Emilio shrugged. “On the walk over.”
Catherine rubbed her face in exasperation. “You do realize the three of you broke theonerule you were meant to follow, right?”
“It’s really not our fault,” Olivier remarked with feigned innocence. “We have a terrible aversion to rules.”
Masika rolled her eyes. “And either way, we wouldn’t have had to break in ifyouhad simply been honest with me.” She pressed her hands upon the table, leaning forward. “The True Headmaster is still out there.That’swhat Birdie and Russo discovered, isn’t it?”
To Catherine’s credit, she didn’t deny it. “Yes.”
Even though they’d already found the truth hidden in the Southern Wing, hearing it spoken out loud was something else entirely. A cold shudder ran through Emilio, an electric current igniting the air. Even Masika and Olivier seemed to sink deeper into their chairs, as though the weight of the truth had fallen upon them in a sudden blow.
“All right, then.” Olivier cleared his throat, drumming his fingers against his thighs. “If thisTrue Headmasteris still out there…well, where the hell have they been?” He tossed his hands in frustration. “Why don’t they simply come out of hiding and help us?”
Catherine sucked her teeth. “It’s not that simple.”
Emilio whimpered. “Of course it isn’t…”
“When Silas took over Blackwood, hethoughthe’d destroyed the True Headmaster,” Catherine explained, eyes drifting over the trio. “But the True Headmaster had prepared for this…for theday someone might try to usurp his power. He harbored a fraction of his soul and hid it deep within the farthest reaches of purgatory, leaving behind a clue to its location for his followers. A way to find that piece of his soul and resurrect him.”
“The map,” Emilio whispered.
Catherine nodded. “It leads to the first clue. The first step in finding what remains of his soul.”
“But I don’t understand,” Masika interjected, leaning her elbows against the table. “Why did it take so long for someone to find the map?”
“Because…” Catherine let out a sigh. “Silas found it first.”
A weighted silence settled over the room.
Catherine pushed herself away from the table, standing.
“He hid it within the halls of Blackwood. Years went by…centuries. All the while, the followers of the True Headmaster who had been banished to the outskirts of purgatory corrupted under the Soulless One’s shadows. It wasn’t until the Resistance began to form and we gained members who had access to Blackwood’s halls that we were able to even learn of this map in the first place.”
“Birdie and Russo,” Masika commented under her breath.
Catherine nodded, solemn.
“We’d been secretly working with the two of them for a while. They would feed us information that they’d learn about both the Demien Order and Blackwood and report back. But then…they discovered something in the restricted section of the Library.”
Emilio snapped his gaze toward Olivier, who stared at him with wide eyes. He must have been thinking the same thing. They had seen Birdie and Russo wandering about the Library before the Decennial Ball…the two of them sneaking around the restricted Housemasters’ section.
“Does Silas know the map is gone?” asked Masika.
Catherine nodded. “That’s precisely why Birdie and Russo had to leave Blackwood in a rush. They knew once they stole the map, it wouldn’t take long for Silas to put the pieces together.” Catherine gestured to Olivier and Emilio. “And that’s when they took you two here.”
“But is there any other proof that the True Headmaster’s soul is really out there?” asked Emilio. “Other than this map, I mean.”
Catherine shook her head. “No.”
Olivier placed his elbows upon the table, burrowing his hands in his hair. “Okay. So what you’re saying is that we have a way to save the afterlife, but it involves resurrecting an ancient powerful entity using a sliver of his soul that could very well not even exist?”
Catherine sighed. “Pretty much.”
Olivier slid his hands over his face. “Delightful.”
“When will you send the expedition crew out?” Masika asked, straightening in her chair.
“Tomorrow morning,” Catherine replied.
