Page 38 of Akarnae

“Why haven’t we—”

“Does anyone know if—”

“SILENCE!”

Like most people in the room, Alex jumped at the unexpectedly loud noise. Who would have thought that the quiet historian had such a powerful set of lungs?

“Unless anyone else here knows how to override the Tower’s security system,” Doc said, “I would greatly appreciate it if you could keep the noise down. I’m finding it rather difficult to concentrate.”

The new arrivals mumbled their apologies and started up quiet conversations. Since no one seemed to know anything, Alex decided just to focus on the people closest to her, much like it appeared Jordan and Bear were doing. From what she gathered, Karter had just asked Tayla and Maggie why everyone had arrived at the Tower all at once.

“Jarvis called us,” Maggie said, waving her Communications Globe. She still held a bow in her free hand and had a quiver of arrows strapped to her back. “He asked us to come straight away to discuss the situation.”

“I guess he didn’t realise we’d be locked out of the office,” Tayla said. “I had a spare period and was in the staffroom so I don’t know what happened outside. Were you in the middle of a class, Mags?”

Maggie nodded. “When the Lockdown first activated, the entire campus was blacked out; even the sun couldn’t pierce through the darkness. I was teaching an Alpha class—it was pure luck that no one got shot. But when the secondary protocol kicked in, the Lockdown dispersed back into the buildings only. I moved my students to the nearest lit classroom and waited with them until I was called here. How long has Doc been at the control panel?”

“Not long,” Karter said. “He’ll have it figured out soon enough.”

“All done,” Doc called out, as if on cue. “We just have to wait for the system to reboot.”

Alex noted the teachers’ relieved expressions but her attention was caught by one man in particular. Or rather, it was caught by the fact that one man wasmissing. The man who had been staring at her the entire time was no longer leaning against the wall.

She glanced frantically around the room before she found him standing beside Professor Luranda. Wondering if she’d imagined the whole staring incident, Alex moved her gaze away from him, but she froze when she heard him speak quietly from across the room.

“That boy, the one whose gift can make him invisible,” he said to Luranda, “did you have him in your class just now?”

Alex felt her heart skip a beat.

“Jordan Sparker?” Luranda straightened her multi-coloured coat. “Yes, I had the entire third year class.”

“Was he in your lab when you left?”

“Of course he was,” Luranda said. “All my students were accounted for. Sparker in particular, since I know all too well his penchant for troublemaking. When I left, he was sitting up the back of my room with his head bent over a textbook.”

“I see,” the Hunter man said, his eyes flicking over to Alex and her friends for a fraction of a second. “Thatisa relief.”

He almost looked amused.

“We’re in!” Doc called when the door finally opened.

“Well done, Doc,” Jarvis’s voice carried in from the next room. “I forgot that you’d be locked out, but well done indeed.”

Alex took a step forward and tried to get a glimpse inside the headmaster’s office as the teachers streamed through the door. From her limited view, she could see that it looked like a boardroom, with a large rectangular desk spanning the length of the room. The best part was the far wall which was completely transparent and looked straight out over the entire academy.

“All right everyone, please take a seat,” Jarvis called as the teachers continued to pour through the door. “We have a delicate situation on our hands and we must deal with it immediately to ensure the safety of everyone residing on the academy grounds.”

Alex took another step forward, not wanting to miss anything he said.

“As many of you might have guessed, we had an unauthorised visitor arrive just after lunch.” Jarvis’s voice was deep and serious. “We can’t be sure, but we believe the intruder was here on a scouting mission. We have no evidence indicating he is aware that what he’s after is here at Akarnae, so it could have been a simple coincidence. But coincidence or not, had his mission been successful, I can’t begin to describe how catastrophic the consequences would have been. Thankfully, the Lockdown procedure impeded his search, and he has since fled the grounds.”

There was a loaded silence before Jarvis continued. “While earlier I was unsure, I can now confirm that our intruder was—”

The last person stepped into the office. The door clicked shut.

“Of all the rotten timing,” Bear whispered. “We were just about to hear—”

“I think you’ve heard quite enough, Barnold,” interrupted a quiet voice that froze Alex and her friends to the spot.

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