“What in the hell did you do?” he asked.
She glared at him. “Do you want to try that again?”
“You know what I mean.” He pulled her to her feet and hugged her. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.” She relaxed against his chest for a moment. Being wrapped in his arms was comforting. It was funny that his heart was beating fast. He must have been worried. She looked up at him. “Seriously. I’m okay.”
“Good. Now. Answer my first question.”
Bryn stepped back and sat on the chaise. He joined her, still holding her hand, which was nice. She repeated her tale of weirdness, ending with, “And if anyone had told me there was a chance Silvers could use a hybrid weapon I never would have given it to him.”
“I would have used the same logic,” Jaxon said. “No one can fault you for that.”
“Your father disagrees,” Bryn said.
“I’m not surprised,” Jaxon said. “Now what?”
“I don’t know. My parents are safe. I’m not sure where the other artifacts are being kept, but I’d love to look and see if there was anything else I could use.”
“Do you think you could use a weapon meant for a Blue?” He held out his free hand, showing the cuff link.
“I’m not sure I’d want to try. If I was wrong, the results might be fatal.”
“True. What about that sword Valmont used? Did he take it with him?”
“No,” Bryn said. “I have it, but the cool thing about the bracelet was the element of surprise. I can’t exactly walk around campus with a sword strapped to my side.”
“You might start a new fashion trend,” Jaxon said.
She was grateful he was joking around with her. “I can still use my fire and ice.” And then she had a funny thought. “Could Garrett or one of the Greens make another bracelet for me?”
“Good question. I’m not sure who made the artifacts in the first place.”
“Me, either,” Bryn said. “They’re old. Miss Enid said she’d only heard of elemental weapons in myths and legends. And if they could be created now, I doubt the Silvers would be trying to steal ours.”
Bryn’s grandfather entered the room. “We’re going over footage of Dragon’s Bluff. Come and look at the video with us. See if you recognize anyone from school.”
They gathered around the dining room table to watch the screen. “Adden was parked across the street from the Snack Shack. He seemed to know where you were and then he followed you, acting like he was window shopping.”
“If only there had been some law in effect that would have kept Adden from loitering in his car and on the streets,” Ferrin said, taking sarcasm to a new level.
“Who knew your plans for today?” her grandfather asked, like he hadn’t heard Ferrin.
“We talked about it in the dining hall at school—before Christmas,” Bryn said. “Anyone could have overheard.”
Bryn watched the video play out. It cut from one angle to another. Adden looked perfectly normal when he walked down the street. He nodded at people and said hello, but he didn’t stop to speak to anyone. One of the people he walked past was Janelle.
Bryn pointed at the screen. “That’s a girl from my Medic classes. She didn’t interact with him but she’s the only person I recognize.”
“Since she had no contact with him, I doubt she was involved,” her grandfather said. “We’ll find out why she was in Dragon’s Bluff and what she did, just to make sure.”
“This is where it becomes disturbing.” Her grandfather pointed at the screen. Adden raised his hand and blasted ice, and the screen went blank. The video switched to another camera feed and the same thing happened.
“Derek had been watching the art store from across the street. He saw Adden’s strange behavior and realized it could be a threat, so he ran to join you.”
“Adden knew where the cameras were,” Jaxon said.
“The cameras are there for everyone’s safety,” her grandfather said, “so we try to make them blend with the architecture but we don’t hide them.”
“To sum up, there are crazy Silvers trying to get ahold of dragon artifacts which are meant to be individual weapons, but when combined they might make something worse,” Bryn said.
“Yes.”
“I’m sure they know about my cuff link swords,” Jaxon said, “but I doubt they realize Ivy’s bracelet is also an artifact. Where are the other items?”
“They’re being studied to see if they can be reproduced,” Ferrin said.
“Any luck in that area?” Bryn asked. It was probably too much to hope that she could get another bracelet.
“They have had a modicum of success focusing a dragon’s element into a dagger, but it doesn’t hold its form for long.”
“Are they working on campus?” Bryn asked.
“Yes,” her grandfather nodded.
“Do you think the Silvers were looking for artifacts,” Jaxon asked, “or your experiments on artifacts, on the Friday you cancelled classes?”
“You think they wanted us to quarantine students so they’d have time to search the campus?” Ferrin asked.
“It makes sense,” Jaxon said. “They had to know that multiple students feeling ill would cause a quarantine and the Medics would investigate.”
“There was an attempted break-in at the Vaults of the Library that day,” her grandfather said. “They made it down the stairs to the main chamber but were unable to open the doors, since they didn’t have a knight.”
“How’d they get the key to go down there?” Bryn asked.
“A dragon-pire fed on Miss Enid, knocked her out, and then used the key.”
Poor Miss Enid. She’d be very unhappy about being duped. Not to mention losing the key.
“There are a few more orders of business. Derek will be your shadow until you return to school,” her grandfather said. “We’ll station him on campus to keep an eye on you but you won’t notice him,” her grandfather said. “Now, you and Jaxon can spend some time together before he leaves.”
…
Feeling like she wanted some semi-fresh air, Bryn suggested they go up to the atrium. She and Jaxon walked among the flowers and stopped at a bench nestled into the plants. “This isn’t nearly as nice as your tree bridge,” she said. “But it will have to do.”
“It would be nicer without your shadow,” Jaxon said.
Derek stood off to the side, about a hundred feet away, staring down the hall like he was ready to lay down his life if anyone tried to join them.
“He’s doing his job,” Bryn said.
“When I’m with you he isn’t necessary,” Jaxon said. “His presence is insulting.”
She wanted to laugh but that would be wrong. “My grandparents are going to be hyper-protective for awhile. It’s no comment on your abilities.”
“From now on, he won’t be the only shadow you have,” Jaxon said. “This will probably make you mad, but no more solo trips to Dragon’s Bluff. Clint and Ivy will have to adjust to my presence sooner or later, so we might as well start now.”
“Fine. We’ll figure out some manly bonding thing you and Clint can do while Ivy and I shop for girly stuff.”
“Or, we could just have everything you need delivered to your dorm room so you don’t have to leave campus.” He nodded like that was a fabulous idea.
“Watch it. You’ll make me feel claustrophobic if you tell me I can’t go anywhere.”
“I’m hoping common sense will prevail,” he said. “Although I get the feeling the odds may not be in my favor.”
She elbowed him in the ribs, lightly so he’d know she was joking yet slightly annoyed. “Ha-ha.”
“What were you shopping for today?”
“Christmas ornaments for my parents. And I found some handblown glass ornaments that were beautiful—but I left them in the store. I should call and see if they can deliver them.”
Jaxon gave her a strange look. “Christmas is over. Why would you buy them ornaments now?”
Jaxon had never been without money so this was going to be an interesting conversation. “They go on sale after Christmas. My mom mentioned needing ornaments, so I thought I’d give some to her as a gift.”
“They didn’t have a chance to buy them, or they couldn’t afford them?”