“But how could it be him?” Dex asked. “He was super messed up when he fled to the ogres. He’d lost a hand and, like, most of his face.”
Sophie shuddered, trying not to picture Brant’s bloody, blistered skin. He hadn’t been able to walk on his own—couldn’t even reach for his pathfinder. He’d forced her to get it for him as part of their deal to save her friends.
“He survived Jolie’s fire,” she said, remembering Brant’s old scars.
She hoped a few of them were left. He deserved to be reminded of the life he’d destroyed.
“Or maybe the Black Swan set the fire themselves,” Dex suggested, “to hide from the Council or something.”
“Do they have any Pyrokinetics?” Biana asked.
“I hope not,” Sophie said. “But even if they do, why would they burn the place they instructed us to go?”
“Because this place wasn’t part of their instructions,” Fitz reminded her. “This is the building next door.”
“But it still makes it ten times harder for us to get to them,” Sophie said.
“Uh, you guys are totally ignoring the much more important question,” Keefe interrupted. He pointed across the courtyard to a weathered marble statue. “Am I the only one who’s noticed that dude is naked?”
Sophie rolled her eyes. “That’s the David.”
“I don’t care what his name is,” Keefe said. “I still don’t want to see his stuff.”
“I’m with Keefe on this one,” Dex jumped in.
“Me too,” Biana agreed, blushing bright pink.
“Yeah, why isn’t he wearing clothes?” Fitz asked, looking anywhere but at the statue.
“Because it’s art!” Sophie said. “Most of the old painters and sculptors did nudes. They were studying the human body or something, I don’t know—why are we talking about this?”
“You’re right,” Fitz said. “We need a plan. Personally, I think we should keep following the Black Swan’s clues. Once we get into that corridor, I bet the rest of their instructions will make sense. We just need to figure out how to get past security and—”
“I’m on it,” Dex said, heading toward the Uffizi.
Fitz grabbed his arm. “We all have to walk together to stay in the range of the obscurer.”
Dex muttered something about “power trips” as Fitz took the lead. They wove carefully around all the firemen and reporters, reaching the entrance of the museum without bumping anyone.
Dex pressed his palms against the stone facade. “You were right about the crazy security, Sophie.”
“Can you disable it?” Biana asked.
“Only temporarily. How do we get to this corridor thing?”
“On the upper floor, through a plain, unmarked door.” Sophie could see it perfectly in her mind, which felt strange, since she’d never been there.
“Okay, I can buy us some time,” Dex said, “but I’m going to have to ruin the obscurer.”
“Is that the only way?” Fitz asked.
“No, I thought it’d be fun to make things extra hard and dangerous!”
“Hey,” Sophie said, stepping between them, “no time for fighting.”
Dex glowered at Fitz as he went back to work, twisting the obscurer apart and tinkering with the gears. He pulled out several cogs and springs and shoved them into his pocket before closing it back up. “Here, Wonderboy. Catch.”
Fitz caught it with his mind.
Telekinesis.
It was an elvin skill Sophie rarely used, thanks to an epic splotching match where she’d accidentally flung Fitz into a wall. But Fitz clearly didn’t share her reservations. He spun the obscurer a few times, probably to annoy Dex, then dropped the gadget into his hand.
“As soon as I open the door,” Dex told Fitz, “roll that in. Then we run. Everyone ready?”
Dex didn’t bother waiting for a reply before he tapped his fingertips against the lock and the door clicked open. “Now!”
Fitz bowled the obscurer into the museum and it streaked across the floor, blaring white noise and blinding everyone with a flash.
“How are we supposed to see where we’re going?” Sophie asked as Dex pulled her into the museum.
“We aren’t,” Dex said. “But no one can see us, either.”
“Ow, I just hit my shoulder,” Biana cried.
“Maybe it was on another naked statue,” Keefe suggested.
“EWWW, WHAT IF IT WAS?!”
“Will you two be quiet?” Fitz yelled. “Everyone follow my voice. I found the stairs.”
They climbed to the second floor, where the light was slightly less blinding.
“Which way?” Fitz asked.
“I think we’re supposed to go west,” Sophie said. “Everyone look for a green room and a plain wooden doorway.”
They walked by it at first, but Biana doubled back and called them over.
Fitz rattled the locked doors until Dex pushed him aside. “Leave this to the experts.”
Several agonizing seconds passed.
“Any time now,” Fitz said.
“Sorry, this lock makes no sense. Wait—got it!”