Made of what appeared to be rusted iron, the key burned with a deep emerald-green glow, as if imbued with magic. But something was attached to it, a small note tied with a green ribbon.
“The keys are the answer,” whispered Masika, echoing the words etched on the map.
“Well…” Dina chuckled, slapping Analisa on the shoulder. “Looks like we found our first key.”
Catherine untied the note with shaking hands. She opened it, gently unfolding the weathered old parchment. It didn’t take long for Emilio to realize what it was.
Another map.
Catherine’s eyes burned with newfound determination as she looked up at the group.
“And our next clue.”
16
IRENE
As late afternoon enveloped Blackwood in swirling plumes of fog, the darkening sky painting the grounds in a dusty purple haze, Irene found herself in the Main Yard, tumbling the same question over and over in her mind. No matter how hard she tried to eradicate the question from her consciousness, it remained, latching onto her, demanding an answer.
What the hell is wrong with you?
Irene pressed her head against the stone statue behind her, groaning in frustration. She fussed with the golden ring wrapped snugly around her index finger, spinning it over and over in even circles. She had tried taking it off numerous times since it had first appeared the morning she had taken her place among the Ascended, but whatever magic it was forged with kept it securely fashioned around her finger. That ring was a part of her now…forever. Whether she wanted it to be or not.
“Did you miss me?”
Irene yelped in surprise, spinning to find Mateo crouched behind her, a twinkle of amusement in his sparkling blue eyes. But her annoyance was quickly replaced by a surge of panic. If someone saw them…if someone sawhim—
“Relax,” Mateo muttered, as if reading her thoughts. “Nobody can see me.”
“You don’t know that,” Irene whispered through gritted teeth. She glanced nervously over her shoulder, half expecting to find someone watching them, but most of Blackwood’s students were still in class, and there didn’t appear to be any Ascended near the Main Yard. There was nothing but empty benches and burnt-sienna leaves scattered around them. The gentle creak of barren branches swaying in the breeze. In the distance, a few students scurried toward their dormitories, textbooks tucked under their arms and heads lowered. But nobody seemed to notice her.
Or, if they did, they were simply too scared of her to look for more than a few seconds.
“Trust me.” Mateo chuckled, leaning back against the stone statue. He stretched his long legs in front of him, twisting a blade of grass between his fingers. His shoulder brushed against Irene’s as he settled beside her. “My cloaking enchantments are impenetrable. Nobody is getting through them.”
“Not even Silas?” Irene challenged.
Mateo’s haughty smirk faltered slightly, though he quickly recovered, eyes sliding toward Irene. “EspeciallySilas.”
Irene scoffed. “Your ego will be your downfall.”
Mateo shrugged, as if he found her comment more amusing than offensive. As a comfortable silence fell upon them, Irene sensed Mateo’s gaze landing on her. There was something about the way he looked at her that made her feel inexplicably naked—as if he were reaching into the innermost parts of her with nothing but a single look.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier,” he whispered suddenly. “About Wren. I needed to be sure you were on our side before I told you.”
Irene had assumed he’d bring it up eventually, but the reminderof Wren’s involvement in the Demien Order’s prophecy still sent a chill down her spine.
“It just doesn’t make any sense,” she whispered. “You don’t know Wren Loughty like I do. She’s annoyingly smart and has more talent in her pinky finger than most could hope for in their lifetime, but…she’s not a Demien. And she most certainly isn’t capable of ushering in the destruction of Blackwood.”
Mateo’s voice was uncharacteristically somber when he spoke next.
“But she will be.”
“What does that mean?” Irene asked with a frustrated groan. When Mateo didn’t respond right away, she let out a bitter chuckle and added, “Let me guess. It’s confidential?”
“It’scomplicated,” Mateo corrected with an apologetic smile. As his blue eyes flitted up and down her face, something in his expression changed. “Is everything all right? You seem a bit…off.”
Irene flinched at the sudden shift in topic. It was almost as if he could sense her thoughts before she had even thought of them. Pick up on her emotions before they had even materialized in her mind.
