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Eleanor huffed, like it was typical of her husband to misplace something so important. “We can thank them by getting as far away from Octavia Falls as possible. We’ll contact the Hozho for an early pick-up and get the hell out of Connecticut. After all this, I’m sure Malovia will be much kinder.”
“We can help—” Lucas started, but Eleanor cut in.
“You’ve helped enough. We don’t wish to bother you further.” She’d clearly made up her mind. “Unless you have a car that can take us far away from here, so we can meet our transport ship at a safer location.”
Grammy’s car was back at the house, but it didn’t matter if these people were innocent—we weren’t leading them back there.
Lucas shook his head. “I’m sorry, we don’t. We’ve been hiking all night.”
It was a small lie, but one that ensured our safety.
I stepped forward. “If you ever find yourself back in the area, we’ll help in any way we can. I’m Nadine, and this is Lucas.”
Eleanor held her chin high. “Believe me, we will not be back. Come now, Elliot. We must begin the trek to the nearest town.”
Eleanor strode off with her Familiar at her side. Her husband scrambled behind them, though he turned back to bow his head and thank us again.
They disappeared into the trees.
I turned to Lucas as my heart rate finally settled. “Grammy’s going to kill us.”
Lucas took my hand, and we started back up the mountain. “Not if we don’t tell her. I can hear the lecture now. You could’ve been caught!”
I chuckled. “Yeah, by you, Grammy. For the millionth time.”
Lucas smirked, though he looked more relieved than anything. “I think we better keep this to ourselves for now.”
“Right,” I agreed. “It’ll be our little secret.”
* * *
I recounted the story to the others, and Chloe’s jaw hung open as she listened.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” she demanded.
“We didn’t tell anyone,” I said. “Grammy would’ve killed us for going past the ward boundaries. We never left the safe house after that. Everyone was safe at the time.”
Lucas thumbed through the journal. “The priestesses ordered the Executors to kill the Elementai couple after they’d already been guaranteed security in Octavia Falls by the United Supernatural Union. It’s not unusual for us to get visiting professors now and then. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but the professor’s wife said he’d wandered off, and an Executor mentioned he’d been sticking his nose in places it didn’t belong. He must’ve stumbled across something he wasn’t supposed to.”
“Lilian must’ve taken his journal before she ordered the Executors to kill them,” I noted. “What does it say?”
Lucas turned to a page dated the middle of June. “We have reached Octavia Falls and settled into our hotel room. The staff here is lovely and even offered us tea at check-in brewed by the best Alchemists in town! I feel relaxed already. I can’t wait to try the witches’ famous maple syrup at breakfast. First, I hope to make a visit to their college campus. I hear their library is wonderful.”
Lucas flipped to the next page. “The school is smaller than I anticipated. It appears to be in need of some serious renovations, but I suppose the cracks in the walls lend themselves to the centuries-old charm. I was unable to find my way to the library, but I did find a lovely museum—or perhaps an archives room? The double doors leading me here are carved beautifully with Miriamic symbols, though there was no label on the door. Either way, I have found myself among antique Miriamic artifacts I would love to study further. Items I see from where I sit include books on various supernatural races, potions vials, wands with Miriamic religious symbols carved into them, a large cauldron, and…”
“And… what?” Chloe asked.
Lucas shook his head. “That’s it. It just cuts off here.”
He showed us the page. I saw that there was a long line of ink stretched across the paper, as if someone had yanked the journal from his hands before he could finish writing.
“He’s referring to the Oaken Wands,” Lucas stated. “I know it.”
Chloe looked thoughtful. “That makes sense. It’s too obvious to keep them at the Imperium headquarters, and the school is always going to have Executors defending it.”
Talia furrowed her brow. “But where in the school? That doesn’t sound like the archives room at school. I’ve been in the archives, and it’s just a bunch of shelves of books and old newspapers.”
“He describes double doors with Miriamic symbols,” I pointed out. “It’s Headmistress Verla’s old office. Elliot didn’t walk into a museum at all. He just thought he did.”
