“It makes a haiku,” Lottie said, counting the syllables out on her fingers.
The pages aligned to reveal a poem in two languages, and they read it together, their voices becoming a chant that drifted into the air like a spell.
“A cat—matsuri
A hiding place—ōtake
A sword—nemuru.”
The words were like someone else’s memories inside Lottie’s head. The firefly glow of the bamboo tree, the cat that led her to it, and Kou’s sword, the blade that watched her enter the museum. That same bamboo tree that miraculously held the Mayfutt symbol in its stem.
“Sayuri,” she said, almost breathless, gazing up into the other girl’s eyes. “I know . . . I know where the treasure is . . .”
“LOTTIE!”
The two girls jumped.
“Lottie, we know you’re in there. We can see you!”
It was Jamie and Ellie—and she’d completely forgotten about them.
31
“WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?” JAMIE asked, eyes blazing.
As her princess and Jamie opened the glass door, Lottie felt the spell snap. Sayuri’s secret was the first thing in years she’d experienced that felt private; she wasn’t sure she could or should share it with Ellie . . .
“You two.” Sayuri pointed at Ellie and Jamie. “You’re going to help us stop Leviathan.”
Even Lottie could hardly believe the words that came out of Sayuri’s mouth. Jamie stared. Sayuri and Lottie stood before them silently . . . until the elegant queen of the school started to shoot out commands. “You’re going to escort us into the woods.” She turned and walked out, expecting them to follow. “Now.”
It was odd to see her taking on the commanding role of the Pink Demon with Jamie and Ellie, but these demands meant she was treating them like part of her gang.
“Come on! We’ll explain on the way!” Lottie called behind her.
It was time to find out what Leviathan had been looking for, and even though it thrilled her, Lottie knew this was only the beginning, a stepping stone toward her true mission. To discover the identity of the Master of Leviathan.
They paused outside the supply shed by the gym, Sayuri picking up flashlights and two spades and a trowel intended for the horticulture course, while Lottie explained how she’d asked Binah to retrieve and send Lili’s diary.
“Your princess and I believe there is something hidden in this school that Leviathan wants,” Sayuri said to Jamie and Ellie. “We think they’ve been hoping I’ll find it for them, like they hoped you would find the Hamelin Formula.” Lottie noticed how she had skirted around the problem that Haru was also searching for it. “We’ve put all our knowledge together of our school founders,” Sayuri finished, gazing around her as they reached the Kiri Shinrin, “and this is the most logical hiding place for the treasure.”
“Oh, really?” Jamie’s gaze shifted to Lottie. “What did Lottie tell you about Rosewood’s founder?” The look of warning was so strong that Lottie almost spluttered.
Sayuri didn’t miss a beat. “That she was born a woman but pretended to be a man so she could start a school in a time when women were not often taken seriously. Very inspirational.”
“With this diary and the museum we managed to piece together the puzzle, to reveal a haiku. We think it’s talking about the great bamboo tree in the Kiri Shinrin—the one the cats like,” Lottie added, beaming at Jamie innocently, hoping he wouldn’t ask any more questions. Fog licked at them from the edge of the trees, and Lottie knew they could all feel the haunting pull of the bamboo forest. Only this time there was something more. Instead of hearing only the rustling of leaves and creatures, she could sense a low hum of recognition, as if the forest were waiting for them.
It was a subtle movement, but Lottie noticed that Sayuri balled her hands into determined fists before taking a big step into the trees.
Ellie was next, followed close behind by Jamie. The two turned in unison, both holding their hands out to Lottie.
“Oh.” She wasn’t sure what else to say or whose hand to take, so instead she took both. “Thank you,” she replied quickly, deciding to ignore their uncomfortable expressions, skipping onward to catch up with Sayuri.
Weird, she thought, wondering if Jamie was being nicer for Ellie’s sake. She couldn’t think of another explanation.
Soft moss cushioned her footsteps, the nighttime buzzing with creatures fluttering about. It had been weeks since she’d followed the big black cat into this forest, and she still had faded marks from the worst of her insect bites. This time nothing bit her, nor Sayuri, though it looked as if Ellie and Jamie were not being offered the same courtesy.
“It’s your royal blood,” Lottie whispered to Ellie with a giggle when she tried to bat away a mosquito.
“Then what’s Jamie’s problem?”
With a grunt, Jamie marched forward to the front of their troop, swatting in front of his face irritably.
Lottie hung back for a second, watching them walk on into the bamboo, and for the first time she really let it sink in—that they were doing something together, that they were a pack again.
The deeper they ventured into the woods, the more the calm crept over them. They were very quiet, all the giddiness and prickliness melting off them until it was just the sounds of the Kiri Shinrin and their steady breath floating together.
There was something waiting for them in these woods; Lottie could feel it like a heartbeat below the ground, and it wasn’t just the hidden treasure—it was truth. And she knew whatever they found here was going to change things.
“Here.” Jamie’s voice was low, barely audible above the forest sounds.
They entered the clearing, one after another, blue light from the moon shining through the trees where the bamboo sparkled in a wash of fireflies.
“This tree.” Sayuri’s voice was filled with wonder, her hands stroking the great bamboo.
A glance of acknowledgment passed between Ellie and Jamie.
Lottie guessed this was where they’d found themselves after the kendo demonstration, but she’d never
