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  Be advised that we are placing Wynn Prynce Worth, her husband, Bryan Parker Worth, and their baby daughter, Alayne Catherine Worth, under protective custody. Case files will now be classified. Any related information is to go directly to Manderly Manders, who continues as Professor of History at Clayborne Training Facility.

  Alayne narrowed her eyes. She wondered to whom the memo had been addressed. Dorner? Who had written it? She flipped to the next page. School records and work history. Her mother had been a straight-A student. She had worked at Clayborne as a groundskeeper from her graduation until her abrupt departure almost a year after Alayne had been born.

  The next page was a court-ordered referral of property rights from Clayborne to Skyden, the City Centre where Alayne grew up. Alayne leaned closer over the file. Clayborne had bought property and given it to her parents in a deed of gift when Alayne had turned one.

  Alayne played with the end of her braid as she stared at the page. She would talk to her mother, and soon. She’d demand answers, and no amount of Wynn’s evasion would work.

  Seventeen years, and Alayne didn’t know her mother at all. And what was Bryan’s role in all this? He should have told her if Wynn hadn’t. Someone should have mentioned something. The foundation of her family had stewed in a heap of lies for seventeen years.

  Alayne snapped the folder shut, intending to return it to the compartment, when a palm-sized jagged triangle of glass fell out and bounced off the back of one of Sprynge’s chairs and onto the carpet. Alayne snatched it up, preparing to shove it back in the folder, when her hand movements slowed. She stared at the glass. No, it couldn’t be. But—why? Why would it be in her folder?

  “Let me see my mother.”

  The mirror darkened into a swirling mist, clearing almost immediately to show her mother, in the familiar bedroom at home. She lay in peaceful repose, one arm slung over her forehead, the other across her stomach. Bryan dozed beside her, one knee resting on one of Wynn’s legs. The early light of dawn crept in the window there.

  “It’s the missing piece of my mirror.” Alayne slid the piece into her pocket, glancing at the clock by the wall as she did so. Too much time had passed. It was almost six o’clock in the morning, and Tarry would be coming soon.

  Alayne slid her mother’s folder back into the drawer and turned to gather the rest. Her fingers tingled with anticipation as she picked up her own folder, but she was out of time. She had to look at Daymon’s.

  Stuffing the rest of the folders back into the file drawer, she reached for Daymon’s and flipped the cover open.

  Something fell in the outer office.

  Alayne froze, immediately releasing the water element she’d held in the fish tank. The secret compartments swished closed, mildly jostling the fish. The footsteps paused in Tarry’s office. Whoever it was would have felt the element bend for sure. With any luck, they’d write it off as a student practicing before classes started for the day.

  The footsteps came nearer. Alayne looked frantically around the office. The only place that offered any protection was under Dorner’s desk. She wedged herself in as best she could, hugging Daymon’s file to her chest and listening to the thudding of her own heart.

  The doorknob turned and the door brushed the carpet. The overhead light flicked on. Alayne tried to make herself smaller.

  “Tarry?” Sprynge’s voice asked. “Are you here?”

  Alayne bit her lip. If Sprynge came any farther into the room, he would be able to see her. The angle of the desk didn’t offer much protection.

  After a moment of silence, Sprynge’s footsteps retreated, though he left the door open and the light on. She heard him rustling around in Tarry’s office.

  Great. Now how am I going to get out of here without getting caught? She racked her brain for a way that she could use the elements to her advantage, but other than giving Sprynge a ride on a tidal wave or blowing a hole in the wall or burning down the spire, she couldn’t think of much.

  Distraction. Something to distract. She closed her eyes and reached far up the spire, close to the classrooms. She looked for the bathroom closest to Sprynge’s classroom and set all the faucets running. She iced over the drains and notched the bends. Whatever Sprynge was doing in Tarry’s office was distracting enough that he didn’t notice the bends this time. She heard him shut a drawer and open another. The small whir that accompanied the secretary’s MIU had been running since Sprynge had entered Tarry’s office.

  The minutes ticked by. Alayne had just about decided to do something more drastic when the intercom on the phone above her buzzed. Alayne jumped.

