Page 115 of Raelia

“What are you talking about?” she asked. “You weren’t even there for any of it.”

Hunter’s disbelief was clear. “Do you really think I’d send eight students into the wild without having a way to keep an eye on them? Just because you couldn’t see me doesn’t mean I wasn’t following you.”

“You were watching us?” Alex said, incredulous. “Why didn’t you help when we needed it?”

“When did you need it?”

She gaped at him. “Are you kidding? Where do I start? Maybe when Pip almost fell off the mountain? Or what about when there was amind readerat the military compound?” She lowered her voice so it wouldn’t carry to the others when she hissed out, “A mind reader who just happens to be an ‘associate’of a homicidal Meyarin? Kaiden and Jordan were almost captured at the outpost because of him! And then me—I can’t even begin to explain what it was like having to deceive General Drock and Major Tyson. And that’s nothing,nothing, to how it felt being at Sir Oswald’s party when everyone else was imprisoned because your ID tags were counterfeit. Great job with those, by the way.”

She broke off, trying to rein in her words, but couldn’t resist adding in her still lowered voice, “Am I right in thinking you somehow knew Aven would be there and you sent us along anyway? I’m guessing you didn’t tell Darrius—he never would have agreed to that! Did you know Sir Oswald’s little party would turn into a Villains ‘R’ Us sorority group meeting? Because that’s what happened. And we barely escaped with our lives. Where were youthen, Hunter?”

Throughout her rant he continued to look at her calmly, and that annoyed her more than anything else.

“Well?” she demanded.

“First off, if Philippahadfallen, don’t you think her backpack would have opened her parachute, just like everyone’s did when you all fell down into the river?” Hunter asked.

Alex realised he was right. But she hadn’t known that at the time.

“What about the rest?” she pressed, unwilling to concede his point.

“Signa’s presence was an unanticipated challenge,” Hunter admitted. “He was meant to be away from the outpost for the weekend, but his trip was cancelled last-minute. Kaiden and Jordan both have gifts that helped them to evade capture, and the same goes for you. Your creative use of subterfuge tactics made your act all the more believable. If there had been any real problems, I would have stepped in personally, but I also had a man on the inside who would have helped get you out ofthere if I couldn’t. Coincidentally, he was also the same man who helped you getinthere.”

Alex had to think about that before the answer came to her. “Major Tyson?”

“He’s a close friend who was willing to assist me in your training exercise,” Hunter confirmed. “He admitted to being impressed with your ability to remain calm under pressure. That’s high praise from someone of his ranking.”

“Why didn’t Signa pick up on his thoughts?” she asked, confused. “Or yours, if you were as close as you claim?”

“Upper-level military officers—and Wardens—have to undergo extensive training to protect their minds from intrusion,” Hunter said. “Signa couldn’t read Tyson’s thoughts because he wasn’t able to break through his mental barriers. As for me, I’ve undergone similar training to the same effect.”

Alex grudgingly accepted his explanation. Not for the first time, she was relieved that her gift allowed her to skip the ‘extensive training’ and simply reap the benefits of ultra-mind-protection.

“What about Sir Oswald’s party?” she asked. “What’s your excuse for the way that panned out? And did Darrius know about it beforehand?”

Hunter shook his head. “No, he did not. But leave that conversation to me.”

Alex almost wished she could be a fly on the wall for that discussion, since she was certain Darrius wasn’t going to be pleased that he’d invested so much effort in keeping Alex safe from Aven only to learn that one of his teachers actively sent her out to meet him, and unprepared at that. In fact, she wondered how the headmaster was able to justify allowinganyof his students to go off on dangerous SAS trips away from the academy. But then again, if Hunter was supposedly trailing them wherever they went, it was likely Darrius trusted thatthe SAS teacher would keep them safe. Either that, or Hunter worked with the ‘better to ask forgiveness than seek permission’ attitude when it came to his classes. Alex had a feeling the latter was more likely.

“Tonight was the real test of your weekend,” Hunter went on to explain. “But remember, I warned you that would be the case.”

Alex thought back to the note addressed to her. “You told me it would be dangerous—more so for me than the others. Does that mean I’m right about you knowing that group was meeting tonight?”

“A while ago, Headmaster Marselle asked me to keep an eye on any unusual developments amongst the elite social circles,” Hunter said. “When Sir Oswald’s dinner party was first announced, I thought it might be a good idea to have an informant on the inside, just in case therewassomething underhanded going on. As a performer, Samson had the perfect cover. But when he went to audition for the role of entertainer, another mind reader happened to be visiting Sir Oswald at the same time, and Samson’s true intentions were discovered.”

“Signa?” Alex guessed.

“No. Someone else.”

Alex waited for him to offer a name, but he didn’t, so she pressed, “How many mind readers are out there?”

“I can count on one hand the number known to me,” he answered. “Or, at least those strong enough to be considered dangerous. Your Core Skills professor, for instance, doesn’t make the list, since her gift barely allows her to read surface thoughts. Signa Zu, on the other hand… His gift affords him tremendous leverage into the minds of those incapable of guarding against him—which is most people.”

Alex mulled over his words and then said quietly, “Signa couldn’t read Kaiden’s thoughts. And he had some difficulty with Jordan at first, but he managed in the end.”

“Are you asking a question or telling me something, Alex?”

“A bit of both,” she admitted. “Why did Signa have trouble reading them?”

---