Then he pressed his hand up against it again.
This time, he could feel something within the vrandal.
The vrandal had been well connected to him the last few days. The tingling had eased, the pain little more than a memory. When he pressed on the vrandal, he found that it didn’t slide around on his hand the way it had when the pain was there. Thankfully.
The barrier bulged, letting his hand slide through.
It wasn’t the first time that he had managed to get through an alchemy barrier, but it was the first time that he had done so blind and while inside of the Study Hall.
He smiled to himself.
Sam withdrew his hand and turned back down the hall, slipping along a different pathway. After a while, there came a sense of movement, and he wondered if there was someone else in the tunnel. It was possible Tara had come looking for him. She would’ve known he wasn’t going to be out in the main part of the Academy, and if he weren’t in his room, then there wouldn’t be many other places he could be.
When it became clear there was no one else in the hall with him, he started to slow. There was no point in hurrying. Since there was no one here, he could take his time and get to know the feel of the tunnel. For all he knew, he was within a part of the tunnels that would be more active, though he still didn’t hear anything.
Sam rested. He’d been more fatigued recently, and exploration was tiring. Partly that came from how he had to remain attuned to everything around him. There was a sense of the wind, the walls, and even arcane magic coming from everywhere around him. All of it made him feel so exhausted. He did his best to tolerate that sense, but he often needed to sit and recover.
As he sat, voices came from nearby. They were soft and pitched low, hidden from others. At first, Sam wondered if the voices came from within the tunnel. That would be rare, but he didn’t really know if he had accidentally wandered into the other part of the hallways. If he reached the Study Hall, they might realize his presence. He didn’t have a good reason for why he would be there.
They didn’t seem to be coming from the tunnel, which meant they were on the other side of the wall. He hadn’t heard many other people while here. He stood and headed toward the grate, pressing his ear up to it so he could listen. Sam was careful not to push. Many of the grates were not fully secured and could be easily pushed out.
“I know the answer is here somewhere,” a voice said.
There was something familiar about it. Sam couldn’t quite tell why, as they spoke softly, which made it even harder to tell. His keen senses should allow him to hear better, but something about the voice bothered him.
“We don’t have much time. They know we are here.”
This voice was familiar.
Too familiar. And it shouldn’t be in the Academy.
Ferand.
Sam was tempted to run and find Havash or the Grandam, but he didn’t dare. He needed to know with certainty.
Ferand had returned to the Academy?
That didn’t make any sense, especially knowing what dangers he had.
And how was he moving so openly?
“I have found a map that shows me a section here,” Darren went on. “This is where you will find the lock.”
Sam frowned to himself. Not the almanac, then.
Were they after an actual lock?
“Once we find it, and it is freed…”
There was a silence, and Sam couldn’t hear anything for a long moment.
“Yes,” Ferand said. “The others are coming, but we must find this first. Only then will it be safe…”
They trailed off, and he couldn’t hear anything more.
Sam continued to listen, struggling, trying to hear what they were talking about, but the voices faded into faint whispers.
He heard the sound of footsteps, and he followed them, worried about the source of it, but couldn’t find it.
What were they after?
They were running out of time, though, it sounded like, and soon there would be more Nighlan here.
Once there were, the Academy would be in danger again.
How much power did the Nighlan have? And how much danger could they cause?
Sam feared lingering too long.
He heard footsteps moving, shuffling, and he wished that he could see so that he could follow Ferand, but instead, he had to use what he could feel. He trailed after it but didn’t find anything more. There was no further talking.
He waited, wondering if he’d learn anything more. A grinding noise indicated that the other person was coming into the wall. Sam hesitated only a moment, knowing he wouldn’t have much time. He hurried along the hall and reached a branch point. From here, he could duck into a different direction. He didn’t know where he was in the tunnel anymore but thought he could find his way back. For now, he’d have to listen to know if the person who’d entered the hidden hallway was coming in his direction.
The soft grinding returned as the door slipped closed again. Sam stayed where he was, focusing on the sounds around him. There was no sense of the wind, nothing of the breath of the tunnel or of the Academy. He backed down the hallway. The longer he was here, the more likely whoever had entered the tunnel would discover him.
The sound of quiet footsteps padded toward him. There was a sense of energy in the air. Magic. Something familiar about the arcane magic caught his attention. He’d felt it before. As he backed away, he tried not to think about the source of the arcane magic, only on the direction as it came toward him. He needed to be careful.
A sinking thought came to him. The person in the hall might have already seen him. He knew there was more than enough light in these halls for him to be visible. Moving through this area would require him to stay ahead of the other person, but what if they knew he was here? He wouldn’t have any way of staying hidden.
He was tempted to try to hurry, but he was careful. He needed to be as quiet as possible so that someone didn’t hear him.
He neared a branch point in the tunnel, and he turned. He held his hand behind him to guide himself, feeling his way along the hall.
Something squeezed upon him. It was like pressure.
