Page 103 of A Drop of Anguish
“I could use a trip to that library.” I force a smile and enter the classroom, pretending my heart isn’t aching terribly at the sight of his eyes lighting up.
39
Behind Alien Eyes
Idon’t know who I’m actually kidding. I’m in way too deep with Jarron to pretend this isn’t real.
A swarm of butterflies performs an elaborate dance in my stomach when he smiles at me from the entrance to Elite Hall. His hand is in his pocket, and that half smile carves its way through my heart.
Is this my future?I ask myself for the first time.
It’s too soon to think about that, though, and I force the question to the very back of my mind.
“Hey,” I say shyly.
He greets me casually and guides me through the massive Elite entryway to find Laithe in the brightly lit main lobby beneath the array of windowpanes. They’re leaning against one of the armchairs but stand up straight as we approach.
I rummage in my bag to pull out the new note and hand it to Jarron first. His jaw clenches as he reads. “I never would have entered the games,” he reads the last line aloud. “What does that mean?”
I shrug. “I have no idea,” I say. It’s hard to wrap my mind around what it could mean. “Do you think it’s a clue?”
He shrugs and hands it off to Laithe, who scans it quickly but gives away no reaction at all before they stand and walk down the hall, note in hand.
“Should we follow?” I ask when Jarron doesn’t move.
Jarron shakes his head. “Laithe will inform me of any updates. You and I are headed to the library.”
“Really?” My stomach swoops as I take his outstretched hand. “I suppose I don’t mind, but why aren’t we going with him?”
We pass by the speakeasy hall and continue toward the library.
“It’s unlikely we’ll gain any significant information,” Jarron explains. “We now know the notes are from someone involved in the games. They will not make it easy to find them, so our goal now isn’t tracking; it’s information gathering. We’ll check in on our leads then send the information to the authorities. Before, when we thought it might be a vindictive student, we had very different goals.”
That’s very wise. And also, a tad frustrating. If the authorities find Mr. Vandozer, will I miss my chance to carve his heart from his chest the way I’ve imagined?
“Where did the last one lead? I never heard.”
Laithe went on to track the notes into Oriziah, and I’m assuming they found a dead end because they never said anything.
“The spell faded before Laithe could get much more information. It led toward a mountain range where the Vandozer family line has lived for centuries, but it’s not much to go on.”
We stop at the top of the large staircase set into the massive multi-story library with thousands and thousands of books. I’m overwhelmed by the beauty and possibilities of this place again.
“I had my parents send several patrols to search those mountains. No luck.”
I blink back my focus, registering his words. “Do we think this new note will lead to the same place?”
Jarron gently tugs me down the stairs into the library of my dreams. I’m trying to pay attention to his words, but my mind is also spinning through all of the things I want to search out here.
“My guess is he had been hiding in those mountains until we tracked the note there. I’m not sure how much he’s involved in these notes, but he may be keeping a close eye on our movements here. The possibilities for spies in this school are boundless. So, I suspect he knows we’d track his general location and fled. So, no, I think it’ll lead us somewhere new.”
I reroute our descent into the second story of the library. Jarron follows obediently and releases my hand only when I begin brushing my fingers against the spines of the potions books, seeking out the exact right one.
Jarron finds a comfortable spot against the railing, watching my every move with interest.
I anticipated browsing this section for a long while, but a title catches my attention almost immediately. I slide the book from the shelf eagerly. It’s thin and worn, with dark-blue leather casing and silver lettering.
Combat Potions: A guide to using potions for defensive and offensive means.
