Selene nodded, then added in a lighter tone, “Lance is back. They finally broke the curse. Britney’s back, too. She’s doing so much better. She’s still on crutches, but in her mermaid form she’s fully recovered, apparently.”

“That’s great,” I said, welcoming any happy news at this point.

“Britney filled in a couple of the blank spots for us,” Selene said. “Like how she ended up under Kirkwood’s thumb. It seems her mother is a head scientist in a senate-run environmental research lab at Lyonshold. Britney works in the lab with her mom on weekends and stuff. Magistrate Kirkwood was one of the government overseers for the lab, so he’d met Britney a number of times.”

Titus Kirkwood had been a horrible man, no doubt, but I could easily picture him being charming and friendly when he wanted to be—a lot like Paul. I bet Titus had an easy time first befriending her. Then later, he’d turned vicious, forcing her to do his vile deeds.

I didn’t bother asking if Britney had said what Kirkwood had on her mother to make her do what she did. I knew she hadn’t. Britney had been willing to curse and kill to protect her mother. I doubted she would give up that secret now.

I didn’t blame her. I would do the same to protect my mother. For some reason the thought made me feel like crying again.

“You okay, Dusty?” Selene said, bringing my attention back to the present.

I nodded. “Just tired still.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t see how someone who’s been asleep as long as you have could still be tired.” A smile broke across her face, and she winked. “I’m just kidding. What you did … well … it was incredible.”

I blushed. It didn’t feel incredible. It felt like something someone else had done. Once again questions about the sword crowded into my mind. I’d picked it up and held it a hundred times the last two days. And each time I felt that presence. Felt Bellanax. But it seemed less strong than it had on top of the tower. Dormant, perhaps, like Eli’s wand had been. Even still, I couldn’t forget the way it had seemed to take control of me. Could it do it again? And how far did that control reach? It had already made me jump into a fiery pit.

I shivered and then tried to cover it up with a yawn.

Selene came over and hugged me again. “You get some more sleep. We’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” said Eli. “Tomorrow.” He stood and turned toward the door, but then he changed his mind and came over to give me a farewell hug. It lasted longer than the first, if only by a couple of seconds. But that was okay. I would take it.

With the way things were changing for the worse around here, I would cling to any good thing I could get.

36

Partings

The following Friday my mom and I climbed into her sports car and headed to an awards ceremony that the Magi Senate was holding to honor Eli, Selene, and me. I didn’t want to go, but I was glad it was being held in Vatticut Hall at Arkwell—I’d found myself missing the school these last few weeks. Senate Hall, where such an event normally would’ve taken place, was a long way from being restored.

The ceremony lasted less than an hour while the newly elected consul, Lisbeth Borgman, formally the darkkind magistrate, gave a speech about the great service we had performed and then presented us each with medals. Selene and Eli received silver lion medals while I received a gold medal emblazoned with a phoenix. The irony of this was not lost on me. Apparently, the phoenix medal was the equivalent of the Medal of Freedom given out by the president of the United States. But all I could think about was Marrow and his black phoenix.

Afterward, there was a small party with drinks and appetizers. Nearly everyone came up to shake my hand and express their gratitude. Within minutes I felt completely overwhelmed and ready to leave. But at least there were a couple of familiar faces, including Sheriff Brackenberry, Lady Elaine, and most of my teachers, of course. I even spotted Mr. Corvus, but I paid him no mind. Eli had put my suspicions about him to rest a few days before.

He had confronted Corvus about the three-ringed symbol in the ancient text and the one in The Atlantean Chronicle as well as the stuff in the notebook. Corvus claimed it was a common symbol for unity and the notebook merely a translation of the ancient text. He was a historian, after all. Eli had confirmed the symbol with a bit of research. Its presence in both books was, for once, genuine coincidence.

Sometime later, Lady Elaine asked me for a private word and we headed out to the commons. It was dark, but the full moon overhead made it easy to see.

“How are you adjusting to the sword?” Lady Elaine asked.

At the mention of Bellanax, my hand automatically went to the thick silver band around my left wrist. The day before my mother had walked me through applying the glamour to the sword, the same as I would’ve to a wand or staff.

“Fine, I guess.” I raised my arm. “It’s a bit heavy.”

Lady Elaine pursed her lips. “I’m sure it is.”

“What is the sword, exactly?” I said, all the questions that had been lingering in my mind these last few days coming to the surface again.

“On its most basic level, it’s what we call a numen vessel. It contains the ghost of some long-dead magickind.”

I shivered, even though her words came as no surprise, given all I’d learned from Deverell. “Is Eli’s wand a numen vessel, too?”

Lady Elaine smoothed the front of her black cocktail dress. “Yes. There’s a long history of numen vessels bonding with one magickind. The spirits that inhabit them can be very particular about who they want as master.”