The Sphere (The Magi Series #2) (49 page)

“Local or foreign?”

“Local.”

“That’s nice.  What’s your favorite subject so far at
school?”

“Elijah, is something wrong?  You’re acting a bit strange.”

This was it.  He needed to just plunge in and ask.  He was
tempted to just forget it and try another day, but he was quite convinced that
another day would end up just like this.  Or maybe worse.

“I’m just nervous, that’s all.  I wanted to ask you a
question,” he began.

Hannah leaned in.  She put her hand on his hand, which made
him practically hyperventilate.  He took a deep breath.

“I’ve been thinking about something for a long time,” he
began.  He felt like he was on the verge of erupting into laughter.  It was as
if his diaphragm was somehow vibrating.  “I’m not sure what you think
about…me.  But I’ve been thinking about you a lot, and…well, not a lot…a normal
amount.  A normal amount that is for someone who has a question like I have a
question.  Does that make sense?”

Hannah looked at him kindly.  Her green eyes were
sympathetic as he stumbled through his awful speech.  Then, they looked up over
his head.  Her entire demeanor changed.

“I’m sorry, Elijah,” she said.  “I don’t mean to interrupt
you, but look over there.”

Elijah was grateful for the break in conversation, but when
he turned around he forgot everything he planned to say.  Just beyond the back
tables, he saw Thomas opening the doors to the third floor.  From the inside!

“What’s he doing coming from there?” Elijah asked.  “I
thought only Level Two Novices were allowed to go under the library.”

“You’re right,” Hannah answered.

“We should tell the others,” Elijah said standing up.

“Are you finished?  I didn’t mean to stop you,” Hannah said.

“It can wait,” Elijah said.  He was ready to try again later
anyway after his disaster.  Besides, he was almost certain now that Thomas was
up to something, and his other friends should know.

Hannah and Elijah raced up the three flights of stairs to
the Novice Halls.  They gathered their friends and met at the giant oval fire
pit at the main level.

“What’s the deal?” Paul asked.  “You guys see a ghost?”

“Worse,” Elijah said.  “We just saw Thomas again.  Only he
was coming up from the bottom of the third floor.”

“You mean under the library?” Isaac asked.

“Yeah,” Elijah replied.

“But that’s forbidden!” Isaac said.

“So let me get this straight,” Paul said.  “You’ve now seen
him coming out of the attic or whatever that trap door is.  He’s been acting
weird in the library.  Looking for stuff and then disappearing altogether.  And
now you just saw him coming out of the forbidden area.  I mean, forbidden for
him?”

“Yup,” Elijah said.

“He’s got to be up to something,” Paul said.  “He’s all over
the place.  What do you think he could be doing?”

“I’m not sure,” said Elijah.  “But why else would he be
going everywhere he’s not supposed to be?”

“Could he be looking for something?” Becca asked.

“What is there to look for?” Elijah said.

“We’re not going to get any answers just guessing,” Paul
stated.  “We need to follow him.  Everywhere.  I mean not like before, but we
need someone on him always.  This guy’s no good.”

Elijah felt an odd sensation just before Andrew Glavin walked
up to the group of them.

“Hey, you live with the Roddicks don’t you?” Andrew asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“You haven’t heard?  He’s back!”

Chapter
23:

MASTER RODDICK, THE TRAITOR

“Master Roddick’s back?” Elijah asked, not sure he heard
correctly.

“That’s what I heard,” Andrew said.  “Apparently he came
home today pretty beat up.  Rumor has it he fought a bunch of Maliphists. 
Sorry, man.  I thought you knew.”

Elijah’s head began to spin.  Just a few minutes ago, he was
preparing to talk to Hannah about her interest in him.  Then Thomas.  And now
this.  He couldn’t seem to keep his thoughts straight.

“Go talk to Button!” Paul said, shooing Elijah.  “You’re not
going to be able to concentrate on this Thomas stuff anyway.  We’ll trail him
while you’re gone.”

Elijah found Mr. Button, and sure enough, Andrew was right.

“Can I go see him now?” Elijah asked.

“I wish I could, Elijah,” Button said.  “I’ll let you go
first thing in the morning, though.  Can’t be showing anymore favors to you,
eh?”

“Do you at least know if he’s okay?” Elijah asked.

“I think so,” said Mr. Button.  “They’d be gettin’ you for
sure if not.”

