Crimson Frost Part 15

Chapter 20.

I took a shower and crawled into bed, determined to get some sleep, but the night was anything but restful. Images crowded into my dreams, everything I'd seen, heard, and felt the last few days. Thanks to my psychometry, I was almost always downloading information into my brain, even if all I did was touch a library book and flash on how bored someone was doing his homework. During the day, I was able to ignore such things, but sometimes at night all the sights, sounds, and emotions welled up inside my mind, going by one after another, faster and faster, even as my subconscious struggled to make sense of them.

Tonight was one of those nights.

The Reapers sneaking up on Oliver and Alexei in the library. The leader lifting up the Apate box, the wicked flash of the rubies on it painting everything a harsh crimson, even the library books. Vivian striding into the academy prison. The two ruby chips on her Ja.n.u.s ring winking at me like evil eyes. And finally, the Maat asp curled around my wrist, its scales red instead of blue. The snake flicking its tongue against my wrist, its eyes glowing with Reaper-red fire before it surged forward and sank its fangs into me, poisoning me, killing me- I woke up with a scream in my throat, my wrist stinging as though the asp had really bitten me. The sensation felt so vivid, so real, that I snapped on a light and held my arm up, but my skin was smooth and unbroken. Even the two tiny puncture marks I'd gotten earlier in the prison had vanished.

"Gwen?" Vic mumbled, letting out a loud yawn from his spot on the wall. "Is something wrong? Why did you turn on the light?"

"It's nothing, Vic," I said. "Just a bad dream. Go back to sleep."

"Okay," the sword mumbled again. "Just let me know when you need me to wake up and kill Reapers . . ."

His voice trailed off, and seconds later he was snoring again. The soft, familiar sound cut through the last of my panic and dream-filled confusion. I let out a breath, turned off the light, and lay back down on my bed.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't go back to sleep.

The next day just before lunch, I stood in the parking lot behind the gym, saying good-bye to my friends. The winter concert wasn't until late that afternoon, but the band members and other folks involved were getting on a couple of buses and going to the concert hall early-along with a heavy guard.

Ever since Vivian had freed Loki, I'd thought things would change at Mythos-that there would be more rules, more guards, more security. And all of those things had been added to campus-discreetly. The Powers That Were didn't want everyone to panic. No, they wanted to make the Mythos students feel they were just as safe as they'd been before Loki escaped, even if we all knew it was just an illusion. That's why the winter band concert was still on-because the Powers That Were didn't want to be seen as giving in to the Reapers and adding to the fear of another looming Chaos War.

I understood what the Powers That Were were trying to do, and I was glad my friends would be protected, but I still couldn't help but have a bad, bad feeling about this. I couldn't see the future, not like my Grandma Frost did, but something about the situation felt wrong to me, like we were playing right into the Reapers' hands, even though the concert had been planned for months and was being held down in the city.

"Call me if you see anything suspicious," I told Daphne for the third time in as many minutes.

She'd volunteered to help set things up for the concert so she was getting on the bus with everyone else.

Daphne rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, Gwen. There are so many guards going with us that there's no way the Reapers would dare to attack, even if one of them is a member of the Protectorate."

I started to point out that no one had thought the Reapers would break in to the library either, but I kept my mouth shut. This was supposed to be a fun day, a way for everyone to forget about Reapers, at least for a few hours, and I wasn't going to ruin it with my suspicions, especially not for Carson, who was nervous enough already about performing. The band geek's face had a decidedly greenish tint to it, and I could hear his stomach gurgling.

"Knock 'em dead, Carson," I said.

He tried to smile at me but ended up clutching his stomach instead.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay here by yourself, Gypsy girl?" Logan asked.

"I'll be fine," I said. "Besides, Alexei will be here with me."

I jerked my thumb over my shoulder at the other warrior, who was talking with Oliver, Kenzie, and Talia. Alexei had been waiting outside my room just like usual this morning, and he'd come over to the gym with me, although he'd actually walked beside me this time, instead of trailing behind a few steps. Maybe I was growing on him. I snorted. Not likely.

One person I was definitely not growing on was Linus. He stood next to one of the buses, along with Agrona, Inari, and Sergei. The members of the Protectorate were going with the students to, well, protect them, along with Metis, Nickamedes, and Coach Ajax. They were all part of the guard for the concert.

I just wondered which one of them was really a Reaper.

