Luke looks at me in relief.
Agis considers my request, eyes narrowed, and lips curled in a scowl. Finally, he says, “Go, get out of here before I give her the weapon and let her castrate you.”
Luke gulps and looks at me. I shrug like I’m considering it.
“Whatever,” he says, clasping his arm and rushing up the stairs.
I look up at Agis as scythe vanishes, going back to whatever mystical place he hides it. “You’re late.”
“If I’d known you were going to be tempting Nephilim, I would have been here earlier.”
I shake my head, thinking how stupid the whole situation was. “Luke wasn’t going to hurt me,” I tell him. “I would have kicked his ass first, but the last thing we need is a lot of attention. I was trying to keep a low profile. Thanks for jumping in and blowing that.”
He grimaces. “I guess maybe I reacted badly.”
“You think?” I glance down the staircase. “The door’s locked.”
He starts down the stairs, pulling out the sword once again. “We’ll see about that.”
I follow him, thinking that if anyone can open a locked door with brute strength, it’s Agis.
Two hours later, we give up.
The lock is secure, possibly forged with magical properties. Nothing will open it other than the key designed for the lock, and we have no idea where that’s located.
Agis tosses up his hands, frustration written on his face.
“At least we now have something to look for. Maybe Rupert can add it to hi
s library search,” I say as we head back up the stairwell. “What made you come down here anyway?”
“It’s in that book Dylan gave you. I spent some time studying it. The colors have meaning.”
“They do?”
“If we’re deciphering it correctly, they’re associated with the four horsemen.”
I search my memory, nothing comes up. “What’s that?”
“For humans, particularly religious ones, it’s the sign of the apocalypse.” He gives me a look. “It’s their Ragnarok.”
We reach the top of the stairs and step onto the landing.
“The school is filled with symbols, Hildi. We just need to know which ones to look for.”
I nod, understanding. “No wonder this is taking place in an Academy. It’s like going to school all over again.”
He smiles. “Between the six of us, I think we can figure it out. We just have to focus.”
“No more parties.”
“Yes, no more parties. Especially with Marshal or with that punk Nephilim. Those are slippery slopes.”
Not sure I want to know what he knows about Marshal, but he’s right, everyone needs to settle down.
“One last thing,” I tell him, “from now on I need you to let me deal with guys like Luke on my own. You can’t be jumping in to save me, especially when I don’t need saving.”
His jaw tenses. “I don’t like seeing you compromised.”