But there is the one new piece of the puzzle that the dean lays on us. The kind of information that gets Lexi all squirmy and excited.
Like,howandwhenthe dark energy enters the Earth realm.
“They call it the Dunamis Pulse,” Larissa says. “Every forty-six days, a portal deep underneath the building site expels this dark, otherworldly energy into our atmosphere.”
I shudder.
“For years the Conclave have been aware of several small fissures around the world that leak small amounts of energy. It’s been a constant goal to try and harness it. The portal below our school only came to light last year, during the construction of foundations for the new sports hall.”
“Interesting,” Alexis says. “Dunamis means inherent force, so that tracks. But the forty-six day cycle is odd. No celestial correlation at all. And they can only harness the energy during the pulse. I imagine that’s when the barrier between the Earth and Avalon reaches its maximum tension.”
Larissa Crankshawe starts coughing and choking. Eventually, I get up and whack her on the back. “Did you say Avalon?” she croaks, eyes and nose both watering. “This energy is from Avalon? How do you know?”
Lexi flicks his eyes in my direction, looking a little shame-faced. I just smile back, showing him how to be magnanimous when someone fucks up.
“Tell me about it, please. Tell me about Avalon.” Larissa looks like she’s about to discover Santaisreal.
Alexis says nothing. I follow suit.
Her shoulders slump. “It’s alright, I understand your reticence, I wouldn’t trust me either if I were in your shoes.” She looks up. “But maybe one day? When this is all over?”
When this is all over.
Gods.
That has to happen soon. The countdown to the next Dunamis splurge, or whatever, is less than five weeks away. We’ll never let them take Sparkles, but what about all the other innocents who’ll be on the chopping block?
Fuck. NO!
I push myself up from the chair and slam my fist on the table. “Youknewall this and you haven’t done anything to help the children? How can you live with yourself?”
“Steady, Max.” Alexis rests a hand on my back. “It seems she’s been doing a lot, and doing it alone.” He looks at her. “Alone? Or do you have allies?”
“I’ve not wanted to put anyone else in danger, so I’ve been holding this to myself and just trying to steer anyone I can away from trouble.” She looks bleak. “Though, sometimes I have the sense that there are a couple of faculty members who hate the Conclave as much as I do, and would rise up if only they could.” Crankshawe gives Alexis a mega-intense look. “And then there’s you. I’ve been watching you carefully, and I may have…been aware of your nightly searches. Were you looking for the Conclave bunker?”
“No.” He doesn’t elaborate.
I jam my hands into my pockets and immediately regret it. “Fuck.” I blow on my broken knuckles. “So what now?”
“Now, you head to the healers, Mr. Larsen. I’ll give you a pass in case a guard tries to bust you for breaking curfew.”
“No thanks, Lissy. The healers are out of my budget, it’s all good. Anyway, what I’m more interested in is how do we destroy the Conclave and save all the babies?”
“One thing at a time,” Alexis sighs. “But, Larissa…”
Ooh, Lexi is going on a first named basis too. Bold.
“I have a priority, which is the safety of Theodora Wilson. Anything, oranyone,” he hisses, “that gets in the way of it, will be obliterated. And that includes you.”
The dean pales as her shocked Pikachu face is activated.
“What he said, and on that note, we’re going to split,” I tell her.
It’s been a long day and my knuckles fucking hurt.
Some of Cosmo’s stupidly expensive whiskey will cure the pain.
But not the ache I have.
