Mark of Four

by Tamara Shoemaker

  Alayne sat breathless in her chair. She’d even forgotten Kyle’s presence beside her. “Did she escape?”

  Manders acted as if he hadn’t heard her. He turned his head to the window, the setting sun reflecting in his glasses. “Malachi is an accomplished Water-Wielder. When he searched her house on the shore and came up with neither her nor the Vale, he pulled a huge tidal wave out of the ocean. It collapsed over the house and sent the whole thing out to sea.”

  “But—he found your sister, then?”

  Manders nodded. “Patience had been a professor here. She was an Air-Master. She married Phylip Houser as a student at Clayborne, but Phylip died not long after, leaving her a widow with an infant son, Daymon. She took a position at Clayborne to support herself and her child, but she loved the sea. She couldn’t stay away from it, so she bought a house where she could see it from her windows every morning. She and Daymon stayed there during the summers.”

  Manders seemed to have forgotten they were there. He wandered back over the years in his words, and Alayne felt guilty for mentally urging him to return to the subject of the Vale. He soon obliged.

  “Malachi had done his research. He knew where Patience worked, and when he didn’t find her at her home, he came straight to Clayborne. He discovered her hiding in the underground tunnels below the school.”

  “We have tunnels?” Kyle interrupted. Alayne nudged him into silence, keeping her attention on Manders.

  “We found evidence later that she had tried to run or fight, or both; doors torn off hinges, walls smashed in, whole rooms filled to the ceiling with water.” Manders swallowed hard, his fingers shaking a little as he gripped his cup. “But he got her in the end.”

  Alayne broke the heavy silence. “I’m sorry.”

  Manders nodded. “Thank you, Miss Worth. We can’t turn back time.” He sighed. “At any rate, Patience didn't have many friends, but your mother was one of her closest. The two were nearly inseparable for a long time.”

  Shock sizzled through Alayne’s nerves. “My mother? But—my mom isn’t even an Elemental. How did she know Patience?”

  Manders pushed his glasses up his nose and eyed her through them. His steely gray gaze seemed to be trying to tell her something.

  “Your mother is an Elemental, Alayne. If she’s told you otherwise, she’s lying.”

  * * *

  Alayne stalked to the chute. She’d nearly slammed Manders’s door in her haste to exit his office, and anger roiled in her mind as she thought of his accusation.

  Calling her mother a liar, of all things!

  Kyle’s heavy hand weighed down her shoulder. “Hold up a second, Layne.”

  She stopped unwillingly, turning to Kyle. “What?” she bit out.

  An eyebrow arched over one blue eye. “Why all the interest in the Vale?”

  Alayne felt the flush rise in her cheeks. “No reason. It’s just research for my final project.”

  His eyes narrowed.

  Alayne flung her arms open. “Obviously, Kyle, everyone knows the Shadow Casters want the Vale! I thought maybe if it could be found, they’d be willing to give up Marysa.” She stopped in horror, afraid that she’d said too much. Kyle continued to survey her. Turning toward the chute, she muttered, “It was just an idea.”

  “Where are you going?” Kyle asked.

  “To see Jayme.” She pressed the button for the common care ward, and the doors closed on Kyle before he could enter the chute.

  Alayne’s heart flip-flopped as she saw Jayme sitting up in a chair. His appearance was much improved; all traces of sickness had left his face, his arms and shoulders had filled out again. As Alayne drew near, he grinned. “Felycia finally took me off drugs today so I can actually stay awake. She said if she didn’t know better, she’d have thought I hadn’t been sick all year. She told me I could take a walk today in the gymnasium.” He stood and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Provided of course, that I have suitable company. I told her I didn’t need help, but she wouldn’t hear it.”

  Alayne tried to shake off the misery that had followed her since she’d been back from Cliffsides. If anything, Jayme needed her to be in good spirits. He looked fine, but she was sure he was still recovering. She forced a teasing smile. “Oh, okay.” She turned for the chute. “If you don’t need help, I guess I’ll see you later, then.”

  “No, Al, wait.”

  She turned to face him, arching her eyebrows as she waited.

