by D J DuMont
Sylvie, Cara and Locke all nodded silently.
“Good,” Anjali said in a tired voice. “Then I don’t have to explain things from the very beginning. I’m sure you’re all wondering whether we found them, and yes, we did. I’m sure you’re also wondering what will happen to them, and the answer to that is still unclear.”
“Won’t they just wipe their memory and send them back?” Sylvie asked in a small voice.
Anjali sighed. “Possibly. But maybe not. Memory wiping of civilians is frowned upon, even when it is for national security reasons. The President is actually in talks with the Head of the Dragon Heart Agency about the possibility of offering Marcus and Kent jobs within the Agency.”
Willow’s eyes widened in shock. “Jobs? But they’re not wizards. They don’t have the Dragon Heart gene. Or do they?”
“They don’t have the gene,” Anjali explained. “But the President has been pressuring the Agency to hire more non-wizard liaisons. He thinks that the Agency has its head in the clouds and doesn’t understand how to work well with non-wizards when necessary. Having some non-wizards on board would help with that. Or, at least, that’s what President Newson thinks.”
Willow frowned. “Do you think that’s true?”
Anjali let out a snort of laughter. “Which part? That we have our head in the clouds? Or that non-wizards will help us get our heads out of the clouds? To be honest, I don’t think our current President quite understands how difficult it is to integrate a wizard into a non-magical world. It’s no easy task, and having a few non-wizard advisors isn’t going to help with that. But I suppose it couldn’t hurt. If Marcus and Kent are willing to take jobs with the Agency, I’d at least feel better knowing that their memory wouldn’t need to be wiped. Memory wiping is a nasty business, let me tell you.”
Willow fidgeted at all the talk of memory wiping. She couldn’t help wondering if she herself was going to be in trouble, and be threatened once again with expulsion and memory wiping. Anjali hadn’t said anything yet implying that Willow was to blame for the fact that Marcus and Kent were on campus, but that didn’t mean that the accusations weren’t coming.
Willow had tried to be patient, but the stress of wondering what her fate was going to be had become too much. Before Anjali could say anything else, Willow burst out with the question that was driving her crazy.
“Did Marcus and Kent tell you how they got over here? It was the old well portal. I had nothing to do with it, I swear. I’m not going to be in trouble, am I? I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I just went flying with Cayenne because I was so upset when I heard that Alexis hadn’t been rescued yet and—”
“Willow, stop,” Anjali interrupted, holding up a hand. “You’re not in trouble, at least not from me. Obviously, the old well was more of a security risk than we realized, and I’ll be looking into it. I might have some questions for you—” Anjali raised her hand again to silence Willow when Willow started to protest. “I’m not saying you’re going to be blamed. I’m just saying we might have some questions for you about what happened, because you might be able to tell us some things that will help us figure out what went wrong. All we know right know is that Marcus and Kent were searching for Alexis and found the well, then accidentally crossed over through its portal. There used to be a magical silent alarm on that portal that would alert me if anyone used the well, but the Dragon Heart Agent who has been traitorously leaking information to Stein must have disabled the alarm so that they could pass back and forth between campuses without being detected.”
Willow resisted the urge to say that Anjali had brushed Willow off when Willow had been worried about this very possibility. Anjali didn’t look like she was in the mood to hear “I told you so” at the moment.
“We’ll have to look more carefully into how that well is working these days, but you shouldn’t be in any trouble, Willow. But that’s all a discussion for another time. The real reason I came up here is to let you know that the President wants to speak with you four again.”
“With us?” Cara choked out, her voice already trembling with nerves. “But why?”
“I’m not sure,” Anjali said. “He refused to explain to anyone what he wants. He’s insisting that I bring you all to a videoconference with him at eight p.m. sharp…which is in less than ten minutes, so we need to get going.”
Willow and the other students exchanged glances, and she saw her own confusion and excitement mirrored on their faces. The fact that the President wanted to speak to them again was odd, but none of them were going to complain about the fact that he apparently thought of the four of them as invaluable. As long as President Newson was championing them, they wouldn’t have to worry about being expelled.
