C H A P T E R T W E N T Y - S E V E N Han opened his eyes and found himself staring at the ceiling in his library hideout room.
He was on the hardwood floor, and knew immediately from the stiffness in his joints that he’d been lying there for hours. He rubbed his hand over his face. It was stubbly. How long had he been there? As usual, it seemed there were great chunks of time he couldn’t account for.
Massaging his temples, he tried to remember what had happened in his session with Crow. Crow had shown him how to bring other wizards with him to Aediion. He’d demonstrated the technique and made him memorize the charm.
Han sat up, waited for his head to stop spinning, then levered himself to his feet. Something crinkled under his coat. Sliding his hand inside, he found several pages folded together. Carefully, he unfolded them. Yellowed and fragile, they looked like pages torn from one of the ancient books on the floors above.
One was a map, the ink faded and water-spotted. A wavery title arched over the drawing. “Gray Lady.” He sat back on his heels. Gray Lady was the mountain at the edge of the Vale where the Wizard Council House was located, along with homes of the most prominent wizards in the Vale. He scanned the drawing. On the map, the mountain appeared to be honeycombed by tunnels, with several entrances marked prominently.
A note was scrawled on the back, in his own handwriting. Keep hidden; keep safe.—H. Alister.
It was totally unfamiliar. Where had it come from? What did it mean?
Was Aediion bleeding over into real life?
He sorted through the other pages. They were charms, written in a language so archaic he could scarcely make them out. At the bottom, initialed with a series of large elaborate letters, was HRMAW. And an insignia—the serpent, staff, and crown he’d seen before.
HRMAW?
Crossing to the window, Han looked out. The lamplighters were kindling the lanterns that hung from the academy buildings. Which meant he’d missed dinner. He felt weak, starving, and completely depleted of power.
But that didn’t make any sense. He’d met with Crow after dinner. The lamps would have been lit a long time ago. Was the amulet so packed with evil power that it was making him sick?
Swearing, he gathered up his books and papers, cramming them into his carry bag, putting the ancient pages in on top. He skipped the longer route across the rooftops, and took a chance with the back staircase to the main floor of the library. The proficient at the main desk looked up, blinking, from his textbook. “The library’s closed, Alister. I thought everybody had already gone.”
“Sorry,” Han said. “I fell asleep.” He paused by the desk. “What day is it?”
The proficient grinned. “You need to quit working so much. It’s Sunday.”
Sunday. He’d met with Crow Saturday evening. So he’d lost an entire day. And gained a map of Gray Lady. And some charms.
And suddenly it came to him—what was going on. He’d been a fool for sure.
Han sped past the proficient and shouldered open the large double doors.
Crossing the Mystwerk quad, he loped up the steps of Hampton Hall two at a time, hoping Dancer was there. But the entire dormitory seemed deserted. Was everyone at dinner?
Stopping in front of his door, Han bent and retrieved the matchstick that had fallen from the latch. Someone had opened the door to his room since he’d last been there.
Han slid his hand inside his cloak and rested it on the hilt of the knife he still carried everywhere. His drained amulet would do him little good now. Gently easing the door open, Han scanned the room. Nothing out of place. No one there.
Slipping inside, he shut the door, latched it, and took a closer look around. At first, everything seemed undisturbed. Then he noticed that some objects had been shifted. The papers spread over his desk were slightly off from where they had been. He pulled open the drawer in his wardrobe. The lentils he’d carefully arranged on the lip of the slide had been dumped into the drawer. The bit of powder he’d puffed onto the latch of his trunk was smeared.
Over the last few weeks, Han had left off placing his magical barriers so he could save all his power for his sessions with Crow. He’d set up his little gambits two days before, after he’d returned to his room and found a window open that should have been closed.
He rubbed his chin. Would Micah chance it, after what had happened to his cousins? Not unless he’d found some kind of counter-charm or talisman.
It was possible Dancer had come in looking for something.
Someone banged on his door, nearly stopping his heart. “Hunts Alone!” Dancer called through the door.
