Conrad Edison and the Anchored World (Overworld Arcanum Book 2) (37 page)

Suddenly, team Tiberius had the run of the field.

Our team straggled in pursuit. I flew directly behind Harris, using his slipstream to stay on target. A gong rang out, signifying the last two minutes of the game. I couldn't believe it had nearly been ninety minutes. I ducked and used Harris's airflow to slingshot even with him. He tried to freeze me, but since he'd just used his wand, it still had at least forty seconds to recharge.

Seeing that his wand was useless for the time being, he veered toward me. I looped beneath him, shot up, and waggled my broom in his airstream as I'd done to Max weeks ago. He lost speed, and dropped behind. Devon was still ahead of me by at least fifteen yards with Rhys right by his side, and the rest of his team hot on my tail.

Rhys looked back. "Say goodbye to your fortress, Edison!"

The two boys burst into laughter.

I pressed my body to the broomstick for the least wind resistance, and inched closer and closer. Finally, I reached their twin slipstreams. The reduced air resistance shot me forward, but they were in range of the fortress. Devon cocked back his arm and let the striker fly. He was so confident that he circled out of the way and pumped his fist in the air. I zipped past him in desperate pursuit of the disc, but had no chance of catching it.

Our shield rippled on at the last instant.

"Fortified!" Rhys shrieked to his brother.

I was going too fast, and the disc rebounded off the shield, skipping out of my grasp before I could reach it. Devon spun around and snagged the rebound. Baring his teeth in a smug grin, he flicked the disc hard right, opposite of the way I was flying. I veered back around, stretched, and gripped the disc by my fingertips just before it struck our keep.

"Yes!" Elliott whooped.

But we had less than a minute to go before the game was over, and Tiberius would win by default.

The kabash burst into azure blue. I had twenty seconds of double damage. I whirled around and darted toward the enemy keep. Two defenders blocked me. I ducked beneath them, then rolled sideways to avoid a freeze ray to my face. Yuri intercepted Devon with a vicious shoulder, and Jenna collided with another defender. I hit top speed, the time counting down in my head. Fifteen seconds of double damage left.

"Edison!" Harris swooped down from overhead and tried to ram me. I dodged sideways. He shouted and flung a freeze spell, but it flew wide.

I crossed the centerline, past the destroyed tower and toward the keep.

"Got you, Edison!" Rhys called from the side.

I looked left in time to see him veering at me, with no time to get out of the way.

A freeze ray zapped Rhys.

"No!" he shouted as his broom screeched to a halt.

"Go, Conrad, go!" Max shouted, holding up his wand.

"Ten seconds of game time left," the announcer said excitedly.

I'd never get in range of their fortress, especially with my weak arm.

Centrifugal force
, Vic said.
Use it, you fool.

Spin!
Della shouted.

Still flying full speed forward, I jerked hard left on the broom and went into a flat spin. The world blurred around me. I ducked and went even faster. Holding the kabash underhanded like a discus, I timed the next spin and released it.

The disc whirred, an azure streak leaving my hand.

I stopped my broom's spin and wobbled dizzily. My eyes focused on the disc as it shot across the field.
Will it make it in time?
The countdown continued in my head.

Three, two, one—
with a loud crack, the disc struck the opposing fortress for double damage, taking the last two strikes in one hit. The miniature castle exploded in a lightshow of fireworks and crumbled to pieces.

The crowd went wild.

"The Skywraiths win!" boomed the announcer. "Unbelievable comeback by the young Conrad Edison!"

I stared with disbelief.
It actually worked?

Of course it worked
, Vic replied smugly.
It's science.

Something struck me from behind. Before I could turn around, I was smothered by my teammates, all clapping me on the back and whooping like mad. Max appeared in the mix, face red and excited.

"Greatest play ever, Conrad!" He held up his arm and laughed. "You should have seen the looks on my brothers' faces!"

Elliott shook his head slowly. "I've never seen anyone take a shot like that." He ruffled my hair. "But don't think it excuses you from working out those wimpy arms." He looked at Max. "Nice freeze on your brother too, Tiberius."

