Part 17 (2/2)

He was probably right there. The very fact that Lisabelle and I were friends had gotten us all in trouble already.

So, what else did you want to talk to me about? I asked.

Dacer bit down on his lip. First, I want to apologize. I want you to know that despite public appearances, I am always on your side.

I nodded slowly. I had felt a little lost without Dacer recently, and his affirmation that he believed in me felt good.

Thank you, I said quietly. I know it must be hard, with Caid such a close friend.

And I have a request for you, he said, but its dangerous. Under no circ.u.mstances do you have to accept if you dont want to.

Alright, I said hesitantly. I wanted to help, but I had no idea what Dacer could be talking about.

The Power of Five is still a force, said Dacer. Caid and Oliva dont believe that you should be used to strengthen the old protections we used to have, but the dynamic of the power is all that has ever stopped the demons. As the protections lapse. . . .

More die, I murmured, my heart wrenching.

Exactly, said Dacer. I propose that you leave campus on weekends, preferably with Ms. Quest and Mr. Loughphton. You go to places where the power is weakening and there are still paranormals who need to be protected.

And I strengthen the power? I said eagerly. It was something I had been wanting to do, but I hadnt thought Id be allowed. Dacers admission that Oliva and Caid didnt want me to do it only confirmed my suspicions.

Dacer smiled a little at my excitement. I had worried that it wouldnt be something youd be interested in. This power, Charlotte, your uniqueness, was thrust upon you, its not like you chose it.

I came to terms with that a while ago, I said. I want to help, especially now that Caids accusing Lisabelle of being complicit in the ongoing destruction.

Dacer gave me a sharp look. This will not help clear Ms. Verlanss name, he said warningly. This is for the sake of the paranormals who are trapped in zones that arent as safe as Public.

Surely there must be other protective spells they can use, I said. I hated to think of paranormals outside our safe walls, defenseless against demon attacks.

There are, Dacer rea.s.sured me. Most of them have worked well, but nothing works as well as the Power of Five. Thats why, so long as you are alive, we have a chance.

I appreciated Dacers confidence, even if I wasnt sure it was justified. I also didnt want this to interfere with my other mission of finding out how Greckos death was linked to what had happened to my parents.

Do you think Ms. Quest will want to accompany you? Dacer asked. To be honest, I trust your safety to her as much as I trust it to any senior paranormal.

Of course, I said. Shed be insulted if she werent invited.

Dacer chuckled. I believe it.

Chapter Twenty-Four.

It took nearly a week for us to get into the archive. By the time we did I was nearly frantic with impatience. I had told Sip and Lough what Dacer wanted us to do, and they were both eager to help. Sip had beamed, clapped her hands together, and said, Ive always wanted to go on a quest. Now my last name will come in handy.

As Dacer had pointed out before we concluded our tea, the task he had set for me would also give me a chance to see other paranormals firsthand, and vice versa. Dacer thought part of the problem with the Tabble was that everyone was reading the articles as if they were all true, when in reality most of them were distortions of the truth. He a.s.sured me that once paranormals were able to meet me in person, things would change.

I wasnt so sure about that part of it, but I still wanted to help protect paranormals.

We spent an agonizing week during which we tried several times to go to the archive but kept being foiled. First we had to figure out how to get me in, and thats where Alixar came in handy. Sip would go inside and switch the protective spells on the windows, then shed leave one open for me to fly into. Lough had no way to join us, so hed act as lookout.

We continued to read the Tabble every day, and it wasnt uncommon for Sip to spend her evenings writing her own responses to Mounds continued attacks on Lisabelles character and the character of her friends. Every time we heard of another darkness attack we held our breath, worried that Lisabelles name would be mentioned. But there was nothing.

What sort of coward fights from the peace and quiet of his living room? Sip demanded one night in frustration, after a particularly mean-spirited piece by Mound.

I went to sleep every night hoping to dream of Keller or Lisabelle, but instead I dreamed of hardly anything at all. I would wake up in the mornings feeling weak and crabby and tired.

My biggest worry was Risper. He had disappeared, just like I thought he would, and we hadnt heard from him since. I wondered whether theyd kill him if he were caught trying to get the Globe White from wherever he knew it to be, and I wondered, in that case, if wed ever know what had happened. But I held out hope for Lisabelles uncle, and at worst, for being able to use the powers of the Mirror Arcane.

Something else we werent expecting was to have President Caid on campus. Apparently the paranormal government, led by Saferous, had decided that Caid would be safest at Public. The Paranormal Police Academy, run by Caids cousin Goffer, was another option, but according to Dacer it had been decided that it would be more difficult for Caid to run the government from an Academy that cut off all contact with the outside world. Sip had snorted when she heard that Caid was still running the government.

Worried for Rickys safety even though Cale had a.s.sured me that he would be alright, I checked in with my brother more often than I had during any other semester. Ricky still hadnt forgiven me for leaving without saying goodbye, but he was slowly coming around.

At first when Id e-mail he would send something back that said he was sorry, but he didnt know a Charlotte. After that I was upgraded to having him inform me that he used to have a sister named Charlotte, but hed no idea what had happened to her. I just kept e-mailing.

On top of the personal stress, senior cla.s.ses were exhausting. Zervos was working us to the bone, and the only one who didnt seem to have a problem keeping up was Sip. But Zervos was still nasty, even to Sip. The one time she messed up on an answer, Zervos sneered, If you spent half as much time doing your homework as you do writing Tabble nonsense, youd be an excellent student indeed.

Sip hadnt said anything. Her anger seemed mostly reserved for those who spoke against Lisabelle. When that happened, she would release her full fury.

Finally, after a difficult week, we saw our chance to go to the archives. Sip disappeared from the dinner table with a mumbled, Im going to do thesis research. Not long after she left, I followed, racing back to Astra to grab Alixar. Lough met me outside the archive building, which was somewhat behind the library and built of dull stone. Since it wasnt really visible to the rest of campus, and only a select few students were allowed inside, no one had felt the need to make it pretty, according to Dacer.

Lets do this, said Lough. He ducked under the nearest tree and waited for me to use Alixar. As soon as the mask had covered my face, I felt weightless. We had agreed that if Sip accomplished her end of the mission, she would leave one candle burning for me to see by, and that candle was winking from the room furthest away from campus and closest to the forest.

Be careful, Lough said in a whisper shout. I could barely see his face, but I could tell it was filled with worry.

I nodded and took off, flying toward the top of the archive. I quickly found the window Sip had left open and flew through.

The archive smelled of old books and dust. I coughed as my feet kicked up more dust when I landed. It felt like no one had been in there for years.

Charlotte? Sips voice came from the darkness.

Can we have any light? I asked, my eyes watering.

Yes, said Sip. I felt something brush past me and then heard the sc.r.a.pe of the old window as Sip closed it. I just need to close this so no one sees the lights.

But youre allowed to be here, I said. They wont care.

They will if they see two forms in here instead of one, I said.

I waited quietly until Sip had lit several candles, then I was able to see that the archive was one long room filled with stacks and stacks of shelves, every one of them piled high with ma.n.u.scripts and countless leather-bound volumes. The room was so long I couldnt see to the other end.

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