  Manders’s voice cut across the quiet ticking. “Professor Sprynge, you’d better get upstairs. Your classroom is flooding.”

  Tarry’s chair squeaked, and Sprynge’s footsteps hurried toward the office. “I’ll be right there,” his voice called. The phone connection went dead. Sprynge ran toward the chute. Alayne heard the doors open and close and the car fly upward.

  Alayne quickly unnotched the bends in the upper floors of the spire, and she crawled out from under the desk. She yanked the water element in the fish tank apart and flipped the cover open, sliding Daymon’s file back in its slot. Closing the flap, she looked around to make sure she’d left everything just as it was, and then she hurried out through Tarry’s office to the chute. The car flew back down to claim her, and she hit the button for the common room, shivering as the adrenaline finally sunk in. How close had she come to getting caught? She would have to find another time to sneak in and read Daymon’s file. She’d been tempted to bring it with her, but if someone knew about that secret compartment and opened it to find it gone, she could have been in serious trouble. Probably expelled.

  Not while Shadow-Casters held Marysa and it was up to Alayne to find the Vale on Clayborne’s campus. She couldn’t afford to go home.

  Rather than climbing the eighteen floors to her room, Alayne lay on a couch at the back of the empty common room and closed her eyes. She’d been awake most of the night, first planning her foray into Dorner’s old office and then carrying it out. Her mind was sleep-fogged; she wasn’t sure she would make it through classes today.

  The silence of the huge hall had a cloying effect; almost immediately, she slipped into sleep.

  A warm hand gently shook her shoulder. Jayme leaned over. “Mornin’, sleepyhead.”

  Alayne jerked upright. “How long have I been here?”

  “You’re all right. You still have an hour before classes.”

  Alayne groaned. “That means I only got forty-five minutes of sleep.”

  Jayme slid smoothly onto the end of the couch. He reached over and stroked loose strands of hair away from her face. “May one ask why?”

  Alayne rubbed sleep from her eyes. “Why what?”

  “Why you only got forty-five minutes of sleep? And why you’re not in the comfort of your own bed?”

  Alayne glanced over her shoulder, checking to be sure no one else was nearby. She lowered her voice. “I broke into Dorner’s office. Sprynge’s office now.” She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the moving strands of hair as his fingers played with them.

  His hands paused. “You what?”

  Her eyelids snapped open at the tone in his voice. His brown eyes were wide with questions.

  Alayne checked the common room again. It was fairly empty, although some of the students had started to group together near the chute. “I went to look at ... for … the secret files.”

  His fingers started moving across her bangs again. “Why were you looking for secret files?”

  Alayne opened her mouth in a jaw-cracking yawn. Then she described everything that had happened in the office, including her close call. She skipped mention of Daymon’s file, concentrating only on finding her mother’s.

  “Al,” Jayme breathed when she’d finished. “You were really lucky.” He paused. “So your mom did go here. That’s interesting.”

  “Yeah.”

  At Ala
yne’s bitter tone, Jayme shot her a sharp glance, but she ignored it. She didn’t want to talk about another break-in, although of course, she intended to go back a different night. She knew Jayme would be against it. Her mind had already started to set up detailed protests for any objections he had when he surprised her with his abrupt change of subject.

  “Time to go tackle Elementary Elementals. Exams are coming quicker than we think, and we need to make sure we’re ready.” He sat her up, and stood. Curling his fingers through hers, they walked toward the front of the common room.

  In the meantime, thought Alayne, her spirits sinking once again, I have yet to figure out where the Vale is. Marysa’s still out there, and I’m not any closer to finding it than I was at Cliffsides. The steady tempo of time took its toll on Alayne, and desperation clung to her thoughts.

  * * *

  Alayne approached the Chairman’s door, glancing sideways at Tarry. The secretary smiled at her and whispered, “Just knock. He’s inside.” She continued working on a spreadsheet posted in the air in front of her. Alayne nodded and rapped on the door.

  “Come in.” Sprynge’s voice sounded muffled across the thick carpet.

