Page 32 of Heartflame

“But do you really think exposing him will help?” Professor Blackwood replied, her tone sharp. “If we blow the whistle and incite a needless panic, the entire Elder Council will have us behind bars. Or worse, we’ll just disappear.”

I pressed myself against the wall beside her office door, my heart hammering in my chest. I shouldn’t be listening to this. I knew I shouldn’t be listening to this. But I couldn’t seem to make my feet move away.

“Then what do you suggest?” the male voice demanded. “We just let him continue? We let him hide breach after breach, let him manipulate the narrative, let him put students at risk because that dragon’s too proud to admit something’s wrong?”

“I’m not suggesting we do nothing,” Professor Blackwood said, and I could hear the frustration in her voice. “But we need to be smart about this. We need proof. We need witnesses. We need something concrete before we go accusing the head of the Elder Council of a cover-up.”

“We have proof,” the man said. “The breaches themselves are proof. The fact that they keep happening and nothing’s being done about it⁠—”

“Nothing’s being done publicly,” Blackwood corrected. “That’s different from nothing being done at all. Thaddeus has resources we don’t have access to. I have to assume he’s investigating this, but he’s keeping it contained.”

“He’s hiding it because he’s terrified,” the man said bitterly. “He’s terrified that if people find out how many times the wards have nearly failed, they’ll lose faith in the Elder Council’s ability to protect them. And he’s right to be terrified. They will.”

I swallowed hard, my mind racing. This was exactly what Blackwood had warned me about. There was something going on behind the scenes, something bigger than just random attacks. And whoever this man was, he wanted to expose it. He wanted to bring down Elder Thaddeus, or at least force him to be transparent about what was happening.

“If you go public with this,” Blackwood said carefully, “Thaddeus will destroy you. You know that, right? He has the resources, the connections, and the power. You’ll be branded as a conspiracy theorist at best, a traitor at worst.”

“I know,” the man said quietly. “But what’s the alternative? We stay silent? We let him continue to manipulate everyone?” There was a long pause before the man added. “Because the wards are going to fail at some point. You know that right? The Purity Front is systematically testing them for weaknesses and once they find a way in, people are going to die.”

Another pause. I held my breath, waiting for Blackwood’s response.

“Let me think about it,” she finally said. “Give me some time to figure out the best way to approach this.”

“Time is something we don’t have,” the man replied. “The next breach could happen tomorrow. The next one after that could be worse. Not to mention the rumors flying around right now.”

“Don’t listen to the rumors,” she said. “Listen to fact. And when you have new facts, let me know. I’ll do anything I can to protect these students.”

I heard footsteps moving toward the door and I scrambled backward, pressing myself flat against the wall on the opposite side of the hallway and made a pathetic attempt to look casual. My heart was pounding so hard I was afraid they’d hear it through the wooden door.

The office door swung open, and a man emerged. He was tall and had his hoodie up so I couldn’t really see his face. I didn’t recognize anything about him though, which meant he probably wasn’t faculty. Or at least not faculty I’d seen around campus. He looked angry, his jaw clenched tight as he stalked past me without so much as a glance.

I waited until he’d rounded the corner before I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.

What the hell had I just heard?

Professor Blackwood wanted proof before going public. And that man, whoever he was, wanted to expose Elder Thaddeus for covering up the ward breaches. And they were both convinced the Purity Front would break through at some point. That we were all in danger.

I thought back to what I’d seen in the forest. Those shapes pushing against the wards. Had that been the Purity Front? Were they really organized enough to be conducting systematic tests? They’d attacked the school before, but never got very far. However, the attack on the Elder Council had been, by all standards, a resounding success. Five of the most powerful people in the world were dead. And now, that same group was trying to break into Widdershins Academy. But why?

My mind was spinning. This was way bigger than just Aeron being suspicious. This was about the safety of everyone on campus. And Elder Thaddeus was apparently attempting to hide it all.

I should have walked away. Should have gone back to my dorm and pretended I’d never heard any of this. But instead, I found myself knocking on Blackwood’s door, my mind suddenly reeling.

“Come in,” she called, and I pushed the door open.

She was sitting behind her desk, looking composed despite what I’d just overheard. Her dark eyes assessed me carefully as I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.

“Quill,” she said, gesturing to the chair across from her. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

I sat down, trying to look casual even though my hands were shaking slightly. “I came to talk to you about the favor you asked of me,” I said, testing the waters. “But I think I heard something I wasn’t supposed to.”

Her expression didn’t change, but something shifted in her gaze. A sharpening of attention. “Did you now?”

“I was outside your door,” I admitted. “I heard you talking to someone. About Elder Thaddeus. About cover-ups.”

For a long moment, she just studied me. I could practically see her calculating whether I was a liability or an asset.

“How much did you hear?” she finally asked.