“Sterling’s heard about the Princes’ escape. They know you’re on the run. They’ve stepped up the security.”
“Have you spoken to him?” I ask, eyes running over my friend for any signs that he’s hurt or injured.
“We exchanged some words,” he says. “But don’t worry, he doesn’t know anything.”
“And Clare?” I say, feeling my body turn rigid.
“She’s in there now talking to him.”
I glance anxiously towards the Professor who has joined us in the tunnel and rests his hand on my shoulder.
“Clare can look after herself, Briony. Just trust her.”
“Were you followed here?” Beaufort says, glancing towards the open doorway.
Fly shakes his head.
“How do you know?” Dray asks, narrowing his eyes.
“Eros,” my friend says. “I lived a very covert lifestyle back in Iron. There were certain activities I was involved in that my family would not have approved of. I’m very good at throwing people off the scent and sneaking around.”
The shifter sniffs but doesn’t say anything else.
“They might notice you’re missing again,” the Professor says.
Fly nods. “Which is why this is just a quick courtesy call to tell you how things are out there right now. I’d proceed with caution.”
I give him a hug. He kisses my cheek, and then he’s racing away again.
“I don’t like this,” I say when he’s gone. “I’m putting my friends in harm’s way.”
“Your friends are your friends, Briony,” the Professor says, “because they care about you, and they’re willing to face that danger because of you.”
I haven’t exactly been popular at the academy. Long before we realized both Bardin and the Empress were probably going to try and kill me, there were other people making my life miserable, and by association Fly and Clare’s too. Yet, both my friends have stuck by me from the very beginning despite the shit this has thrown their way.
“I think we’re safe to go visit Cornelius,” Fox says, taking my hand.
“You think so?” I say.
“Briony. I know this academy like the back of my hand, far better than Sterling does. Trust me.”
“Didn’t know about the secret room though, did you, Prof?” Dray mutters. “Or the tunnel leading out to the Highlands.”
“I know enough,” the Professor says, scowling at him.
“And what are we meant to do while you’re gone?” Dray says, kicking at the floor. He’s still slightly green, although he’s clearly been scrubbing at his skin.
“Make yourselves useful. Make dinner or something.”
Dray goes to argue, but the Professor is already pulling me through the doorway and into the library. He pauses, listening and sniffing the air, then he raises his hand, and the walls and shelves all move again. We step further into the library. It’s dark and quiet and empty. I’ve never been more relieved that most students in this academy rarely visit the library.
“Which way now?” I ask.
The Professor presses a finger to his lips, and has his shadows dancing around us the next moment. Then we’re creeping out along the pathways. We don’t take the main routes – we take the ones around the edge of the academy, dodging guards and students, keeping hidden in the shadows until finally we’re outside Professor Cornelius’s quarters.
I can hear the voices of other teachers, and I glance at the Professor anxiously. He waves his hand. The door to the professor’s room opens, and we slip inside. The heat from a fire hits us instantly. It’s roaring in the hearth, and Professor Cornelius sits in an armchair in front of the fire, a glass of what looks like sherry in his hand and his eyes closed.
Fox shuts the door quietly behind us, and we tiptoe across the room, every wall covered in over-stuffed bookcases.
