“Not too many.” That was Master Ortega.
“No, no, of course not,” said Master Angeletti. “But if we’re going to be dealing with the Alchemists more, we need to be able to outsmart them.”
My ears pricked at that. The Alchemists? I’d once done some reconnaissance for Marcus and discovered that there were indeed Alchemists and Warriors working together, but Marcus had yet to learn the full extent of how deep that relationship went.
“We’ve already outsmarted them,” said Master Ortega. “We’ve gotten them to do business with us.”
“Yes, but don’t get too comfortable with that arrangement,” said a new voice that must have been one of the council members. “Didn’t you say you got a call about that girl, Alfred?”
“Yes, yes,” said Master Angeletti, not sounding particularly concerned. “But it was just preliminary. One of them claimed they’d gotten a tip we might be holding her, but I think they were just covering their bases. I checked with the guards, though, and they said there was no sign that anyone had been snooping around or was coming for her. I’ll keep logging everything here, though, just so we’ve got a trail if anything happens.”
I didn’t know what he meant until I heard the click of fingers typing on keys. I tensed, waiting for them to elaborate about “that girl,” but they switched topics, moving on to more about the trials. Nonetheless, excitement surged through me. Sabrina had been right. There was a computer or laptop in there that Master Angeletti was apparently keeping records on. Was there other information about “that girl” recorded? I didn’t know for sure if they were referring to Jill, but it was promising, as was the laptop’s existence. I needed to make obtaining it my goal. That wasn’t going to be easy, seeing as how I had no idea how long this meeting was going to last or if Master Angeletti would leave his laptop behind when it ended. I was mentally listing all the possible distractions I might cause when the Alchemists came up in conversation again—in a way I totally didn’t expect.
“Well, just be careful,” Master Ortega was saying in response to someone else. “Don’t screw up this deal with the Alchemists. If your contact can really deliver on what he’s offering, we won’t have to focus so much on the candidates’ physical prowess. We can make our recruits as strong as we like.”
“I still don’t like it,” muttered another unknown council member. “We’re dabbling in unholy substances.”
“Not if we purify those substances first,” said Master Angeletti. “And use the strength they give us to fight back against the evil.”
I frowned as I tried to determine what they might be referring to. “I’ve seen what these substances can do,” remarked Chris. “I saw them when they were used at my cousin’s school. If the Alchemists really do have more of them, they’re letting them go to waste if they aren’t using them in the fight against evil.”
“The Alchemists fight evil by cataloguing it,” chuckled someone.
“Don’t make those kinds of comments around our contact,” warned Master Ortega. “He’s already hesitant about doing business with us. His people won’t like it if they find out what he’s doing.”
“I know what I’m doing,” snapped Master Angeletti. “And believe me, I’m paying him enough to get over any hesitancy he might have.”
The conversation drifted back toward a discussion of the recruits, analyzing each of us according to what the Warriors saw as our pros and cons. I only half listened, my mind spinning with the other shocking piece of news I’d heard. Based on what Chris had said, it sounded as though they were talking about using vampire blood to create performance-enhancing tattoos on humans. A surge of those had occurred at Amberwood Prep, resulting in both athletic and academic prowess. The problem was, the results of those tattoos were unpredictable and often had illicit side effects. The ring had been shut down when I’d helped uncover its mastermind: Keith Darnell. He’d been sent off to re-education, reprogrammed, and now toed the line with nearly robotic loyalty.
Or did he?
The Warriors had kept referring to “he” as their contact. I’d known of no other Alchemist participating in such activity . . . was it possible Keith had broken free of some of that programming? Was he now making a secret deal with these psychopaths, one that would give their fighters superhuman strength?
Again, I heard those clicking keys, driving home the importance of getting a look at what was on that laptop. I considered a few options that might allow me a chance to peek at it, but I soon rejected those. The Warriors might act like they were from the Middle Ages, but it was very likely Master Angeletti locked his laptop when he left it. I might need technical assistance to view it. That, and I really wanted more than just a peek. If he logged notes on all their meetings, kept track of important calls and transactions . . . well, the possibilities for what that laptop could hold were endless. Rescuing Jill was my main priority, but I might very well walk out of this with information that could show us a whole lot more.
Abandoning the masters’ meeting, I used more invisibility magic to break into other dorms and smuggle out Sabrina and Eddie. Neither was asleep when I found them, and we managed to find a secluded spot behind a storage shed to talk.
“You were right,” I told Sabrina. “Master Angeletti does log his information on a laptop. And I heard what sounded very much like a suspicious reference to them holding Jill.”
Eddie perked up. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go take it.”
“Actually, that’s kind of what I had in mind,” I said. “I mean, maybe there are more delicate ways to go about this, but do we have that kind of time? We’ve lost so much with Jill.” I turned to Sabrina. “Marcus hinted that you were prepared for if your cover was ever blown. Is that true?”
She arched an eyebrow. “You plan on blowing it?”
“Not if I can help it,” I said. “But the end result of all this is going to be the laptop gone and Eddie and me never finishing the recruitment. If they link us to the theft, they’ll link us to you. You could be in trouble.”
“Understood,” she said. “If I leave this gig with a prize like his laptop, it’ll be worth it.”
“I just worry about them coming after you,” I said.