“Come on, then,” Anjali said impatiently. “We need to get going. President Newson won’t be happy if we make him wait.”
Willow jumped to her feet and followed Anjali and the others out of her dorm room and down the long hallway to the stairwell. She tried to smooth her hair as she walked, hoping that she didn’t look like too much of a hot mess right now. She hadn’t looked in the mirror since she got back to her room, and she was sure that all the flying around she’d done earlier that afternoon had left her with unruly hair. But she couldn’t help that now. Hopefully the President would forgive the fact that she looked a bit unkempt, since he’d barely given them notice that he wanted to meet with them. At least she was still wearing her Dragon Heart uniform, which made her look at least a little bit put together.
But when the President’s face appeared on the videoconference screen a few minutes later, he didn’t seem interested in how anyone’s hair looked, or what they were wearing. His eyes looked tired and a bit angry, but he smiled at the sight of the students.
“Well, well,” he said warmly. “It’s my Fearless Four. How are all of you doing?”
The four students politely greeted the President and told him they were doing well. He nodded almost impatiently.
“Excellent, excellent. I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve called you here today, so I’ll get straight to the point. I’m quite unhappy with the way that the rescue attempt on Alexis Walton played out. Many of the senior Agents were quite sloppy in their work, which is what allowed Stein to get away with Alexis before we could retrieve her.”
Willow shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She was as upset as anyone that the attempt to rescue Alexis had failed. But she didn’t know that it was fair to criticize the involved Agents so harshly. From what she understood, Stein had been warned by the traitor in their midst that the Agents were coming. That wasn’t the rescue team’s fault, and it didn’t mean that their work had been sloppy. But Willow knew better than to argue with the President, so she forced herself to sit attentively as he continued to rant about the botched rescue.
“The point is,” the President finally said, “We can’t have a civilian in the hands of a man like Stein. There’s no telling what he’s going to do with her. I’ve been told by Agency intelligence officers that he’s trying to use Alexis to experiment with mutating the Dragon Heart virus so that it can be used on anyone, not just on those with the Dragon Heart gene.”
Willow gasped, as did Sylvie beside her. Behind the students, Anjali cleared her throat uncomfortably, and Willow had a feeling that Anjali had been hoping to avoid giving the students that little piece of information. It was bad enough to think of Alexis being held by someone as awful as Stein. The idea that he might be subjecting her to experiments with the Dragon Heart virus was too much to bear, as the virus often proved fatal to those who didn’t have the Dragon Heart gene. Willow bit her lower lip hard in an attempt not to cry, and she saw Cara visibly shudder. The President, however, seemed oblivious to how deeply his words had just affected the students. He continued on as though he hadn’t just dropped a complete bombshell of information on them.
“I’ve made the executive decision that the next rescue attempt will not fail, because it will be led by you students.”
> Willow gasped again, and couldn’t help looking back at Anjali with wide eyes. The color was draining from Anjali’s face, which told Willow that their professor had not been informed of this news beforehand. Anjali managed to maintain her composure quite well, but Willow had known her long enough to know that this news was not welcome.
President Newson, meanwhile, was smiling broadly. “That’s right. You four, the Fearless Four, will be sent in to rescue Alexis. If I’ve learned one thing in my sixty-seven years, it’s that the boldness of youth should not be underestimated. I have faith that you students are Alexis’ best chance.”
Anjali could no longer hold her tongue. “Mr. President, I certainly agree that these four are wonderful students. But sending them after an enemy as sophisticated as Stein when their magical abilities are still so new and underdeveloped is risky. We could lose them before they’ve even had a chance to graduate from the Academy.”
The President laughed. “I’m sure they can handle it. They’ve got more sense than those other crazy Agents who botched the last attempt.”
“But, sir,” Anjali tried again.
