“Okay,” I said. “You win. We’ll tell the others after we’ve secured the reward.”
“We’ll tell them when we both agree it’s safe for them to know,” Clem clarified.
“Agreed. You said you might know where Inquisitor Rhône is staying,” I said.
“I do,” Clem said with a grin. “When my mom was here for the tribunal, she stayed in the guest wing. There aren’t many rooms there. That has to be where he’s staying.”
“Do you know how to find your way back there?” I’d had no idea that the school even had a guest wing, though I suppose I should have. There were plenty of people coming in and out during my first year at the school. Sages, elders from other clans, and Clem’s mom, for starters.
“Of course,” Clem said. “I wouldn’t forget something like that. Let’s go!”
I chased along after my friend, and we quickly made our way into the newer areas of the School. The stone floors and walls gave way to luxurious wood and Venetian plaster, with soft rounded corners and warm lighting from recessed sconces. Attractive portraits of the School’s founders and current faculty dotted the walls, their gentle smiles exuding a warm welcome to any guests.
“Here we go,” Clem said. “This was the guest wing where we stayed.”
Thick wooden doors lined the hallway, four to a side. They were heavy enough to withstand a concerted attack, though I didn’t detect any scrivenings or aspects tied to them. The School likely considered their location within its bounds to be protection enough for most visitors.
“Any idea which one he’s staying in?” I asked.
“Let’s find out,” Clem said with an impish grin. She darted from one door to the next, twisting each handle. I took the opposite side of the hall, and soon we’d reached the end. Seven of the eight doors were unlocked. The last one, on the far end of the right side of the hall, was secured.
“We should break it down,” Clem said.
“And what if he’s in there?” I asked. “Or, more likely, what if he’s got a trap set?”
“That’s a good point,” Clem admitted. “I don’t sense anything on this side of this hall, though. Do you?”
I closed my eyes and concentrated. The inquisitor’s core wasn’t as powerful as mine, but it was strong enough I’d be able to detect him anywhere within the hallway or the rooms connected to it. I felt nothing.
On the other hand, the doorknob radiated a significant amount of jinsei. I couldn’t see any scrivenings on this side, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a nasty bit of work on the other side waiting to be sprung on anyone stupid enough to force the door open.
“I’ve got a better idea,” I said quietly. I led Clem to the room next to the inquisitor’s, and we slipped inside. I locked the door behind us, then gestured for her to join me at the window. Waves lapped at the rocky shore outside, and the sun’s rays cast rainbows across the thick glass window. This floor was about thirty feet above the ocean, a sheer drop that would not feel good if I took a spill. Fortunately, I didn’t intend to fall.
“I’m just going to pop out here, slip across that ledge, then open the window and drop into his room. I’ll find our reward from the last challenge and come right back.”
“That’s an excellent plan for a spider,” Clem said with a frown.
“The ledge is plenty wide.” I pushed the window open and was relieved to find that it didn’t squeak and moved smoothly in its frame. I looked at the outside of the window and saw the ledge was at least eight inches wide. I’d have no problem walking along that. The window also had handles on the outside, which would make things much easier. “Time to be a spider. I’ll see you on the other side.”
Before Clem could stop me, I hopped up onto the windowsill and stepped out onto the ledge. Luck was with me, and it was even wider than it looked. The only way I’d fall is if I was extremely clumsy.
Or something attacked me.
Banishing that grim thought, I eased along the ledge toward the end of the guest wing. It only took me a few seconds to reach the other window, which was covered by a heavy curtain. I rested my fingertips against the glass and felt no scrivenings. I grabbed hold of the handle and slowly, carefully, pulled it open.
Or, I would have, except it was latched.
Fine, I’d do it the hard way. I took a deep breath in, let a deep breath out. Aspects of the sea, a gentle breeze, salt, and water, all filled my aura. I took it slow, careful to let the jinsei ooze out of my core long before it caused any stress. Meanwhile, the wind had kicked up enough to spritz the ledge with some sea spray that made it slippier than it had any right to be. After a nerve-wracking minute clinging to the side of the building, I’d gathered enough aspects into my aura to summon my serpents. They eased out of my aura, slipped under the window, then rose up the inside of the glass until they found the latch.
Security at the school was tight, but it wasn’t impenetrable. There was no way to ward and scriven every single window in the entire campus. Instead, they’d opted to use standard locks on the exterior, with more heavily fortified hallways and doors nearer areas that needed the most protection. After all, anyone attacking the School of Swords and Serpents would go after the students, not the infrequent guests who used these rooms.
The latch popped free, and I pulled the window open and dropped into the room, staying behind the curtain. I