  “Please, take pity on me, a poor invalid who doesn’t feel like an invalid, and walk with me, oh please, oh please.”

  Alayne heaved a long-suffering sigh and rolled her eyes. “I guess. Come on, Mr. Cross. Let’s get you moving.”

  He put his arm over her shoulder, and she gripped his hand as it hung over her neck. They walked to the chute and dropped to the gymnasium. Alayne glanced up at Jayme’s face. “Are you sure you’re up for a walk?”

  “I told you, I feel great. I honestly don’t know what the fuss is all about. Felycia should just send me back to the dorms tonight.” The first arena to their right was the track and field. Jayme motioned toward the track. “Let’s start out with a lap and see how I’m doing.”

  The two stepped on the cushioned tread and began making their way around.

  “So, we never did discuss the cave, Al.”

  “In case you haven’t noticed, you’ve been in a coma and rather unavailable for talking.”

  “Yeah,” Jayme grimaced. “After Felycia releases me, I’m never going to sleep again. What a waste of time.”

  Alayne chuckled, thankful for the relief it brought her tortured mind, even if it was only temporary.

  “So how did you find me? How did you know what cave to look in?”

  Alayne took a deep breath and told him about the mirror. Jayme’s eyes grew round. “No way. How in the world did Marysa get her hands on something that valuable?”

  “I guess it was Professor Grace’s.” Alayne shrugged. “She was cleaning out her storage closet and found it. It wasn’t in the best shape ever—it had a triangle of glass missing from the top, but its other qualities more than made up for it, I think.”

  “And it still works, even now that it’s broken?”

  “Yep. It shows the same picture in all the glass pieces in the box.”

  “So,” Jayme said, “it showed me inside the cave, but how did you figure out which cave it was?”

  “We saw a red shirt out on the cliffs beside the opening,” Alayne said.

  Jayme grinned. “I put it there, hoping someone would see it!”

  “It worked, thank goodness. But it was a close one, Jayme. A few more days, and you all would have been gone.”

  Jayme shook his head. “I never quite realized how dependent I’ve gotten on being able to use the elements. We had a few Elementals in our group from each of the four elements, and we could have gotten out fine, except that whoever was responsible for all this tied up the elements out of reach.”

  “I didn’t even know that was possible.” Alayne glanced up at him. He certainly looked fine; his brown eyes sparkled with an inner glow and his cheeks were flushed from exercise. “Let’s sit down for a bit,” she suggested. “You’ve walked a full quarter of a mile. I don’t want to get in trouble with Felycia if you push it too hard today.”

  Jayme grudgingly agreed and allowed her to lead him to the bleachers. They sat facing the turf field.

  Jayme leaned back on the bench behind him and hooked his fingers behind his head. “So tell me what else happened in the cave.”

  The smile slipped from Alayne’s face. Her shoulders rounded in discouragement. She forced the words from her mouth—all about Marysa and the kidnapping, the other sick students, the story the three ex-professors had given her about the Blakelys and their involvement with the Natural Equality Act, and her fading hopes of finding Marysa. “Felycia told me that to Shadow-Cast, the Caster has to be within a few hundred feet of the victim. The farther away the Caster is from the
victim, the harder it is to hold a Cast on them. The victim will fight it.”

  “So you’re saying that maybe the Shadow-Caster was right there in the caverns with us?”

  “It might have been Sprynge, maybe one of the students pretending to be unconscious, although I doubt it. Maybe it was all an act by Foy, or Pepper, or Walters. Could have been the pilot of the shuttle, although he was down by the base camp at the time, which was at least a quarter of a mile away. Or the Casters could have been in one of the many tunnels around where we were.”

  “Who do you think it was?” Jayme looked directly at her.

  Alayne rubbed her hands nervously up and down her leg. “I don’t know, Jay. I’ve gone over it so many times in my head, pinpointing a different person each time, but every time I do, it doesn’t make sense.”

  “Maybe someone’s hiding something.” Jayme paused as he watched her. “Maybe it’s Kyle.”

