Page 22 of The Stone Secret
Someone deliberately gave the omega nest mother the wrong transportation orb, and it took her to the outer eastern settlement where they were attacked by grotesque. Evelyn fought to protect her charges, but the grotesque and the new breed of graynite who calls himself Ignus weren’t after the omegas. They wanted Cameron because she’s the last adult Basque. The council are aware of this.
“We need to look into what happened,” Willowman says. “A proper investigation needs to take place.”
Travani is coming out of Carter’s office when we get there, and I’m hit with a sense of the lethargy that follows sexual gratification. “Well, this is an entourage.” She goes back into the room, and we follow.
Carter is at her desk seemingly at work, but the air around her is tinged orange, the color of sexual energy.
I guess the rumors about these two are true. They’re lovers. But why hide it? It’s not like anyone here cares.
“What is this?” Carter asks.
“We need to speak to Lionel,” Serath says.
“Is this about Miss Basque?”
“Yes.”
“And I want to know what’s being done about the orb investigation,” Willowman adds.
“The mistake you made?” Travani says.
The air crackles with tension that comes from Willowman’s direction. “I didn’t make a mistake. Someone switched the orbs.”
“But you handed the return orb to Bodi, and he delivered it to Evelyn,” Travani says. “Are you insinuating that he switched them?”
Tension is tinged with exasperation now. “No, I trust him completely. But someone else must have made the switch.”
“Yes, so you keep saying, but you must understand, Mr. Willowman, for that to be the case, we are to believe that someone tampered not only with Bodi’s pack but also broke into your cottage—not once, but twice. The first time to retrieve the orb to the outer eastern settlement and the second to return the correct orb, the one that was meant to bring the party home, into your special orb box.”
“Yes. I understand that.” Willowman bites out the words. “There is a mole here at the academy, and we need to find him or her.”
“You’re unwilling to consider the possibility that you made an error?” She sounds irritated.
“Are you willing to consider the possibility that I didn’t?” He takes a frustrated breath. “Are you willing to take the risk and ignore the possibility that I’m right and that there’s danger within these walls?”
“Travani?” Carter sounds strained. “Maybe we should alert the council and—”
“I’ve filed a report,” Travani says. “It’s been lodged as a mistake.”
Silence falls heavy around me.
“Why would you do that without consulting with me first?” Carter asks.
“Retract it,” Serath says. “Willowman doesn’t make mistakes. Not of this magnitude.”
Travani sighs. “Look, if you’re right and if there is a mole here, then calling in the alchemists will only push them underground. We may never find them.”
Serath tenses beside me, and I can sense his panic because alchemists are known to have the ability to read minds or memories. If they came here…If they read our minds… “You’re right. We should conduct our own investigation.”
The mood in the room is immediately one of relief. I guess we all have secrets we wish to keep hidden.
Carter speaks, her voice filled with authority. “We’ll begin by upping security on classified material and tighten our wards both in and out of the academy. All exits and entrances, all correspondence, will be monitored. They want Miss Basque, so we must protect her; however, putting a security detail on her will draw too much attention. So instead, we move her to the elite residences.”
Oh shit. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?” Travani asks.
Think, Selas, think. “The other cadets might call it favoritism.” It’s a lame excuse, and Travani blows it out of the water.
