Mark of Four (21 page)

Manders was down there now, she knew, having seen him shrugging on his jacket and adjusting his bowtie as he practically ran past her for the chute. He’d be on Continental Media’s footage in the commissary this evening, brushing his fingers through his dark hair, adjusting his horn-rimmed glasses as he answered questions. As he’d explained to the student body at breakfast, no one would be going home. Security was much tighter at the school than at individual homes. Experienced Elementals worked in and around the facility to keep students safe, and a whole contingent of High Court Elementals had arrived from the Capital, their entire job description being to surround Clayborne’s perimeter and sense the shifts in the Elements, shutting down any Caster’s ability to penetrate the school grounds.

Alayne was thankful for Manders’s efficient handling of the matter. He’d spent hours reassuring parents already, helping to alleviate what had promised to be a parent stampede on the school.

Alayne thought back to the conversation she’d overheard in Manders’s office at the beginning of the semester.
Had
they been discussing her? And if so,
why
? She couldn’t understand.

Part of her wished she
could
go home, let her mother pamper her, hide out of sight, bury herself beneath her covers and never emerge.

She blew out an impatient sigh and left Kyle in the chute as she entered the library. She checked the messages that had stacked up from her parents on her account. The latest one said, “Stay put. Don’t talk to anyone. We’re coming to get you.” Sent only ten minutes ago.

Alayne pulled the hologram of her parents’ home into the air in front of her. “Mom? Dad?”

She could hear the grandfather clock in her parents’ living room ticking slowly in silence. Perhaps she was too late. Alayne ran a hand into her hair, catching her braid. If they came to the school, there would be another huge row as she tried to make them understand that she
couldn’t
leave, not until—

“Alayne?” Bryan’s voice cut into her thoughts. His tall form appeared in the doorway from the bedroom, an overnight bag hanging open in his hand. “Wynn!” he called. “Layne’s calling!” Wynn appeared behind him, her face pale, her lips trembling. She rushed forward, collapsing onto the ottoman in front of their MIU.

“Layne, honey, are you all right? Marysa’s parents have been sick with worry; they’ve been at the Capital trying to get this straightened out, and your dad went with them to help them contact private investigators. We should have been at Clayborne earlier to get you. Honey, please tell me you’re okay.”

Alayne forced a smile. “I’m fine, Mom. Don’t come and get me. Manders is putting out an official announcement now that all students are to remain here at Clayborne. The Shadow-Casters were outside Clayborne’s walls, and the High Court has sent Elementals to reinforce the protection around Clayborne. By far, the safest place for any student is at Clayborne, on our grounds.”

“It’s
not
the safest, Alayne. No one is more interested in your safety than your father and I, and I certainly think—”

“You and Dad aren’t even Elementals; how under the skies above do you think you would protect me from a Shadow-Caster anyway?” Alayne hated fighting with her mother, especially at a time like this, but it needed to be said.

Wynn blanched, and Bryan moved to fill Alayne’s vision. “Layne, I think you’re right, but you
must
understand that this situation is very tentative. We’re going to be watching the nightly news, keeping our eyes and ears open, and you should be ready to come home at a moment’s notice if the situation escalates at all.”

“Bryan,” Wynn interrupted, “we agreed—”

“No, we didn’t agree, you stated.” Bryan sank onto the nearby couch. “I love you, Wynn, but you’re taking Alayne’s life into your hands if you bring her home.”

Alayne watched their silent communication, suddenly thankful that no one had yet mentioned her presence at Cliffsides to them. If Wynn had gotten word of her trip, she would have died of shock—and then resurrected long enough to kill Alayne.

Wynn abruptly stood and retreated to the bedroom. Bryan heaved a deep sigh. Alayne bit her lip. “Are you and Mom—all right, Dad?”

Bryan forced a smile. “Yeah, Bug. We’re fine. Just leave your mother to me. She worries because she loves you, and don’t you forget it.”

“I know. I love you guys, too.”

“Take care of yourself, Bug.”

“I will.”

After Alayne switched off the machine, she stared blankly at the wall, struggling to shake herself from the shock that had followed her for the last few days. She wanted to go back to Cliffsides; she was sure she could find something she’d missed the first time around.

A
trip
to Cliffsides didn’t happen. Sprynge had yet to talk to her, so Alayne had tried Manders. The professor had nodded his understanding, but had shaken his head when Alayne asked if she could use a shuttle to return to Cliffsides. “We have scores of searchers down there already, Miss Worth,” he'd explained. “High quality Elementals from the Capital.”

