Page 144 of Serpent and Shadow

Where the FUCK was he?

“I was in London,” Blackstone snapped, looking up, but not glaring at me. He stared somewhere above my head, his angular jaw set in a scowl. “So was Headmaster Forsooth. We came as soon as we could, but as there are no longer charmed travel mirrors set up permanently anywhere in the school, since your dear father attacked the campus.”

His eyes fell back to his satchel as he rooted around, his voice cold.

“We were forced to land in Bonescastle,” he continued. “At the Magister’s office downtown. From there, we caught the first carriage we could arrange and had it bring us straight here, via the gates.”

He seemed to fine what he wanted in the bag, and paused, his voice and eyes murderous.

“Satisfied?” he snapped, pulling out another vial, and what looked like a small, gold-dipped seashell. “May I get back to what I came here to do? Or would you rather scold me than have me repair any damage to your…”

He glanced at me and trailed, not finishing that thought.

Bones didn’t speak to either of us for a few seconds, but I could still feel him seething somewhere in my magic.

Blackstone set down the shell and the vial on the duvet, and flipped open the silver box. He pulled out something that looked like a hard, sugar-sprinkled candy. He held it out, waited for me to proffer my hand, and set it in the center of my palm.

“Suck on that until it’s gone,” he said.

Where was Quicksilver? Bones asked next. Was he with Forsooth and Blackstone?

I found it interesting he didn’t aim his ire at Luc, Jolie, or Alaric.

They couldn’t hear you, Bones thought at me.

Maybe sensing my surprise and puzzlement, he added, Even Alaric, who I thought might hear you, couldn’t. I think you were so high up in your primal by then, most of the students wouldn’t have heard anything, no matter how loud you screamed.

His mental voice grew almost gentle.

I’m not criticizing you, he thought at me, softer. It was instinct for you to go there… a good instinct, one that likely saved your life in the end, if I’m reading your magic correctly. But it worked against you when it came calling for aid from your friends.

I thought about that, frowning.

“He’s right,” Blackstone said in his deep voice, pulling my eyes to his. Like Bones, his tone had noticeably subdued. “It did save your life.” Irritation sharpened his words. “And I don’t know where Professor Quicksilver was. He was not with us in London.”

I couldn’t tell if the irritation was aimed at Bones, me, or Quicksilver.

I studied Blackstone’s face as he waved a hand over the amulet, murmuring another spell over it that made it glow a dark red.

“What was it that helped me?” I asked.

I aimed the question at Blackstone, but I really meant it for both of them.

Blackstone’s lips pinched slightly. He reached back into his bag, and pulled out something that I realized was a bronze chain. He ran it through the metal loop on the amulet and then hooked the ends together. He nodded towards where he’d left it on the bed.

“Wear this,” he said. “It won’t help you against incursions into your magic. But it will grow warm and glow when you are physically near anyone who’s taken the loyalty oath to Dark Cathedral. It should give you some advanced warning, at least.”

I picked it up off the top of the duvet, a little surprised.

“Thanks,” I said.

Picking it up, I unhooked the latch, wound the chain around my neck, then re-connected the ends. I looked at Blackstone, somehow embarrassed by the gift. He wouldn’t look at me, either. I felt conflict on Bones, like he was caught between annoyed, faintly distrustful, and grateful that Blackstone had given it to me.

I cleared my throat.

“Had all of them done that, then?” I asked Blackstone. “Taken the oath? Voltaire. Mordopast. Panzen? The rest of them?”

Mordopast had, Bones answered, before Blackstone could respond. So had Voltaire. I’m not sure about Orrin or Pants. I wouldn’t be surprised if Scar did with Voltaire.