looked like some sort of logbook.

“God, you aren’t filing another complaint against me, are you?” Connor pointed the dagger at Silas.

“Actions unbecoming, threatening language . . .”

Silas didn’t look up.

“I’l just ignore it, Silas.” Anika folded her arms across her chest. “You submit at least ten of those a week.”

“Twenty.”

I was getting impatient with al this bickering. “How do you get information from them? How do they avoid detection?” We’d been talking about a fight.

Was that ever going to happen? My teeth were sharp in my mouth and I was working hard not to growl every time I spoke.

“We keep two post office boxes in Vail, under aliases of course, but we give them each a key,”

Anika replied, happy for the opportunity to interrupt.

“That’s how we communicate. We change the name and box every few months and distribute the new keys. Vail has a lot of ski bums and seasonal workers who move in and out; it keeps interest in the rotating names low.”

I nodded, increasingly on edge. The Searchers had been watching us the whole time, and we hadn’t even known it. They were unpredictable, but that seemed to make them more effective than I’d first thought. My pride in the effectiveness of Guardian patrols was being eroded with each revelation.

“You’l rendezvous with Grant tonight,” Silas said, pul ing a crumpled piece of paper out of his jeans pocket. “I just got confirmation.”

Anika reached for the note. “Silas, we’ve talked about keeping correspondence neat.”

“I was in a hurry.” He shrugged.

“I wouldn’t touch that if I were you,” Connor said.

“You don’t know where it’s been.”

“Shut up, you louse,” Silas snapped.

“Louse?” Connor laughed. “How deep did you have to dig for that one?”

“Quiet, both of you.” Monroe spoke for the first time since rejoining our group. The calm, forceful demeanor that usual y emanated from the Guide had returned. “Anika, my team is set. Can we execute today, like we’d hoped?”

I held my breath, waiting for the response. If she didn’t say yes, I’d be damned if I didn’t find my own way back to Vail.

“Yes,” she replied. “Who’s the team?”

I smiled, running my tongue over my sharp teeth.

Shay looked at me. I could tel he was worried, but he nodded. He knew as wel as I did how much this fight mattered.

“Lydia, Connor, Ethan, and Cal a,” he said, startling me. As much as I was eager for battle, it felt strange to be counted among the Searchers. Plus there was one name that stil left me uneasy.

“Ethan?” I asked, remembering the raging eyes and maniacal screams of the Searcher not half an hour ago.

“He must adjust to this al iance as quickly as possible,” Monroe said. “There isn’t time to coddle him.”

“I agree,” Anika said. “Who else?”

“Isaac and Tess wil help us stage the mission from the outpost.” He paused, glancing at Adne.

“Jerome wil weave.”

Adne sputtered, but Anika spoke first. “No.

Jerome has been reassigned to a teaching post.

He’s an excel ent Weaver and he’s earned his place in the Academy. Adne is the Haldis Weaver effective immediately.”

Adne closed her mouth, looking smug.

“I thought with the nature of this—” Monroe began.

“No discussion,” Anika broke in. “Adne weaves. I trust that won’t be a problem.”

“No,” Monroe said, though he folded his arms across his chest, clearly unhappy.

I frowned as I watched the exchange.
What’s up
with them?
Whatever the source of Monroe and Adne’s bickering was, I didn’t want it interfering with this mission. Luckily, neither did Anika.

“Good,” she said. “There’s no time to waste.

Ethan’s already there?”

“Yep,” Connor said. “Should have cooled off by now. Tess works magic with the ravaged soul. Plus I think she gave him cookies.”

He winked at Lydia. “That whole Betty Crocker thing is how she snagged you, isn’t it?”

“I’m a sucker for oatmeal chocolate chip.” Lydia shrugged.

“Maybe Ethan hasn’t eaten them al yet.” Connor laughed.

“You’re about to find out.” Anika smiled. “Adne, open a door.”

FIVE

“WAIT.” SHAY’S HAND WAS
gripping my arm, holding me back even though I hadn’t yet started to go anywhere. “You’re leaving now?”

“We only have a window of hours before an elder Nightshade patrol is out on the mountain, if indeed the younger wolves are stil taking patrol routes—

which we are betting on for the time being,” Anika said. “Speed is essential if we hope to make contact. We’ve got the time zone working in our favor, but that’s about it.”

“Time zone?” I asked. “What do you mean?”

“It’s an hour earlier in Vail.” Lydia was examining the blade of one of her daggers.

