Carden hadn’t killed anybody, least of all Tracer Judge. How could he have? He’d been with me all night. Only there was no way to come forward as his alibi without outing our relationship.
That bastard Alcántara had something to do with it—I just knew he did. And now he wanted Carden dead.
Screw that. Screw the Directorate. Screw them.
Mei leaned over to whisper in my ear, “Are you okay?”
I startled and made myself nod. It was all I could manage at the moment. I turned and left, blind and deaf to her and everyone else.
Guilt swamped me. If it weren’t for me, Carden wouldn’t even be here now. It had to be up to me to fix it.
Someone was on a killing spree, and it wasn’t Carden.
I’d deal with this. I’d help him. I needed to think. First things first. I couldn’t call attention to myself. I needed to act normal. I’d go about my usual business and come up with a plan. What day was it? I’d go to class.
Wednesday. Combat Medicine day.
But Judge was the teacher and he was dead. Knowing the vamps, though, they’d have another teacher installed in there immediately, as though Judge had never existed.
Combat Medicine, then. I headed that way, knowing I’d need every ounce of discipline to sit in the classroom and act like I was paying attention as every girl stared at me. As Carden festered in a cell somewhere. As I pretended not to care.
Masha was leaning against the door to the sciences building as I entered. “Wonderful news,” she said, smiling brightly.
“Fabulous news,” I replied, grinning a little wildly. Was I having a psychotic break? I felt sort of giddy and unhinged. Kind of nuts. I’d worked myself into a lather as I’d walked across the quad. Whoever did this was going down. I’d take them down.
By the strange expression on Masha’s face, my manic reply had confused and freaked her out a little. Good. I’d take her down, too.
And the thing was, in my heart of hearts, this intense, self-effacing focus felt saner than I’d ever been.
Ronan was at the front of the class—of course. He was the likeliest temporary replacement for Judge. Seeing him standing there, though, alone and holding himself so stiffly, I felt a pang.
“Sorry,” I whispered as I passed him on the way to my seat. And I was. Ronan and Judge had been close. He’d lost so many people—more than I had. I couldn’t fathom it. Couldn’t fathom why he stuck around. But like all of us, he had his reasons.
But then I messed up and heard myself add, “Carden didn’t do it.” It’d sounded more vehement than I’d intended.
Ronan only looked at me with flat, dead eyes.
I took my seat.
I couldn’t think about Ronan just then. I felt bad, but if I were to do any good, I needed to numb myself.
I needed a plan. Investigating Trinity’s death had been a dead end. All I’d discovered was that there were two men on the island, probably vampires, who may or may not have been German and who might or might not be involved. Their words ran in a loop in my head. Is he in control? They grow reckless.
I didn’t know what to do with that. As I sat, waiting for class to start, I made a mental list of what I did know.
Alcántara was behind Carden’s arrest, which meant he wanted Carden dead. That probably also meant the whole Directorate wanted Carden dead. But why?
Acari Kate had seen something on that cliff top the day she fell, and something about that whole episode nagged at me.
Carden was imprisoned somewhere. My guess was the castle on the hill. Which led me to…
The Trainees. They knew stuff we didn’t.
My eyes went to Josh, settling in the seat next to me. He knew stuff that I didn’t.
I watched him, waiting for him to look over. I didn’t feel like talking, though, and he must’ve sensed that. When he finally did look at me, instead of his usual giddaying, he simply said, “Judge.”
Judge had been a good guy. We’d miss him. We were scared, and something about teachers getting killed made things feel out of control, but we couldn’t safely say any of that. For a moment, though, our eyes stayed connected, and we shared all that.
I held his gaze for an extra, pregnant moment before agreeing, “Judge.”
“There are many ways to die,” Ronan said, calling the class to order.
“Oh great,” I muttered, sinking low in my seat. A lecture on death and the many possible flavors of my inevitable demise was just what I needed. Not.
