“But how am I supposed to know if it’s working?”
Caspar Lennox stared at her with a calculating expression before he nodded once as if to himself. He flicked a glance towards the others in their group and then turned back to her, stretching his hands out. The cloud of Shadow that was constantly at his feet rose at his command and surrounded the two of them, wrapping around them like a cloak.
Alex began to panic as they were enveloped by the swirling darkness. “What—”
“Be calm,” Caspar Lennox said. “I wish to speak to you without the others hearing. The Shadow will give us privacy from the eyes and ears of those around us—Meyarin included.”
She shuffled nervously and waited for him to continue.
“I know of someone who may be willing to assist in the strengthening of your gift,” the Shadow Walker said. “I’ll speak with him over the holidays and see if I can convince him to help. He rarely accepts new students these days, so it may come to nothing. But he owes me a favour. I’ll let you know the outcome when classes resume in the New Year.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said, her voice wobbling slightly.
His mottled face filled with compassion. “Take heart, Alexandra. All is not yet lost.”
The Shadow dropped from around them until Alex could see the clearing and everyone in it once again. Everyone except Caspar Lennox, who had apparently said all he needed to say before disappearing.
Alex blinked at the spot where he’d been standing. “How did he…?”
“He’s a Shadow Walker,” Bear said, seeing her puzzled expression. “They move through the Shadows. It’s what they do.”
… Right.
“Can we ask what that was all about?” Darrius said.
“Um, I’m not sure I’m supposed to say,” Alex said. Caspar Lennox must have had a reason for concealing his message, and she didn’t want to reveal anything without his permission.
The headmaster eyed her thoughtfully before nodding his head in acceptance. “There’s something else you should know, Alex. After you stepped through to Raelia, Sir Camden appeared and spoke with me. His words made little sense at first, but then I learned that somehow he’d felt the presence of Aven while he was concealed by Jordan’s transcended state.”
Again, the mention of her friend’s name pierced her.
“Just as the knight was about to warn you, something stopped him from speaking,” Darrius said. “That same thing forced him to leave you and move through another doorway. It’s my belief that Calista Maine must have been using her gift on him.”
They’d been played the whole time. No wonder Sir Camden had looked like his joints were rusting over—he’d been as stiff as a board because of Calista’s telekinetic hold on him.
“It’s not your fault,” D.C. whispered, sensing Alex’s anguish. “You had no way of knowing. None of us did.”
“What about Skyla?” Alex asked, just as quietly. “She’s dead. There’s no changing that now.”
“What happened to Skyla is…” Bear’s voice choked with emotion but he took a deep breath and pushed through it. “What Aven did to her is unforgiveable. That’s not on us, so don’t take on that guilt, Alex. If you do, Aven wins one more victory today. Don’t give him that.”
Alex knew he was right and she forced back a fresh wave of tears. Enough crying. The Jordan she knew wouldn’t want her to drown in her sorrows. He’d want her to stand up and fight. Fight for what was right. Fight to make things better.
“Alex? I’m sorry to interrupt, but can I have a word?”
She turned and found Roka and Kyia standing a few paces away.
“I’ll be back in a moment,” she told her friends.
When she reached the Meyarins, Kyia surprised Alex by pulling her into a comforting hug.
“I’m sorry about your friend,” she said softly.
No more crying, Alex reminded herself. She managed to breathe out a quiet, “Thank you.”
Kyia nodded and offered her a compassionate smile before she walked away to speak with a group of Meyarin guards.
“Walk with me, Alex,” Roka said, offering her his arm.
She latched onto it like a lifeline and waited for him to speak. When he did, his words surprised her.
“Are you okay?”
She blew out a breath of air. “Physically, sure. Emotionally, not so much.”
Roka squeezed her hand gently. “If there’s anything I can do to help, you need only ask. The same goes for if you want to reach out to Kyia or Zain. We’re all here for you, Alex.”
She looked up at him in disbelief. “Are you for real? Aren’t you going to lock me up or something?” Seeing the question in his eyes, she clarified, “You’ve managed to keep Aven away from Meya for over a thousand years, and now, thanks to me, he can come and go as he pleases. Everything that happened today is my fault, Roka. Aren’t there consequences for something like that?”
They reached the other side of the clearing and Roka stopped, turning Alex to face him.
“None of us blame you, Alex,” he said. “What you did was justified considering the deceit surrounding Aven’s plan. He’s a master of manipulation. There was no possible way for you to realise the truth.”
“I should have known,” Alex argued. “I should have figured it out.”
“How?”
“I don’t know!” she cried. “I should have felt something was wrong!”
Roka’s face softened at her tortured expression. “You had no way of knowing, Alex. We all thought it was impossible. If anything, the fault lies with us.”
She frowned at that. “What are you talking about?”
“We were overconfident in our ability to keep him out,” Roka said. “It was my idea to send Zain out for information, but we did that in secret as our council didn’t believe it was necessary. We had so much faith in our own race that we forgot the power some humans possess. Skyla Fay’s gift… Never would we have imagined such a deceptive ability. Nor would we have thought to link it with the gift of your friend Jordan. But Aven has spent so much time amongst your kind that using humans’ gifts is second nature to him. And because of that, he managed to slip by us.”
Roka paused, deep in thought. “If your headmaster hadn’t found Zain, then I fear all hope would have been lost. He would have died, Aven would have killed you and your friends and then arrived unnoticed in Meya, intent on destroying us. But Zain’s warning came in time for us to ruin Aven’s plan. We know he’s here now, and although we’re not sure where he’s hiding, he’s lost the element of surprise.”