“You don’t have to continue,” I whispered. “I’m grateful for your help, and you’ve all done more than I had any right to expect. I’ll finish it, and I’ll do what I can to protect you when it’s done.”
Eric looked relieved and heartbroken. Unshed tears in his eyes told me he had so much to say, but no words to express his feelings. He clenched his jaw and looked away to rein in his emotions.
Abi seemed shaken by what I’d said. His eyes were downcast, and he clasped his hands together in front of him as if in prayer. Maybe that would bring him peace with my decision.
I hoped so.
“No.” Clem closed her hand over mine. “I don’t care what happens. I’m with you, Jace. All the way to the end.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “I can do this. Thank you, all of you, so much.”
Krieger cleared his voice from the front of the room. “Continue practicing this scrivening. It will help you more than anything else I teach you this year. Class dismissed.”
My friends and I followed the rest of the class out of the Scriptorium together, but alone in our thoughts. It felt like the end of something I didn’t know how to let go of just yet.
“Jace,” a familiar voice called as we left the classroom. “A moment.”
The students parted around Cruzal as she made her way to me. My friends mumbled their goodbyes, leaving me alone with the headmistress.
Great, this was just what I needed.
“Is there a problem?” I asked before she said another word.
“No,” Cruzal said. “We have a visitor.”
With that, she turned on one high heel and led the way to her office. The School shifted rapidly, and I hurried to keep up with her. Whoever was waiting for us had the headmistress practically running. That piqued my curiosity.
I tried to imagine who would make her hurry. One of her investors could get Cruzal to jump through flaming hoops, but I doubted she’d let me meet any of the wealthy patrons. I wondered if the dragons who watched over the School had made an appearance.
Or, maybe, one of the sages had returned to demand something from me.
Or kill me.
When we reached her office door, Cruzal hesitated. She straightened up, smoothed her skirt across her thighs with the palms of her hands, then looked me in the eye.
“This is a very important meeting, Mr. Warin,” she said in a formal tone. “I am grateful for the protection you have provided to the School of Swords and Serpents. But please remember that there are more campuses, more people we must keep safe. Don’t do anything to jeopardize them.”
Before I could ask a question, Cruzal grabbed her door’s handle and opened it wide. She gestured for me to enter, and I braced myself for an unpleasant surprise.
The headmistress had left most of her office’s lights dimmed, except for a lantern on a low table surrounded by overstuffed chairs. The smell of fresh coffee took the edge off my anxiety, which was almost immediately sharpened again when Cruzal introduced the guests already seated around the table.
“Mr. Warin, may I present Trulissinangoth, emissary of Shambala, protector of our school,” the headmistress said in a careful, measured voice.
“It’s good to see you again.” I offered Tru a quick bow, and she returned it with a nod from her seat. “Thank you for your assistance.”
“My pleasure,” the dragon responded.
The headmistress seemed taken aback that I wasn’t shocked by Tru’s presence. That told me the dragon had kept her word about not mentioning our shenanigans with Wallovik to Cruzal.
I focused my attention on the man sitting across the table from her. He was tall and thin, his skin lined and dark from too much time in the sun. His suit was impeccably tailored and looked more expensive than everything in Cruzal’s office combined. There was a dangerous glint in his eye, and his even, white teeth looked far more dangerous than the dragon’s.
“And this is Mr. Grimaldi,” Cruzal said, “representing several interests in the city of Dallas.”
The name made my blood run cold. This was the man who’d sent thugs to rough up Rachel and try to extort the School. I wanted to reach across the table and pound him into bloody meat for what he’d done. The only things that saved him from that beating were the look in the dragon’s eyes and Cruzal’s warning before we’d entered the classroom.
“It’s good to meet someone I’ve heard so much about,” I said, forcing a cordial tone into my words.
Grimaldi watched me, and I was surprised at the power of his core. He wasn’t just a thug, he was a sacred artist of my level. Maybe even a little higher. He said nothing for a few seconds, then nodded and offered his hand.
“It’s good to be here,” he said. “We have a lot to discuss, Jace.”
The way he said that last made my throat tighten and my hackles rise. This snake had come here looking to bite.
The Agreement
I FIXED GRIMALDI WITH my black gaze. The gangster only smiled wider at my baleful stare. He was smooth, I’d give him that, but he couldn’t hide the twisted spikes of fear aspects that drifted through his aura. Everyone had heard stories about me: the Eclipse Warrior, the hero of Kyoto, the man who’d defeated the dragons in the Empyrean Gauntlet. For once, I was happy for my dark reputation.
“Mr. Grimaldi has come to us with a business offer,” Cruzal said, her normally fluid speech marred by a slight stutter as if she had to pick and choose her words. “But he refused to discuss it in private and demanded that you be present for this meeting.”
The thug’s face settled into a smug mask. He found a thin black cigar inside his jacket and tucked it into the corner of his mouth. Flame aspects surrounded the cigar’s tip, and Grimaldi took a contented drag. He let the smoke trickle
