thirty in the afternoon but it was almost dark. “Did you find out anything about the pendant?”
“No.” Emma let out a frustrated sigh. “And Professor Yemin, who is apparently the only one who might know what it is, hasn’t been in today. This is just driving me crazy. I know this pendant links my mom to the darkhel but I don’t know how. And if I don’t find out soon I think my head is going to explode.”
“Well, that would be a shame,” a voice suddenly said. Emma turned around as Curtis swung his way toward them with a grin on his face. How he had managed to sneak up on them, she had no idea. Though suddenly she imagined just how lethal he could be tracking dragons when he wasn’t encumbered by his crutches.
“Hey,” she said, some of her frustration instantly leaving her. “This is a nice surprise. I thought you had a gym session this afternoon.”
“I did.” He nodded before he frowned. “But on the way back I bumped into your dad down by the bottom parking lot.”
“My dad’s here at Burtonwood?” Now Emma was most definitely distracted; although her dad used to do some of the computer work for the Academy a long time ago, he wasn’t a frequent visitor anymore. In fact, before his trip to give her the pendant and the news of Olivia’s pregnancy, Emma couldn’t remember the last time he had visited. Especially not late on a Friday afternoon. “Are you sure it’s him?”
“I only met him last night,” Curtis reminded her as he turned and nodded for her to follow him. “Anyway, you’d better hurry because he said it was urgent.”
Emma felt the blood drain from her face as she turned and started to sprint toward the parking lot. Whatever it was, she had a feeling it wasn’t going to be good news.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Emma hurried over to where her father was waiting by his late-model Volvo. The parking lot was next to the second practice field. People weren’t allowed to come and go as they pleased at Burtonwood, but induction weekend was an exception, and the visitors’ parking lot was already half filled with parents who had arrived for tonight’s dinner. Down on the practice field itself she noticed several groups of students scattered around giving combat demonstrations to interested parents under the glow of the large spotlights that dotted the area.
Loni, Tyler, and Curtis stopped at a nearby wooden bench while Emma covered the rest of the distance on her own.
“Dad, what’s wrong? What are you doing here?”
“Hey, sweetheart.” Her dad hugged her before stepping back and catching her gaze with his pale blue eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you; it’s just, we’re leaving for the airport in an hour and I really wanted to talk to you before we go. I was going to the office to find out where you’d be, but then I bumped into Curtis and he said he’d get you for me.”
“What’s up?” Emma felt her stomach start to churn. Her dad most definitely had his serious face on.
“It’s about your visit last night. I’m so sorry I told Olivia that your induction ceremony was canceled. I know you said that you didn’t mind if we weren’t there, but . . . well . . . I guess I didn’t want her to worry—”
Oh. Right. So that’s what this was about.
“It’s okay.” Emma quickly cut him off, because while it was okay in principle, she wasn’t sure she really wanted him to spell out how important his new life was. In fact, the words “salt” and “wound” made themselves comfortable in her mind. “I know why you did it, so I wasn’t worried.”
“Are you sure?” He seemed to be studying her face, and when she nodded, a look of relief washed over him. For a moment Emma thought about what Curtis had said about talking to her dad, and she felt a rush of guilt go racing through her. At least she had a dad she could talk to if she wanted to. But when she tried to open her mouth, she realized she had no idea where to start, so she just shrugged.
“I’m sure. But why did you come all the way over here just to tell me that? You know there are these crazy inventions called cell phones.”
“Oh yes, those things. Problem is that while I know how to use them, my daughter seems to have a bad habit of not answering