Baz nodded. Professor Selandyn was an Omnilinguist, able to understand and speak any language fluently. Perhaps her ability would extend to these possibly made-up languages Clover had penned.
“That man remains as much of a mystery as ever,” Jae sighed, “even to those of us who’ve dedicated our lives to researching his work. Why do you think he’s held so much fascination overus for so long? Not much is known of his life to begin with, and this journal’s no help at all. Although he does mention a sister in there—Delia—but I’d heard those rumors before.”
A sister!Baz thought as he perused the journal. He stopped on a quickly sketched illustration of an armored knight facing off against a dragon. The warrior from the story.
“We know he was enrolled at Aldryn,” Jae continued, “that he was an excellent Healer, that he had a sister—but other than that, it’s as if they’re both ghosts. Came out of nowhere and disappeared without a trace. Even the name Clover and all the wealth that’s tied to it seemingly appeared overnight, making it impossible to trace its lineage. It’s as if he and his sister stepped out of another world entirely and disappeared back to it without a trace.”
Which might very well be the case, Baz thought, and he knew Jae was thinking the same. They had proof that a door to other worlds existed. Who was to say Clover hadn’t indeed lived through the events ofSong of the Drowned Gods? That he wasn’t the scholar on the shores himself?
When the train pulled into Threnody Central, Baz and Jae hugged a quick goodbye before Jae motioned to the window with a wink. “Someone ought to give that poor boy a hand.”
On the platform, the illusioned Baz had apparently taken a bit of a tumble, and his luggage had come open, spilling out all its contents. An indignant laugh bubbled out of the real Baz. “Now I’m just offended.”
Jae grinned. “Wanted to make sure eyewitnesses saw you here today.”
It made sense; they did want everyone to believe Baz had spent the holidays in Threnody, so if the Regulators were watching, they would give them a show. Jae thrummed their fingers on the compartment door, looking back at Baz with a fond sort of sadness. “Take care, Basil.”
“You too, Jae. And please—be careful with the Reanimator.”
He still thought Jae was being far too trusting of this particular Eclipse-born they were meeting up with in Threnody, but he had to believe Jae could handle themself.
Baz watched Jae disappear on the platform with an inkling of dread, wondering when they’d see each other again. If they’d see each other again at all.
No. He was worrying for nothing.
The illusioned Baz had finally picked himself up off the floor and was hurrying onto the train when the real Baz noticed someone watchinghimoutside his compartment.
All the blood rushed from his head. The man wore a stiff tweed suit under a large woolly coat. The tapered brim of his hat sat low on his forehead, shading his eyes. And though he turned away as soon as Baz looked up, making his way to another compartment, there was no doubt in Baz’s mind that his attention had been fixed on him.
Had the Regulators found him, then? If so, he could only hope Jae’s illusion had worked.
The rest of the journey to Cadence was spent in a state of agonizing anxiety, even as Baz tried to tell himself that everything was fine. Surely if the Regulators had seen through Jae’s ruse, this man would make a move while the train was still moving, cornering Baz when there was nowhere for him to go. A unit of Regulators would be waiting for them at the Cadence station, and Baz would be taken in for questioning, much to Drutten’s satisfaction. Theodore and Kai would be brought back to the Institute, and everything would be ruined.
But when the train pulled into Cadence and Baz stepped out of his compartment, the man he spotted a ways down wasn’t looking at him. When Baz grabbed his luggage and made for the door, the man did not run to follow. And when Baz stepped onto the busy platform, no Regulator was there waiting for him.
The place was crawling with students coming back from their holidays. There was an odd energy on the platform, a grim excitement that Baz didn’t quite understand but attributed to the start of the new term. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed that same man following him. His steps were unhurried, his manner casual; probably just heading toward the exit like everyone else. Still, Baz picked up the pace, heart in his throat as he sought to put some distance between them—and tripped over someone’s luggage, flying to the floor with it as a result.
“Oomf.”
“Hey, watch it, asshole.”
“I’m so sorry. I—” Baz extricated his limbs from the fallen suitcase and glanced up at its owner. The rest of his apology died on his lips. “Oh.”
An eager sort of cruelty lifted the corner of Artem Orlov’s mouth. “Well, well. Isn’t this a pretty sight.”
Baz tried to get up, but Artem pushed him back with a booted foot to the chest, making Virgil Dade snicker behind him, ever the faithful lapdog. Hostility flashed in Artem’s glacial eyes. “Have a nice holiday with your family of fugitives, Brysden?”
Baz’s stomach dropped. Surely he was only taunting him. He couldn’t know the truth….
“Some of us don’t have families to spend the holidays with anymore, thanks to you Eclipse-born,” Artem continued. “But you’ll get what’s coming.” He pressed harder on Baz’s chest, leaning in to say, “Won’t be long now till your father and that friend of yours are back at the Institute where they belong.” He pressed harder still, eliciting a grunt from Baz. “Better watch your back, Brysden.”
“Artie,” Virgil warned in a clipped tone, jerking his chin to where two uniformed Regulators were approaching with a grim air of importance.
Artem immediately took his foot off Baz and helped him up. With a gentlemanly smile, he brushed the dust off Baz’s coat. “Be careful out there.” He spoke loudly for the approaching Regulators’ benefit. “Wouldn’t want anyone getting hurt over tripped luggage, now, would we?”
An image of the illusioned Baz tripping on the Threnody platform came to mind. Had Artem seen through the ruse? Baz couldn’t breathe as the Regulators appeared, certain they would take him away. But the Regulators paid him no mind as one of them pulled Artem aside to whisper something in his ear. Artem’s face lit with a sort of perverse excitement that set Baz on edge. But whatever it was, it seemed to have nothing to do with Baz. Taking advantage of the distraction, he grabbed his luggage and slipped through the exit door unnoticed.
Only when he was outside did he drop his guard. Letting out a breath he’d been holding in only made things worse as the pain in his chest sharpened. He doubled over in the shadows, pressing a hand to his chest. Artem hadn’t been gentle, and he feared he might have a bruised rib. The first solution his mind supplied was asking Emory to heal him before he remembered Emory wasn’t here.