Max looked happy enough to faint.

"Edison."

I turned to see Yuri's face pinched into a scowl. It loosened to a grin. "I was wrong. You're going to make an amazing carry some day."

It was the best day of my life.

Chapter 33

The weeks flew by.

If I thought my victory on the field would bring acceptance from Harris and the others, I was sadly mistaken. Instead, our victory against Tiberius only seemed to make him hate me more.

Each day after classes, I went to practice, ate dinner, and four days a week, practiced my spells with Esma Emoora. I settled into a routine that wasn't quite comfortable, but at least made me feel productive.

Mirjana and Klave regained their health, but decided to live in Queens Gate for fear returning to the pond would only leave them open to another attack. I promised to tell her the moment the matter with my parents and Naeve was resolved.

In mid-December, Evadora found us with disturbing news.

"Serena is back," she told me and my friends. "She finished the divining rod."

Ambria groaned. "I hoped she'd given up."

"Did you give her the stone fragment?" I asked.

Evadora nodded. "She tested it, and it works."

I paced on top of our meeting place, the golem head in Colossus Stadium, and thought about what we should do. "Do you think you could get the rod and search for anchor stone fragments?"

"Oh, yes." She nodded enthusiastically. "The rod finds the nearest stone, so the one I gave her is interfering with it." Evadora giggled. "She's quite frustrated about that."

"Have you seen my parents?" I asked.

"They visited her, and she showed them how the rod works." A shrug. "Victus ordered her to let them know the second she finds anything."

Max posed a question. "Do they know you're helping Serena?"

Evadora scraped at the stone with a fingernail. "Probably. But they think I'm just a harmless girl."

"What's the range on the rod?" I asked.

"Hundreds of feet." She held out her arm as if holding a rod. "It tugs on the end when you're close."

I felt the pebble in my pocket. "When would be a good time to borrow it?"

Excitement flashed on Evadora's face. "Any night will do. Serena leaves the Glimmer at night and stays in the city."

"How's she getting in and out of the barrier around the university?" Max asked.

"Conrad's parents have the security charms," she said. "They seem to know when they're changed."

Ambria grimaced. "A lot of good the school's security does."

It was disturbing to know that my parents somehow had access to that information. "I wonder how they do it." Esma told me that she'd informed Galfandor about my parents' presence, so surely, he was taking precautions.

Max blew out a breath. "Probably have someone on the inside."

I thought about our options and finally reached a decision. "Let's do it tomorrow night."

"Wait, a minute," Max said. "You're going back into the Glimmer?"

"Yeah." I looked at my friends. "It's probably best if you stay here."

Ambria shook her head. "No, you can't go back. Surely, Evadora can do it herself."

I put a hand on her shoulder. "It's now or never. I'm going to find a piece of the anchor stone and give it to Naeve before my parents have the chance. We can't wait any longer."

Max ran a hand through his hair. "I hate to admit it, but you're probably right. We don't know if your parents will tell the queen about the stones."

Ambria pressed her lips into a tight line. "I don't like this one bit, but we can't risk letting your parents help Naeve. I don't want the school to be invaded by the Glimmer folk."

I turned to Evadora. "Meet me at the pond in the Fairy Garden tomorrow around eight." I tapped a finger against my chin. "What time does Serena usually leave?"

"Supper time," she replied. "She will be gone by then."

"Good." I stood up and stretched.

"I hope you don't get yourself killed, or worse," Ambria told me. "I'm worried about your reflection catching you."

"I'll take my broom," I said. "I can be in and out of the reflected world in no time."

"We'll wait at the pond for you," Max said. "Just in case."

The tightness in my stomach loosened a little. "I'd like that."

After Evadora left, the three of us made our way back to Moore Keep and went to the common room. Other students were already packing their bags in preparation for the holidays since tomorrow was the last day of classes until the winter semester. Ambria and I planned to go back to the house at the corner of Dowling and Bucket since we had no relatives to go home to. I wondered if Desmond and Sonia would still let us stay there.