Was it Sergei with his big smile and boisterous laugh? Quiet, soft-spoken Inari who always faded into the background? Beautiful Agrona? Or even Linus himself? My gaze went from one of their faces to another, but everyone was acting normal. When I'd first walked over here, Metis had pulled me aside and told me that she, Ajax, and Nickamedes hadn't been able to find out anything concrete about who had been where during the attack in the library. Metis had promised to keep digging for answers, but I had a feeling it was already too late.

Linus noticed me staring at him-and the fact that Logan was by my side. His mouth flattered out into a thin line.

"Ignore him," Logan said, realizing who I was looking at. "Or just be glad you don't have to spend the afternoon with him. He's probably going to be looking over my shoulder the whole time, telling me how I should do things, how a real Spartan would do things."

His voice was mocking, but pain s.h.i.+mmered in his icy eyes. Even now, after everything that had happened, it was obvious that Logan still wanted his dad's love and approval-and more important, his understanding for Logan's not fighting alongside his mom and sister when the Reapers had attacked them.

"Things aren't any better between the two of you?" I asked.

Logan shook his head. "No, but I don't want to talk about him right now. Just be careful today, okay? It would be just like the Reapers to try something on campus while we're gone-or the other kids."

"Don't worry," I said. "I can hold my own against a few Reapers or p.i.s.sed-off mean girls like Helena Paxton."

He gave me a crooked grin. "That you can, Gypsy girl. That you can."

We kissed, and then everyone boarded the buses. I stood in the parking lot and waved as the engines started up, and the drivers steered the buses through the gate on this side of the academy. Alexei came over to stand beside me, his backpack hanging off his shoulder.

"Don't worry," Alexei echoed my words to Logan when the last of the buses had disappeared. "Your friends will be okay. My father and the other members of the Protectorate will make sure of it."

I nodded, although I didn't really believe him. For all his Protectorate training, for all his skill and magic as a Bogatyr, Alexei hadn't been there the night Loki had escaped. He hadn't looked the G.o.d in the eye like I had, and he hadn't felt the evil intent rolling off Loki, the burning desire to kill every single member of the Pantheon. Alexei simply didn't realize that none of us was safe, not anymore-not even at Mythos Academy.

But there was a way I could make sure that my friends were as protected as they could be-by finding out what Vivian and the other Reapers were really up to.

"Come on," I told Alexei. "I hope you have your walking shoes on because I have things to do today."

On the weekends, the Mythos kids spent most of their time sleeping late, hanging out in their dorms, or browsing through the shops in Cypress Mountain. Today, the other students were getting ready to go to the band concert in a few hours, so the main quad was deserted as I headed toward the Library of Antiquities. To my surprise, Alexei once again walked beside me. He kept glancing at me, like something was on his mind.

"Something you want to say?" I finally asked.

He didn't answer me for several seconds. "Oliver told me what you said to him about me . . . about how what was going on with you didn't have anything to do with him and the way I feel about him. I just wanted to thank you for that."

"I know what it's like to be totally into someone," I said. "I just want Oliver to be happy, and if you make him happy, then that's fine by me. Although if you end up hurting him, I will make you wish you hadn't, Protectorate or no Protectorate. Understand?"

He nodded. "I understand."

We reached the library steps, and I stopped to look at the two gryphons. Maybe it was my imagination, but the statues seemed . . . troubled. Their eyes narrowed, their brows furrowed like they were worried about something. Maybe they could sense the tension in the air. It was almost like I could see the storm clouds gathering overhead. I just didn't know where the lightning would strike first-or who would get burned by it. I s.h.i.+vered, pulled my gaze away from the statues, and walked on.

All of the students were encouraged to attend the band concert, well, except for me. But there were a few folks who'd decided not to go, for whatever reason, which was why the library was open today. Besides, Mythos students always had homework to do, concert or no concert. I spotted a couple of kids sitting at the study tables near the checkout counter, including Morgan McDougall. I waved at the Valkyrie, who returned the gesture before going back to the book she'd been reading.

But instead of sitting down with her or at one of the other tables, I headed into the stacks.

"What are you doing?" Alexei asked. "Where are you going? You don't have your bag with you, so I know you don't have any books to do your homework with."

"That's because I'm not here to do homework," I said. "More like extra credit."

Alexei frowned at my cryptic words, but he fell into step beside me.

Deeper and deeper into the stacks I went until I finally reached the spot where the Reaper had broken the case holding Apate's box and jewelry. All the gla.s.s had been cleaned up, although the case was still here-at least what was left of it. The Reaper had smashed the wood on top, but the base and the legs were still intact. I guessed that Nickamedes just hadn't gotten around to getting the case fixed or replaced yet. Either way, I was glad it was still here.