That didn’t help Elijah’s mind settle that night, but he
forced himself to fall asleep anyway.  He wanted to be up at the first light so
he could spend as much time with Master Roddick as possible.

Elijah was at the front gates the moment the sun was up. 
One of the soldiers escorted him to the city center, and from there he ran at a
full sprint to the Roddick house.  He pounded on the door.  Mrs. Roddick, looking
even more tired and weary, opened the door.

“Well, well,” she said in a whisper.  “Word travels fast. 
Come in, but keep your voice down.  Everyone’s still asleep.”

Elijah stepped into the room and to his elation saw not only
Master Roddick, but Greg, Bronco, and Uncle Stan, lying around the room. 
Elijah looked back at Mrs. Roddick.

“It’s a long story,” she whispered.  “I’ll let him tell you
when he wakes up.  How about some breakfast?”

“Sure,” Elijah said.  “Thanks.”

“Is that Elijah Hawk?” a gruff voice sounded out.  It was
Uncle Stan just waking up.  At his voice, the others woke up as well.  Uncle
Stan stood up and embraced Elijah.  “Good to see you.  And a little thinner
than I last saw you.  You been eatin’?”

“I’m fine,” Elijah said.  He immediately looked at Roddick
who looked terrible.  He was beat up.  His hairline had a gash in it with dried
blood caked around him, and his right arm was in a sling.  Elijah was afraid to
look him directly in the eyes.  He felt like he needed to cry, but he didn’t
know why.  Master Roddick stood up and faced Elijah, who had now lowered his
head and looked at the ground, his vision beginning to blur with tears.  He
knew this should be a happy moment.  He knew there was a story, but he couldn’t
help reliving the last time he saw his friend.  Elijah had pushed it out of his
mind so often, giving Master Roddick every plausible excuse that now that the
truth was about to come out, he felt everything he had been keeping inside
begin to boil to the top like a hot kettle overflowing.

“I know I have a lot to explain,” Roddick said, seeing
Elijah’s face.  “I’ve thought about this moment every day since I’ve been gone,
and I’m so glad it’s finally here.  Although, I hope I haven’t done too much
damage.”

Elijah looked up at Master Roddick and wiped away tears that
had stubbornly leaked out of his tear ducts.  Roddick didn’t ask.  He lunged
toward Elijah and wrapped him up tightly.  Everything Elijah had been feeling
seemed to come out.  The fight with his friends.  Rico’s death.  Olivia’s blind
trust in him.  And of course, the way he was treated by Master Roddick.  He
tucked his head inside Roddick’s arms and let it all out.  Roddick didn’t let
go until Elijah was had composed himself again, a true sign of a dear friend.

Mrs. Roddick came in from the kitchen.  “What’s going on,
Glen?”

“First, give the boy some food and something to drink,”
Roddick said as he let go. “Bronco, do you mind helping my wife?”

Bronco grunted and left for the kitchen.  When he had
brought out plates for everyone, Master Roddick sat up gingerly.

“Let me say again, Elijah, I have been waiting for this day
for so long.  It seems like just yesterday, but do you remember at the
beginning of this term, just before I left, the council came here and read a
covenant verse?”

“Yes,” Elijah replied.

“That was a task,” Roddick said.  “Olivia had given me a
task to join the Maliphists.”

“What?!?”

“I know.  I thought the same thing at first.  But the Magi
had been getting very worried since we hadn’t heard anything from the
Maliphists in some time.  We figured they were up to something.  Turns out,
they were.  But I’ll get to that.  Now, you have to understand, joining the
Maliphists isn’t exactly as easy as walking up to them and signing a piece of
paper swearing your allegiance.  They have to feel it.  You have to be one of
them in spirit.  They can smell a rat better than anyone.  So I had to play the
part.  I had to become one of them in spirit and totally immerse myself into
their beliefs and attitudes.”

“Is that why you acted the way you did when I came to your
camp?” Elijah asked.

“I knew the moment I saw you that if I didn’t totally cut my
ties with you that I wouldn’t be able to make a convincing traitor,” Roddick
answered.  “I hope you understand now, but I knew I had to hurt you.”

“Is that what you two were arguing about at camp the night
before you went to Saint Phillip’s?” Elijah asked.

“We had a few words about getting too close to the
Maliphists,” said Uncle Stan.  “I think I won that argument.”

