In addition to her sight magic, Seleste also had a strength Talent that let her pull me halfway down the hallway before I dug my sneakers into the carpet. Even then, she still managed to twirl me around, as though we were dancing, before I could stop her.
“Hello, Seleste,” I said in a gentle voice. “It’s good to see you too.”
She tightened her grip on my hands, holding me in place with her strength magic. “I’m so glad you’re here, darling. I need to talk to you.”
Despite the fact that we were several feet away from Deah, Felix, and Devon, who were talking among themselves, Seleste still glanced around, as though she expected someone to be hiding in the shadows, listening to us. When she was satisfied that no one was eavesdropping, she leaned forward and gave me a dreamy smile, staring straight into my eyes, the magic in her own gaze burning brighter than before.
“Don’t be afraid of the lightning,” she whispered in an urgent voice. “It’s your friend, just like the monsters are. Monsters are your friends. Never forget that.”
Seleste had said some strange things to me over the past few weeks, especially during the Tournament of Blades when I was first getting to know her, but this was just plain bizarre. What lightning? And why did she think that monsters were my friends? They were just monsters. I paid their tolls, and they left me alone. Nothing more, nothing less.
Her message delivered, Seleste let go of my hands and stepped back. Then she gave me another dreamy smile, turned around, and skipped back down the hallway to the others.
“Seleste!” I hissed, wanting to ask her exactly what she meant. “Seleste!”
But she just waved goodbye to me and kept going, right on past Deah and the guys.
“Mom!” This time, Deah was the one who hissed at her. “Mom!”
“Don’t worry, darling!” Seleste called out over her shoulder. “I’m going to bed right now! Promise! Have fun with your friends!”
A second later, she rounded the far end of the hallway and disappeared from sight.
I walked back to where the others were, all of us staring in the direction that Seleste had gone.
“Well,” Devon said, breaking the silence. “She certainly was . . . cheerful.”
“How has she been?” I asked.
Deah looked at me. “She’s actually been doing a lot better these past two weeks. It’s like seeing you at the tournament and then us working together has quieted her mind and made her sharper, clearer, more focused.”
I nodded, still wondering about Seleste’s strange warning. Lightning and monsters. Worry rippled through me. Whatever vision she’d seen of my future, it didn’t seem to be a good one.
“Um, I hate to be whiny, but can we get on with things?” Felix asked, shifting on his feet and hoisting his duffel bag a little higher on his shoulder. “These things are heavy.”
Deah stared at him, her eyes softening. “You know, I really like seeing you every night. Even if it is because of my dad and what he’s planning to do.”
Felix’s face lit up. “I like seeing you too.”
Then he grinned, stepped forward, and slung his free arm around her shoulders. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight—”
He started whispering to her as they walked down the hallway in front of us. Devon grinned and nudged me with his elbow. I rolled my eyes, but I was grinning too. I was glad that Felix and Deah had found happiness with each other, despite how dangerous it was for them to be together.
The four of us reached Victor’s office, and Deah gestured at the double doors, which had two gold dragons for knobs. The snarling creatures looked like they were ready to come to life and bite off the fingers of anyone who tried to open them.
“Locked,” she said. “Sorry, but I haven’t been able to get a key yet. I tried to open it earlier with those lock picks you gave me, but I’m still not as good with them as you are.”
“No worries,” I said, smiling. “Finally, something fun for me to do.”
Deah shook her head. “You are seriously strange, Merriweather.”
My smile widened. “You have no idea, Draconi.”
While the others kept watch, I reached up and removed two thin chopsticks that were stuck through my ponytail. The sticks were the same black as my hair, but a twist of the lacquered wood revealed the lock picks hidden inside. The tools felt as familiar to me as my own fingers, and I started humming a soft, happy tune as I bent over the lock and inserted the picks.
Over the past two weeks, I’d had a lot of practice on this particular lock, and it snicked open less than thirty seconds later. Still, we all tensed, knowing that we were stepping into the dragon’s den—and that he could come and catch us at any moment.
I stuck the chopstick lock picks back into my ponytail, then took hold of the knobs. “Here we go,” I whispered and opened the doors.