  “That’s not fair,” Alayne snapped, a flush creeping up her cheeks. “He saved your life. You and the other students.”

  “I’m not accusing, Al.” Jayme shook his head. “I’m just pointing out all the possibilities.” He reached out one arm and pulled her hand away from her leg. “Would you, if you were perfectly honest with yourself, be able to see it if Kyle was really guilty? Or would you still pass him over because you care so much for him?”

  Alayne jerked her gaze up to meet Jayme’s, and saw the question in the depths of his brown eyes. Do you love me more than Kyle?

  Her cheeks grew even hotter. She dropped her gaze. “I thought it was obvious that I’d chosen you, Jay.”

  “You chose me.” Jayme put his fingers under her chin and lifted her face. “But Kyle still pulls at you, doesn’t he?”

  Alayne licked her lips. “It doesn’t matter, Jay. I’ve made my decision, and it’s what I want.”

  He didn’t say anything as his chocolate eyes searched hers, and then he leaned close and gently kissed her.

  When he pulled back, Jayme said cryptically, “Sometimes, answers show up later, and just at the right time.” He touched her cheek lightly with his fingertips. “Layne, I’m sorry about all of this. If we hadn’t gotten into this mess, Marysa would still be here.”

  Alayne’s eyes blurred with tears, and she pulled away from Jayme. “Nobody’s doing anything about Marysa, Jay. Sprynge isn’t managing it; he does nothing but look with puppy dog eyes at me and tell me he’s sorry. Manders is holding the school together, but he isn’t actively searching for Marysa; he’s got so much on his plate, something is sure to spill off. Kyle says the High Court will never give in to the Casters’ exorbitant demands. It’s up to us to save Marysa.” She swallowed any more tears, frustrated with herself for showing weakness, but knowing Jayme would understand. “Will you help me?”

  Jayme didn’t hesitate. He squeezed her hand. “Of course. I’m feeling better now, and I’m going to do everything in my power to help. It’s not much, but I’ll be your support.”

  Alayne sniffed and nodded as she studied her fingers. “Thanks,” she managed. Guilt tinged her thoughts; she’d told Daymon about her search for the Vale, but she couldn’t bring herself to mention it to Jayme.

  Jayme stood and pulled Alayne to her feet. “It’s amazing how much better I feel. I’m gonna get Felycia to discharge me tonight so I can sleep in my own room.”

  Alayne laughed shakily. “Good luck with that.” She looked down at his hand and wove her fingers through his. “Okay, well, I need to get you back to Felycia, and then I want to hit the library.”

  Jayme’s eyebrows winged upward. “What for?”

  “I—I’m way behind in my classes.” She’d nearly said she was returning to search for information on the Vale. But Manders had explained a lot of its history. A little gratitude welled inside her, immediately replaced by irritation.

  Jayme noticed. “What’s the matter, Al?”

  Alayne sighed and explained most of her conversation with Manders in his office.

  “And then he had the nerve to sit there, look me straight in the eyes, and tell me that my mother has lied to me my entire life!”

  Jayme’s hand squeezed Alayne’s as they moved toward the chute. “What did you do?”

  “To be honest, I got so mad, I told him I had work to do and pretty well shoved Kyle out of the way so I could get out.”

  Alayne entered the chute and hit the button for the common care ward. As the car rocketed upward, Jayme said, “You’re still mad.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Yes! He had no right to call my mother a liar. I mean, sure, she’s got her issues, namely paranoia, but honestly, she’s not a liar.”

  “Yeah, that would tick me off, too.” The chute opened, and Jayme took her hand as he led her into the ward. “But ... is she an Elemental?”

  “Jayme! Don’t you think I would know if my own mother were an Elemental? We went over this the day they took me for my screening. I had Elemental tendencies, but neither of them did.”

  “Well, it is really rare for someone to have Elemental genetics when their parents are Naturals. I mean, I don’t even know if it’s possible.”

  “My mom said it was. But oh wait, I may have just decided that my mom is a liar.”

  “Calm down, Al,” Jayme soothed. “You don’t need to bite my head off. Most likely, Manders is mistaken or somehow got some wrong information. But, hypothetically, consider what would happen if he were right.”