“It's not that long of a flight, Professor. I could be back by evening, and wouldn't miss any classes if I went this weekend.”

Manders’s normally calm gray eyes turned stormy. “Alayne, you went on a trip to Cliffsides without proper chaperones—yes, I know Professor Sprynge was with you, but he
tried
to get you to stay behind—and you came back without a student. A kidnapping, Alayne, is a serious business, and could possibly be construed in the High Court as your fault. You endangered yourself, Mr. Pence, Miss Blakely, Professor Sprynge, and a shuttle pilot. I am well aware that your intentions to help were honorable, but your judgment was deplorable.”

Words fled Alayne's mouth. She stared speechless at the professor.

“I didn't tell your parents what you did, Alayne, but if you sneak out of here again, I most certainly will. Do I make myself clear?”

Alayne licked her dry lips. “Yes, sir.”

His gaze softened almost imperceptibly. “We'll find her, don't worry.”

But Alayne did worry.

Marysa’s absence was an empty hole in Alayne’s life as the days wore on. She climbed to her bedroom each night, the stillness of her dorm room mocking her with ghosts of Marysa’s laughter, her quirky sense of humor, her impulsive hugs.

Three weeks after Cliffsides, the kidnappers contacted Alayne.

Alayne had gone to bed late after wrestling fruitlessly with studies that seemed unimportant in light of Marysa’s absence. She’d at last plopped her head on her pillow and closed her eyes in despair.

The box of mirror shards rested on her nightstand. Behind Alayne’s closed lids, she saw a purple glow. Her lids shot open. She sat up with a gasp.

Macy Foy’s shadowed face appeared in all the shards. “Alayne.”

Alayne snatched the nearest shard, blinking as she stared at it. “Macy Foy?” In her confusion, she blurted out the first random thought that presented itself. “How—did you know about the mirror?”

“Your friend told us. She’s quite talkative under pressure.” The dead eyes didn’t change expression.

Alayne gripped the shard tighter. “Where’s Marysa?”

Macy shook her head. “By now, you should know she’s not coming back until we get what we want.”

“Marysa’s parents are working on it,” Alayne snapped. “They’ve been at the Capital, doing what they can, but do you honestly expect the entire government system to—”

“That’s not the issue.”

“It—It’s not?”

“We want you to find the Vale.”

Alayne stared at the small jagged piece of mirror and struggled to understand. “This has nothing to do with the Natural Equality Act?”

Macy shook her head slowly, her dark eyes twitching. “It’s a bonus if the Blakelys can get it reversed. But what the Casters really want is the Vale. Simeon Malachi will stop at nothing to find the Vale, and we believe you have a fairly good idea of where it is.”

Alayne was speechless. “
What
?”

Macy didn’t elaborate. She continued to stare through the mirror at Alayne.

“Why on CommonEarth would anyone think
I
know where the Vale is?”

“All evidence points to it.”

Alayne could hardly formulate words. “I don’t know anything about the Vale. Why me?” Alayne pleaded. “Why Marysa?”

“Because we know how important your friend’s life is to you, and if you value it, you will do as we say.”

Alayne shook her head. “Why is the Vale so important to you?”

“The Vale is legendary, as I’m sure you know,” Macy recited woodenly. “It’s a tiny organism that holds such powerful properties that the elements have no control over it. It’s said that whoever possesses the Vale can’t be Shadow-Casted, though no one knows for sure, and on the opposite end, the person who possesses the Vale has far greater control over the elements than even the most powerful Elementals in CommonEarth.”

“But I don’t know where it is!” Alayne insisted. Panic slid through her.

“Find it. We believe it’s somewhere around Clayborne. We’ve allowed you to return to the school in the hopes that you will find the Vale and bring it to us. When the Vale is safely in Simeon Malachi’s hands, then you will have your friend back.”

Alayne’s mouth fell open in disbelief. “What makes you think the Vale is at Clayborne, and why in CommonEarth would I bring something that valuable to you?”

“If you want to see your friend alive again,” Macy said, “I’d suggest you do exactly what we tell you.”

Disbelief numbed Alayne’s mind. She couldn’t take in Macy’s ultimatum. “Y—you’ll kill Marysa if I don’t find the Vale?”

Macy didn’t answer the question. She went on, reciting her lines in a monotone voice. “Once you find the Vale, bring it to the Capital. Take it to the High Court, specifically the education wing. You can leave it with the janitor. It will do no good to question him. He, like me, is being Shadow-Casted.”