First Amanda, now Judge. But there Ronan stood, essaying on blood loss. It was just like him to power through grief by slamming into it head-on. Discussing exsanguination. Pinching veins, compressing arteries. The jugular. The carotid.
I thought of Carden, and my fear for him was a physical pain. I grazed my fingertips over my neck, feeling for those veins, remembering how I’d longed for Carden to kiss me just there. To taste me.
How was he? How long could he last without feeding?
I shoved my fist against my mouth, keeping my emotions in check. Carden could’ve claimed me as an alibi. He couldn’t have killed Tracer Judge if he’d been kissing me in a cave at the time of the murder. But here I was, still skipping around, going about my business, which meant he didn’t tell. He was protecting me.
I’d protect him, too. I might’ve been reckless, but I wasn’t stupid—I knew I couldn’t do it alone.
But who could I trust? I considered the options.
Mei-Ling. She’d seemed eager enough to play Nancy Drew when we’d talked in our room. The girl had hidden depths—not to mention some not-so-hidden resentments at being kidnapped and forcibly brought here.
Emma. I trusted Emma with my life. But…
Yasuo? I trusted him, too. But lately there was something missing. I sensed he’d give his life to help Em, but friendship wasn’t sophomore geometry. There was no Yas trusts Emma, Emma trusts me, therefore I trust Yas. Trust wasn’t transitive.
Josh. Odd that he was in the running, because I sure hadn’t trusted him at first. I glanced over at him. He’d helped me before, sticking his neck out to save me from hazing. Might he help me again?
He felt me looking and caught my eye. And yet again, rather than shoot me one of his signature doofy boy nods, there was something somber and supportive waiting for me in his gaze.
Josh, then.
Making like I was taking notes, I scribbled on a page of my notebook, tore it out, and passed it to him.
His eyes practically bugged out of his head as he snatched it up before anyone could see. Not a lot of in-class notes were passed on the Isle of Night.
“What the fuck?” he mouthed to me, then stole a quick look at the scrap.
I’d written: “We need to talk.”
He gave me an incredulous duh look and mouthed back, “Later.”
I tore another bit of paper, writing, “I want to know about the castle on the hill.”
He crammed it in his pocket. “Not now,” he mouthed impatiently.
I carefully ripped another tiny scrap, coughing to cover up the sound. Passing notes was a pretty stupid risk to take, but I was obsessed. And what was the worst that could happen—they’d lock me up with Carden? Though I knew instantly that wasn’t the worst punishment. Maybe, deep down, I felt okay taking the chance because it was Ronan up there at the front of the class—and wouldn’t he just blow a gasket to know I thought that way?
Either way, I needed to find out where Carden was being held, and the mystery began at the vampires’ keep. “Promise you’ll tell me about it,” I wrote.
Josh kept the paper and shoved it in his pocket. “Stop,” he whispered, not even looking at me.
I needed to get him to promise. I wrote on a new slip of paper, “No.”
He scribbled, “STOP IT,” flashed it at me, and shoved the paper into his pocket.
Ronan’s back was turned, listing on the board the body’s myriad pressure points. The topic was super-cool, and I regretted not paying attention. Bu
t Ronan might’ve been divulging the secret to the Vulcan nerve pinch for all I cared, and I wouldn’t lose my focus.
I tried again, flashing Josh the corner of my notebook. “I lost something. Is it in the castle?”
He looked at me then, and this time his anger was gone. Instead he wore a tired, feeling sort of expression. He’d known what—or rather, whom—I’d meant. With a sigh, he wrote back, “You’re going to get us in trouble.”
I gave him a hint of a smile, knowing I had him. “Pretty handwriting for a boy. Now…CASTLE?”
Josh watched, making sure Ronan wasn’t about to turn around, and he scrawled in his notebook, “We’ll talk later. Not like you to not pay attention, nerdbot. So stop.”