“We’re in a different time zone?” I gaped. “Where are we?”

“At the Roving Academy.” Adne had come to stand in the center of our smal group. “The heart and soul of al things Searcher.”

“The Roving Academy?” I asked. I’d never heard of such a place. The information I’d been given about the Searchers made it sound like they squatted in hovels around the globe, trying to muster enough force for guerril a assaults.

“The Academy is our greatest asset.” Anika smiled. “It stores our knowledge and supplies us with food, crafts, and education. Most Searchers live here, except for those on assignment.”

“It’s cal ed the Roving Academy because it moves out of necessity,” Monroe added. “We don’t stay in any location for more than six months to avoid detection. If the Keepers ever brought the war to us, it could mean the end of our resistance.”

I hadn’t seen much of this Academy, but I’d seen enough to know it was huge.

“How can you move a building?”

“Yeah.” Shay turned in a slow circle, gazing at the high ceiling of the room. “I’ve been wondering about that too.”

Adne winked at him. “If you’re stil interested in three months, I’l give you a front-row seat.”

“Never mind.” I scowled. “Where are we now?”

“Iowa,” Anika said.

I frowned. “Why would you put it in Iowa?”

“Exactly.” Connor gave me a mockingly solemn nod.

Adne sighed. “It moves al over the world. Now it’s in Iowa. Next up is Italy.”

A globe was spinning in my mind’s eye. How had I gotten here?

“We don’t have time for lessons right now.” Anika gestured to Adne. “That comes later.”

“Good point. Adne, just open the door,” Connor said. “I’ve never been good at anticipation; it makes me blotch.”

“That might improve your looks,” Silas muttered.

He picked up a folded set of papers from the pile.

How he’d identified them amid the clutter was a complete mystery.

“Here’s the next dispatch for Grant.” He sent the stack sailing toward Connor like a Frisbee. “Try not to lose it.”

Connor snatched the letter out of the air. “Thanks.”

“What’s going on?” I looked at Shay, making no sense of the strange conversation.

“Ariadne is a portal weaver,” Monroe said. “It’s the most important assignment a Searcher can take on.”

The most important assignment. I eyed Adne and could have sworn she wasn’t any older than Ansel.

“She’s leading our mission?”

“Not leading,” Monroe said. “Just weaving.”

“Isn’t she a little . . . young?” I had no idea what weaving was, but if it was vital to our mission, I wanted someone with a little experience in charge of it.

“Like I said before.” Connor patted Adne on the head. “Our little honey exceeds expectations.”

“Just let me work,” Adne muttered, jerking away from Connor’s hand.

I started toward Adne, wanting to make sure she was actual y as exceptional as everyone claimed.

Shay took my arm, pul ing me back several steps.

“I think it’s better seen than explained.”

Adne took the slender metal spikes from her belt.

“What are those?” I asked, tensing in case they were weapons after al .

She arched an eyebrow at me, taking in my defensive stance. “Skeans—the Weavers’ tools.

You’l see what they do.”

She drew a breath as she closed her eyes. Then she began to move. The skeans slashed the air; each swift stroke left a blazing trail of light in its wake, and a bel -like note hung around us. Adne’s body moved rapidly in a mad dance. She dipped to the floor and flung her limbs toward the ceiling, guiding the skeans in motions that resembled a crazed form of rhythmic gymnastics. The gleaming threads that bloomed from her skeans began to layer upon each other. The sounds that fil ed the ear created a rippling chorus of chiming notes. Her arms wove through the air as though the skeans were dipping in and out of a giant invisible loom. The intricate pattern of light blazed brighter until I had to pul my eyes away from the glare. Waves of sound poured through the room until I thought I might drown in an ocean of music and light.

Al at once it stopped.

“Look,” Shay whispered.

I turned back to Adne. She stood, breathless, in front of a giant shimmering rectangle. It hung in the air, a tapestry of light suspended and glowing. My breath caught in my throat as I moved closer. The undulating rectangle held an image: the inside of a warehouse. Stacks of crates fil ed the dimly lit room.

“Is that where we’re going?” I murmured.

Adne nodded, stil trying to catch her breath.

“Nice weaving.” Connor patted her on the shoulder.

“No problem.” She smiled, wiping sweat from her brow.

“So what do we do now?” I stared at the gleaming scene.

“It’s a door,” Adne said. “You walk through it.”

I eyed the tal portal of light. “Does it hurt?”

“It kind of tickles,” Connor said, mocking solemnity.