Page 114 of An Academy for Liars

“I’ve only seen two, maybe three snakes max,” said Kieran. “And only one was poisonous.”

Emerson glared at him. “You’re not helping.”

“Keep it down,” said Dante. “The campus floods into these tunnels via sewer grates.” He pointed to one ahead, a slat of filmy white light falling down through the iron slats and across the black water. “If we’re too loud someone might find out we’re down here, and if that happens—”

“We’re fucked?” Kieran offered.

“Pretty much.”

They kept walking, sloshing through the muck, the waters rising and falling as they went. Sometimes the water climbed as high as Lennon’s chin, but another bend might take them through tunnels so shallow that the water barely came up to their knees. They were close to the chancellor’s mansion when Dante, who had been walking just ahead, threw out an arm and motioned for silence. He pointed up at one of the dripping sewer grates, and they heard a familiar voice speaking from above. Alec. “Eileen wants the girl alive, of course. The rest are collateral.”

“What about Professor Lowe?”

“Eileen wants him too. Of course.”

The men walked on, but it was a long time before Dante gave them the go-ahead. The six of them edged carefully around the sewer, their backs flattened against its scummy walls, as they slid past and continued on their way. Lennon felt almost crushed by relief when the waters shallowed and gave way to a run of slick stone stairs.

Sawyer opened the door and checked to see if the room was empty and gestured them all through. They emerged into what was a glorified crawl space, so low they had to bend double and inch their way to the cellar door leading up to the first floor of the house. The six of them emerged into a dark pantry. Overhead, the sound of footsteps. Voices in the halls.

“Can you take them all?” Lennon whispered, looking to Dante. It was one of the only occasions that she’d questioned his ability. Dante was strong, but so were his fellow professors, and she wasn’t sure he could take them on, given that he was still so weak from the torture, and the clash with Eileen.

“We can take them,” said Emerson, perhaps sensing, like Lennon, that Dante lacked the strength. “Kieran, Sawyer, and me. We’ll divert their attention so that you can get to William’s room.”

“Out of the question,” said Lennon. “You heard what Alec said. If you offer yourself as bait and get caught, it’s over for you.”

Kieran shrugged. “What’s a few memories anyway?”

“Kieran, no.”

Emerson looked to Dante. “What do you think?”

Dante thought for a moment, then nodded. “Distract them as best you can. Lennon, Blaine, and I will make our way to the chancellor.”

The three left. Only seconds later, shouts, footsteps, the sound of glass breaking.

With the diversion underway, Dante, Blaine, and Lennon fled from their hiding spot unseen. They made it to the hall of memories in moments. It stretched out in front of them, dozens of doors on either side, the one that led to William impossibly far away.

They weren’t even halfway there when Alec stepped into the hall. “You really are clever. I have to give you that.”

Dante placed himself between Alec and the girls.

Alec smiled. “You think you’re so chivalrous, but look at you. Dragging them into your own personal vendettas. It wasn’t enough to kill Benedict. You just had to tear the school apart brick by brick and get these little soft-minded idiots to help you do it. When are you going to learn to leave well enough alone?”

As Alec spoke, Lennon could feel Dante’s will charging the air like static. It made the hairs on her arms bristle and stand on end.

Alec felt it too and responded in turn, advancing down the hall. As he drew closer, Lennon’s vision began to fail, black encroaching from the corners of her eyes. Blaine must’ve felt it too, because she staggered back, blinking rapidly.

Lennon lost her balance, crashed back into the wall, and it was Dante who kept her from falling, lashing out at Alec with the full force of his will. But it was clear that Dante, in his weakened state, didn’t have the stores to put up a fight.

And Lennon saw—from the smile that curved Alec’s lips—that he knew it too.

Alec was rallying his next attack when someone appeared behind him.

Emerson’s will carved through the air like a scythe, and Alec—stunned by the sudden attack—broke to his knees.

“Go,” said Emerson. “I’ll hold him off for as long as I can.”

While Emerson clashed with Alec at the hall’s entrance—a vicious battle of wills—Lennon, Blaine, and Dante raced to William’s quarters. The door was locked today, but Dante made it give with a sleight of his hand, a motion that usually would’ve demanded little of his strength, but Lennon noticed the way his knees buckled the moment the bolt slipped out of place.

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