Ronan turned to face us, and I felt my cheeks go bright red. I had been just about to flash Josh my notebook. I stared blindly at the board, trying my best to appear completely engrossed. When Ronan turned around again, I quickly flashed what I’d written to Josh. “Don’t split your infinitives. I won’t stop till you promise.”
Josh scribbled something, flashed it quickly, then flipped to another page. “Fine. I promise. Now STOP.”
I practically jumped on him the moment class ended. I glanced around to ensure nobody was in earshot, making it a point not to catch Ronan’s eye. We were among the last out the door, but still, I knew to be discreet and slowly said, “So…I need you to help me find something…”
Find Carden.
He gave me a quiet nod. So he would help. “Let’s get out of here.”
I was relieved, but I also felt a little thrown, too. I’d expected jokes and evasions. “Aren’t you going to make a joke? No that’s what she said?”
“We have all day,” he said with a reluctant grin. “There. That’s what she said.”
His humor didn’t annoy me. If anything, it broke the tension. I patted his shoulder. “There’s the Josh I know.”
We made our way down the path to the dining hall, and out in the open, we were able to speak a little more freely. “I just have a few questions for you.”
He laughed. “So I gathered.” When I didn’t speak, he said, “So? Shoot.”
I was still getting used to the concept of friends, and his openness and willingness to help made me wary. “What’s the catch?”
“No catch. I assume this is about Master McCloud. You’ve got a thing for him, right?”
I stopped short. “How did you know?”
He shrugged.
“Seriously,” I pressed. Had other people guessed, too? “What gave it away?”
“I’ve seen you. Don’t worry,” he added quickly. “I don’t think other people would’ve noticed. Me, though…I see all, D.”
Had he been watching me? Why? All of a sudden I was skeptical, and it made me nervous. “Why would you help me?”
“Let’s just say I’d like to shake things up a bit.” He paused just long enough for me to wonder what he’d meant by that. “Frankly, having the most badass Acari on the island owe me?” He tapped his head. “That’s just smart. Come on,” he said, urging me forward again. “I’ve got an idea where they’re keeping him.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“But we’re headed away from the castle.” I stopped. Josh had taken a path that forked away from the top-secret vampire quarters. “I thought you were going to get me into the keep.”
“Shhh.” He looked around, looking half-amused, half-scared. “Are you nuts? I can’t get you in there. They’d have both of us for breakfast.”
“But I need to find Card—Master McCloud.”
He narrowed his eyes on me. “Carden, eh?”
Of everyone, would it be Josh who ended up guessing at our bond? I couldn’t worry about it now. But just in case, I quickly added, “Look, I was close with Amanda and Judge. I have some questions for Master McCloud. If it turns out he killed them, I’ll stake him myself.”
He gave me a sly smile. “Whatever you say, D. If McCloud is still alive—and seeing as the vamps are practically drooling for a public spectacle, I’m sure he must be—then I’m pretty sure he’s in the caverns.”
“The caverns?”
“Yeah, you know them.”
I followed his line of sight to the standing stones. He was right. I did know the caverns. I’d seen them—or rather, fallen into them—while fighting Lilac. It was a vast underground network of tunnels and sea caves beneath the standing stones. The perfect spot for a dungeon.
“We don’t need to drop into the water, do we?” I shuddered at the memory of our fight, of falling into the subterranean springs. They were hot, sulfurous, and very, very dark.
“We’re not doing anything,” he said. “You’re going it alone. I’ll show you a way around, though.” He pointed to a faint trail, winding down to the sea. “Follow that down, and you’ll see what looks like a rabbit’s burrow. You’re small—you can climb in that way.”
“Gee, thanks.” I eyed the trail—I never would’ve spotted it without him pointing it out to me. “It means leaving the path.”
He shrugged, agreeing. “You asked where. I’m showing you.”
I thought of Carden imprisoned. Again.
Except this time, would he be so willing to accept his death? I hoped not. I knew I had to see for myself. I had to help him, again.
But saving him meant breaking yet another rule. I faced Josh. “Should I take it personally that you just assumed I’d be game for leaving the path?”
