A Dark and Stormy Night
Chapter Ten
A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT
Alison
T he conversation with Alison’s mother had gone better than expected. She was unhappy that Alison had written so little since her move to Wilderise, and she couldn’t understand why Alison had chosen to give up everything she worked for to go live in a place without so much as a long-talker, but all that mattered to her was that Alison was happy and doing well.
And she was. The power-saver research was really coming along by the time the storm arrived. Weyland had managed to improve the design of the power-saver casing significantly, reducing most of the troublesome leaks and producing a design that almost met the theoretical requirements Professor Marin had outlined.
They were so incredibly close to cracking it.
It was a shame to have to delay the research on account of the storm, but it also offered them a chance to test their prototype in a real-world scenario. They’d charged each of the candidate power-saver designs to full capacity during the week and had brought them to the infirmary for use in case the ‘lectrics went out.
The best of those had been brought into the dining hall along with the students who were being treated and a couple of machines required for their care. Keir had checked over the entire temporary setup while Alison helped move tables to clear the floor; the medical equipment reminded her too much of her father’s time in the hospital. Still, she was grateful their research could already be put to good use.
Of their group, the two who were most upset by the storm were Lady Sibba, whose journey back to Herot’s Hollow to begin the school year had to be delayed, and Gwenla, who had called Idris’s office the day before, frantic with worry.
“We have pumps down here to keep the water out and plenty of coal to burn if we lose the ‘lectrics. Oh, but be careful up there on that mountain! I wish you would just come back here. Under a mountain is better than on one when a storm’s coming.”
Alison reassured her that the college was doing everything it could to keep them safe. And even if they’d wanted to join her, the rail-wheelers were exclusively operating in the opposite direction to pull the most vulnerable people in from the coast.
It was only once they were starting to settle in, the makeshift beds made and the last stragglers arriving, that Rinka noticed someone was missing.
“I see Ceri’s roommate over there, but no Ceri,” she said, pointing to the Halfling girl.
“Find that Leo, and you’ll find her,” said Idris. He had taken the spot closest to the tables in order to continue grading the first assignment of the year while the lights were still on.
Alison looked around the dining hall. It was absolutely packed with people—and more than a few pets, including Willow and Barney the dog—but she didn’t see Ceri or Leo anywhere.
"Do you see Leo? I don’t see him either,” she said.
“I’ll bet they’re right outside doing some last-minute measurements,” said Keir. “Probably something about the power of the storm or some such. Do you think I should go check?”
Idris’s eyes flashed up on the word “measurements.”
“Hello, all,” said Professor Marin, startling everyone except Lady Sibba and Rinka, whose superior hearing had heard her coming. “Have you seen Leo? I haven’t been able to find him. I asked Ceri to keep a lookout—”
“Oh, Godsdammit,” said Idris, shutting his grading notebook. He didn’t need to hear the rest to know what had happened.
None of them did.
“You think she went to find him?” asked Professor Marin.
“Of course she bloody did. She can’t help herself, can she?” said Idris, rising to his feet.
“Idris,” said Rinka, joining him and placing a hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright. The storm has barely started. We’ll find them and bring them back.”
“I know,” said Idris, calming down. “Just…it’s Ceri.”
“I know,” said Rinka soothingly.
“We should split up,” said Alison. “There are a few places they might have gone. The lab, the library, the dorms.”
“You don’t have to help—the dorms?” asked Idris.
Alison looked to the others for moral support but found none. “Er, she might have left something there…”
Idris rolled his eyes. He wasn’t that stupid. “I’m betting on my office. It’s where all those damned ‘enchanted objects’ of his are.”
“Did you lock it?” asked Rinka.
“Of course I locked it,” said Idris. “But I learned to pick that kind of lock when I was eight.”
“The prince picks locks?” asked Rinka, intrigued by something she had let to learn about him.
“How else are you meant to find all the secrets hiding in the castle? Look, if Leo wanted to get in, he could have. And if my sister was with him? Well, all the more likely. Come on. Let’s go track down those idiots before they get themselves killed.”
“We’ll take the library,” said Alison. Keir nodded at her that it was a good idea. “We can go to the dorms afterwards, taking the long way through the halls.”