Sam paused for a moment. He had no idea what it was that he felt.
He hesitated again. Just before he began moving, he felt the pressure again.
This time, he thought that he understood.
There was almost a warmth to it, one that reminded him of the white light of the arcane arts.
Which meant somebody was using it near him.
As he stood motionless, trying to debate what to do, something grabbed him.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sam jerked on his arm. Someone clapped their hand over his mouth and leaned toward him. It was a familiar scent, that of pine and earth.
“Move quietly,” Chasten whispered.
Sam nodded, and the man guided him through the tunnel. Chasten released the hold over his mouth. Neither of them spoke. The pressure from the arcane magic behind him eased. The only thing he felt was Chasten gripping his arm.
The tunnels veered, and Sam could sense familiar sections. He heard Chasten trigger the wall, which slid back with a soft grinding sound. When they stepped out, Sam knew they were on the old Alchemy side.
He breathed in. The air held a hint of the smell from before. When Tara guided him through the tunnels, neither of them had come to the Alchemy section.
“You look like you’ve just eaten a lemon,” Chasten said.
Sam turned toward his voice, still attempting to slow his pounding heart. With each breath, it started to calm. “It’s just the smell here.”
“Smell?”
Sam turned in place, breathing in. There were parts of it that weren’t quite as bad as others. “When I started spending time here, I thought that I should clean the halls, but I hadn’t gotten very far. Not yet. And maybe that’s a good thing, so I had a warning.”
“You know where you are?”
“T
he alchemy section.”
Chasten stepped closer to him. “Have you started to see again?”
Sam shook his head. “It’s not about seeing. Not here, at least. The smell lingers. Not the way it was.” He didn’t know if he would’ve been able to tolerate the original smell. What remained was bad enough. “A little bit, though.”
“I don’t detect anything,” Chasten said softly.
“Nobody wants to talk about what happened here. The students speak in rumors, but that’s all they are, aren’t they?”
“No one really knows.”
“Why not?”
“The alchemists had this section closed off. They would often seal it when they worked on something they considered dangerous. No one was allowed in.”
“What were they working on?” Sam asked.
“I wasn’t here, so I don’t know.”
“What do you know?”
Chasten sighed. “I came back to the Academy after the attack. I was working in the city, and when I learned there were no alchemists here, I gave my shop over to my assistants. We have to have alchemy in the Academy. I feel that even more strongly now.” Chasten moved closer to him. “What did you notice when you first started coming here?” he asked, ignoring Sam’s question.
“Other than the smell?” Sam asked. Chasten laughed. “I’ve told you what happened. I told you about Ferand, and the key, and the multiple attacks. What else would have been here?”
“Memories,” Chasten whispered.
There was something about the way he said it that struck Sam. “What kind of memories?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Sam wondered what Chasten remembered about this place.
“I heard Ferand,” Sam said, explaining what he’d heard.
Chasten breathed out softly. “That’s who it was,” he whispered. “I felt something but didn’t know what it was. Where did you hear him?”
“Back there. Before you grabbed me.”
Sam should have said something as they made their way here, but he’d been distracted by the idea that the Grandam had been there.
“Ferand wouldn’t be able to be in the Academy.”
Sam had considered that. “Are there any ways of hiding himself? I’m just thinking of various techniques that somebody like him might’ve used. He has been learning. Especially with how he was able to shed to the power of the vrandal, so we know that he has been gaining insight.”
Chasten was quiet for a moment. “I suppose he could.”
“What were you doing there?” Sam asked. Chasten hadn’t explained himself, so Sam didn’t know why the other man would’ve known he was there.
What reason did he have to be there?
“I followed the sense I felt,” Chasten said.
Sam realized that Chasten hadn’t just followed someone, he’d felt them. That was similar to what Sam had felt when it came to the person he’d detected. “Did you see who else was there?”
“I didn’t see anything else there.”
Sam frowned to himself. “I was sure there was someone there. I felt arcane arts. I’m sure of it. It was… familiar.” He understood how ridiculous that sounded, but it was how he felt. The sense of what he had detected had been familiar, and though he wasn’t sure why, he was sure that there had to be something to it.
“Come with me,” Chasten said as he grabbed Sam’s arm and guided him forward through the hall.
The smell began to fade, and when they reached the stairs, Chasten helped ease him along so he didn’t stumble. He thought Chasten might bring him to Havash’s room on this first level, but they kept going, climbing until they reached the main floor. They passed through the kitchen, the aromas almost more than he could bear, then they headed back to the infirmary. The stairs were familiar now.
“You don’t have to bring me back here.”
“I think I do,” Chasten said.
“I can make it.”
With Chasten knowing the hidden halls, Sam had to wonder why he hadn’t been led through the hidden tunnels all the way back. It would’ve been easier for him to do that rather than attempt to climb the stairs. Safer too.
“You should be careful, Samran. There is danger in the Academy.”
“That’s what I was trying to tell you. I know there’s danger.”
