Mark of Four (13 page)

But then why, when she pictured Jayme next to Kyle, did Kyle fade completely into oblivion?

Jayme, with his curly brown locks, his brown eyes, his high cheekbones, his laughing lips.

The wind had grown stronger; Alayne braced herself to stay on the platform. This high, the gusts could be gale-force.

Alayne chewed on her bottom lip. If Jayme had asked her to the dance first, she would have jumped at the chance. If she still supposedly had feelings for Kyle, why had she been so reluctant to say yes to him?

The longer she sat and tried to make sense of the situation, the more forceful Alayne’s conclusion: Jayme had stolen into her heart when she wasn’t looking. Her good friend had become something more. And it was too late to do anything about it. He’d written her off.

The tears that formed in Alayne’s eyes had nothing to do with the harsh wind blowing against them. The lump in her throat made it hurt to swallow. She buried her face in her hands, miserable.

The chute doors banged open behind her. Alayne jumped and half-turned, but the hand she put down to steady herself slipped. The next second, she toppled from the edge of the platform, free-falling through the icy air.

T
error paralyzed
Alayne for a half-second before her senses sharpened. Every detail presented itself to her brain with alarming clarity. She heard Marysa’s scream from where she stood on the edge of the shuttle platform. Her stomach rose into her chest, and she wondered what it would be like to die. Her parents’ faces flashed through her mind, and she wished she had been able to say goodbye. Windows flew by, and the trees on the ground seemed much larger than they had appeared from the shuttle platform.

The dormitory floors screamed past and then the gymnasium. The ground was close now.

All at once, Alayne could feel the air around her. Not with her skin like normal, but with that Elemental sixth sense that let her touch the essence of the air. With a powerful surge of will, she pulled the air into a wide cushion beneath her, curling it into currents that fought her freefall, slowing her. It wasn’t enough. She tightened her grasp, digging harder into the element strands, clutching it so tightly that the cushion completely arrested her fall.

She buffeted to a standstill, arms and legs spread as she floated on the updraft. Her heart beat wildly as she looked around with wide eyes. Her breath came in shallow gasps. She was about fifteen feet from the ground. The entrance to Clayborne was up the sidewalk from where she rested in the air. She had literally almost landed on the doorstep.

She slackened her grip on the air by a fraction, and she slid slowly downward toward the ground. When she could finally put her toes on the sidewalk, she let go of the element strands, and the updraft dissipated.

Alayne shook her head, trying to regain normal perspective. Five seconds ago, she had been sitting on the shuttle platform. Somewhere in those five seconds, she’d learned how to use her third element.

“Just Fire-Breathing now,” she whispered. “Then I really will be a Quadriweave.”

Her legs still shook from the adrenaline. She abruptly sat down on the ground, curling her knees in front of her, and dragged in deep calming breaths, closing her eyes and counting to ten.

The chute door burst open, and Marysa ran gasping onto the steps, followed by Professor Grace and Professor Manders.

“What—how?” Marysa ran to Alayne and grabbed her shoulders. “
How are you still alive?
” She threw her arms around Alayne, buried her frizzy black hair into her friend’s neck, and sobbed.

Professor Grace fluttered around Alayne as if searching for something to fix, thoroughly bewildered at finding nothing. Professor Manders stood gravely behind Marysa. “Why don’t you tell us what happened, Alayne?” His gray eyes held her gaze.

“I—I guess someone must have seen me fall and bent the elements to get me to stop. I went right by the dormitory windows on my way down.”

Professor Manders crossed his arms and tapped his fingers against his sleeves. “That would have been almost impossible, Alayne. Even if a student had seen you falling, most of the Clayborne students haven’t the skill to have stopped you before you landed. One or two might have done it if they’d had enough preparation time, but they wouldn’t have had, would they?”

“A professor must have seen me, sir. I—I guess.”

Professor Grace had finally decided that Alayne wasn’t broken anywhere, and she stood back, pressing her hand over her heart. “Oh, dear goodness, girl, you gave us a fright. What were you doing up on the shuttle platform anyway?”

Alayne fingered the end of her braid. “Nothing. I just wanted a quiet place to think.”

“Well, next time, find an empty classroom or go back to your dormitory. There have never been official rules about students on the platform, but I think it’s time we made some.” She waved toward the door. “Let’s get inside. It’s freezing out here.”

Alayne glanced once more at Professor Manders. His eyes were still narrowed, and Alayne knew he hadn’t bought her explanation. She sighed and nudged Marysa. “Let’s go back to the dorm room. I’m tired.”

As they entered the doors, Professor Manders touched Alayne’s shoulder. “Chairman Dorner will want to speak with you. Why don’t you come to his office in another couple of hours? Get some rest first.”