There wasn't much work to do in classes the next day since the teachers seemed just as eager to let out for the holidays as the rest of us. Professor Grace didn't bother to sneer at me once, and Professor Sideon completely failed to appear for lessons. Eleanor Beetle showed us a history movie instead of reading from the textbook, and Esma showed us how to make harmless sparkles erupt from our wands just for fun.

The other students seemed excited to be going home to loved ones. Some talked about what gifts they might receive, while others discussed which holiday traditions they enjoyed the most.

Max, Ambria, and I listened wistfully to the hubbub of conversations. It didn't take a mind reader to see my friends wished for normal family lives as much as I did.

With a great cheering roar, students ran into the halls as the final class bell tolled. We flew our brooms to the top of Moore Keep and watched the crowds dwindle as parents picked up their loved ones and went merrily on their way.

"Must be nice," Max said with a sigh. "My parents don't believe in holiday traditions."

"At least you have parents," Ambria said. "I'm curious to meet them and see if they're really all that bad."

Max snorted. "Don't press your luck. I might actually invite you over for supper."

"At least they're not bent on world domination," I said.

He looked at me seriously. "For all we know your parents have already contacted mine. I'm sure my father will be happy to help them."

The dining hall was still open, so we left our brooms in the keep and went for a bite. Aside from a smattering of students, the place looked nearly empty. I spotted Galfandor eating at the head table.

"I'm going to talk to the headmaster and let him know what we're doing tonight," I told the others.

Ambria looked relieved. "I think that would be smart. Perhaps he can help."

"Sure would be nice having someone powerful on our side." Max glanced nervously toward the head table. "Um, we'll wait here."

I got up and walked over to the head table.

Galfandor greeted me with a smile. "Hello, Conrad."

"Hello, sir."

"You look troubled." He dabbed at his face with a napkin and set his empty plate aside for a serving golem to take.

I cut straight to the point. "It's my parents."

"Ah, yes. Professor Emoora told me you had concerns about their presence here on campus." Galfandor motioned me closer. "If they are, they've certainly done nothing to arouse suspicions."

"Evadora says they have the security charms, even when they're changed."

"Yes, I assumed as much." He leaned forward. "Despite outward appearances, I have tightened security, even going so far as to employ outside contractors. If they show themselves, we'll be ready."

The knot of stress building steadily in my chest over the past few months relaxed ever so slightly. I'd feared Galfandor was content to sit back and see what happened before acting. At times it seemed as though he didn't believe my parents were alive and well, but if he was telling the truth, I wasn't as alone as I'd feared.

I managed a smile. "Thank you, sir."

"Of course, Conrad." His eyes narrowed. "I sense there is more you want to tell me."

"It's about the immorality my parents want." I stepped around the table so I wouldn't have to speak across it and showed him the stone. "Mirjana, the Lady of the Pond, told me all they need is a piece of the anchor stone."

Galfandor regarded the stone for a long moment, his eyes betraying a sense of uncertainty. "Have they found any pieces?"

I shook my head. "Serena made a divining rod to help them locate stones, but I'm going to the Glimmer with Evadora tonight to make sure they don't."

He stroked his beard. "Is this not the stone Cora had?" His eyes softened. "She died, Conrad."

"My curse killed her." I pocketed the pebble. "Mirjana said you can still die even with a piece of the anchor stone, but that larger pieces might make someone harder or even impossible to kill."

Galfandor sat back. "In that case,
we
must prevent them from finding pieces of the stone. When are you going to the Glimmer?"

My heart went light as a feather. "You'll help us?"

He nodded.

"We're meeting Evadora at the pond at eight."

"I will meet you there." He looked around the room. "I think it better if you tell me everything else later." Galfandor smiled and patted my shoulder. "I will see you then."

It took all my willpower not to skip back to the table. I sat down with the others and finally allowed myself to grin. "He's going to help us!" I held out my hand to stop my friends from cheering. "Let's go get ready."

The moment we were out in the hall, Ambria hugged me and jumped up and down. "We're saved!"