Elijah looked confused and Roddick said, “I’ll explain. 
There’s quite a bit more to the story.  I actually succeeded in playing my
part.  I got close to Hawthorne and his minions.  They put me through many
tests to see if I was committed to changing my allegiances.  I’m not proud of
some of the things I said and did to do this, but I did it for the good of the
cause.  They began to trust me and include me in some of their plans.  Well, to
get to the main point, and I don’t think it’s much of a secret anymore, the
Maliphists found the sphere.  But they weren’t sure how to use it.  I still
don’t think they know.  Luther Cain’s pretty furious at it all, from what I
hear.  Anyway, they decided to test it out on a common city, just south of
Malpetra.  I knew that I was instructed to be there to get close to the
Maliphists, but a full-scale attack on a common city was something I couldn’t
ignore.  I sent out an emergency response message to your uncle and his team
that they were planning an attack using the sphere.  Your uncle responded with
his team and we were supposed to meet just outside the academy.  Only, we were
ambushed.  Somehow, the Maliphists got word that I was a traitor and they were
ready for us.  We barely escaped with our lives.”

“Does that mean you can never go back there?” Elijah asked. 
“I mean, as long as the Maliphists control Saint Phillip’s?”

“I’m afraid so,” Roddick said.  He looked up at Miranda who
didn’t even hide her joy.  She bit her bottom lip and suppressed a smile, but
she beamed from every part of her body.

“So what about the attack?” Elijah asked.

Uncle Stan piped in.  “They already tried it.  It didn’t
work.  That sphere’s no good apparently.”

“Wait,” Elijah said, confused.  “If they had already tried
it, why did they make you think you were part of the attack?”

“Like I said,” Roddick responded, “I was ambushed.  I think
they
wanted
me to contact your uncle and the other marshals.  I’m not
sure if they found out somehow that I was not who I was pretending to be or if
they knew all along, but somehow, they knew.”

“When I was at Saint Phillip’s and I came to you in your
classroom, was that all part of the act?” Elijah said.

“I knew exactly what you were doing, Elijah,” Roddick said. 
“I even knew your friend Becca was there too.  You guys really need to work on
being more inconspicuous.  I did everything I could to keep Hawthorne’s
attention away from you two.”

“Oh,” Elijah said, remembering one more thing.  “Samuel.  I
saw him there.”

“Yes,” Roddick said.  “He’s been quite busy being a
Maliphist.  They shipped him from Malpetra as an intern for a semester to learn
from the Maliphists at the Academy.  They have him as a patrolman of sorts.  He
had punishment duty.”

Elijah wondered how it was possible that Samuel, who was
beaten and abused by the Thorn Stick, could now be the person responsible for
using it on others.  How could someone turn so easily?

“Wow,” Elijah said.  “I guess you’re lucky to be here.  All
of you.”

“That they are,” Mrs. Roddick said.  “And they all got quite
a shock when they walked in seeing me.”  She rubbed her belly proudly and
walked over to Master Roddick who put his good hand on her.  She positively
sparkled with a new energy.

“Had I known about this, I would never have accepted the
task,” Roddick said.

“Yes you would have,” Mrs. Roddick said.  “Because you’re a
good man who does the right thing.  Now quit talking and rest so you can play
with your girls when they wake up.  Which shouldn’t be long now.”

“Yes ma’am,” he said.

Elijah looked at Uncle Stan. “How long are you staying?” he
asked.

“Not long I’m afraid,” Stan said.  “Just because one attack
failed doesn’t mean more will.  Cain’s obsessed with the sphere and won’t rest
until he figures out how to make it work.  That means work for us.”  Uncle Stan
stretched and scratched the stubble on his face.  “We actually just stopped by
to deliver Glen here.  But I’m glad you dropped in.  That way I won’t feel
guilty about not seeing you.”

“You should stay longer,” Elijah suggested.

“I wish I could,” Uncle Stan replied.  “But duty calls.”

Elijah nodded and then thought of one more thing.  “Oh.  I
have a weird question for you.  Did you and my dad have an agreement to write
something on a certain page in a book?”

Uncle Stan lit up and looked puzzled.  Then, he looked like
he was in a faraway place.  His voice changed from his normally gruff tone to
soft and nostalgic.  “I completely forgot about that.  Yes, we did.  How do you
know about that?”

Elijah considered telling his uncle then, but he wasn’t sure
what kind of questions the whole truth would bring up, so he just said, “I just
remembered my dad saying something about it.”