“We’ll head to the lab,” said Lady Sibba.
“You can’t go out there,” said Rinka. “It’s too dangerous to go outside.”
“I have a greater ability to withstand lightning than most, just like Leo,” said Lady Sibba.
“Lightning maybe, but not a cyclone,” said Weyland. “There’s a long-talker in the lab. We can call them.”
“There’s one on each floor in the dorms if you wanted to check there while we check the library,” said Alison.
Willow chose this moment to join the group, the new setting having been thoroughly inspected and the other pets having been greeted and assessed.
“What’s going on? Who’s missing?” she asked.
“Ceri and Leo,” said Alison. “We’re about to go find them.”
“There are a lot of smells here, but I don’t think Leo has been here recently at all. Ceri went this way,” said Willow, her nose close to the ground. “If we had more time, we might enlist that Barney. He’s cleverer than I gave him credit for, and he has one hell of a nose on him.”
Idris and Rinka were already making their way to the door.
“Willow, you don’t have to come. It might be dangerous,” said Alison.
“For you, maybe. I’d like to see the storm try. Cats always land on their feet.” Willow stretched defiantly and continued on the trail.
“Where are you all going?” asked Dean Whittaker. “The guards are out there searching for Princess Ceridwen. One of them said she was heading back to the dorm for…personal reasons.”
“Classic Ceri lie,” said Idris. “We think we know where she may have gone. We won’t be long.” He moved through the doorway without waiting to hear Dean Whittaker’s response.
Alison shot a look of apology at the Dean.
“Wait!” called Dean Whittaker. “Take these at least. In case we lose the ‘lectrics.” He handed them each a candle and a match.
Rinka, Idris, and Willow parted from the group at the first turn, heading upstairs to his office—apparently Ceri’s first thought as well, from the trail—as the rest of them continued down the corridor towards the library and the dorms.
Outside, they could hear the battering of the rain against the windows and the howl of the wind.
“It’s picking up,” said Lady Sibba. “The Rock gets storms like this every year. I never thought I’d see one here. We need to hurry. If the ‘lectrics go out, we won’t be able to call the lab.”
They picked up the pace, practically running through the empty corridors. Lightning flashed through the unboarded windows, much closer this time. Finally, they reached the turn for the library.
“Be careful over there,” called Alison to Weyland and Lady Sibba as they continued down the corridor towards the dorms. “If they don’t answer, come back to the dining hall. Don’t be a hero.”
As the sound of their footsteps faded into the distance, the creeping feeling of being watched returned. Alison looked at Keir. “Do you feel it?”
“It’s just the storm,” said Keir. “And the quiet now that the others are gone. The library is just ahead. I doubt they’re in there. Let’s check it quickly, and we can head back.”
They walked down the hall, their footsteps echoing over the sound of thunder. Keir was right. It was just the isolation that she was feeling. The rest of the school was safe in the dining hall, and they were out here alone. That would be enough to make most people feel a little uneasy.
The library doors were just ahead. The lightning cast strange shadows in the corridor, the flashes growing ever more frequent as they continued. The windows rattled in their casings.
The ‘lectric lights in the hallway, dim as they were, flickered once, and went out.
Alison reached out for Keir but found empty air.
He had just been beside her. She felt around the darkened corridor but only found the paintings and tapestries on the walls and the dying glow of the ‘lectric bulbs in their sconces.
“Keir?” she asked the darkness, reaching in her pocket for the match.
She felt around for something rough, finding a statue of jagged stone: the one-winged phoenix just past the library, she realized as she felt it. She had wandered too far.
She struck the match against it and brought it to the candlestick.
Her heart rose into her throat as a door creaked open somewhere nearby.
“Keir? Is that you?” she asked, her voice small and frightened.
There was no reply, but she could feel it in the hallway with her. A presence, dark and unkind.
She backed away, fumbling with the match, trying to will the wick to ignite.
Then there was a loud crash in the distance: the exterior doors burst open, sending a gust of wet wind blowing through.
The match and candle blew out.
“Alison!” shouted Keir’s muffled voice from somewhere far away.
The nearby door slammed shut, leaving her in the darkness, alone.