Alayne smothered a sigh. “Yes, sir.”

The four of them stepped into the chute and flew upward. The girls got off at the common room. “Who do you think it was?” Marysa asked as she led the way toward the girls’ side.

“Who do I think what was?” Alayne nibbled a corner of her thumb nail, already worrying about her meeting with the Chairman.

“The one who stopped you. It would have had to have been an Air-Master. Do you think Jayme saw you? It could have been anyone, I suppose, though Jayme’s saved you before. Daymon’s an Air-Master, too. Maybe he’s the one who did it.” Marysa grinned.

Alayne snorted. “Yeah, you know me and Daymon. Best buds, that’s us.”

“Well, nearly a quarter of the school are Air-Masters, so it could really have been almost anyone, I guess, but probably an upperclassman or a professor, ‘cause Professor Manders seemed to think it would have taken some skill to slow you down, especially in the surprise of the moment.”

Alayne could feel a headache coming on. The girls were almost at the top of the eighteenth flight of stairs. “Mary, I’m going to sleep for a while now. I’m not feeling too well. So you don’t need to stay and keep me company.”

Marysa’s face changed instantly to worry. “Is there anything I can bring you, Layne? Oh, I know, I’ll go get a cup of hot soup from the commissary. Don’t worry, you get your rest. I won’t let anyone disturb you.”

Alayne entered the dorm room she shared with Marysa. “Thanks, Marysa. You’ve got a heart of gold.” She pulled the covers back and slid her feet into her cold sheets.

Marysa pulled the covers over her and tucked the blanket tight all around her body. “My mom used to do that when I was sick. Always made me feel safe and warm. Or maybe that was just the fever talking, who knows.” She grinned. “I’ll be back soon.” She hurried out the door.

Alayne allowed her lids to drift closed, welcoming the numbing veil of sleep as it swept over the raw hurt that still leaked through her mind as a result of Jayme’s harsh words.

A
layne jerked
awake as she felt a presence beside her.

“Shh.” A cup of soup sat on Alayne’s bedstand. Marysa sat in a chair next to it. “I brought you soup. It’s cold now, but I’ll reheat it.”

“How long have I been asleep?”

“A couple of hours.”

Alayne sat up and whipped the covers back. “I’m supposed to go see the Chairman.”

Marysa nodded. “Yes, he knows you’re coming. I saw him in the chute when I went to get your soup. He said to take your time and to come when you’re ready.”

“Oh.” Alayne rubbed her gritty eyes.

“Are you okay, Layne?”

“What do you mean?”

Marysa shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “I wondered about you and—and Jayme. About what happened when you got back from Motion-Stop class.”

Shards of pain sliced through Alayne’s brain as she remembered their fight. “I’m okay,” she lied. “He’s okay. There’s nothing to get upset about.”

“And yet you are upset.” Marysa’s gaze followed the tear that trickled down Alayne’s nose. Alayne sniffed and rubbed her sleeve across her face.

“Um, no, my eyes are watering from my headache. I need to go get something from the nurse. Thanks for the soup. I’ll eat it later.” She climbed out of bed.

Marysa’s knowing gaze followed Alayne as she turned for the door and let herself out.

Alayne jogged down the corridor to the steps and jumped down the flights of stairs. Her headache was nothing more than a mere twinge, but she needed an excuse to get away from Marysa’s probing questions.

As soon as she got to the common room, Kyle hurried toward her from where he waited by the chute. “I’ve been worried, Alayne. Marysa told us what happened, and so now, of course, the whole school knows. Are you okay?”

Alayne glanced around. An awful lot of people did seem to be looking in her direction. She turned back to Kyle and nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. No bumps, no bruises. Everything’s grand.”

“Do you know who it was who saved you?”

Alayne shook her head. “No, it must have been one of the upperclassmen.” The lie came easier now that she’d told it already once or twice. “Professor Manders said it would have taken someone who really knows their element to be able to stop me in time.”

“I bet it was a professor. The classrooms all have windows, too; what side of the spire did you fall from?”

“The east side.”

“Hm.” Kyle cocked an eyebrow. “That could have been Sprynge, Grace, Manders, or the Chairman. Or if any of the other professors happened to be visiting a classroom.”

“Well, that narrows it down so nicely.”

Kyle grinned. “Okay, so it could have been anyone. Wish we knew.”

Alayne nodded and glanced back at the common room. Her stomach dropped to her toes. Jayme stood in the doorway of the boys’ dormitories, watching her with a bitter twist on his lips. Alayne lowered her gaze.

“Hey, well, I need to get going.”

Kyle shoved his hands in his pockets. “Okay, well, see you later, I guess.” He shuffled toward the couches. Alayne entered the chute and pressed the button for the main office.

