35. Chapter 35
Chapter 35
B y the time we all gather in the Main Hall — everyone except Nimueh and Lorcan — the news has already spread.
“ Now what do we do?” Dryden asks, back to looking grumpier than ever. “We might only have a few days left, at least judging by how quickly the candle is burning this time around.”
We all exchange a look. No one seems to want to be the first to speak their mind.
It’s Jaeger who breaks the silence. “Maybe we should go back to business as usual. This god-killing sword still sounds very tempting, but if we can’t even get the stuff we need to forge it…”
There’s nothing unusual about her tone, but I do notice she’s making a point of not even looking in de Groot’s direction.
I force myself to stop ruminating about her and focus on the problem before us.
“I could start research on the shadow curse,” Raven suggests in a low, but determined voice, making Alaric shoot her an alarmed look.
Yeah, I really don’t like where this is going. It might prove more troublesome than we thought it would be, but it’s still by far our best option.
But before I can open my mouth to offer my two cents, Nimueh walks in.
“What’s going on?” she asks as she takes her seat.
“The metal is not at the Academy, Nimueh,” Nuala tells her with resignation in her voice.
The old woman frowns. Then she shakes her head. “It is. It has to be.”
It’s with such conviction that she says this that everyone goes back to brainstorming.
There’s a moment of silence before Alaric sits straighter, his face lit up all of a sudden. “Maybe it’s not in the Academy. Maybe it’s back in our dimension, on Academy grounds .”
The statement makes me raise my eyebrows in surprise. Then again, it would make sense.
“On the grounds still being occupied by Cain?” Jaeger asks with a frown.
“Isn’t that wonderful?” de Groot drawls.
“Yeah,” Dryden chimes in, “even if it weren’t for Cain, the grounds are larger than the Academy itself and we don’t have any specifics whatsoever.”
Frowning, I think for a second, an idea popping into my head. “It’s metal. Wouldn’t it make most sense to hide it on Graf Hill?”
I look around the table and see everyone nod away thoughtfully.
Everyone except Jaeger. She’s throwing me a flat glare. “The exact spot where Cain has set camp?” she asks with a touch of sarcasm in her voice.
I shrug. “I guess we’ll just have to find another way to outsmart him.”