“Wait here until I get a chance to speak to Havash.”
Sam didn’t think he should argue. Chasten pushed open the door to the infirmary room he’d been staying in and nudged him inside. This wasn’t where he wanted to be, but he understood why Chasten wanted him to come back here. This would be the safest place for him.
Taking a seat on his bed, he leaned his head back on the wall. He focused on what he’d detected. That had been Ferand, though he must have some way of hiding himself if he were moving openly throughout the Academy. The other person that had been there was meeting with Ferand. And that was the key.
They were after something.
More than that, whatever they were after was enough for Ferand to continue risking himself inside of the Academy.
There was a shifting of pressure, and the door to his room opened. He looked up and inhaled, curious who had come. “Tara?”
She took a few steps toward him. “How did you know it was me?”
“I could hear you,” he said, though there was more to it than that. He could smell something as well, the hint of lilac and mint. She also radiated warmth, the soft energy she held that left him tingling. “And I can feel you,” he added, feeling his face warm.
She took a step toward him. “What do you feel?”
“It’s subtle. There’s a sense of movement. Of pressure. There’s the smell—”
“Smell?”
“Not like in the alchemy tower, if that’s what you’re getting at.” Sam shifted on the bed. The vrandal snagged on the sheet and started to pull. A surge of pain jolted through his hand briefly as it did, which was a reassuring sign that he could maintain his connection to the vrandal even when it was pulling away from him.
“Good.” She stood right in front of him. “I wouldn’t want you to think that I stunk.”
“You definitely don’t stink. I probably do from the time that I’ve been in the alchemy tower.”
“It’s not too bad.”
He laughed. “What are you doing?”
“I’m trying to find out what you can see.”
“By standing in front of me?”
“You can see that?”
“I can’t see anything. I can feel it, though. You’re about a step away from me.” He leaned forward, reaching for her. She stood about where he’d expected to find her, and he brushed his hand along her smooth skin. “There.”
“That’s impressive.”
“I knew I’d adapt.”
“This has happened quickly.”
“What else do I have to do all day but focus on what I can detect?” Sam didn’t keep the frustration from his voice, which he didn’t mean to direct at her. She’d done nothing but try to help him, so there was no reason for him to be frustrated with her. “There’s nothing else for me to do. You’re gone in classes. I can’t go to my own classes. James might have stopped by, but I think he isn’t quite sure what to make of me. I have no idea what I’m missing out on with my classes, and whether I’m going to be able to pass my tests, and whether that means that I’m going to ultimately have to leave the Academy.” He shook his head. “Havash leaves me alone. Chasten comes by occasionally, but even that isn’t much. It leaves me to explore on my own.”
“Like you were earlier.”
“You knew?”
“I came by to walk with you, and you weren’t here.”
“I didn’t expect to see you this morning.”
She sat next to him, taking his hands. “I finished class early.”
Sam turned toward her. What he wouldn’t give to be able to see her, not just feel her presence, though that was reassuring as well. He was relieved he could dete
ct Tara without being able to see her. In time, he suspected he’d be able to do the same with others.
“I went into the Study Hall,” he said.
“By yourself?”
“It’s not like I can hurt myself there.”
“You could get lost, Sam. Without having any way of knowing where you are, you might get stuck and—”
“I didn’t get lost. Chasten found me.”
“He did?”
“I think I heard Ferand, though.”
“Really? Did you follow him?”
“As far as I could. He met with someone…”
He told her about what he thought he’d detected, wondering whether she would believe him or whether she’d think he was mistaken.
“It’s too bad that you weren’t able to tell who it was.”
“I think if I were to feel the arcane arts again, I might be able to recognize it. I don’t know, though. When you use your arcane arts around me, there’s a distinct signature to it, especially now that I can’t pay attention to it with my sight.”
“We’re going to get you through this.”
When Tara made comments like this, it was harder for him. She believed they would be able to heal him. Maybe in time, they would, though he didn’t think it likely. It was better for him to move on and accept what had happened to him.
“I’m going to keep trying,” she said.
“I know you are. It just might not make a difference.”
They fell silent for a while.
Then a soft shuffling sound came toward the door, and Sam frowned in its direction. At first, he thought maybe it was the breath of the hall. Perhaps it was Chasten, who knew Sam was back in his room after wandering. He wouldn’t be surprised if the man came to check on him.
“What is it?” Tara asked.
“There’s something there.”
She got off the bed and pulled the door open, standing there for a few moments. While she did, Sam could feel a slight shift from the other side of the door. Someone else was there, and though he couldn’t tell who it was, there was a familiarity about them.
“Who’s with you?” he asked.
Tara started toward him and touched him on the arm reassuringly, but Sam tensed anyway. He probably shouldn’t have. There was no reason for him to be on edge, but he remained concerned. With what had happened in the tunnel, he didn’t like the idea of being surprised by anyone.
Alchemist Assault (The Alchemist Book 2) Page 22