Again, I realized hownotlike Mr. Washington the comment was. Or at least the condescending tone in which he said it. Or maybe I was guilty of gilding the past with fond reminiscences that weren't really the truth?
"Yes. Well, I can at least sense the Fae magic of the dagger," I told him. "But this knife definitely doesn't have any."
"But how—"
Before he could finish speaking, the boy on stage approached hesitantly. "Um, Mr. Washington, are we going to rehearse at ten?"
Mr. Washington continued to stare at me for a long moment, eyes narrowed, and then he turned to the boy. "Yes, Trevor. This is just a side trip."
He turned to snatch the knife out of Jack's hands and handed it to the boy. "Here. Work on the scene you ruined so spectacularly before."
Trevor gave the knife a worried look. "But that's—"
"I know, I know, you dropped it before. Just be careful this time."
The boy still looked concerned, but he took the knife, and then Mr. Washington turned and ushered us out of the auditorium and down the hall, almost all the way to the administrative office. He offered a quick goodbye and turned to go.
"I just don't understand why I felt the magic so strongly walking down that hallway," I told Jack. "Has the dagger been here? What's going on?"
Mr. Washington wheeled around and came back to where we were standing. "I just realized what you might be feeling," he said slowly. "There's this strange wooden music box that occasionally shows up—I know you won't believe me, but the thing just appears and disappears all by itself—and it seems to like to listen to band practices and rehearsals. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm sure it's a magical Fae artifact—"
I held up a hand to stop him. "Actually, I'm very familiar with that music box. It ostensibly belongs to me, after I made a Bargain for it. Yes, it's Fae. But it never affected me in the way the dagger has, with actual pain."
His gaze sharpened. "You've encountered the dagger? I'd give a pretty penny to see that. I've done a lot of research on the Fae, and it must be magnificent indeed to cause a Fae queen to issue a threat like she has."
"Not the dagger, just a box we're fairly sure they stored it in," I told him. "But it felt just like the magical resonance in the hall near the auditorium."
"And she felt it last night, when we stopped by your house to find you," Jack said.
Mr. Washington looked flustered at that. "Well, I wasn't home. I have a … um … a lady friend, and—"
No. Grown up or not, I did not want to hear about my former teacher's love life. "Please, it's okay. We were just hoping to talk to you about this last night. No worries."
He nodded slowly but looked deep in thought. Suddenly, his face cleared. "Ah. Of course. Your music box. I took it home with me a few times to study it. I mentioned my interest in the Fae. I couldn't find any way to open it, though, or even wind it."
I sighed. "It's self-winding. It also comments on my life, through song."
He blinked. "Oh. Well, that was probably what you felt at my house."
"But again, I've never felt this kind of pain from the music box. It annoys me, but it never made my head ache."
He waved a professorial finger at me. "But Tess, the effects of Fae magic can be cumulative. Too much exposure to it can render a person ill or even cause death."
Jack groaned. "That's true. I can't believe I didn't think of that. Maybe your exposure to Fae magic has just been too much lately, leaving you more sensitive to all of it. I wish we could summon the music box to us to test the theory."
"I'm sure it will show up," I said glumly. "It always does."
"When you find the dagger, I'd love to see it," Mr. Washington said. "Goodbye for now."
Then he rushed off down the hall, leaving us right back where we started.
Nowhere.
29
Tess
Jed called when we were driving to my shop and munching on Mrs. Hamilton's excellent brownies. I'd already texted the bad news to Susan and Aunt Ruby, and Jack and I were mostly silent, trying desperately to think of what to do next.