  “What? Then my mother would be a liar, and I would be hurt and wouldn’t trust her anymore, and that would be the end of a good—well, sort of good—relationship.”

  Jayme held up his free hand. “What if, say, your mother is an Elemental, but didn’t tell you because she wanted to protect you? Because maybe she knew some things that are dangerous to know.”

  Alayne stared up at Jayme, thoughts racing through her mind. She took a deep breath and blew it out in a controlled thread of air. “If you had told me this before your trip to Cliffsides, I would have written you off as a lunatic with way too much imagination. But now...”

  Jayme shrugged. “It is just a theory, Al. But maybe it would be worth checking with your mom. Just in case.”

  “Probably. But it’s a conversation I want to have in person. It’ll have to wait for the end of the year.”

  Chapter 22

  “Did you find the Vale yet?” Macy Foy's pale, dull face blinked through the mirror shard.

  Alayne shook her head, shock still sparking through her. “I'm working as hard as I can on it. Where are you?” She asked the same question every time Macy contacted her, and as usual, Macy ignored her.

  “Are you close?”

  “Close to what?”

  Macy sighed. “To finding the Vale.”

  “How do I know I'm close until I actually find it? I said I'm working on it.” Alayne angled the glass, hoping she would be able to see past Macy to Marysa, but Macy's head still filled up the entire shard.

  The woman's dead eyes didn't blink at the rancor in Alayne's voice. “You need to work faster. Marysa will have a miserable night now as a result of your failure.” Her right eye twitched.

  “Please, no, Macy! I'm trying, I really am.” Alayne could hear the desperation in her own voice. “Please, don't hurt her. I'll have it soon, I'm sure.” Alayne’s mind flew back over the list of areas she'd searched. Maybe she'd missed it. Maybe she'd looked right at its hiding place and had skipped over it in her exhaustion and mental turmoil. She had no idea what the Vale even looked like.

  Macy just shook her head. From behind her, Alayne heard the scuffle of something moving and a sharp hiss. A shrill scream followed.

  “Marysa? Marysa!” Alayne gripped the mirror. “Macy, what are you doing to her?”

  Macy's face faded from view, and all Alayne could see was her own horrified expression. “Show me Marysa,” she ordered the glass. She watched as the glass clouded. A purple haze drifted across it before it focused on Alayne's reflection once again. Whatever force
s shielded Marysa from the mirror's magic were too powerful.

  Tears streaked Alayne's cheeks. She placed the shard back into the box and stretched out on her bed to drift into waking nightmares.

  Where are you, Marysa? Alayne slept fitfully, exhausting herself as she tossed and dreamed of Marysa’s screams.

  She rose exhausted everyday. She had been tempted to skip all her classes in her frantic search for the Vale, but she realized that doing so would only result in expulsion, and then she really wouldn’t be able to continue. She forced herself to go to classes, listen to lectures, take notes, and practice her elements, but as the weeks dragged by, mental and physical despair took their toll. Her grades slumped, any vitality she’d once had slipped away. Jayme warned her that she’d make herself sick.

  The media was relentless. Their airbuses, shuttles, and boats still lined Clayborne’s perimeter, and somehow they’d gotten word that Marysa had been close friends with Alayne. Messages cluttered Alayne’s media account, requesting permission to meet, all of which Alayne ignored. She couldn’t jog as far as she was accustomed, because as soon as she hit Clayborne’s property line, the media attacked like voracious wolves.

  Marysa’s parents’ letters, though less aggressive, perhaps hurt more. Marysa’s mother sent several worried notes, wondering if Alayne had heard anything more, commiserating with her on the absence of her daughter, spilling ire about the High Court to Alayne’s sensitive ears.

  Don’t you understand? Alayne thought as she read the notes. It’s got little to do with your work with the Natural Equality Act and everything to do with the Vale.

  The letters went on to say that the family didn’t blame Alayne at all for Marysa’s disappearance at Cliffsides. At the end, Marysa’s mother always included a post script: If you hear anything, please call us, morning, noon, or night.