Conspiracies (Mercedes Lackey) - By Mercedes Lackey Page 0,43
and going to our rooms. That was about as dangerously close to what she wanted to say as she was going to go.
The fact was, it wasn’t All Better, and at least now the others could see that for themselves.
Okay, no one got hurt. That didn’t mean anything.
The big point was, there were only two things you could say about the Terror.
If it had come from outside, it had gotten past all the protections and wards on the school and the grounds. Not even the Hunt had been able to do that, and according to Kelly Langley, one of the proctors, the protections and wards had been seriously beefed up since then. The only way the Hunt had gotten inside the grounds had been because they’d been let inside by someone able to control the wards.
That would have been teachers and staff. Unless there were some third parties who were neither teachers nor staff, and had been able to get into the school, take down the wards, and get out again without anyone seeing them. More than that, get out and get to Radial or had some hidden form of fast transportation to get them away. Fast car? Possible, but not likely.
If, however, it had come from inside …
It meant that whoever had taken down the protections for the Hunt was still here, and hadn’t given up.
And even if the Terror had come from outside, someone from inside would still have had to take down the protections. So, the logic came full circle. There was still someone, or several someones, in here, in the guise of one of Doctor Ambrosius’s trusted people. Someone who was trying to kill them all.
* * *
There were, in fact donuts. And danishes, and bear claws, and fritters, and eclairs, and bismarks, and cinnamon buns. And pancakes and waffles. And bacon and sausage, mounds of both, which the health-conscious cooking staff never, ever served in any quantity. In short, it was a forbidden-food-fest, and Spirit immediately eyed the buffet with suspicion. What was the point here, recovery or distraction? Although Murr-cat was perhaps one of the biggest junk food fiends at Oakhurst, she was by no means the only one, and all these piled-high treats were going to distract a lot of people. And maybe send them out into the snow for the only day of no-kidding ungraded playing that they’d gotten during the so-called “break.”
Ungraded, because there weren’t any teachers in sight. Anywhere.
The group met at their usual table; Muirin hadn’t needed to be hauled out of bed by the hair, because she had gotten wind of the pastry-avalanche awaiting her. The mere sight of Muirin’s plate made Spirit’s eyes glaze over, and she stuck to scrambled eggs and fruit.
“If this is how we’re going to get fed after mysterious attacks, I vote for more of them,” Muirin said around a glazed donut, her eyes blissful.
“Thanks,” Burke replied dryly. “I’ll pass.”
Spirit lowered her voice to a whisper. “The stones of Burke’s ring and mine lit up last night … I think it was after the attack, though, because if it had been during it, I would have noticed the glow. Yours did, too. Anyone else or just us?” She had brought her ring with her, but didn’t put it on. After last night she was even more reluctant to do so.
They all shook their heads.
“I didn’t see anyone else. Uh, something else,” Loch said, chewing his lower lip. “My stone didn’t just glow. Now it has a Destiny in it.”
Spirit stared at him. “What?” hissed Addie. “Let me see!”
He slid his hand into the middle of the table, and they all peered down at the ring. Sure enough, there was the image of a tiny … stick?
“That’s not a magic wand is it?” Spirit asked dubiously.
“Get your eyes checked; it’s a spear,” snorted Muirin, but Burke was already looking at his ring, and without a word, slid his hand to the center of the table to join Loch’s. Burke’s Destiny was easier to see: a shield. The boys pulled their hands back before anyone could take notice.
“Murr-cat?” Addie asked.
“Does it matter?” Muirin replied crossly. “Big deal, it looks like everyone and his dog has a Destiny now.”
“No, they don’t. If the Destiny came up with the glow, it’s only us. I am absolutely positive no one else had glowing rings last night,” Addie retorted, her eyes narrowing.
“I don’t care,” Muirin began, when Spirit managed to grab hold of her ring hand.