  Alayne entered the large room. She still couldn’t think of it as Sprynge’s office. It was Dorner’s office, though he wouldn’t be returning ... ever. She shuddered again at the memory of what she and Kyle had found in the post office back in January.

  Sprynge looked up from a textbook he had spread in front of him. “Alayne.” He smiled. “Come in, come in. Have a seat.”

  Alayne automatically glanced toward the fish tank as she sank into one of the chairs in front of the desk. She hadn’t had another opportunity to sneak in yet, but soon. She waited for Sprynge to break the silence.

  Sprynge tapped his MIU, bringing a spreadsheet of Alayne’s grades into the air. He pointed to a number at the bottom that he’d circled in red. “Miss Worth, I’ve been watching your grades, and I’m afraid I don’t like what I’m seeing.”

  Confusion traced through Alayne as she looked at the number. “I know, sir, but—”

  Marysa. Her friend was always present, even when she wasn’t.

  “But you’ve been worried,” Sprynge eyed her speculatively. “I understand, Alayne, I do. You’re not getting your rest. You’ve got some deep shadows under your eyes.”

  Wow, thanks. “Yes, sir.” She looked down at her hands and tried to speak. Her voice failed her, and she cleared her throat. “I’m terrified for Marysa. What if she’s suffering? I know she is suffering. The Casters’ demands are too high.” Her hands blurred as tears shimmered in her vision. She needs more help from you!

  Sprynge slid her grade spreadsheet back down into the MIU and switched it off. He rose and came around the desk, sitting in the chair next to Alayne. He reached over and patted her hand. “Alayne, we’re still doing everything in our power to find her. The entire Continent knows her picture now. They can’t possibly hide her much longer, and I’ve got Elementals who are searching for her around the clock. We’ll find her, Alayne. We will.” He leaned back in the chair. “But you flunking out of your classes here at Clayborne is not going to help Marysa.”

  Alayne nodded. She read her sentence in the spreadsheet. If she flunked out, she’d go home. If she went home, she wouldn’t be able to look for the Vale, and if she couldn’t find the Vale...

  She couldn’t finish the thought. It was too painful.

  Sprynge meticulously cleaned his glasses. “Meanwhile, keep your chin up, Alayne. Something’s bound to break soon. She can’t remain hidden forever.”

  Anger ruptured through Alayne’s careful boundaries. “You’re the one with connections, Professor! You have a million people out there you could call! Why under the blue skies aren’t they doing something?”

  Sprynge’s lines around his mouth deepened as she finished her rant. He waited in silence, his steel gaze fixed on hers. “Are you finished, Miss Worth?” Ice coated his tone.

  Alayne managed a jerky nod.

  “I’ve just finished explaining that I am doing everything in my power—”

  “But it’s not enough!”

  “Alayne! Please let me finish.”

  Alayne swallowed. “Yes, sir.”

  Sprynge straightened his glasses. “We’ve continued our searches at Cliffsides and have now expanded outward. The High Court has set aside a contingent of their spies to assist. The spies have brought in several leads, and we’re still following up on those. Thus far, no new leads have turned up, but there’s still hope. We’re not giving up, Alayne.”

  “The High Court is really helping?” Alayne was awed. She knew Sprynge had some connections, but she didn’t realize just how high those connections went.

  “Certainly.” Sprynge tapped his fingertips together. “I don’t know if you’re aware, Alayne, just how important Clayborne Training Facility is to the High Court. Andova and Clayborne are the only training facilities on the Continent, and certainly the best ones in CommonEarth. The students we graduate from both of these facilities are highly accomplished and knowledgeable, and the High Court relies heavily on the graduates to help maintain the functionality of our civilization. The fact that Clayborne is missing a student is extremely disturbing to them, and they’re using all their resources to help find her.” He stood, returning to his side of the desk. “It probably also helps that I have some very close friends who sit as Justices on the bench.”

  Alayne rubbed her thumbs together, not sure what else to say. “It’s good to see so much influence going for a good cause.”

