"The initials stand for something?"
"I think it's an acronym." I frowned.
A look of concern crossed his face. "What's the matter?"
"I thought he might have some clues in here. Something that said what I needed to do. I have no idea what it means to be Royston's protector or guardian or whatever I am."
His wings hugged his back as he rubbed his bald head. "You are a warrior. Follow your instincts. In time, you will know what to do."
"I'm glad you have faith in me." The sarcastic tone of my voice suggested I didn't. I needed to get out of my own brain, stop the insistent fear from freaking me out. I placed the prayer card into the journal and closed it.
"May I see that?"
I gave him a quizzical look before removing the card. "You mean this?"
"Yes," he said.
"It's just a prayer card." I offered it to him. "There's some writing on it. I can't figure out what it means."
Cadby flipped it over as he studied it. "The church on this directs to the clue you seek?"
"I think so."
"In older times," he said, "people would hide love letters and notes of treason in or around prayer candles. They'd write the whereabouts of such secrets on handkerchiefs and other items to pass the clue to the intended receiver. This"-he pointed out the handwriting on the backside of the card, and I followed along as he read it-"prayer candle, seventh row, three in. It's directions to the candle in this chapel." He handed it back to me.
"That's clever," I said, taking the card.
If it's still there.
My eyes went to his. "Listen, don't tell anyone about this, okay? I'm not sure who's trustworthy anymore, and I have to keep Royston safe. With my luck, you're probably on the wrong side."
"I assure you, I am on your side, Gianna. We must think of Royston's safety before all else." Cadby glanced over his shoulder at the others down the hill. "But your safety matters, as well. Without you, he hasn't a chance against the Tetrad. You have inherited a great responsibility. It's best you stop acting on your emotions and use your head. Let others help you."
Even though he was right, I started to protest. "I don't act-"
His hand went up to stop me. "I don't mean that as an insult. We all let our emotions direct us. Remove the heart so the head can think." He turned and plodded back down the hill, not waiting for a response from me. His injured wing lay flat against his back while his good one twitched and moved as he walked. He'd broken it while saving me right before I'd crashed Nick's motorcycle. The wing had almost healed, and he was able to do short-distance flights now.
The Tetrad. Hearing him say the name scraped at my thoughts. A high wizard back in medieval times had created the beasts by sewing animal parts to four slain warriors and connecting them with one soul. The beings were frightening and haunted my dreams. One creature resembled a lion with a cleft lip and claw-like hands. Another had a boar's head with sharp tusks sticking out of its jaw. The third had two large ram horns coming out of its forehead, which pulled and distorted its face. And the final one was part lizard, with razor-sharp teeth and scales. Each could command one of the elements, but they could never separate from one another or they'd die. The creatures were a myth to me, yet I was key to their destruction.
All I had to do was find the seven Chiavi, which, when combined, would unlock the beast from its prison, buried in some elusive mountain somewhere in a world full of mystical creatures. Simple. I rolled my eyes before returning my attention to Gian's journal.
CAN FIGS?
It must be a puzzle.
There were seven letters in the clue. There were seven Chiavi.
I sat up straighter.
Which meant there were seven libraries.
We had retrieved five of the keys. I wrote down the names of the libraries where we'd found them, but none of the initials matched the letters in the acronym.
It's not the names of the libraries. What am I missing? I stared at the page. Maybe it's the location of the libraries. I printed them next to the libraries. No matches.
Countries?
I scribbled on the page-Austria, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland.
That has to be it. I just need two more letters. One starts with a "C" and the other an "N."
I removed the list of libraries with artwork that could be a Chiave. Nick and I had assembled it with Uncle Philip's help. I compared the clues for the final two Chiavi with our notes and circled the Czech Republic. Uncle Philip had suggested a painting in that library for In front of the world; he wears his honor on his chest. It was a portrait of some royal guy from the eighteenth century. He wore a uniform with a badge on his chest. It was the only library that could represent the C in the acronym.
