“I’ve done fine with few allies so far,” I said with a shrug. “If there’s someone looking out for me, they’ve got a funny way of showing it.”
“You’ve been at the School all summer,” Cruzal replied. “The Church of the Grand Design is furious with you. The very wealthy investors in our annex program are beyond livid that you derailed a ridiculously lucrative project before it could pay any dividends—”
“They’re people, Headmistress,” I said, my jaw clenched tight. “Children. And I moved them somewhere safe where the Inquisition couldn’t reach them. If I hadn’t, they’d all be tucked away on Atlantis, and you’d be in the same position.”
“Not entirely.” Cruzal leaned back in her chair and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’d at least have allies in the church, and an explanation for my investors. As it stands, both groups are sure I betrayed them by allowing you to steal the hollows.”
I’d never really considered the effect my actions would’ve had on Cruzal. To be fair, my back had been against the wall and I’d had limited time and resources to save the kids I’d taught. I didn’t feel any remorse for what had happened, but I also didn’t want to make the headmistress’s life any more difficult than it needed to be. If losing hollows had landed her in danger, the least I could do was try to help her.
“You said someone’s protecting me,” I said. “Tell me who it is. I’ll ask them to watch over you.”
A bitter laugh escaped Cruzal before she could clamp down on it. The momentary crack in her self-control showed just how seriously she was taking this. She pushed the tips of her fingers against her upper lip and looked away from me as she struggled to regain her composure. She shook her head and spread her fingers on the desk.
“You don’t know?” she said. “I can’t believe they’d tell everyone but you.”
A faint thread of irritation wound itself through my thoughts. I didn’t want to snap at Cruzal, but I was tired of the word games. I needed answers, and I needed someone to help protect Rachel.
“Just spit it out,” I said. “I’ll do whatever I can to help you. But there will be conditions, and we need to agree on them here and now.”
The headmistress narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. She tapped the desktop with each of her fingertips, a rhythmic click click click click click on her left hand, and then her right. I caught the barest flicker of hope in her expression before she froze her features into a stony mask.
“Let me hear your conditions,” she said. “If we can come to an agreement, then I would be inclined to tell you what you want to know.”
We were getting somewhere at last. I’d worked out what I wanted from her before I’d even started marching toward her office. I checked my mental list and then jumped into the negotiations.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll get whoever’s watching my back to watch yours, too. In return, I’m free to come and go from the School whenever, and however I want. If there are questions about why I’m using the portal network, you’re my alibi.”
It was a big ask. Uncertainty flashed across Cruzal’s features, and her aura clouded with fear and confusion aspects. She hadn’t expected me to offer her protection, and she certainly hadn’t expected me to ask for so much in return. It took her a handful of deep breaths to clear her aura and calm herself enough to respond.
“Before I tell you who your secret patrons are, you swear you will uphold your end of the bargain and ask them for protection on my behalf?” Cruzal licked her lips and smoothed her hair again. She folded her hands into her lap to keep them still as she waited for my response.
The way she held these mysterious protectors over my head as her only real bargaining chip made me nervous. If I’d had more time, I would have walked out of the negotiations and let her stew for a while. Despite what I’d told Rachel, though, there was a chance the thugs trying to shake down the annex would be a serious problem. I needed to deal with that immediately, if not sooner. And if that meant playing ball with Cruzal to find out who was protecting me and gain access to the portal network, so be it.
“You have my word, Headmistress,” I said. “Tell me who’s watching my back and I’ll speak with them tonight on your behalf.”
Cruzal’s lips curled into a smile. She stretched like a cat who’d just finished a bowl of stolen cream and cracked her knuckles.
“The dragons of Shambala are the ones keeping the church and my former benefactors away from your throat, Jace.” Her eyes gleamed with glee. “I’m sure they’ll be happy to speak to you again.”
The Scepter
EVERYTHING CRUZAL SAID made sense, and yet I couldn’t wrap my head around it. The dragons had been cordial enough after I’d uncovered the fact that one of their number had conspired with the Inquisition of the Church of the Grand Design to cheat during the Gauntlet. Sanrin had told me his negotiations with the Scaled Council were tense, and they were not amused by what had happened. They’d agreed to take in the hollows and shelter them, but that had been as much for their benefit as ours. It had never crossed my mind that they’d protect me from my enemies.
And now that it had, I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. Dragons were dangerous and unpredictable. Their relationships with humans had been adversarial for the past few thousand years. They still resented that the Empyrean Flame had chosen humans to be the stewards of the Grand Design.
A choice that, in hindsight, hadn’t worked out so well for anyone.
I did my best to banish my worries when I stepped up to the