Alayne’s voice rasped as she forced out the words. “How much time do I have?”

Macy’s dead voice answered. “We want it as soon as possible. We’ll check back periodically for a progress report. If you haven’t found it by the time we check in, your friend will suffer. If you complete exams and summer arrives with no success, you’d better start praying for your friend. Understand?”

Alayne unscrewed her jaw enough to scrape out the word. “Understood.”

“One last thing.”

“What?” Alayne glared at Macy, wishing she could shake the empty-shell from which the woman’s mind had fled.

“Not a word of this to anyone. No one at Clayborne should hinder your search. Keep your silence, Alayne, or your friend dies.”

A
layne caught
Professor Sprynge in the hallway on the way to Points of Motion-Stop the next morning. She laid a hand on his arm as he tried to hurry by. “Please, sir, is there any news of Marysa?” She didn’t dare tell him about Macy Foy’s ultimatum; Marysa’s life teetered on the edge, dependent on Alayne’s secrecy and her effectiveness in finding the Vale.

The professor shifted his books from one arm to the other, his gaze not quite meeting Alayne’s. “Nothing yet, Miss Worth. But we’re working on it. Hopefully we’ll learn something soon.” He nodded awkwardly and turned for the classroom, leaving her behind.

Alayne cursed him internally. His words, though kind, lacked teeth.

Manders had told her that several search teams had been sent to Cliffsides since their return, but none had come back with any information. The system of caverns and tunnels was so varied and huge that it could take years to reach the end of them.

Alayne settled into her search in the days that followed. She needed a clear mind. Marysa’s survival depended on Alayne’s success in finding the Vale. She spent hours in the library, looking through the thousands of books that lined the shelves.

As time passed, dread seeped through Alayne’s inner regions. She imagined what Marysa’s captors would do if she couldn’t find the Vale.
Search the school
, they had said. As she returned from her jog every morning, she surveyed the massive spire with a critical eye. Where else to look?

She’d pored over book after book, hoping for something with a little more information on the Vale. All she had ever found was what had been in the book she’d hidden in her room—the book that had been stolen when her room had been ransacked.

Surely she should have found even a
hint
of the Vale. But so far, nothing.

Dorner’s death was under wraps for the time being. Manders had called Kyle and Alayne into his office and sworn them to secrecy. The situation was complicated; parents’ panic was barely contained. Sprynge didn’t want to deal with the fallout from a Continental Media report of the death of Clayborne’s Chairman. Manders, in accordance with Sprynge’s wishes, announced publicly that Dorner had taken an extended leave-of-absence, and that Sprynge would fill in until Dorner was able to come back. It was a bandage on a seeping wound. Soon the news would break, but for now, at least, Alayne could continue her search for the Vale without a full-blown parental panic impeding her progress.

A
t last
, Felycia Hargrave opened the special care ward to visitors. Kyle, who had returned to the common care ward occasionally to help, mentioned the news to Alayne one afternoon.

In the ward, Felycia glanced up from some paperwork as Alayne walked past. “Mr. Cross woke up, Alayne. He’s been asking for you all day.”

Alayne’s heart thudded to a stop and then restarted. “Thank you, Felycia.” She hurried into the back room.

Jayme’s eyes were shut as she walked in, but as soon as she tiptoed close to his bed his lids flew open.

“Jayme.” Alayne tentatively reached for his hand—the first time she’d touched him since he’d left at Christmas. She grasped it in both of hers and held it against her cheek.

His eyes, cloudy from sleep and sedation, brightened. “I missed you, Al.” His voice slurred, but his eyes sparkled with recognition, and the corner of his mouth turned up in a lopsided grin.

“Yeah, well,” Alayne heaved a sigh, “it hasn’t exactly been peaches and cream since you left. I missed you, too.”

Jayme shifted in bed so he could see her better. He licked his dry lips. “I hear I have Kyle to thank, in part, for rescuing me.”

Alayne stared seriously into his brown eyes. She nodded. “I couldn’t have done it without him, Jay.”

Jayme sighed. “Then I guess I will.” His eyes drifted shut, and Alayne started to rise.

“Al?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you doing okay? You know, since Marysa—”

“I’m fine.” Alayne squeezed his hand. “I’m working on it.”

“I feel loads better since you’re here.” He opened his eyes and grinned her favorite crooked grin. “But the meds Felycia’s got me on make me really sleepy, so I might drop off on you. Listen, I want to hear the whole story from your perspective, so as soon as I wake up—”

“Don’t worry.” Alayne released his hand. “I’ll tell you everything.”
Except the part about the Vale.