  Silence fell before Sprynge spoke again. “Well, Alayne, I hate to cut this short, but I’ve got class prep to do. Keep working on bringing up those grades.” He motioned toward the door.

  Alayne rose from her chair.

  “Exams right around the corner, Miss Worth.” He eyed her over the top of his glasses as she opened the door.

  Alayne nodded, and her head felt heavier than lead. And exams are my deadline to find the Vale for the Shadow-Casters, or Marysa dies. “Thank you, Professor.” She exited through Tarry’s office.

  Jayme waited for her on a couch in the common room. “So, how did it go?”

  “I don’t know, Jay. I don’t think he’s guilty.”

  “Why not?”

  Alayne plopped down on the couch and threw her head back to glare at the ceiling. “He’s used his connections with the High Court to get their spy network to look for Marysa. I mean, how could he be the Shadow-Caster? If he’s the one who hid her, then why go to all the trouble?”

  “You really don’t think he’s the one?” Jayme took her hand in his, playing with her fingers.

  Alayne brought her head up to look at him. “I don’t know. I thought I had it narrowed down. I’m absolutely sure it wasn’t Kyle; obviously it wasn’t you or me. The other students were all unconscious. The three professors—uh, ex-professors—were Shadow-Casted, so unless someone was hiding in the tunnels nearby, it had to have been Sprynge.”

  Jayme chewed on his bottom lip, stretching out her index finger, tracing it with his thumb, and then bending it double again. “What if one of the ex-professors actually wasn’t Shadow-Casted. Is there any way to know?”

  Alayne fingered the end of her braid. She had assumed they were telling the truth when they claimed to be Shadow-Casted, but what if they had been themselves the whole time? Or what if it had been only one of the professors, the other ones Shadow-Casted so they wouldn’t do anything out of line?

  “I don’t know, Jay, it’s a possibility, I guess. Maybe we should go talk to Felycia—I want to see if any of the students talked to her while they were recovering, told her anything useful.”

  Jayme looked doubtful, and Alayne yanked his hand in irritation. “It’s a stone, Jayme. I’m not leaving any of them unturned, even if they seem highly unlikely.”

  Chapter 24

  When Alayne and Jayme entered the common care ward, Alayne was surprised to see Kyle sitting on
one of the beds, watching Felycia as she deftly wrapped his wrist in a bandage. He gripped the bed so tightly with his other hand that his knuckles turned white.

  Alayne gasped and wove through the beds toward him. “Kyle, what did you do to your wrist?”

  He forced a grin. “Something really dumb, so I don’t think I’ll tell you, ‘cause you’ll just question my intelligence.”

  “Like I haven’t already done that multiple times. Come on, what did you do?”

  He blushed as he tipped his gaze away from her. “I tripped over my skates on my way off the ice today.”

  Jayme snorted. “Awesome, Pence.”

  Kyle’s jaw hardened, but he didn’t respond. “Speaking of ice, I wanted to ask you if you would switch with Cole during our next game. He’s come down with a bout of pneumonia and might not be able to play. Kenton could take his spot, but I prefer him on defense, so I wanted to know if you’d move up, and Kenton could take your spot if needed.”

  Alayne shook her head. “I don’t feel right playing, Kyle. I haven’t been to practices in ... well, a long time. The team’s learned to function without me, and frankly, I’m exhausted.”

  Kyle shook his head. “Layne, I get that you’re worried. We all are. But you need to do something to take your mind off of it. You’re going to drive yourself insane—literally, I’m afraid.” He bumped her leg with his shoe. “Come on, Worth. Play with us.”

  Layne stared at him for a long moment before shrugging at last. “I guess. You know as well as I do that I’m not a great offensive player, but...”

  “Stop beating yourself up, Layne. You’re fine.”

  “Anyway,” Jayme interrupted, “Felycia, when you get a second, could we talk to you?”

  The nurse looked up as she wound the tape twice more around Kyle’s wrist. “Sure.” She eyed the finished product and nodded once. “I think that should do you, Mr. Pence. Keep ice on it, but if it starts any abnormal swelling, come see me right away.”