Conspiracies (Mercedes Lackey) - By Mercedes Lackey Page 0,113

put food out on the buffet line at the Refectory, too,” Spirit told him. “Bet Murr-cat’s there.”

They headed back to the main building. “Bet the Breakthrough goons all have a good excuse for why they weren’t around when the balloon went up,” Burke observed sourly.

“Probably lots of excuses,” she agreed. Burke reached out and took her hand halfway to the building. “And probably lots of doctored evidence ‘proving’ they were where they’ll claim they were. But if Mr. Ovcharenko shows up tomorrow with a black eye, be sure to thank me.” She had been pretty certain the guy she’d nailed with her ice ball had been Ovcharenko.

“One day it’s going to be more than just a black eye,” Burke muttered, then stopped, just as they reached the door. “And you never did answer my question.”

Now she was confused. “What question?”

“You said me saying we were going steady wasn’t true, and I asked you if you wanted it to be,” Burke told her, pulling on her hand a little so she faced him.

Once again, Spirit felt as if she’d been stunned stupid. But she managed to stammer out something enough like “yes” that Burke pulled her into his arms for a kiss that lasted long enough that she started going weak in the knees.

Then his stomach growled loudly.

They both laughed. “I guess we’d better find you some food,” she teased, and they went inside.

The rumors were true; anything leftover that could be made into a sandwich or thrown into the microwave had been put out on the line. To Burke’s immense satisfaction, Spirit identified some bits of meat in a pan as the leftover steak from three nights ago, and the two of them made a plate of steak sandwiches, which they took into the lounge.

There they found the rest of their friends presiding over the remains of their own feast.

“We did it,” Muirin said, in tones of disbelief. “We did it.”

“And Dylan got all the credit,” Loch grumbled.

“Blame,” Spirit reminded him. “Believe me, this is one we don’t want extra credit for.”

“Mark and Madison are really not going to be happy about this,” Muirin agreed. “And Dyl’s going to be Anastus’s little chew toy from now on.”

“Better him than me,” Burke muttered, then spoke up after inhaling half his sandwich. “So … now what? They lost this round, but they aren’t going to give up.”

“We keep our heads down until we find a good way to get out of here,” Spirit said firmly. “We need somewhere safe to go, and we need a way to get there. Meanwhile, we hide right here.”

Addie nodded; so did Loch. “My father had a lot of vacation properties,” Loch said slowly. “I just need to remember where some of them are. We had a system of where we hid spare keys and I know all the alarm codes.”

“We might be able to use the horses, or maybe steal a car,” Addie said. “Once we get out and get somewhere safe, Loch and I can get to people on our Trusts.” She got a sly look on her face. “I know just the person, too. He hates video games. All I have to say is that Breakthrough took over the school to get the kids hooked on games and he’ll help us figure out what to do.”

Spirit nodded. “Okay then. Until we get a plan and a way to get out of here, it’s hide in plain sight. Don’t fail anything, because we don’t want them to cull us, but don’t be outstanding, either. Just look absolutely normal and average.”

Burke squeezed her hand. “Got it,” he said, and cracked a small smile. “Just a regular guy and his steady girl. What could be more normal than that?”

Spirit almost giggled at the looks on the faces of the other three, and enjoyed her moment of happiness. Tomorrow they’d have to deal with the repercussions—and there would be repercussions. They’d have to figure out how to keep Mark Rider and Breakthrough from figuring out what they were doing. They’d have to find out how to get away. She’d have to decide if QUERCUS was a friend who could help, or a trap. And somehow, they would have to figure out who Mordred was—and where—and how to take him out for good. Because she knew in the depths of her soul that Mordred wasn’t going to stop until they were all dead … or his servants.

But not this minute. She squeezed Burke’s hand back. Tonight, at least, was going to be theirs.

TOR TEEN BOOKS BY MERCEDES LACKEY AND ROSEMARY EDGHILL

Shadow Grail #1: Legacies

Shadow Grail #2: Conspiracies

PRAISE FOR SHADOW GRAIL #1: LEGACIES

“Lackey and Edghill know how to spin a yarn, immediately pulling the reader into Spirit’s mourning psyche as well as the fast-paced action of the mystery, mixing marvelous elements of fairy tales and mythology into both the plot and references in the students’ Magical History class. There’s also a touch of gentle romance, and readers who appreciate everything from X-Men to Harry Potter will be begging for the sequel.”

—Booklist

“A really good read. The authors do a great job of juxtaposing a scary theme and the ordinary angst of adolescents. They also do a nice job with the metaphor of magical gifts as means of self-actualization. Legacies has enough action for reluctant readers, and enough character development for teens to see themselves in this group of friends. The book’s fans are sure to eagerly await Spirit’s discovery of her mage gift and further confrontations with the forces of evil.”

—School Library Journal

“A great read for those who love contemporary fantasy or want a more urban version of a magical boarding school.”

—Sacramento Book Review

“The authors expertly balance a heady mixture of mystery and teenage romance in this well-paced first of the Shadow Grail series.”

—RT Book Reviews

“An exciting thriller in which the locale, creepy Oakhurst Academy, brings the freshness with its foreboding sort of gothic ambience.… With a bit of romance, a lot of suspense, and a young adult investigation into missing students, teenage fans will want to attend the dances at eerie Oakhurst Academy.”

—Midwest Book Review

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously.

SHADOW GRAIL 2: CONSPIRACIES

A Tor® Teen eBook

Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC

175 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10010

www.tor-forge.com

Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

ISBN 978-0-7653-2823-6 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-0-7653-1762-9 (trade paperback)

First Edition: July 2011

eISBN 978-1-4299-9718-8

First Tor Teen eBook Edition: July 2011

Table of Contents

Title Page

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Tor Teen Books by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill

Praise for Shadow Grail #1: Legacies