Rise of Allies (The Gryphon Chronicles, Book 4) (15 page)

It was none other than Nixella Valentine, the gloomy but brilliant young witch from today’s Assessments.

She ignored his offered hand and climbed to her feet, scowling at him and brushing her black skirts neatly into place. “Watch where you’re going, fool!”

“I-I’m sorry. I thought you were in danger!” he stammered, taken aback by her rudeness. He glanced around. “Did you see which way it went?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The Boneless. It was headed your way. Didn’t you see it?”

“No.”

“But…weren’t you crying?”

“I don’t cry,” she said. “What’s the matter with you, anyway, running about like a crazy person?”

“Sorry—I was chasing something,” he said in confusion. “I’m not really sure what it was. Some sort of apparition. It attacked my cousin—”

“What?” she asked, not quite hiding her blanch.

“I don’t think it really hurt him.” Jake eyed her in suspicion. “It’s just like a blob or a cloud of fog. Really strange. Are you sure you didn’t see it? It was coming right this way.”

She shrugged. “No. But why so surprised? We’re at Merlin Hall. Everything is strange here. Especially the people,” she added pointedly.

Jake ignored the barb, rather sure she was lying. “Well, if you do see it, I suggest you keep your distance. It might be dangerous. And sorry I knocked you down. It was an accident.”

At that moment, Archie and Dani appeared at the other end of the corridor.

“Jake! Did you find it? Where did it go?” Archie yelled as they pounded closer.

“It disappeared!” he called back as they approached, then gestured at Nixella. “All I found was her.”

As Archie skidded to a halt, his eyes widened behind his spectacles. “M-Miss Valentine?”

She frowned and drew back in wary disdain. “Do I know you?”

“Well, no, but I saw your Assessment today. Absolutely brilliant!”

The black-clad girl seemed genuinely shocked by his enthusiastic praise. Indeed, her tough veneer cracked ever so slightly. She ducked her head as though confused and a little tongue-tied at his compliment.

“Uh, thanks.” She glanced at Jake. “Is this the cousin you claim got attacked?”

“Claim?” Jake echoed, offended.

She shrugged. “He looks all right to me.”

Jake glanced at Archie. “I told her about the blob attack.”

“Oh, no worries, I’m right as rain!” Archie said cheerfully. “Didn’t hurt. Just a horrid, nasty, slimy thing, that’s all.” He shuddered for effect. “I’m Archie Bradford, by the way. That’s Jake and that’s Dani. I trust you two remember Miss Nixella Valentine?”

“Just Nixie,” she muttered. “And yes, my mother must’ve hated me, giving me a name like that.”

Dani bit back a giggle at her admission, but Archie frowned. “Aw, it’s not so bad! How do you think I feel having the full name Archimedes?”

Archie proceeded to regale the black-clad witch with the tale of what had just occurred. Dani arched an eyebrow at Jake as they both realized the boy genius was attempting the impossible once more: he seemed determined to befriend the gloomy girl or at least draw her out of her somber shell.

Good luck with that,
Jake thought. For his part, he began to ponder Miss Valentine’s Assessment, now that Archie had mentioned it.

As the four of them stood in the shadowy stone hallway, he remembered her incredible show of power over the four elements, and a dark suspicion began taking shape in his mind.

He was
sure
that the Boneless had come this way. But when he got here, all he found was her. Why would she lie about such a thing?

Archie and Dani had seen it, so spotting it did not require psychic powers, as with ghosts. Did Nixie know something about it that she wasn’t telling? Might she be connected to it somehow? Then Jake’s eyes widened at an even more sinister possibility.

Maybe she had
made
the blob creature, just like she made the mud rabbit. What had Aunt Ramona called it—a golem? Aye, maybe she was controlling the Boneless. She was, after all, a witch, and witches could not always be trusted.

In fact…

Jake narrowed his eyes, homing in on her, though he was shocked by the drift of his own thoughts. If the Dark Druids had indeed sent a spy, who better to choose than an innocent-faced child whom no one would suspect? The Elders would never question a mere wisp of a girl who was all of maybe eleven.

But like Archie, Miss Valentine obviously possessed abilities far beyond her years.

The boy genius was still chattering away happily to the gloomy young prodigy. Arms folded, Nixie was studying him, in turn, like he was some strange creature that had crawled out of a swamp.

Dani glanced from the pair of them to Jake in curious amusement. He met her gaze with a discreet shrug, finally interrupting Archie’s chipper monologue when the boy genius took a breath.

“So, Nixie,” Jake spoke up. “What were you doing back here all by yourself, anyway?”

“Nothing,” she said defensively with a gesture at the walls. “Just looking at the paintings.”

He glanced over and was startled to find the Vesuvius painting hung there. “Huh?” He blinked. “Didn’t we just see that in the art gallery?”

“They jump around,” Nixie informed him.

“Really?”

“It is called the Enchanted Gallery for a reason,” she said in a tone of thorny sarcasm.

Jake frowned. “Say, when I was headed this way, I could’ve sworn I heard a banging sound coming from back here. Were you banging on something?”

“I was stomping my feet,” she replied.

