Mark of Four (22 page)

Alayne crossed her arms over her chest. “Daymon?”

He swung his legs over the bench and stood, heading for the locker room door.

“Daymon!”

He paused at the lockers, grabbing his water bottle. “What do you want, Worth?”

“I need to ask you something.”

He took a long swig of his water and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I doubt I’ll have the answer.”

“You don’t even know what I’m going to ask.”

“I can guess.”

Alayne studied his face. He kept it averted, his gaze on his hands.

“Okay, fine, what was I going to ask?”

“You want to know about that book I was reading in the library. And why I was reading it.” His eyes flashed up to meet hers, and Alayne shivered. “Isn’t that right?”

“Sort of.”

He arched an eyebrow. “What then?”

Alayne stepped closer, glancing over her shoulder. No one else was in the weight room, though three or four students loped by on the track. “Do you know where the Vale is?” There, she’d said it. She shivered at the release of the words she’d held inside since Macy Foy had darkened her mirror shard and demanded secrecy.

Of anyone, though, Daymon might know.

He had been fidgeting with his water bottle; now his fingers stilled completely. “What are you talking about?”

“The Vale. Everyone knows about it, but no one knows where it is. You—you were reading about it, and then I overheard a conversation—” She stopped as his blue eyes flashed.

“You
what
?” He stepped dangerously close. “
What did you hear
?”

“N—nothing.” Alayne hated her betraying stutter. She didn’t want him to know that he made her nervous. “I just thought you m—might know something about where the Vale is located.”

His furious blue eyes gazed inside of her, through her, baring all her insecurities. After a long silent moment, he shook his head. Finally, in a whisper, he enunciated, “I know nothing.”

Alayne blinked as he backed up a step.

“And don’t ask me again.”

He turned for the door to the locker room, leaving her alone.

A
layne stared
at the spot where Daymon had disappeared, frustration pounding at her temples. He knew,
he knew
... something, but he wasn’t telling her. Her fingers played nervously with the end of her braid, and then she made her decision.

She jogged back along the track to the chute, pressing the button for the office floors. On the way up, though, the door opened at the common room, and Kyle entered.

“Where are you off to?” he asked casually. The old friendship was still there, but with a new stiff note that Alayne found uncomfortable. She wondered how long they would be able to keep pretending that everything was normal.

Alayne shrugged, hoping he’d decide to turn around and return to the common room. “To talk to Professor Manders.”

“I’ll come with you.” He offered her no chance to refuse as he pressed the button again, and the car shot upward. Alayne stared grumpily at him, but he ignored her.

When they arrived, Professor Manders opened his door and stood back to allow Alayne and Kyle to enter. “Good afternoon, Miss Worth, Mr. Pence.” He motioned them to take their seats in two chairs that were wedged in between his desk and the wall. When they’d seated themselves, he rounded his notched, scratched desk and sat down opposite them. “How can I help you?”

Alayne shifted her weight and glanced at Kyle. He clasped and unclasped his hands, staring at his fingers, refusing to look at her. She gave a small sigh.

“Well, sir, I was wondering what you know about the Vale.”

Manders tapped his fingers on the wood in front of him. He pulled his hands back into his lap, hiding them under the desk, and cleared his throat. “Can you tell me why you want to know about the Vale, Alayne?” His creased face was grave as he studied her through steady gray eyes.

“I—I had planned to do my History of the Elements paper on it, sir, and I was having a hard time finding information on it in the library.”

Manders eyed her silently for several long moments. At last, he stood and turned to the window, running both hands through the thick hair at his temples. “That wasn’t the kind of topic I had in mind for that assignment, Miss Worth.”

“You didn’t say we couldn’t focus on myths and legends, though. I’ve already done so much research; I can’t switch topics now.”

Manders studied her before finally nodding. He cleared his throat again. “How much do you know about The Vale?”

“Only the bare minimum, sir. The library doesn’t provide much.”

Manders stood and pulled three glasses from the top of his filing cabinet. He set one in front of each of them. He sat down as Alayne felt the elements bend. Their cups filled with water. “Have a drink.” He picked up his glass, took a swallow, and then set it back down.

“The Vale goes back to ancient times, long before most people knew about Elementals. It existed before the Great Deluge, and of course it exists today. The Vale is powerful, so powerful that it has been the source of tension the world over for many centuries. Most people want to possess the Vale because of the power it contains.”

Alayne nodded. “Chairman Dorner explained some of that to me.”

Manders shot a narrow-eyed glance at her face. “Yes? I see.” He stroked his chin. “I don’t know that all the powers of the Vale have been fully disclosed, even over the centuries it has been in existence. The Vale, Alayne, has the power to amplify an Elemental’s abilities. Of course, the Elemental who possesses the Vale still has a learning curve; as they master their element, they still have to work their way up to perfection, but their progress is
much
swifter than that of a normal Elemental who has no benefit of the Vale’s powers. Can you see why it’s such a dangerous thing now? The entire world wants the Vale.”

