“Do you trust me, Ms. Whelan?”
I nodded without hesitation. “Of course.”
“Give me the quill. I’ll take care of it.”
“But I was going to?—”
“Your plan is a good one, but you will get in serious trouble. We don’t need the DBI or the board having any reason to target you right now, Briar. Give me the quill.”
I opened the flap of my satchel and passed the goose feather to my instructor.
He took the quill and twirled it slowly. “Clever, Ms. Whelan.”
My stomach clenched. Did he know?
Before I could respond, he said, “Thank you. And Briar…”
I met his eyes, which were kind but shadowed with sadness.
“I hope I can buy you some time,” he said. “Make good use of it, all right?”
“Professor East, what are you?—”
“I’ll take it from here. Go on back into the entrance atrium, and I’ll join you in a minute.”
Adrenaline was still pumping through my veins, but I nodded and had to keep myself from running back to where I had left Callan.
I didn’t know what was going on, but I didn’t have time to process the hollow feeling that Professor East’s words left in my stomach.
Chapter Sixty-Four
“She doesn’t answer to you.” That was Callan’s voice, and the strength in it made me smile and steeled my nerve.
The two brothers had moved out of the entrance atrium and were now at the bottom of the stairs. Callan and Wyatt were standing in tense positions across from one another, both falling quiet when I arrived. I couldn’t help wondering if they’d stood that way as little boys, arguing over a toy.
“Have you two had enough time to chat?” I asked, moving to Callan’s side.
Wyatt’s eyes shot to me.
“More than enough,” Callan said. “Wyatt thinks he’ll be searching my room. You may want to stick around for the show.” The muscles of Callan’s forearms were flexed, but his outward appearance suggested utter calm.
Wyatt followed as Callan turned swiftly and began to climb the stairs. “It’s fun that you think I won’t be able to get past your wards.”
The three of us climbed the stairs and stopped in front of Callan’s room.
Callan lifted a hand, and vines snaked across the door frombottom to top, forming an impenetrable wall of thick plant material.
There was movement down the hall, and I glanced in that direction to see Meadow’s head appear from her room. She kept her body behind the door, seemingly assessing the situation.
Wyatt sighed. “Play nice, Cal. I’m afraid I’m short on time, and I’m not leaving here without the quill.”
Callan’s face was stony. “I’ve already told you; I don’t have what you’re looking for.”
“Are you sure about that? Because I have evidence to the contrary.” Wyatt tsked. “Is Professor East aware of your excursion to the tree conservatory this weekend?”
I winced.
“He is, in fact. Though I’m sureyou’reaware that visiting a conservatory is not against any school rule,” Callan said.