The President waved a hand dismissively in her direction. “I know you care deeply for these students, Anjali. But I promise you they can do this. If it makes you feel better, I’ll allow you and Sam to accompany them on the rescue mission. But I’m not changing my mind on sending them. I’ve already spoken to the head of the Agency, and he agrees with me.”
Willow turned and watched as Anjali opened her mouth, then clamped it shut again. Willow felt shocked, and a quick glance at Sylvie told her that her friend felt the same. This all felt so surreal. Cara was visibly shaking, obviously frightened at the prospect of facing down Stein. Cara had made big strides in conquering her fear since first arriving at the Dragon Heart Academy two years ago, but the prospect of facing down Stein must have been enough to send her into a panic.
The only one who didn’t seem shocked at the moment was Locke. He was drumming his fingers thoughtfully on the table in front of him, and then raised his hand to request to speak.
“Yes, Locke?” the President acknowledged him.
“When do we leave?” Locke asked. “I’ve been itching to teach that mongrel a lesson.”
The President grinned. “That’s the spirit, my boy! I knew I could count on you. See? This is the kind of go-getter attitude we need in the Dragon Heart Agency.” Then, the President’s smile turned into a small frown. “Unfortunately, we aren’t sure when the rescue attempt will begin. When the Agents botched the last attempt, Stein got away. He’s relocated, and we’re not sure where he went.”
Behind them, Anjali coughed uncomfortably again. Willow knew she must be furious, both at the fact that the students were being sent on such a dangerous mission, and at the fact that the President kept bashing the Agents who had gone on the first rescue attempt. But President Newson seemed completely unaware of Anjali’s discomfort as he continued speaking.
“I’ve ordered Dragon Heart leadership to have Agents working around the clock on figuring out where Stein is hiding now. As soon as his whereabouts are known, you students will be sent after him. It could be a few days from now, or it could be months. Unfortunately, there’s no way to know. I would just ask that you all remain ready to go at a moment’s notice. Can you do that for me?”
Willow and the other three students murmured a chorus of “Yes sir.” What else could they say? Willow wasn’t sure sending students on a mission like this was a good idea. Cara was still visibly shaking in fear, and Anjali coughed again in frustration. Only Locke seemed happy with the way things were playing out. He sat tall and straight, grinning as he drummed his fingers on the table. Willow could have guessed what he was thinking: he probably saw this mission as a chance for him to prove himself as one of the top Dragon Heart Agents.
Willow could not have cared less about being a top Agent, but she did care deeply about Alexis. She also cared deeply about her father, and the thought had already crossed her mind that her father might be near Alexis and Stein. The President’s crazy idea to have the students go after Alexis meant that there was a very real possibility that Willow would have a chance to rescue her father as well. Her heart pounded with excitement at the realization, and she sat up just as tall and straight as Locke.
“I’m also happy to help with the efforts to track down Stein,” Willow said in a strong voice.
The President smiled at her. “See there! That’s the spirit! Talk to Anjali about how you can help. I know she’s going to want to make sure you keep up with your studies as well, so don’t give her too hard of a time.”
The president laughed and winked at Willow. Behind them, Anjali cleared her throat in annoyance. Willow felt a bit guilty, knowing how maddening this must all be for Anjali.
Willow would do her best to be nice to their professor, but she wasn’t going to give up on a chance to rescue Alexis and her father. As the President ended their video conference, Willow felt hope swelling in her chest.
Hang on, Daddy, she thought. I’ll be coming for you soon.
Chapter Nineteen
When December rolled around, and Stein still had not been found, Willow’s hope began to fade. Despite the President’s assurances that she and the other students could help with the search for Stein, none of them had been able to spend much time on the problem. Anjali had made it clear that, per the President’s own words, their magical education came first. And that magical education took up nearly every spare second of their time.
Willow wasn’t sure whether it was normal for the third year at the Dragon Heart Academy to be quite this intense, or whether Anjali was working them extra hard so they wouldn’t have time to work on any side projects regarding Stein. After all, the professor had made no secret of the fact that she didn’t think sending the students on the rescue mission was a good idea.
