"Beautiful, isn't it?" a low voice murmured.
I whirled around to find a man standing a few feet behind me. "Excuse me?"
He jerked his head upward. "The fresco on the ceiling. It's beautiful, isn't it? The landscape of the mountains and the academy nestled in the middle of them."
Was that what he saw? Because that definitely wasn't what I had gotten a glimpse of. Not here and not at home either. But if there was one thing I'd learned during these last few months, it was to keep my mouth shut with strangers - no matter how nice and harmless they might seem.
"Sure," I said. "I've never seen anything like it."
"Me either," the man said, smiling at me.
He was on the short side, several inches shy of six feet tall, and whip-thin. His hair and eyes were a light hazel, but his skin was much darker, a rich, reddish brown, as though he'd spent a lot of time outdoors over the years and had a ruddy tan that would never, ever fade. A small brown goatee clung to his chin, softening the sharp point of his face. He wore a dark blue, three-piece suit that reminded me of something Nickamedes would wear, although he had on a pair of sturdy brown hiking boots instead of the glossy wing tips the librarian almost always favored.
The man's smile widened as he kept looking at me. "Are you new here? I don't think I've ever seen you before. Can I help you find something in the library?"
I opened my mouth to answer him when someone interrupted me.
"Covington! There you are!" Ajax's voice rumbled through the library, and the coach walked down the aisle in our direction.
To my surprise, Ajax clapped the other man on his shoulder, almost sending Covington barreling into one of the bookcases before he managed to recover his balance.
"Ajax! What a surprise. It's good to see you," Covington said, returning Ajax's clap with a much weaker one of his own. "How are things in North Carolina? When I got your message that you were flying out here on the spur of the moment, I was worried something was wrong."
Ajax grimaced. "Unfortunately, something is wrong. Is there someplace private where we can talk?"
Covington nodded. "Of course. Just let me finish helping this young lady, and I'll be right with you."
"Actually, I'm with him." I pointed my finger at Ajax. "And so are my friends."
The others realized that Ajax and I were talking to someone, and they headed in our direction. Covington's gaze took us all in. He kept the smile fixed on his face, but I could tell he was wondering who we were and why we were there. I was wondering the same thing about him. Sure, he seemed nice enough, but I'd learned the hard way that was what Reapers did - they pretended to be your friend right before they stabbed you in the back. Vivian had done it to me, and Agrona had done the same thing to Logan by marrying and pretending to love his dad.
"Covington is a friend," Ajax said, noticing my questioning glance. "We need him to prepare for the next part of our journey."
"Journey?" Covington asked. "What journey?"
Ajax sighed. "Not here. Let's go somewhere more private."
"Certainly. I know just the place."
Covington gave us all one more curious look before he gestured for us to follow him.
Covington led us deeper into the library. Instead of heading for the checkout counter like I thought he might, the librarian skirted around that area and veered left into one of the wings. Eventually, he reached a door set into one of the walls, unlocked and opened it, and ushered us all inside. We stepped into a conference room. A long table, chairs clustered all around it, a pitcher of water and glasses perched on a silver tray on a small counter. Nothing all that interesting - except for the gryphon carving.
It took up almost the entire back wall. A gryphon with its wings spread wide, its head thrown back, and its beak wide open as if it was about to let out a screech, swoop down from the sky, and attack. And it wasn't the only gryphon in here. More images of the creature could be seen on the other walls, although those carvings were much smaller, but no less fierce-looking.
As soon as I stepped into the room, it seemed as if all of the gryphons' eyes swiveled around to me. I shivered and took a seat at the end of the table, as far away from the carvings as I could get.
"So," Covington asked when we were all finally settled, "you want to tell me what you're doing here? With five students in tow? I heard a rumor about some students being the target of a Reaper attack on the train this morning. I'm guessing that was you and your kids?"
Ajax nodded. "We're here on behalf of a friend. Nickamedes."
Covington nodded back. "I know him. He's my counterpart in the Library of Antiquities at the North Carolina academy. We exchange e-mails, books, and even artifacts from time to time."
"He's been poisoned, and we're here searching for a cure."
Ajax drew in a breath and explained everything to his friend. The Reaper boy poisoning Nickamedes, our hurried journey here, the attack on the train. To my surprise, the coach didn't say much about me or my friends. He introduced us, but he only gave Covington our first names. It made me wonder if Ajax didn't entirely trust his friend - and if so, why not. Then again, we'd all been fooled by the Reapers. Maybe the coach was just being extra cautious, even though I thought it was far too late for that.
When Ajax finished, Covington let out a low whistle. "Chloris ambrosia flowers aren't easy to come by."
"I know," the coach replied. "That's why we need to go up to the Eir Ruins - tomorrow."
Covington frowned. "You want to go the ruins? With your . . . students?"
Ajax nodded. "I know what you're thinking, and believe me, I know how dangerous the ruins are supposed to be. But it's the only place where the ambrosia flowers grow, and Nickamedes will die without them. So can you help us? Please?"
Covington studied his friend. "And if I don't?"
Ajax gave him a level stare. "Then, we'll go on our own."
Covington kept staring at Ajax, then his hazel eyes roamed over the rest of us. We all looked back, showing him the same determination to go to the ruins with or without his help. When he realized we were serious, he nodded.
"Okay, okay, I'll help. Don't worry about that." He hesitated. "It won't be easy, though. I know someone who can guide you to the ruins, and I'll be happy to accompany you myself, but I don't know of any other professors or staff members who would be willing to go. Especially not tomorrow."
"What's wrong with tomorrow?" Ajax asked.