Rubbing my head, I tried not to go there. I had enough weirdness in my life, and my teammates already cast her uneasy glances. They didn’t know how to take a bird sitting on a guy’s shoulder, let alone a bird that might not be a bird.
My grandmother had called her my familiar. Like I was some kind of fucking witch.
I caught the Dires on my team giving nervous looks. I hadn’t exactly come in all warm and fuzzy, and anyone who read body language would know what I was. Animals were very good at reading trouble. I assumed the Dires, who spent part of their lives on four legs, read me well.
They certainly were giving me space as I sat there and ate breakfast. But I needed information, so I ripped my eyes away from my female obsession and fastened them on the brown-haired Dire across from me.
His eyes widened, and then narrowed warily.
“Constance told me you guys did Night Games yesterday,” I said.
Whatever he’d expected me to say, it hadn’t been that. “Yeah,” he offered cautiously.
“Is it really like going on a mission?” I asked.
He didn’t answer right away, but his companion, far less wary, or likely just more willing to please me, jumped right in.
After that, I couldn’t get him to shut up. I was able to guide the conversation pretty much anywhere I wanted to. Which was very useful.
By the time I cut him off, picked up my tray, and left, I had a wealth of information at my fingertips and was ready for the next phase.
Which was breaking into the headmaster’s office.
Since the assistant, Constance, had so obligingly given me a class schedule, I knew that the best chance of nabbing the target—I insisted on calling her that—was during the next Night Games session. Which was two days from now.
The Dires had told me how the academy set up the missions using communities and individuals who supported the council by volunteering their facilities and personnel.
My teammates hadn’t known all the administrative details, but I doubted that the assignments were set up at the last minute. They took careful planning, which meant a paper trail. And the logical place for that was the headmaster’s files.
It was the day of rest for the students, and I assumed it would also be for the headmaster and his assistant. So I descended to the main level and went to the office.
It wasn’t locked. Cursing silently, I opened it to Constance’s inquiring glance.
“Working on your only day off?” I offered her a full-on smile. Anyone who knew me would realize it was a deliberate attempt to flatter the assistant. But it worked—her face flushed slightly, and then while she smiled back, my glance took in the space, and the open doors to the headmaster’s, which was empty. “Looks like the boss is enjoying his day.”
“He’s away.” She gestured to the papers on her desk. “I’m just finishing up some loose ends, then I’m off, too. What can I help you with?”
I had my excuse ready. “If I wanted to mail something to my sister back home, can I do it through you?”
“Sure can,” she said. “Mail service is complicated, as I’m sure you know. But we have a regular delivery to selected realms. From there, you can arrange another carrier.”
“Gracias, Constance.” I offered another fake grin. She seemed to buy it, and I closed the door.
I ascended to the second story, which overlooked the foyer, and leaned on the rail. From here, I could just see the office door.
Constance was in there for another hour, and then she left, locking the door behind her. She walked to the elevators. The car rose to the third floor and then stopped there.
I sauntered down the sweeping marble staircase, my gaze rising to the huge chandelier overhead. Whatever this place hadstarted out as, it sure as fuck hadn’t been a school. The scale of the foyer was designed like a palace out of a movie.
I headed down the hall, paused as if trying the knob to enter, and slipped my picks into the lock. There was only the slightest hesitation to it opening—as if my hand fumbled with the knob. Then I was in.
I’d paid close attention when she’d gathered my pack of supplies together, so I knew which drawers and cabinets carried those. I, therefore, turned to the filing cabinet along the far wall and exchanged one pick for another.
Minutes later, I was checking out folders for each of the classes, but Night Games wasn’t there.
I opened the lower drawer, and there it was. It took up the entire drawer. Folders filled with locations and contacts.
I paused, thinking. There had to be a current folder, one that listed the upcoming classes. So I searched for the one that the Dires had talked about… and finally found it.
