That gets everyone’s attention.
Gideon doesn’t move. “We’re listening.”
“Kirwan is not just a petty professor with a grudge. She’s tied to something larger, and she is not the one in charge. She is—was—purely reconnaissance.”
“Percival was persuaded to hire her for her other Talents, but we know she was placed in Nashville because she can locate others who have Time Talents or Affinities.”
The details of a teacher’s specialties weren’t often offered to students, and while they might know she was a Time Affinity, exactly how that manifested itself wasn’t always clear. As with regular people, all powers are not created equal, even within the same specialty.
“So, she can’t actually impact Time like Gray or Nimue or anyone else?” Finn asks. “That must be—”
“Awful,” Nix agrees. “I mean, how terrible to know everyone is always more talented than you.”
It’s so like Nix to feel sympathy for someone like Dahlia Kirwan, even after all she’s put them through. Grayson isn’t sure he could say the same.
“So, she hunts kids down, sends them to this Aeternum Academy, and then what?” Rowan asks from his spot on the grass near Gideon’s feet.
“Essentially. There aren’t that many people with Time in their skill set, so she’s been working with her other Talent before Grayson arrived.”
“Mind Manipulation?” Leo asks, unable to keep the bitterness from his tone.
“No, Earth. Metal, to be more specific—wait. What?”
“Professor Kirwan has been manipulating Grayson these past few months. I don’t expect her Talent is strong, but she has not been forthcoming, I assume?” Ignatius says. He has a handful of ladybugs, and they’re all sitting unexpectedly still.
Knox grits his teeth and his hand twitches at his side, the wind picks up, and the heavy branches creak and sway above them. “Not at all. Dammit. I’m sorry, Gray. We didn’t know.”
“How could you?” Grayson shrugs it off because what’s done is done, even if he’d been pissed at the time.
“It’s our job to know. She’s been part of a bigger problem, and we should have expected they’d have sunk this low. We should have been watching closer—been on guard.”
Jay’s expression goes flat in that way Grayson knows means danger. “You keep saying ‘we.’ You? The Truthseeker? There are others?”
“Hmm. I work with people who have the authority to do something about people like Dahlia Kirwan,” Knox says, and there’s the first hint of steel under his usual smoothness. “Officially…if that’s what you’re asking.”
Luca makes an offended noise. “So, this whole thing was in the bag from the start? You let us panic for fun? Gray wasbait?”
“No,” Knox says, looking genuinely sorry. “We had to let this play out because if Kirwan had known what protections were already in place, she would have changed tactics. And because we did not know who around her was compromised.”
“Not nice. Not at all,” Luca grouses from Rowan’s lap.
“I know, and we’re sorry. We couldn’t put our people at risk either.”
“Like that Truthseeker? She’s just a kid,” Leo says, echoing what everyone had been thinking.
“Don’t worry about Verity. We’ve got her covered in an official capacity.” Knox doesn’t elaborate, but the guy in the designer suit comes to mind.
Jay stands taller, eyebrows lowered over dark eyes. “Let’s assume we believe you—that Gray isn’t in danger and that you‘have it covered,’what is it you want from us?”
“Two things.” Knox lifts two fingers. “Discretion, and to go on about your lives like this was never a big deal.”
Rowan bristles instantly. “Not a big deal?”
He’s not alone in his surprise. They’re all remembering that the suitcases are still packed at home.
“Yes.” Knox doesn’t back off. “It’s important that you get on with your regular programming. Not because you aren’t…special, Grayson. It’s that visibility gets people hurt.”
Rowan growls. “You’re saying he doesn’t need to be this ‘One’ guy they’re looking for to be a powerful tool in whatever shit they’retoil and trouble-ing over?”
