Tarot Academy 4 - Sarah Piper Page 0,63
joyride.”
“You all know how well that worked out,” Quintana says.
No one responds to that. We don’t have to; the collective energy in the room immediately turns to worry for Ani.
“Fast forward to my and Janelle’s capture,” Casey says. “When Dr. Devane showed up at Trello’s house, demanding access to a remote house in the Red Sands community, she knew immediately that our plan had gone well—too well. I hadn’t checked in with her since the night before. At that point, she decided Phaines had to be eliminated. She wasn’t willing to risk my life or further attacks on students.”
“And Eastman?” I ask. “How does he come back into play?”
“Trello contacted him to report Janelle and Casey missing,” Agent Quintana says. “She expressed concern that the women had been kidnapped or harmed, though of course she knew they were here with Dr. Devane.”
“Being kidnapped and harmed,” Casey adds, shooting a death glare at Doc.
“I was a complete professional,” Doc says.
“A professional kidnapper is nothing to brag about,” she quips. Then, with a resigned sigh, “But in the end, I would’ve done the same to protect the people I love.”
Her attention shifts toward Kirin, her energy warming.
“When Eastman learned Phaines was dead,” she says, “he sent in his minions to collect the essences and related research from the library storage—that’s his prize in all this. Finding a way to eliminate magick from the population without eliminating the population itself.”
A shiver rolls down my spine. “And this is the man with ultimate authority at the Academy now? The one that’s been locked down to keep people from leaving or even interacting beyond the dorms? I can’t believe you guys are okay with that.”
“Far from it,” Quintana says. “But we need more time to get the evidence together. Besides, with Phaines dead and Janelle out of the picture, Eastman is on his own now.”
“Along with his shadow-mage minions and whoever else he’s charmed into his savior mission,” Kirin says. “We fought those guys, Case. I don’t want to go up against them again.”
Casey shakes her head. “Eastman needs time to regroup. He doesn’t want to ring any alarm bells. His whole plan relies on secrecy—he needs the students to remain calm and trust his authority. That will buy us a little more time.”
“Where is Trello?” Baz asks. “If she’s so high-and-mighty in all this, why hasn’t she made an appearance?”
“A question I’ve been asking since I enrolled here,” I say.
“She is off-campus following another lead,” Casey says. “I’m waiting for her to make contact again with more information, but from what little she’s told me, it’s important.”
“What little she’s told you,” Doc says. “That’s a theme with Anna Trello—one you’d be wise to examine rather than taking her at her word.”
We spend the next hour asking questions and rehashing everything we’ve just learned. By the time the agents are done putting together all the known puzzle pieces—along with a good deal of speculation about the still-missing ones—the bagels are gone, the only fruit left is the universally-hated cantaloupe, and my head’s about to go nuclear from the overdose of keyed-up energy in the room.
“Let me get this straight,” I say. “The Magician wants to reclaim magick as his birthright, killing us all in the process. The government wants to kill us just for existing. A high-ranking APOA agent who’s now calling the shots at our Academy wants to strip us of our power and throw us to the wolves, despite the fact that he himself is a mage. And our traitorous headmistress is actually a double-agent working in the shadows to keep us all safe.”
“That… about sums it up,” Casey says, rising from her chair for the last time. She glances at her phone, then nods at Quintana, indicating their time with us is up. “Listen, guys. I know the news is grim right now. It may not feel like it, but the Academy—including the Red Sands community here—is the safest place for everyone. The magick will protect you, as much as anything can. I’m just asking you to give us a little more time and a little more trust before doing anything else.”
“That’s just it though,” Carly says. “If what you’re saying is true, then we need just as much protection from what’s happening inside the Academy as we do out of it.”
“We’re picking the lesser of two evils,” Casey says.
“Always a good strategy, Case,” Baz says, flashing her a sarcastic thumbs-up.
Ignoring the dig, Casey turns back to Carly. “Carly, this may be