two boys on the right. “Brothers from London. And that’s Wally Couit from the south of France. Brian and Wally were in my literature class last semester, Connor the year before. Good boys.” She slid the photo back over beside me and looked out over the grounds. “Ryland is happy.”
I wasn’t sure if she was asking, or simply making an observation based on the picture, but either way, I wasn’t about to be caught in a trap. “Yes, he is. And how happy will he be when he finds out that there is a man out there who has been waiting hundreds of years to kill him? How happy will he be when he finds out that the only reason he was brought here is so that a bunch of people he doesn’t know can use him for an ability he’s not aware he has.”
“That is not true,” she said, calmly turning to face me.
“That’s certainly what it sounded like.”
“I know you will find this hard to believe, but the best thing for Ryland is to be here, where he is protected.”
With a flare in my chest, my anger was back. I stood and rounded to face her, while she sat calmly looking up at me. “Why all of a sudden, does everyone else get to decide what’s best for him? Who do you people think you are? I have always looked out for him! Always taken care of him! And now I’m supposed to just hand his welfare over to a bunch of people I hardly know, including his ‘father’ who ran out on him less than two weeks after he was born? I have always known what is best for him! People like you have been trying to take him away almost his entire life, and I have always been there to save him, and I’m sure as hell not going to stop now, just because Ryland’s feelings might get hurt!”
“Shush, shush, shush,” Min hushed soothingly, sliding over on the bench, taking my trembling hand in hers and pulling me back into the seat.
“I can’t let him get hurt,” I said weakly, slumping down next to her, exhausted.
“And you think that taking him away is the best way to do that?” She patted my hand, which she still held, and lifted my chin with her free hand, forcing me to look at her. “Ryland is safer here than anywhere else in the world, that is why we brought him here. Darragh can get to him anywhere else – anywhere but St Brigid’s. Neither Darragh, nor any of his accomplices, can enter the school grounds. The guards I cast have made sure of that.
I was immediately reminded of my conversation with Chloe the night before. “Yeah, from what I hear, someone has been trying to find a way through your guards.”
Min sighed. “Yes, that is true.”
“Is it one of them?” I demanded, already fairly certain I knew the answer. “Is it someone after Ry?”
To her credit, she did not bother denying it. “We believe so, yes.”
“And you still expect me to believe he’s safe here? This only proves he’s not safe!”
“On the contrary,” Min countered calmly, “it only proves how safe he is. Yes, someone has tried to breach my guards, and yes, we suspect that person’s intention was to get hold of Ryland, but the most important thing is that they were unsuccessful. My guards not only held, but also served to alert us to the threat, allowing extra precautions to be made. I have not only strengthened the charms protecting the school, but I have also added one to Ryland’s dormitory. No one can remove him from it, or from the campus itself against his will – not even you,” she smiled, chucking me under the chin. “He needs to be here, where we can protect him properly. Taking him away will only add to the danger. Moreover, we have no solid proof that the attempted breach had anything to do with Ryland at all. Of course we must act on the side of caution, but there is yet a strong chance that it was only a harmless accident.”
I wanted to believe her, but fought it. “What about the Iris, you only want him…”
“Yes, we have been waiting for the one who can use the Iris, but the fact that we have him does not mean we expect him to use it now. He is not ready for any of it yet, we know that. The only