I drew in a breath, pushed up the sleeves of my purple hoodie, reached out, and touched the case with both hands.

Memories and images flooded my mind. I got a sense that the case had stood in this particular spot for a long, long time, decades even, and I saw flashes of all the students who'd touched, leaned against, peered at the items inside, and even decided to make out right next to or even on top of the gla.s.s and wood. Ugh. I would have been happy not seeing those particular images.

And then, finally, there was the last memory a.s.sociated with the case-the Reaper raising the hilt of his sword, smas.h.i.+ng all the gla.s.s, reaching inside, and stealing the box and jewelry.

I focused on that last image, concentrated on it, and pulled it into sharp focus. Then, I rewound the image and played it again and again, trying to get all the information I could from it, hoping there would be something I'd missed the first time, some clue I'd overlooked. I knew that the Reapers had wanted the box and its jewels for Vivian, so she could trick the Maat asp into thinking she was telling the truth. Now, I wanted to know what else they might use the items for-and which member of the Protectorate might really be a Reaper.

Nothing-I saw and felt nothing.

Well, nothing out of the ordinary. Just the Reaper smas.h.i.+ng the case and grabbing the items inside. Nothing that I didn't already know, and nothing that would help me figure out what Vivian's ultimate plan was.

I opened my eyes and ran my fingers back and forth across the case, touching every inch of it, but I didn't get any more flashes. No memories, no vibes, nothing.

"What are you doing?" Alexei asked.

"Using my psychometry," I said. "But it's not telling me anything new. Not yet, anyway."

I was disappointed, but I wasn't ready to admit defeat just yet. Since the case wasn't giving me any vibes, I branched out and searched the rest of the aisle. I got down on my hands and knees and ran my fingers over the marble floor around the entire area. Once again, I got the sense of all the students who had walked by this spot, their shoes slapping and scuffing against the floor, but nothing to do with the Reapers.

Getting desperate, I got down on my belly and looked underneath the bookshelf behind the case. Something long and black was lying there. I squinted, trying to make out what it was, and then I realized that it was the black velvet stand that had been in the case. The one I'd scooted underneath the shelf when I'd noticed Inari watching me.

I grabbed the stand and pulled it out from underneath the shelf. Then, I sat on the floor and ran my hands all over the soft, now dusty surface.

Nothing-once again, I saw and felt nothing important. Just the Reaper lifting up the stand and grabbing the box and jewelry. Disgusted, I put the stand inside the case, then got back down on the floor and peered under the shelf again.

But there was nothing else there, except for a couple of forgotten pens and a wad of dust bunnies that made my nose itch. I sighed, but I still wasn't ready to give up, so I slithered across the floor to the shelf on the other side of the aisle and looked under it as well. More pens and more dust bunnies, along with a shriveled up piece of gum. Yucko.

I'd just started to turn away when I noticed a small, white piece of paper lying on the floor back in the shadows.

My eyes narrowed, and I shoved my shoulder underneath the case and reached back as far as I could. It took me a few seconds, but I managed to snag the paper and pull it out into the light.

"What's that?" Alexei said. "Did you find something?"

"Maybe," I murmured, getting to my feet.

I flipped over the paper and realized that it was an ID card that had been inside the case. I'd thought I'd seen something white flutter to the floor when the Reaper had smashed the gla.s.s. The Reaper must have accidentally kicked it under the shelf or maybe I had when I'd chased after him. I waited a few seconds, but I didn't get any big vibes off the card, so I looked at the information on it.

Apate's Keepsake Jewels. In addition to their obvious beauty, each piece in Apate's jewelry collection is rumored to be imbued with the G.o.ddess's deceptive power. In fact, each individual gemstone in the pieces supposedly has a different magical property. For example, the emeralds are believed to have a hypnotizing effect, while the topaz can cause hallucinations. However, the rubies are thought to be the most powerful and have a variety of magic attached to them, everything from letting people deceive others to even overcoming a person's mind and compelling him or her to act against his or her own free will . . .

So I'd been right about the box and how Vivian had used the ruby chips on it to fool the Maat asp. But the knowledge didn't make me feel better-if anything, it only made my worry grow. Because the only jewelry Vivian had been wearing had been her Ja.n.u.s ring. So what had happened to the box and the rest of the jewelry? What were the Reapers planning to use the other gems for?

"What's that?" Alexei asked again. "Have you found something?"

I hesitated. It was one thing to have the other warrior follow me around-it was another to trust him. Alexei seemed like an okay guy, and Oliver liked him. Then again, I'd liked Preston Ashton and look how well that had turned out.