“You should take it as a sign of my respect for you. You’re one tough sheila. I hope you’re on my side if I ever find myself locked up.”
“I’ll take that under advisement.” I eyed the trail. We’d skipped lunch to come, and I needed to hustle if I wanted to do this today. Nobody was around now, but the chances of being seen would increase once kids finished in the dining hall and started heading to their afternoon classes.
I took my first step off the path, then paused, part of me still the tiniest bit skeptical. “I can’t believe the vampires told you all this. About the caverns, I mean.”
“Vampires didn’t tell me anything. I spotted it the day of your fight, then went back later to check it out. I’ve been exploring when I can. I found a spot with a bunch of shackles. I think they must be holding McCloud there.”
Shackles. Just the thought gave me a chill. “There are probably shackles all over this creepy island. Why would these be any different?”
“Because, Blondie.” He paused, looking uncomfortable. “On the day of your fight, when I passed this particular tunnel, I could smell the blood. It was fresh.”
I shuddered. Who else ended up in these dungeons? “Is that where they take all the bodies?”
“Please don’t ask me too many questions,” he said. “I’m walking a line here as it is.”
It brought Acari Kate to mind. Ever since the day of her climbing accident, I hadn’t been able to get her out of my mind. Had a bond with a vampire been what’d made her so unhinged? Had her mania been a glimpse into my future? What had she seen that’d sent her falling to her death? “Just one more question?”
He hesitated.
“Please,” I pleaded.
Josh checked his watch, looking nervous. “Only for you, D. But make it fast.”
“A girl died the other day.”
“What else is new?”
I shook my head. “No, this was different. Acari Kate—did you know her?” He didn’t, so I went on. “Well, she was acting all weird. We were far down that beach where Priti holds her combat classes.”
“I know the spot.”
“She was climbing up the rock face there. She saw something when she got to the top.”
He only nodded, but I could see by his expression that he had some thoughts on the matter.
“She saw something,” I said. “Didn’t she?”
“Could be.”
“You know something else, don’t you?” But he just looked at me blankly, so I pressed. “Come on, Josh. This is important.”
He sighed. “I guess it’s not that big a deal. There’s a man who lives out that way, near the southern part of the island.”
“A man? Like, a human man?” I gaped at him. That was not the answer I’d been expecting. “What would he be doing out there? And why would some man scare her, anyway?” At this point, I imagined if I spotted an ordinary human male, I’d run to him with open arms.
“It’s not who he is,” Josh said. “It’s who he would’ve been with. He’s the keeper of the Draug.”
I laughed, it was so ridiculous. But then the look he gave me was one part horrified disbelief and one part afraid. It was the fear that stole the smile from my face. “You’re being serious.”
He gave me a grim nod. “As a heart attack.”
With that cheering thought, I thanked him and was on my way, jogging down the trail before my small window of time ran out. I had Expeditionary Skills Training with Priti at three o’clock. She held class not far from here, but I’d need to double back and put on my gym clothes first. If I’d been thinking, I’d have put a change of clothes in my bag. But this morning I’d been too busy reeling from the news about Carden. I’d just have to go quickly.
Once I was out of sight, I could slow my pace a little, as I wasn’t in as great a danger of being spotted. At least, not by a fellow student. If a vampire saw me out this way, I’d be screwed, no matter what. Something told me that not even Alcántara’s weird fascination with me would save me this time.
I contemplated Josh’s bizarre report. A Draug keeper? Was there a Draug pen? What did they eat? I shuddered to consider it.
More important, did the keeper have anything to do with the vampires I’d overheard? Is he in control? They grow reckless. Those words could apply to Keeper and Draug. Though I supposed they could be applied to most anything on this island and still make sense.
But then something else hit me: The keeper was a human man, living in solitude, on a high plateau. He’d have seen much. He might have seen the true killer. And like that, this mysterious keeper became my hope. I sure didn’t have anything else to go with.
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