Night School: Legacy

‘Where are they now?’


Mr Patel cleared his throat. ‘My team believe they’ve left the grounds but I’m not convinced. The building is surrounded by my guards, and there are four inside the building patrolling.’

‘So we don’t know where they are.’ Her tone was unforgiving. ‘Allie.’ When the headmistress turned to face her, Allie could see that she was pale and her skin was tight across her sharp cheekbones. ‘Tell me what happened.’

Talking quickly, Allie explained the letter, the meeting, everything Christopher had told her about Nathaniel and somebody working ‘on the inside’. She told her what he’d said about everything except Isabelle herself – she couldn’t bring herself to say that right now.

As she spoke, Isabelle’s face changed. Colour flowed into her cheeks and her golden brown eyes glittered with rage. She and Raj Patel exchanged a look heavy with meaning.

‘I am so angry with you two right now …’ She rubbed a hand across her forehead as if to clear her thoughts. ‘We will talk later about the way you both broke The Rules. And the chances you took, especially you Sylvain.’ She fired a glare at him. ‘You more than anyone should know better. I’m putting it off until then because I do not trust myself right now not to expel you both for this. Dammit!’ She slapped one hand down on the desk with a bang. ‘You put yourselves and the school in danger,’ Isabelle said. ‘And you both know better.’

For a long moment, she gazed over Allie’s head at the tapestry of a knight and maiden that took up one whole wall. When Allie tried to speak she raised a hand in a warning.

‘Not one word,’ she snapped.

For what seemed like a very long time they all sat still. The only sounds were the occasional creak of an old beam settling and their breathing.

‘OK.’ Isabelle’s voice had returned to normal. ‘Allie, you broke every rule I hold dear and you betrayed my trust. You are on very thin ice right now. Sylvain …’

The anger in her eyes was so raw Allie felt a wave of fear for him.

‘I will need you to debrief the others about what you’ve learned. I’ll set up a meeting in the usual place for first thing tomorrow – that’s presuming you are able to attend.’ Their eyes locked as she added, ‘You’ll be lucky if Jerry Cole doesn’t try to have you expelled from Night School. But you knew that.’

‘What? You can’t throw Sylvain out,’ Allie protested, sliding forward in her chair. ‘I made him …’

‘That is no excuse for somebody as experienced as Sylvain to do what he did tonight.’ There was no sympathy in Isabelle’s voice, only resignation. ‘He risked both of your lives. He knows The Rules better than anybody here. He knew what punishment he would face if he did this.’

Shocked, Allie turned to Sylvain, but he was watching Isabelle through swollen eyes.

He went with me, knowing he could lose everything? Guilt and confusion did battle in her mind.

‘I think it’s best if you don’t go to that briefing, Allie,’ Isabelle continued. ‘Zelazny will have to be talked out of expelling you. If you’re there it will be worse. I’ll send for you later.’

‘I want to be involved,’ Allie said, sitting up straight. ‘Whatever happens next. I want to help.’

‘I rather think that you needn’t worry about that,’ Isabelle said icily. ‘At this point you’re in it up to your eyebrows whether you like it or not.’





TWENTY





‘Are you OK? You really should go and see the nurse.’ As they stood in the hallway near Isabelle’s office, Allie studied Sylvain’s battered face worriedly. He’d stopped bleeding, but one eye was swollen shut, and his jaw was so bruised his mouth barely worked.

‘I will.’ His good eye blinked at her.

‘How’s your …’ She gestured at her neck.

He gave a weak shrug, and then winced. ‘Fine, I think.’

Talking seemed to hurt him and, as they stood in awkward silence, Allie could think of a thousand things she wanted to say but she didn’t know how to say them. Or whether if she did it would convey what she really felt.

And what did she feel anyway?

Thank you for nearly dying for me. Thank you for risking everything for me. Thank you for being there for me. What are we going to do now?

Instead she said, ‘Do you want me to come with you? Do you need help?’

‘I’d rather do it,’ he said painfully, ‘myself.’

‘OK.’

‘Well,’ he said after a long pause. ‘Bye.’

As he turned in the direction of the infirmary, her hands curled into fists so tight her nails dug crescents into her palms. Was she really going to let him just walk away after all that happened tonight without saying anything? He’d nearly died for her. She’d nearly killed someone for him.

What’s happening here?

‘Sylvain!’

Her tone was sharp and, creakily, he turned to look at her.