His eyes closed again. “You’re the best, Al. Wished so many times when we were stuck in that infernal cave that I could see you again. And then it seemed like I wasn’t going to make it...”

Alayne brushed the curls back from his temple. His hair was still dirty and matted; he’d only had sponge baths since his return. His form was skeletal under his hospital gown, though his cheeks didn’t look as sunken as they had in the cave. Nourishment and rest were doing their work. She traced her fingers down his arm and across his chest, disconcerted to feel how far his ribs pushed through his skin. He smelled musty and sweaty, and body odor drifted from his sheets. She wrinkled her nose, and then shame washed through her.

“I’ll come see you later, Jay,” Alayne promised before she realized he was asleep again. She turned away reluctantly.

When Alayne returned to the common room, Kyle was lounging on a couch reading a textbook. He dropped it and sat up as soon as he saw her. “You weren’t at hockey practice today,” he said as Alayne sank onto the couch and laid her head against the back.

“Nope.” She closed her eyes, wishing Marysa’s talkative personality were present to cover her own need to be silent and think. “Kyle, I’m exhausted and I miss Marysa. Hockey doesn’t seem that important right now.”

“Hey.” Kyle tugged the end of her braid where it lay over her shoulder. Alayne opened her eyes.

“What?”

“Are you feeling okay?” His blue eyes were full of concern.

Alayne nodded, but then shook her head. “No.” She blinked back the tears.

“Tell me about it.” He tugged her closer. He slid his arm around her shoulders and angled her so her head rested on his chest. Alayne could hear the solid thump of his heartbeat. His large hand rubbed her back.

It all came spilling out: how she blamed herself for Marysa’s disappearance, how frustrated she was over the ineffective promises from Sprynge, how terrified she was that she would never see Marysa again, how Jayme’s appearance had filled her with horror and she thought he might die, how she’d been panic-stricken that he would never wake from his coma, how she couldn’t concentrate on her studies because of all these things, and how Felycia’s comment about a Shadow-Caster’s proximity to their victim had made her question her trust in even her closest friends.

Alayne gulped down sob. “I was suspicious of everybody, including you, Kyle. My mind has gone over and over that scene in the cave, looking at each person, analyzing everybody’s expressions and movements and everything. Maybe the Shadow-Casters were hidden down one of the side tunnels, maybe they were one of the people in the cave, I don’t know. But I’ve driven myself crazy by wondering whom I can trust.”

Kyle’s hand never stopped rubbing her back. Alayne pushed herself away from his chest. “I’m sorry, I’ve soaked your shirt.”

Kyle shrugged as if shooing an annoying fly.

Alayne quickly pulled the water element from his shirt and flung it into the air.

Kyle gazed at her face, not blinking, his eyes intent. “Layne, I know I don’t have any proof, but out of all the people in CommonEarth, you can trust me.”

“I know.”

Kyle blinked. “You do?”

Alayne nodded. “You love me.”

They stared at each other for a moment, the silence between them pregnant with unspoken words. Kyle’s eyes bored into hers, and then he blinked. A faint sense of disappointment hung over him.

“What’s the matter?” she asked.

Kyle hesitated before reaching for her hand. He wove his fingers through hers, gripping them tightly when she tried to pull away. “I guess I thought that while you didn’t really understand that I loved you, then it made sense for you to be head over heels for Jayme. I had hoped that if the day ever came that you realized how much I really do love you, that you would drop him and come running to me.”

Alayne looked down at their tangled fingers and felt a flush creeping up her neck into her cheeks. “I love you, Kyle, just—not like that.”

Kyle’s thumb played with her fingertips. “So it’s all on my end, then? This flushed face—I didn’t do that to you?” His free hand brushed her burning cheek. He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her jawline. Alayne inhaled sharply.

A corner of his mouth turned up. “That doesn’t affect you at all? Your heart just normally beats that fast?” His fingers trailed down to the pulse in her throat. There was a challenge in his blue eyes.

Alayne yanked her fingers free from his hand. “I told you I love you, Kyle, as a friend. Stop pushing it.” She was irritated at his absolute confidence. “I’ve made my decision, and it’s Jayme. So live with it.” Her words came out harsher than she intended.

His silence brought her gaze up to meet his. His lips were pressed into a thin line. The pupils in his blue eyes were tiny, black wells of pain. At last, he nodded stiffly. “Well then.” He pushed himself off the couch, heading for the boys’ dormitories.