We'd already figured out the final clue-Beneath destruction and rapine, he scribes the word, while time falls-or actually, Nick had. The thought of him made my heart tighten again.
Conemar won't hurt him. Nick's his son. I tried to reassure myself.
Nick believed the final clue described a mural named The Medieval Scribe in the McGraw Rotunda of the New York Public Library's main branch. He'd gone there with his family a few years back. The image stayed with him only because he'd pretended to like it for nearly twenty minutes to impress some girl.
A smile tightened my lips as I imagined how silly he probably acted around the girl. Nick was a goofball at times. It was what I liked most about him.
But the other letters represented countries. I scanned the list of possible libraries.
A light went on in my head, illuminating the answer. He couldn't put America down. There were too many states. He'd narrow it down to one of them. That's what I'd do. I couldn't explain it, but I knew that's what he'd do, too.
So "C" for Czech Republic and "N" for New York. I had solved can figs. And I had the locations of the final Chiavi.
Arik passed Cadby on his way up to me.
I slipped the list back into my pocket and put my notebook on top of Gian's journal, opened it to a page, and pretended to read. When he stopped in front of me, I kept my head down, acting too engrossed in what I was reading to notice him.
But I had noticed him. I noticed everything about Arik. The way he fought in practice with hardly any effort. The way he cared for the animals on the farm. And the way he would look at me with his hopeful, dark eyes. There always seemed to be an unanswered question between us. One I didn't want to answer and he didn't want to ask.
"What are you doing up here by yourself?" he asked, his English accent lacing his words, and he flashed that smile he used only around me. It was sort of forced and held a hint of uncertainty.
Glancing around, he waited for my response. He seemed nervous around me. It probably hadn't helped that I'd kept to myself when I wasn't doing chores or practicing Sentinel skills with the group.
"I know where the other two Chiavi are hidden," I finally said.
"That's fabulous," he said, sitting down beside me. "Where are they?"
"I want to go alone," I said, purposely not answering his question.
He raised a brow at me, his eyes full of disappointment. "Have we come to a place where you don't trust me?"
I bit my lip and considered his question. Out of everyone in hiding with us, I knew where Arik's heart and loyalties lay. "It's not that. It's because I trust you that I want you to stay. You must protect Royston while I'm gone. I can't go if you're not here with him."
"I'll send someone with you," he offered.
"No," I said. "It's too dangerous. Conemar's men have been attacking anyone traveling through the gateways. Uncle Philip said he believes they have one of the missing Monitors. Whoever jumps with me will register."
I waited for his response as he thought over my words. There were only four Monitors left. The parrots had a gift of sensing the gateways and registering those who jumped through the books. The other Monitors had died when I'd thrown my battle globe at a trapdoor to save Bastien and Gian. The action had caused a magic blowback that unlocked the traps and killed many of the birds.
Arik picked at some grass growing in the crack of the wall and said, "All right, then, but Lei and Jaran will keep an eye on the gateway page for any dangers. They can wait in the Dublin Library."
I would feel safer with two Sentinels watching my jump. "I'm good with that."
Arik tossed the grass to the ground and watched Deidre shake her wet shirt as Royston stared at her. I knew that look on Arik's face. He was worried about me.
"Don't worry." My fingertips went to the crescent scar on my chest. The bumpy flesh was a reminder of the shield charm Nana Kearns had branded on me. "I'm a ghost in the gateways. I can handle myself. Two quick jumps and I'll be right back."
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, dimples hinting in his cheeks. "You've come quite a ways, Gia Kearns."
There was that name again. The one that no longer felt like my own.
"I'm proud of you," he added. "There's no one I'd rather have fighting beside me in a battle. Stay alert. Don't let your guard down, all right?"
"Promise."
Arik stood and brushed his hands across his pants. "We received a message from Bastien. Carrig will meet him in Asile and bring him to our hideout. Though the Wizard Council believes Carrig had nothing to do with your disappearance, they're still monitoring his jumps. So it will take a few days to get here, since they can't go through the gateway. They have to travel through the human world, but you should see him soon."