“What are they sending you in there for?” I asked, worry knotting in my gut.
“Bones sent me in to dig up dirt on the Warden,” Marcus admitted. “He wants to blackmail the Warden to get the Dead Men Walking pardoned. I haven’t found anything useful to Bones, but Ididfind something you all might be interested in.”
I leaned forward, curious. “What’s that?”
Marcus drew a deep breath. “The Warden has figured out the wording to your prophecy, Charlie.”
My stomach dropped out of my abdomen.
“What? How?” Ava demanded.
“Forevermore, of course,” Marcus said, like it was obvious. “His records indicate that the Elves burned pretty much everything before they fled Forevermore, but there must’ve been something left behind about the prophecy, because he has it written on a bulletin board in his office, with all these notes about the Elf Prince.”
I swayed on my feet. “He doesn’t know…?”
“Not yet,” Marcus assured me. “I couldn’t find anything that suggests he knows you’re the heir. He thinks he’s looking for the Emperor’s son, not his grandson. Records that showed Cameron was Cassiel’s son must’ve been burned, too, because there’s nothing about your dad in there.”
“Shh…” I hissed. “I know the music room is soundproof, but can wepleasebe quiet when we talk about this shit?”
Marcus cleared his throat. “Right. Anyway, the Warden doesn’t know who he’s looking for. He’s got pictures of all the Elves at the Institute on his board. He must assume the heir grew up in Forevermore. But I don’t think he’s gotten anywhere with the Elves. That’s why he’s blood testing everyone.”
“So he must suspect the heir is here,” Ava said thoughtfully.
“But why?” I questioned. “Thousands of Elves escaped. Why wouldn’t he assume the heir escaped with them?”
“There are prophets in all types of supernatural religions,” Kallie cut in. Her voice shook, like she was trying to keep the tears at bay. “Marcus’ whole coven is at least a quarter Seer. I’m sure the Warden would’ve tried to get answers from someone. They may not be able to see clearlywhothe heir is, but someone with strong psychic abilities could’ve told him the heir was at the Institute.”
“Fuck,” I growled under my breath. “So all it takes is one prophet to lead him straight to us?”
“Psychic visions tend to be very unclear,” Marcus told me. “But I think Kallie’s on the right track. Regardless of how he knows, the Warden suspects the heir is here.”
“Is there more?” I asked.
“I’ve told you everything I’ve learned so far,” Marcus said.
Ava paced around the room, sounding thoughtful. “We need some of that potion. We have to learn more.”
Marcus blew a breath. “I can’t just waltz up to Bones and get an endless supply of it. It’s his own brew. He’s not going to just hand it over.”
“Then we’ll brew it ourselves,” Ava said simply.
“I don’t know the recipe,” Marcus said.
“So we get our hands on it,” Ava suggested.
“No,” Kallie protested sharply. “Marcus isn’t going to do anything to get himself in trouble with these people.”
Marcus sighed. “Even if I wanted to, I’m not sure I could. There are some potions that are unique to their creators. I’ve never seen Bones brew it, but I’m guessing this is one of them. It’s too unique for just anyone to brew.”
“They’ll keep sending you in, though, right?” Ava wondered aloud. “Can we learn more about the Warden that way?”
“I’m sure of it,” Marcus said. “But I don’t know what more I’ll learn. The Warden only leaves so much out in the open.”
“Did you find out anything about the Infernal Underground, like who might be part of it?” I asked.
“No.” Marcus sighed. “That’s one thing I haven’t been able to figure out. The Warden is keeping any information about the Infernal Underground under tight wraps.”
Kallie stepped forward. “I don’t like this. Whether this gang helps us get answers or not, it puts Marcus in danger. He has to leave.”
