“It was him,” Ian muttered. “It had to be. No one else was around.”
Takeda tipped his head, agreeing with the Viking, then looked at me again. “We were expecting Lance to steal a sword or a piece of armor, since that’s what the Reapers have been targeting so far. Something far less dangerous than the scepter. That’s why we were going to let him leave the library with the artifact and then follow him back to the other Reapers. But Lance slipped away in the confusion of the battle with the chimeras.” Takeda’s voice remained calm, but anger sparked in his dark eyes. He wanted to catch Lance and make him pay for Amanda’s death. Couldn’t blame him for that.
“So you’re going to track down Lance and arrest him, right?” Aunt Rachel asked. “Before he can hurt anyone else with the scepter.”
“We don’t have to track down Lance,” Linus said. “He’s in his dorm room right now.”
Understanding filled Aunt Rachel’s face. “You’re not going to arrest him. Not yet, anyway. You’re going to let him keep the scepter and see if he’ll lead you back to the other Reapers like you originally planned.”
Linus nodded. “We think that Lance stole the scepter, but he was wearing a cloak, so we have no real proof that it was him. No security footage or anything like that, which means that we have no grounds to arrest him. But don’t worry. We have Protectorate guards discreetly watching his dorm right now to keep all the other students safe. If Lance does try to use the artifact, the Protectorate will move in and arrest him immediately.”
“And if he doesn’t use it?” I asked. “What then?”
“Letting him keep the scepter is a calculated risk, but our intel suggests that Lance will meet up with Sisyphus—or one of his trusted lieutenants—sometime in the next few days to hand over the scepter,” Linus said. “We need to find out when and where the handoff will take place, recover the scepter, and capture and arrest all the Reapers.”
He paused and looked at Takeda, who nodded. Linus turned back to me, and I knew what he was going to say next.
“And we want you to help us do it, Miss Forseti.”
Chapter Eight
Linus’s words echoed from one side of the briefing room to the other and back again.
For a moment, I sat there, wondering if I’d heard him right. But Linus’s and Takeda’s steady stares told me that they were very, very serious.
“You want me to join your team and spy on Lance,” I said.
The two men both nodded again.
“You’re a student here, so you know the campus and all the other kids much better than we do,” Takeda said. “You would be on the team in a temporary capacity, until we figure out what Lance and the other Reapers are planning.”
“And now that Lance has the scepter, we need another fighter on our side,” Linus added. “Chimeras are extremely dangerous. Just one is an enormous challenge for even the most skilled warrior. You killed two of them tonight with relative ease.”
I thought of the chimera’s burning red eyes and jagged teeth and the deep, bloody gashes it had clawed into my arm. Please. Nothing about that fight had been easy.
“I’ve seen you in action, Miss Forseti. You’re one of the best fighters I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching.” Linus paused. “Except for Logan, of course.”
So much warm pride filled his face that I merely nodded, instead of saying that I was a better warrior than Logan Quinn. Or at least admitting that we were equal when it came to our fighting skills.
“So you want me to watch everyone’s backs while they try to stop Lance, Sisyphus, and this new army of Reapers,” I said. “Is that about right?”
“It is,” Linus said.
Aunt Rachel shook her head. “Absolutely not. Rory did her part at the Eir Ruins when Agrona and all those Reapers attacked us trying to get the Chloris ambrosia flowers. Not to mention how hard she fought during the final battle against Loki. She doesn’t have to do anything else. You can’t make her do anything else.”
“No,” Linus said. “I can’t make Rory do anything. And you’re absolutely right, Ms. Maddox. The two of you have done more than your fair share of fighting against the Reapers.”
Aunt Rachel sighed. “But?”
“But if Lance, Sisyphus, and the Reapers aren’t stopped now, then more people will die. People at this academy and beyond. The situation is critical.”
“Does Gwen know about this?” I asked. “Why isn’t she here? Why isn’t she part of Team Midgard?”
Linus hesitated a moment before answering. “Miss Frost did her job as Nike’s Champion. She imprisoned Loki, even though it almost cost Gwen her own life in the process. I can’t ask any more of her. No one can, nor should they. She deserves a little peace and quiet after everything she’s been through. She’s happy now, rebuilding the North Carolina academy. Besides, the threat is here, not there.”
I’d thought it would be something like that, and he was right. Gwen had done enough—more than enough. She had never told me exactly what had happened when she’d faced off against Loki, when she’d gone to that other place, that realm between this world and the one where the gods lived, but the experience clearly haunted her. Gwen might have defeated Loki, but he’d left a deep scar on her heart, one that she would carry for as long as she lived.
“And what happens if I say no?” I asked.
Linus shrugged. “We will proceed with the mission as planned, Miss Forseti. With or without you.”
Silence fell over the room, and once again, all eyes turned to me, but I didn’t automatically say yes. Linus and Takeda might want me on their team, but Aunt Rachel didn’t, and she was the one I listened to, the one I trusted. Besides, the three kids hadn’t exactly been friendly to me so far, especially Ian, who had been downright hostile. Their mission might be noble, but I had zero desire to spend time with kids who obviously disliked me. I got enough of that during regular school hours.
The silence stretched on, and everyone kept staring at me. Linus and Takeda looked at me with hope. Aunt Rachel shook her head again, obviously wanting me to tell them no. Zoe and Mateo stared at me with curiosity, wondering what my answer would be.
And then there was Ian, whose eyes darkened to a thundercloud gray. “We don’t need her,” he growled again. “We can spy on Lance ourselves and figure out when and where he’s going to hand Typhon’s Scepter over to Sisyphus. I know we can.”
“Just like Amanda thought that she would be fine going into the library all by herself?” Zoe muttered.
Ian jerked back as though she’d slapped him. Regret filled Zoe’s face, and she bit her lip, knowing that it was too late to take back her snarky words. Ian shoved his chair away from the table, whipped around, and stormed out of the room. His footsteps slapped against the stone, growing fainter and fainter. Several seconds later, a door slammed shut in the distance.
The others winced. For a moment, no one said anything, but then Linus looked at me again.
“The choice is yours, Rory,” he said. “I hope you make the right one—for everyone’s sake.”