—Lord Byron, “Darkness”
As we stepout of the darkened tunnels beneath Arches, Warden Stone approaches us, flanked by men and women in flowing robes. “You three, come with me.”
“Nope, we’re done with this place,” I say.
“Perhaps not quite yet,” says Warden Stone.
We have no choice but to follow him to his office. I half expect to see a platoon of guards here to escort us away, but it’s just us as Stone leads us inside.
His office is not as messy as we’d last seen it, and it’s brighter, too. Candles have been lit, and the room isn’t as cold as I remember. I stand between Dorian and Atticus as Warden Stone looks intently at each of us. He’s always been an imposing figure, broad and tall, but now he stands as if a great weight has been lifted from his shoulders.
“A century ago, a girl named Adelina Ward, a student at Sibylline, created a malum. The shadow killed two students, but it was captured and contained by my predecessors. The shadow lay in a cell beneath Arches until the tower fell and set it free.”
“We know,” I say. “We figured it all out. Without your help.”
Warden Stone presses his lips into a line, but he doesn’t argue. It catches me off guard.
“What you don’t know is that to prevent another incident,” he says, “Sibylline denied admission to those with psychic ability. Sibylline didn’t want another Adelina Ward. The ability to invade the mind, to read thoughts and feelings and emotions, was seen as dangerous.Anyonewho was deemed remarkably powerful was seen as dangerous, too.”
“So the school kept out people like us,” says Dorian.
Warden Stone nods, his blue gaze no longer like ice. “Our hiring manager forwarded me your résumés. I knew someone was trying to free the malum—a faculty or staff member, I suspected—but I didn’t know who. I couldn’t let you in as students, but I thought if I let you work here, maybe one of you could help me figure out who was upsetting the magical balance in the atmosphere.”
Numbly, I think back to that day we got our rejection letters. So they really wanted us after all? It’s strangely vindicating.
Meanwhile, Dorian says, “Professor White was behind everything. She kidnapped Atticus to bring Adelina back.”
“Where is Professor White now?” Warden Stone asks.
“Gone, somehow. Only dust remains,” I say, not really knowing what happened when her spell failed.
“Sounds like telepyrosis,” says Warden Stone. “She was consumed by the force of her own magic.”
“What happened to the malum?” I ask.
“We were able to destroy it with St. Adolphus Hall’s help. I’ve been working closely with them in secret. They knew those in their ranks would be targets. They have been studying the phenomenon for years.”
Silently I give Aspen and his friends thanks. I’m sorry I ever suspected him.
“So why did you fire us?” Atticus asks. The memory still stings.
“It was a calculated risk,” admits Stone, looking shamefaced. “My reasons were twofold. If I kept you on after what happened under Arches, it would look suspicious, and firing you would draw my suspect out of the shadows, so to speak…Professor White did exactly what I thought she would do. She was desperate not to lose a powerful magic user before her work could be completed.”
It’s all starting to make sense. “You knew we were the only ones who could stop her,” I say. “So, then, why are we here now?”
“Don’t you know, Miss Chen? You’re so much more perceptive usually.” Warden Stone gives us a thin smile. “I’m here to offer you admission.”
“To Sibylline?”
“Where else?” he asks amusedly.
I’m floored. I look at Dorian, at Atticus—they’re both as shocked as I am. Atticus looks a little haunted; his eyes have changed. They’re still dark, still deep and warm, but they glitter with an unnatural shine, just like starlight, radiant even at night. Dorian’s frowning, but his eyes are shining as well.
“It’s time to make some changes around here,” Warden Stone says. “Now, will you accept? We’ll have the paperwork drawn up, and you will be welcome to move into the dormitory, of course.”
“But—you—you fired us!” I shriek.
“I had to. I couldn’t risk letting whoever was plotting against the school know that I was trying to expose them.”
