I pushed the cards nearer him and waited as he selected the one on top. Then I focused again, trying to pull the image from his mind. To my surprise a picture formed behind my eyes of something with several pointed edges. I concentrated harder, willing the blurriness away.

“It’s a pentagram. Blue.”

“Yep.” Eli flipped the card over.

It got easier as we went along. He answered the next two correctly and in half the time. He missed the third, but it was mostly my fault. He’d interrupted my concentration when he leaned across the table and whispered, “Lady Elaine told me about you and Paul and the trouble in the senate.”

I frowned. “Why did she tell you?”

“She found out what happened this morning and was worried I would mess things up.”

Yes, that sounded like Lady Elaine. So he knew the truth, but he was still upset about it.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”

“It’s okay.”

Not knowing what to say next, I returned my attention to the picture of the wooden rowboat. The image was more complicated than the ones before, harder to project, especially with the plinth still lingering in the back of my mind.

Eli rolled the wand through his fingers, his focus on me and not the card. “You don’t have to do it, you know. You could say no.”

My grip on the card slipped, and it fell to the table, picture side up. “But I can’t. They need my help.”

Eli reached forward and laid his hand on mine as I went to pick up the card. “They can do it without you. We should focus on the dreams. That’ll uncover the truth far faster.” He paused. “And safer.”

The idea was tempting. It really was. Except, we both knew that reading dreams was no easy task. The answers didn’t just reveal themselves. Not unless it was too late to make a difference.

Reluctantly, I pulled away from his touch. “The dreams won’t be enough. If they were, Lady Elaine would never have asked me in the first place.”

Eli pinned me with his blue eyes. “But Paul’s put you in danger before. You should stay away from him.”

I sighed. “I can’t.” Eli started to argue further, but I cut him off. “I won’t.”

His mouth fell open then closed again with an audible clack. The bell rang a moment later, and Eli got up and walked away without another word.

11

Need Not Apply

Fortunately, there was little opportunity to continue my argument with Eli in our next class. Math was one of the few classes at Arkwell that was more or less the same as in ordinary high school. It seemed math was a universal idea. And there weren’t any algebraic functions that could calculate the magical intensity of spells or anything. It was completely boring and easily my second-worst subject.

Alchemy and science afterward was my absolute worst subject, and with Britney absent, I stood no chance of changing that. She was half the reason I’d managed to scrape a C last semester. I wondered if she was doing any better, and I resolved to go visit her at Vejovis this weekend if I could get a pass.

Finally, the beaker and Bunsen burner hell that was alchemy ended, and I made my way to gym class. At least Selene seemed more awake as we changed into our gym clothes.

“You think I’m doing the right thing, don’t you?” I asked after I finished telling her about Eli’s reaction.

Selene considered the question long enough that I knew I wouldn’t like her answer. “I don’t know, Dusty.”

I stood up from the bench and shut my locker. Then I turned to face her, trying not to sound as upset as I felt. “How can you say that? Don’t you think Paul should be stopped before he hurts more people?”

Selene ran a finger over the scar on her face. “Yes, but…”

“But what? Come on, for all we know Marrow has already risen from the ashes and is just waiting for his faithful servant to return.”

Selene snorted. “I’m sure if Marrow is alive again that he’s not waiting around for Paul Kirkwood. We know he’s got more important servants out there than a seventeen-year-old boy.”

I tapped my toe. “How do you figure?”

“Well, somebody let him out of his tomb over in England, right?”

I exhaled, some of my annoyance evaporating. “Good point.” I shrugged. “But still, it’s not like letting Paul run around unwatched is a good idea.”

“You’re right,” Selene said, her tone placating.

Even still, I heard the “but” in it again. “But…?”

Selene fixed her gaze on me. “I don’t think blindly trusting Lady Elaine and the sheriff is a good idea. They’re government officials same as the people responsible for letting Paul go.”

Her bitter tone took me by surprise. It was one she reserved for subjects she cared about deeply, like the sexual objectification of sirens and her disdain for all things Lance Rathbone. “What do you mean by that?”

Selene bit her lip and waited as a girl walked past, heading for the exit. “Just that the government isn’t always right, you know? Those people don’t always make the best choices. Some of their decisions are stupid and unfair. But come on, we’re going to be late.”

She turned toward the door. I fell in step beside her, trying to make sense of her sudden antigovernment sentiments. It wasn’t that she was a big fan of the government before, but she seemed downright hostile now. I glanced sideways at her. “Something you want to talk about?”