Oh, I didn't think Alexei was a Reaper. Vivian hadn't looked to him for help during the trial, and I hadn't gotten any strange vibes off him the past few days. Plus, he hadn't acted like a Reaper would have. He hadn't tried to cozy up to me and be my friend, in antic.i.p.ation of stabbing me in the back later. But I'd been fooled before, and there was still a small chance that he was one of the bad guys. One way to find out.

"Give me your hand," I said.

"What? Why?"

"If you want to know what I'm doing, give me your hand," I repeated.

Alexei looked at me, suspicion in his hazel eyes. For a moment, I thought he wasn't going to do it, that he really might be a Reaper after all, but he finally held out his hand.

I wrapped my fingers around his and closed my eyes. Images immediately filled my mind, flas.h.i.+ng by one after another, like a home movie cranked up to high speed. I saw Alexei growing up over the years, in school, at home, even in the gym learning how to fight. I saw him battling Reapers, a sword in either hand, and I felt how smooth his movements were as he flowed from one attack position to the next. Fighting really just was a complicated dance to the Bogatyr, a series of steps to be mastered before striking that final, fatal blow. I even saw the spark at the very center of his being-a pale golden spark full of quiet pride and honor.

All the while I sorted through the memories, looking for any hint that he might be a Reaper. But I didn't sense anything like that-just Alexei's determination to become the best warrior he could be and to follow in his dad's footsteps in the Protectorate. They were the same feelings that Logan had about those things.

Finally, an image of Oliver popped into my mind, and I felt what Alexei did whenever he looked at the Spartan-that warm, soft, fizzy feeling that seemed to make everything else worthwhile. That special emotion that made the golden spark of his soul brighten . . .

I opened my eyes and dropped his hand. He wasn't a Reaper, but I had learned something new about the Russian warrior-just how much he cared about Oliver.

"What was that all about?" Alexei said, more suspicion filling his face. "Did you just use your magic on me?"

"Yes, and you pa.s.sed," I said. "Now look at this."

I showed Alexei the card, then told him about the ruby chips I'd seen on Vivian's ring. He read the information and frowned.

"But Vivian has been in Protectorate custody for weeks now," he said, echoing my suspicions. "Before any of these things were stolen. There's no way she could have been one of the Reapers who broke into the library. She's been closely watched, and as far as I know, the only people she's had any contact with are senior members of the Protectorate."

"Who?" I asked. "Who exactly has Vivian been in contact with?"

Alexei shrugged. "All the members of the Protectorate who are here for your trial. Linus, Inari, Agrona, my father. Why do you ask?"

Because that means one of them is a Reaper. The only way Vivian could have gotten her hands on the ruby chips was for the Reaper who had stolen the box to have given them to her. I could almost see the wheels turning in Alexei's mind as he thought about everything, but I didn't tell him my suspicions. I didn't know if he would believe me, especially since his dad was one of the people who'd seen Vivian-one of the people who might be a Reaper.

I slid the card into my jeans pocket. I didn't know that it was enough to prove Vivian's guilt, but it was a start.

Energized by my discovery, I continued my search. I went over the case again, but I didn't get any new vibes off it so I moved on to the bookcase, running my hands up and down the shelves and then over every single one of the books lined up on them. I didn't get any big flashes off the shelves, just the sense of students grabbing the volumes off them. The same thing went for the books. They were just reference books, after all, and no one had any big emotional attachment to them, other than needing the info inside in order to finish their homework.

I was just about to stop looking, when my fingers brushed against a book directly above the artifact case, and an image of the Reaper's gloved hand touching it filled my mind.

I froze, wondering if I'd only imagined the image, but I skimmed my fingers over the book, and the same memory popped into my head. I focused on the image, going deeper into the memory, and replaying it over and over again. There was nothing particularly sinister about the Reaper reaching for the book, but I felt there was something more to the image, something I was missing, so I stood there and kept concentrating, focusing on every little thing my magic could show me.

It took me a few seconds to realize that the Reaper had reached for the bookshelf first-before he'd even glanced at the artifact case.

I ran my fingers over the other books. The images, the memories, were the same. The Reaper standing here and going from book to book to book, the warrior's gloved fingers skimming over each volume, trying to find the one he wanted.

I frowned. Why would the Reaper rifle through the books? Why not go for the box and jewelry first? Unless the gems weren't the only things the Reaper had taken-and stealing them wasn't nearly as important as finding the right book was.