After the library was sorted out, and with no further news from Leo, Rinka asked Groundskeeper Tomasar if they could borrow his dog for the search.
“If he’s here, Barney’ll find him,” he said, giving him a treat. “He needs something to scent. Do you have anything of his?”
Ceri offered Barney a long sniff of the journal.
Willow the cat took a sniff as well. “It’s good to refresh my nose. It’s not quite as keen as Barney’s here, I’ll admit. I’m convinced he could speak—”
“Woof!” said Barney.
“—if he wanted to, but every time I try, he does that.”
“Keep trying,” said Rinka, bending to pet her. “Alison told me that Dinah has two words now.”
“Isn’t she just so clever? I do miss her.”
Ceri followed Rinka and Groundskeeper Tomasar, who followed Willow, who followed Barney, out into the courtyard where Ceri had seen Leo last.
“He’s got the scent, at least,” said Rinka.
Groundskeeper Tomasar frowned at the browned grass spreading out from the center of the lightning strike.
“Better the turf than the tree, I suppose,” he said, tugging his thumbs on the straps of his overalls. “Ol’ Norminster lives to see another day. She’ll outlive us all.”
The yew had lost a limb or two but seemed otherwise unaffected by the storm. It had undoubtedly seen many more like it in its thousands of years.
The storm had succeeded in one thing: sweeping any last remains of the summer firmly away. The air it left behind was much colder, and the leaves on the trees up the mountain were noticeably more yellow, with some red and orange coming through.
Ceri wondered if it was autumn where Leo was.
She checked the journal again (still nothing) and followed the animals as they led to the dormitory door on the other side of the courtyard.
“In here?” asked Tomasar. Barney barked excitedly in reply, his fluffy brown tail wagging.
He was pretty cute, Ceri admitted. She’d never had a pet—King Derkomai felt they were unclean—but she’d admired her Aunt Chloe’s various pets from afar. Perhaps when this was all over, she’d get herself a dog. Or a cat, although they seemed less like pets and more like friends.
Not that she minded the idea of making more friends, either.
Ceri smiled a little at the thought. Maybe there was something to what Leo had said about being too hard on herself.
Ceri realized as they moved through the dorm that they were on her hall. The dog stopped in front of her room, asking to be let in.
“Do you know it?” asked Tomasar.
“This is my room,” said Ceri.
She unlocked the door. Ana was inside remaking their beds.
“Oh, hello, puppy!” Ana cried, running over to Barney. She swept her pink hair out of her face and let him lick her cheek. “Who’s this? Who’s a good boy?”
“This is Barney,” said Willow.
“Hello, Barney!” said Ana.
“Leo’s trail led us here,” said Rinka. “Willow, was it recent?”
Rinka shot a glance at Ceri, who blushed. She was asking if Leo had been here before, and he had. But there had beennothing scandalous going on. He had simply walked her back a couple of times when they were in the laboratory late at night.
Of course, those nights also corresponded to some of the folded pages in Ceri’s pocket, which perhaps wasn’t a coincidence.