Alayne nodded. “I understand, Professor.”

Manders took another sip of water. “In more recent history, from the Great Deluge until just twenty years ago, the Vale had been kept under guard in a Temple built specifically for its protection from power-seekers. Before its transfer to the Temple, it had started three wars, was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Elementals, and had turned brothers against each other. Eventually, the Temple was built to diffuse the situation, and the Vale was kept there until it was stolen, twenty years ago.”

“Stolen?” Alayne’s eyes widened. She glanced at Kyle.

“Yes.” Manders’s fingers fidgeted with his cup. “It was stolen by a woman named Patience Houser.”

“Houser!” Alayne sat up straight. “Daymon—”

“She was Daymon’s mother. My sister.”

Alayne was speechless. Harsh emotions rolled across the professor’s face. He reached beneath his glasses, squeezing the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb before he continued. “Patience kept it locked in her vault at her home where she lived on the eastern coast. She was terribly suspicious of anyone and everyone, so she eventually fired her staff and went into hiding. The Vale was the target for many power-seekers, and Patience evaded them all until Simeon Malachi finally tracked her down.”

Alayne sat breathless in her chair. She’d even forgotten Kyle’s presence beside her. “Did she escape?”

Manders acted as if he hadn’t heard her. He turned his head to the window, the setting sun reflecting in his glasses. “Malachi is an accomplished Water-Wielder. When he searched her house on the shore and came up with neither her nor the Vale, he pulled a huge tidal wave out of the ocean. It collapsed over the house and sent the whole thing out to sea.”

“But—he found your sister, then?”

Manders nodded. “Patience had been a professor here. She was an Air-Master. She married Phylip Houser as a student at Clayborne, but Phylip died not long after, leaving her a widow with an infant son, Daymon. She took a position at Clayborne to support herself and her child, but she loved the sea. She couldn’t stay away from it, so she bought a house where she could see it from her windows every morning. She and Daymon stayed there during the summers.”

Manders seemed to have forgotten they were there. He wandered back over the years in his words, and Alayne felt guilty for mentally urging him to return to the subject of the Vale. He soon obliged.

“Malachi had done his research. He knew where Patience worked, and when he didn’t find her at her home, he came straight to Clayborne. He discovered her hiding in the underground tunnels below the school.”

“We have tunnels?” Kyle interrupted. Alayne nudged him into silence, keeping her attention on Manders.

“We found evidence later that she had tried to run or fight, or both; doors torn off hinges, walls smashed in, whole rooms filled to the ceiling with water.” Manders swallowed hard, his fingers shaking a little as he gripped his cup. “But he got her in the end.”

Alayne broke the heavy silence. “I’m sorry.”

Manders nodded. “Thank you, Miss Worth. We can’t turn back time.” He sighed. “At any rate, Patience didn't have many friends, but your mother was one of her closest. The two were nearly inseparable for a long time.”

Shock sizzled through Alayne’s nerves. “My mother? But—my mom isn’t even an Elemental. How did she know Patience?”

Manders pushed his glasses up his nose and eyed her through them. His steely gray gaze seemed to be trying to tell her something.

“Your mother
is
an Elemental, Alayne. If she’s told you otherwise, she’s lying.”

A
layne stalked to the chute
. She’d nearly slammed Manders’s door in her haste to exit his office, and anger roiled in her mind as she thought of his accusation.

Calling her mother a liar, of all things!

Kyle’s heavy hand weighed down her shoulder. “Hold up a second, Layne.”

She stopped unwillingly, turning to Kyle. “What?” she bit out.

An eyebrow arched over one blue eye. “Why all the interest in the Vale?”

Alayne felt the flush rise in her cheeks. “No reason. It’s just research for my final project.”

His eyes narrowed.

Alayne flung her arms open. “Obviously, Kyle, everyone knows the Shadow Casters want the Vale! I thought maybe if it could be found, they’d be willing to give up Marysa.” She stopped in horror, afraid that she’d said too much. Kyle continued to survey her. Turning toward the chute, she muttered, “It was just an idea.”

“Where are you going?” Kyle asked.

“To see Jayme.” She pressed the button for the common care ward, and the doors closed on Kyle before he could enter the chute.

Alayne’s heart flip-flopped as she saw Jayme sitting up in a chair. His appearance was much improved; all traces of sickness had left his face, his arms and shoulders had filled out again. As Alayne drew near, he grinned. “Felycia finally took me off drugs today so I can actually stay awake. She said if she didn’t know better, she’d have thought I hadn’t been sick all year. She told me I could take a walk today in the gymnasium.” He stood and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Provided of course, that I have suitable company. I told her I didn’t need help, but she wouldn’t hear it.”