All Willow knew was that she spent every day feeling like she was drowning in homework. She still wasn’t allowed to leave the boundaries of the Dragon Heart campus, and the little bit of cabin fever she’d felt at the beginning of the semester intensified to the point of being nearly unbearable. When she found out she wouldn’t be able to leave campus for the winter holiday, she wasn’t surprised, but she still holed herself up in her dorm room to shed a few tears over the news. She shouldn’t have been so upset, since she didn’t really have anywhere to go for the holidays. Her mother didn’t show much interest in seeing her, so Willow had spent the last few holidays with Alexis in sunny California. Obviously, that plan wasn’t going to work out so well this year.
Willow wondered what Alexis’ parents had been told. The Agency would have to have told them something about where their daughter was, but Willow doubted that that something had been the truth. Perhaps everyone was just claiming that Alexis was still missing after the giant earthquake. Willow’s heart ached for Alexis’ parents, who had always been so kind to her. They might be assuming by now that their daughter had died in the quake and would never be found.
Willow desperately wanted to find and rescue Alexis, so her parents wouldn’t have to live with so much pain. And she desperately wanted to find her father, so that she herself didn’t have to live with so much pain. But as winter settled heavier over Maine with every passing day, Willow felt like her heart was growing as cold as the winds outside.
She felt antsy and alone, even though she still had her three fellow Dragon Heart students to spend time with. She avoided Locke as much as she could, but Cara wasn’t too bad of a companion most days, as long as the wannabe socialite wasn’t complaining about being cut off from civilization. Most of all, though, Willow gravitated toward Sylvie. The two of them had had their differences here and there over the years, but they were fierce friends. Now, more than ever, they needed each other.
Willow hadn’t heard much about Marcus and Kent. Anjali had at least told everyone that Marcus and Kent would not be going through a memory wipe. That meant that some sort of job must have be
en found for them within the Dragon Heart Agency, but Anjali wouldn’t say what that job was. All Willow knew was that she hadn’t seen either of the boys since that fateful autumn day when they’d come tumbling through the well portal.
As for the well portal, the students had been forbidden to go anywhere near it. Anjali had threatened Willow and the others with expulsion if they were caught within a hundred yards of the portal, and would only tell them that the situation was being “handled.”
“She spoils all our fun,” Willow grumbled to herself.
“What’s that?” Sylvie asked, looking up from across the room. Her voice drew Willow out of the long mental rabbit trail she’d gone down.
“Oh, sorry,” Willow said, her cheeks heating up a bit. “I didn’t mean to say that out loud. I was just thinking about how Anjali won’t let any of us go near the well. If it’s really been sealed off like she said, then what’s the harm?”
Willow and Sylvie were both standing on ladders in the Dragon Heart’s dining hall, hanging lighted pine garlands. The hall could seat up to one hundred people, which Willow had always thought was complete overkill considering that only four students were attending the Academy. Anjali had told the students that the hall was so large because a new set of students came through to start every four years, and some classes of students were larger than others. But Willow had checked the school’s enrollment records, and the largest class that the school had seen in its history was thirteen students. The Dragon Heart Agency was an elite, relatively small group, so of course the Dragon Heart Academy wasn’t churning out hundreds of students every four years.
Nevertheless, the large dining hall was coming in handy these days, since there were probably close to one hundred senior Agents on campus grounds, serving as guards. Anjali had asked the students if they wanted to decorate the hall for Christmas, and they had all jumped at the chance. Anything for a break from class work—and Anjali had made it clear that she planned to give them plenty of assignments to complete over the holiday break. To encourage Anjali to assign a little less, the students threw themselves into the decorating job. Even Locke, who normally enjoyed doing one hundred and ten percent of whatever work they were assigned, had jumped at the chance to do something other than stare at a textbook. They had all reached the burnout point with their classes.