As the car dropped her, Alayne wondered how much she should tell Dorner. Maybe he already knew everything, and she wouldn’t have to decide whether or not she should tell him. She shrugged mentally, frustrated by the secrets she felt she needed to keep.

When she entered the receptionist’s office, Tarry was nowhere to be seen.

“Hello?” Alayne spoke in the quiet room.

The door in the wall behind Tarry’s desk opened. “Alayne?” Chairman Dorner’s head popped out. “Welcome. Why don’t you come on in here? Tarry’s running an errand for me.”

Alayne nodded and circled Tarry’s desk, entering the Chairman’s office behind him.

He motioned to a chair in front of his massive desk. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

I wonder what he’d do if I said, no, thanks?
Alayne didn’t, however. She sat obediently.

Dorner walked around to his office chair and sank into it, linking his fingers together in his lap and facing Alayne.

“I heard about your fall, Alayne. I’m glad to see you’re all right.”

“Thank you, sir. I’m glad to be all right.”

Dorner propped his elbows on his desk and steepled his fingers together. “I’ve been wanting to ask you, Alayne, how you’re coming along with your Quadriweave abilities? Have you been able to utilize them at all yet?”

Alayne shifted uncomfortably. She opened her mouth to tell him the truth, but the words that came out surprised her. “Not much.”

Fear inherited from her mother ate at her innards. Wynn couldn’t trust anyone, and neither could she. Her spine crinkled as she stared at Dorner’s corn silk comb-over, his questioning pale blue eyes. No shadows shaded their color, but still, how could she know? How could she
ever
know?

Inwardly, she writhed over another lie. She hated dishonesty, but fear of the unknown, and of a million terrifying scenarios, played in her mind.

So she sealed her lips.

“Your fall,” the Chairman continued. “Would you have had anything to do with stopping your own fall?”

“Professor Manders suggested that perhaps someone saw me through the dormitory windows, sir.”

The Chairman was silent as he studied her carefully. A minute passed, then two. Alayne forced herself not to squirm under his gaze.

Dorner pressed his lips together, tapping them with his fingers. “It’s been several months now since you’ve been tested, Alayne. Perhaps we should set up a reevaluation to make sure there has been no mistake.”

“Is that really necessary, sir? I’m a Water-Wielder; can’t we just leave it at that?”

Dorner’s brows raised. “Don’t you
want
to know the truth?”

“I know the truth, sir. You say I have the potential to be a Quadriweave. But my first element is Water-Wielding, so why don’t I just focus on that talent until such a time as any other talent makes itself known?”

Dorner pursed his lips as he leveled his gaze at her. “Okay, Alayne, we can wait if that’s what you want. But if this entire year passes without your other talents showing up, I would like you to be reevaluated by early summer.”

Alayne nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Dorner swiveled his chair and gazed out the huge window behind him across the gray winter landscape. “I’m interested, Alayne, not only because you’re a student at Clayborne with an unusual gift, but also because I’ve just received word that some members of the Elemental Alliance have managed to get themselves elected to the bench in the High Court. Shadow-Casters seem to go hand-in-glove with members of the Elemental Alliance.” He sighed deeply, shaking his head. “We’ve tried to keep your records secret, Alayne, but you were tested in Skyden at a City Testing Centre, and it’s likely that the Shadow-Casters will be looking for rising stars on the Elemental scene. And Elementals in positions of power will have ways to access information that most can’t.”

“But surely there are safeguards in place?”

Dorner turned back to her and smiled reassuringly. “Of course, there are safeguards. Even though Shadow-Casters can make a person do what they want them to do, they are unable to read minds. So even if they Shadow-Cast someone at the testing facilities, they won’t be able to read passwords, because the passwords are always verbally given and memorized. It would take some doing for the Shadow-Casters first to access the files, and then, since you were originally filed under Water-Wielders, you wouldn’t immediately draw attention. The secret files, where your Quadriweave data is stored, have even more safeguards.”

Alayne breathed a sigh of relief. “So there’s not much danger then?”

“Not much danger?” Surprise mixed with consternation in the Chairman’s voice. He leaned forward. “I don’t want to alarm you, Alayne, but I do want you to take the utmost care with your secret. They are out there now—Simeon Malachi and his followers, and Malachi has made his goal clear. He wants the Vale, and only someone who possesses the Vale would be able to challenge you, Alayne. A wielder of the Vale would be able to confront you element by element. Anyone else is at a disadvantage. So that’s why it’s so important for me to know when you get a handle on all four elements.” He tapped his fingers on his desk. After a long moment, he spoke again. “How much do you know about Simeon Malachi?”