Alayne tried to shake off the misery that had followed her since she’d been back from Cliffsides. If anything, Jayme needed her to be in good spirits. He looked fine, but she was sure he was still recovering. She forced a teasing smile. “Oh, okay.” She turned for the chute. “If you don’t need help, I guess I’ll see you later, then.”

“No, Al, wait.”

She turned to face him, arching her eyebrows as she waited.

“Please, take pity on me, a poor invalid who doesn’t feel like an invalid, and walk with me, oh please, oh please.”

Alayne heaved a long-suffering sigh and rolled her eyes. “I guess. Come on, Mr. Cross. Let’s get you moving.”

He put his arm over her shoulder, and she gripped his hand as it hung over her neck. They walked to the chute and dropped to the gymnasium. Alayne glanced up at Jayme’s face. “Are you sure you’re up for a walk?”

“I told you, I feel great. I honestly don’t know what the fuss is all about. Felycia should just send me back to the dorms tonight.” The first arena to their right was the track and field. Jayme motioned toward the track. “Let’s start out with a lap and see how I’m doing.”

The two stepped on the cushioned tread and began making their way around.

“So, we never did discuss the cave, Al.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, you’ve been in a coma and rather unavailable for talking.”

“Yeah,” Jayme grimaced. “After Felycia releases me, I’m never going to sleep again. What a waste of time.”

Alayne chuckled, thankful for the relief it brought her tortured mind, even if it was only temporary.

“So how did you find me? How did you know what cave to look in?”

Alayne took a deep breath and told him about the mirror. Jayme’s eyes grew round. “No way. How in the world did Marysa get her hands on something that valuable?”

“I guess it was Professor Grace’s.” Alayne shrugged. “She was cleaning out her storage closet and found it. It wasn’t in the best shape ever—it had a triangle of glass missing from the top, but its other qualities more than made up for it, I think.”

“And it still works, even now that it’s broken?”

“Yep. It shows the same picture in all the glass pieces in the box.”

“So,” Jayme said, “it showed me inside the cave, but how did you figure out which cave it was?”

“We saw a red shirt out on the cliffs beside the opening,” Alayne said.

Jayme grinned. “I put it there, hoping someone would see it!”

“It worked, thank goodness. But it was a close one, Jayme. A few more days, and you all would have been gone.”

Jayme shook his head. “I never quite realized how dependent I’ve gotten on being able to use the elements. We had a few Elementals in our group from each of the four elements, and we could have gotten out fine, except that whoever was responsible for all this tied up the elements out of reach.”

“I didn’t even know that was possible.” Alayne glanced up at him. He certainly looked fine; his brown eyes sparkled with an inner glow and his cheeks were flushed from exercise. “Let’s sit down for a bit,” she suggested. “You’ve walked a full quarter of a mile. I don’t want to get in trouble with Felycia if you push it too hard today.”

Jayme grudgingly agreed and allowed her to lead him to the bleachers. They sat facing the turf field.

Jayme leaned back on the bench behind him and hooked his fingers behind his head. “So tell me what else happened in the cave.”

The smile slipped from Alayne’s face. Her shoulders rounded in discouragement. She forced the words from her mouth—all about Marysa and the kidnapping, the other sick students, the story the three ex-professors had given her about the Blakelys and their involvement with the Natural Equality Act, and her fading hopes of finding Marysa. “Felycia told me that to Shadow-Cast, the Caster has to be within a few hundred feet of the victim. The farther away the Caster is from the victim, the harder it is to hold a Cast on them. The victim will fight it.”

“So you’re saying that maybe the Shadow-Caster was right there in the caverns with us?”

“It might have been Sprynge, maybe one of the students pretending to be unconscious, although I doubt it. Maybe it was all an act by Foy, or Pepper, or Walters. Could have been the pilot of the shuttle, although he was down by the base camp at the time, which was at least a quarter of a mile away. Or the Casters could have been in one of the many tunnels around where we were.”

“Who do
you
think it was?” Jayme looked directly at her.

Alayne rubbed her hands nervously up and down her leg. “I don’t know, Jay. I’ve gone over it so many times in my head, pinpointing a different person each time, but every time I do, it doesn’t make sense.”

“Maybe someone’s hiding something.” Jayme paused as he watched her. “Maybe it’s Kyle.”

“That’s not fair,” Alayne snapped, a flush creeping up her cheeks. “He saved your life. You and the other students.”

“I’m not accusing, Al.” Jayme shook his head. “I’m just pointing out all the possibilities.” He reached out one arm and pulled her hand away from her leg. “Would you, if you were perfectly honest with yourself, be able to see it if Kyle was really guilty? Or would you still pass him over because you care so much for him?”