Alayne didn’t try to stop him.

S
ince her other
efforts to find the Vale had proved fruitless, Alayne moved on to surreptitiously scanning the professors’ offices, starting with Sprynge. She figured that if he knew anything about the Vale, he would have already come forward with it, but she wanted to make sure she didn’t miss anything. He finally welcomed her to his office, a subdued version of his former sprightly self, but Alayne gained nothing useful. Sighing, she checked him off her mental list and made appointments with each of the other professors. While she discussed classwork with her instructors, her eyes wandered sharply over every nook and cranny of the rooms.

Alayne had no success. She ached to tell Jayme about the Vale, but fear held her back. Perhaps she could do it in absolute privacy, but what if the Casters were watching her, spying on her somehow? What if they learned of her admission? She couldn’t risk it; Marysa’s life was the price, so she kept her secret and continued to search while her frustration grew.

Sprynge summoned her to his office one afternoon, and Alayne sat in the chair in front of Dorner’s massive desk and stared at the man who had taken his place. Claiming publicly that Dorner’s leave of absence left him no choice, Professor Sprynge had moved into the Chairman’s office. He sat with master files clustered through the air in front of him, his hands steepled beneath his chin, his eyes surveying her through the images. After a moment, he brushed the images away.

“Are you all right, Alayne?”

The floodgates opened. “Am I all right?” Alayne stood, her hands balling into fists at her sides. “No, I’m not all right, Professor! Why isn’t there any progress in the search for Marysa? One girl shouldn’t be so difficult to rescue!” A mention of the Vale nearly escaped her lips, and she grabbed the words back, quickly substituting them with the supposed reason for the kidnapping. “Why can’t the High Court just pretend to overturn the Natural Equality Act? Don’t they want Marysa freed? It should be a simple matter of saying they’ll take it back, and the Casters will release Marysa. Would it be so hard to capture them afterward?”

Sprynge sat through Alayne’s rant quietly. When she was finished, he said, “We’re doing the best we can, Alayne. There are politics involved. The High Court doesn’t pretend to overturn edicts, and they don’t acknowledge demands from known terrorists, either. Nor does Clayborne. Our school has a history with Simeon Malachi. We know better than to take him lightly.”

Alayne stilled. Eagerness streaked through her. At long last, perhaps she had found a clue. “History? What history?”

Sprynge’s eyes glittered strangely. He paused a long moment before he spoke. “Simeon Malachi broke into Clayborne years ago. He was searching, I’m told, for the legendary Vale. He really fussed the place up. I wasn’t here at the time; Manders is the only one that has been here that long.”

“Malachi broke into Clayborne?”

“I’m surprised you hadn’t heard.” Sprynge’s steely words were at odds with his grandfatherly concern. “It made news for months after it happened. I believe there was even a death associated with the event.”

Illusory hope flitted through Alayne and then disappeared. She could try to talk with Manders, but most likely, it would be another dead end, like everything else.

Sprynge stood, signaling the end of Alayne’s visit. “Miss Worth, we’ll keep working to find Miss Blakely. I’m gathering yet another search party to head to Cliffsides, and I’m also calling in some favors in the Capital to get some help from the higher ups.” He paused, his gaze searching Alayne’s face. “Do get some rest, Miss Worth. You look exhausted.”

“Yes, sir,” Alayne said woodenly. She turned for the door, her fingers trembling as she twisted the knob and exited through the reception area past Tarry.

She’d had another mirror talk with Macy Foy the previous night. Marysa’s scream had seared her heart as Alayne had asked for more time. “I’m coming, Marysa,” she’d cried.

Determination tightened Alayne’s jaw. She entered the chute and pressed the button for the gymnasium. When the chute doors opened, she exited, jogging along the track for the weight rooms where she was fairly certain Daymon would be.

The guy knew something about the Vale. He had the tattoo Jayme had told her about. He’d been reading the book she’d gotten from the library. He
had
to be hiding something.

She hadn’t seen much of him since the pool attack; he avoided her. Not that she minded. She didn’t like being the brunt of his sneering glances, but this was too important to leave him alone.

As she expected, she found him on the weight bench with a stack of heavy weights on either end of a long bar. He exhaled as he lowered the bar over his chest, and his arms flexed beneath his black muscle shirt as he pushed it skyward again. When he saw her, an odd expression creased his face. He grunted as he landed the bar back into its holder and sat up.