“Why?”

“I had a stone in my shoe. Why?”

“Well, I also heard a nasty cackle, like an old hag laughing. Did you hear that, too?”

She shrugged her thin shoulders. “Nope. All I hear is the music coming from the ballroom.”

Jake nodded, narrowing his eyes. He was no empath like Isabelle, but he felt quite certain she was lying. “Right.”

Nixie glared at him. “What?” she demanded.

“Well! We should be on our way,” Dani said brightly, hooking one hand through Archie’s elbow, the other through Jake’s. She started steering them away with great determination behind her forced smile. “C’mon, boys! We’ve taken up enough of Miss Valentine’s time. Good evening, Nixie, so nice to meet you!”

“What are you doing?” Jake demanded under his breath, though he went along with her willingly enough. “We should stay and grill her! That girl might be the Dark Druid spy!”

“Exactly!” Dani whispered. “We don’t need her reporting back to
them
about you! Let’s get out of here before she turns us into pinecones ’cause that little witch is definitely hiding something.”

Archie was oblivious. He seemed to be having a hard time dragging himself away. “Cheerio, Miss Valentine! Hope to see you around again!”

“Goodbye, Mr. Bradford,” she replied somewhat more civilly to him.

“You can join us for breakfast at our table if you want!” he added over his shoulder. “The more, the merrier!”

“Shut
up!
” Jake scolded under his breath. “Blazes.”

“What? What’s wrong?” Archie asked.

“Come
on,
” Dani insisted, pulling on his arm.

“Doesn’t say much, does she?” Archie remarked once they were out of earshot. “Quite a puzzle of a girl.”

Jake and Dani exchanged a dire look. They both knew how much he loved solving puzzles.

“Must be shy around strangers,” Archie mused aloud as they rounded the corner. “I’ll just have to keep trying.”

“You’ll do nothing of the kind!” Dani scolded. “Sheesh, never mind Maddox,
she’s
the one who’s weird.”

“What? Ah, don’t be daft. Nixie’s just a little different, that’s all. Different’s good,” Archie said. “I like her!”

“You would,” Jake mumbled.

“Archie, that girl’s dangerous,” Dani informed him, but he just laughed heartily.

“She did call down lightning out of the sky,” Jake reminded him.

“So? I could vaporize this whole palace with my Aether Blast Propulsion Cannon if I wanted to. But just because I
can
doesn’t mean I ever
would
. Leave the poor girl alone. I think she must be lonely, spending the first night of the Gathering back here all by herself. It’s not right!”

“Archie—”

“Enough! Honestly, you’ve got her all wrong! I’m quite sure of it,” he said, pulling away from them.

“Archie!”

“No! If you don’t trust her, trust me. You think I’m not smart enough to be able to tell if someone’s good or evil? Give a chap some credit!”

Jake started to protest, but Archie wasn’t through.

“Frankly, you’re both being very unkind toward the poor girl. Very unkind!” he declared, then he gave his vest a slight, indignant tug, and marched off down the hall without them.

“Well,” Dani murmured. “I guess he told us.”

She and Jake exchanged a worried glance.

“He’s a terrible judge of character,” she added in a whisper.

“I know,” Jake said wryly. “He sees the best in everyone. Awful habit.”

Dani snorted. “Let’s hope it doesn’t get him killed.”

#  #  #

Nixie was relieved they had finally left. And just in time, too.

“My, my, what a gallant little gentleman!” Jenny Greenteeth floated back out of the large, gilt-framed mirror where she had been hiding the whole time. Boneless slithered down the wall from behind the candle-sconce and hovered before Nixie, gloating at the mischief it had caused.

She glared at it. “That boy was right. You
are
a nasty, horrid, slimy thing.”

The blob puffed up, as though pleased by the compliment.

The hag cackled, showing off her algae-covered fangs. “Flattery won’t get you anywhere with us, my dove,” she taunted. “So, who are your new friends?”

“They’re not my friends!” she protested automatically.

“Oh, but that dear, chivalrous gent in the bowtie. He seemed to like you well. When’s the wedding, dear heart?”

“I said they’re not my friends! I’m the one you’re after! Just leave them alone!”

“Well, it
is
true that you are the one who must be punished,” the watery hag conceded. “Just remember, after what you did to
our
friends, we warned you what would happen to any of yours.”

“But I don’t even know them!” she insisted in a panic.

“Are you sure?”

“You have eyes! You saw what happened. The blond boy and the red-haired girl didn’t even like me. The three of them are clearly thick as thieves. That Archie fellow is never going to go against those two for my sake. All it’ll take is one conversation and he won’t like me anymore. Believe me, they are not my friends. I don’t
have
any friends.”

“Good,” Jenny Greenteeth said in cold satisfaction. “See that it stays that way, unless you wish them dead. You’re alone, little witch, and you always will be.”

Then the hag disappeared back into the mirror, and this time, the Boneless followed, granting Nixie a temporary reprieve.

She stood there, trembling for a moment, and then wrapped her arms around herself. She shut her eyes briefly, so very, very tired. Letting out a long sigh, she wandered on through the shadowed corridors alone.