Han swung it open to find Dancer in the doorway, dressed in his formal Mystwerk robes. “Where have you been?” he said. “It was the Dean’s Dinner tonight. Abelard wasn’t happy when you didn’t show. She said to remind you to come to her office next Wednesday at seven, or else. She said you would know what it was about.”
That would be the “class” on Aediion.
Han swore and dropped onto his bed, putting his face in his hands, feeling besieged.
Dancer put his hand on Han’s shoulder. “Are you all right? Are you sick?”
Han shook his head. “My problem is I don’t know where I’ve been all day.” He explained what had happened.
Dancer shook his head, an “I told you so” expression on his face. “I think you’re a fool if you go back there. I don’t care if Crow’s taught you how to turn dung into gold, it’s not worth losing your mind. I don’t trust him. I think he’s up to something.”
“I have to go back to Aediion next Wednesday, remember? Abelard insists I teach her protégés how to do it, or I’ll be expelled.”
Dancer raked back his hair. “I’m glad I’m just a copperhead, beneath notice.”
“Crow doesn’t think they can do it with the amulets they have. He showed me how to bring them along.” Han sat in glum silence for a long moment. “Do you want to hear my theory?”
Dancer sat down in Han’s desk chair, resting his hands on the arms. “Please.”
“A couple of times Crow has kind of slid into my head to demonstrate a charm or technique. I don’t know how else to describe it.”
“Slid into your head?” Dancer raised his eyebrows. “He possessed you?”
It sounded even worse, hearing it spoken aloud.
Han nodded, staring down at his hands. “Now I think he’s doing it just as I close the portal and cross back. I think he crosses with me. Then he takes over.” He looked up at Dancer. “One time I found myself on the eighth floor of Bayar Library, with no idea how I got there. Tonight, I had documents stuffed inside my shirt that I’d never seen.”
“What kind of documents?”
“Old papers and maps. From the library, apparently.” Han pulled the strange documents from his carry bag and spread them out on the bed.
Dancer looked them over and shook his head. “Don’t go back,” he said. “There’s your solution.”
“I’m going back,” Han said. “I won’t let Crow keep me out of Aediion. It an’t—isn’t his turf. But I need to find a way to keep him out of my head.”
“What you need is a talisman,” Dancer said, stretching out his legs. He wore leggings and clan boots under his wizard robes. “One that protects against mind magic.”
Han recalled what Mordra had said—that the clans had developed talismans against possession, making it less useful as a tactic.
“You know where I can get one?” Han said, feeling somewhat more hopeful.
Dancer shook his head. “Back home, maybe. Here, I’d have to research and then make it. I’ll talk to Firesmith.”
Han’s hopes faded a little. “Can you really do that?”
Dancer shrugged. “I’ve never done it before. And there’s no good way to test it ahead of time.” He tilted his head back. “That’s why you should stay away.”
“Like I said, I don’t have much choice.”
“You go back day after tomorrow?”
Han nodded.
Dancer rocked to his feet. “I’ll get to work, then.”
Han held up his hand. “Dancer. One more thing. Were you in my room today?”
His friend shook his head. “No. Not until now. Why?”
“Someone’s been in here. I thought maybe you’d come in to get something.”
Dancer shook his head. “Maybe you were here and didn’t know it,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“Did you see anyone else hanging around? The Bayars?”
Dancer shook his head. “They were at the Dean’s Dinner. First I saw them all day. I was with Cat until I had to get ready to go.”
“You were with Cat?” Han asked, surprised. Since when did they spend time together willingly?
Dancer nodded. “She says she might leave the academy.” He slid a glance at Han. Not accusing, exactly, but close.
Han stared at him. “Why?”
“Why don’t you ask her?” Dancer said pointedly.
“Let’s go see her now,” Han said, stung by guilt.
“You go,” Dancer suggested. “I have to research your talisman.”
But when Han walked over to the Temple School, Cat wasn’t there.