The Bronze Key (Magisterium #3)(8)

Spy traps? Aaron mouthed to Call. Call tried not to laugh, because what he was picturing was a big pit in the ground hidden with important papers or something. But since, for once, it seemed like the Assembly and the Magisterium had an actual plan to take care of a real danger, maybe Call could spend his Bronze Year just learning stuff and getting into the regular, fun kind of trouble instead of the world-ruining kind.

So long as he kept Havoc out of the woods and away from the animal murderers.

So long as Master Joseph didn’t come back.

So long as there really was nothing wrong with his soul.





AFTER THE ASSEMBLY meeting, Call and Aaron were free to return to the party. Hors d’oeuvres were being passed around, but Call didn’t feel hungry. He was thinking about Havoc’s Chaos-ridden family and all the other Chaos-ridden animals out in the forest. Call didn’t remember being Constantine Madden, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t owe something to the innocent creatures Constantine had changed. There had to be something he could do.

“So how was the secret meeting?” Jasper asked, walking up with Celia and Tamara. All three of them looked bright-eyed and relaxed, like they’d been laughing a lot. Or maybe dancing. Some dancing had started on the other side of the party. Call eyed it with suspicion and alarm.

“Weird,” Aaron said, oblivious to Call’s mood. He grabbed a cheese puff off a passing waiter’s plate and stuffed it into his mouth. Then he made a muffled sound, appearing as though he’d planned to say more before hunger had taken over.

Call filled them in. “It was all about Chaos-ridden people and animals. Getting rid of them, basically.”

“Not Havoc!” Tamara said, dark eyes horrified. Call was pleased with her for having the same reaction he’d had. It was nice to be reminded that Havoc was also important to his two best friends.

Two more waiters came by with plates and snacks. Call took three shrimp toasts from one and a chicken skewer from the other. He should probably try to eat something, he thought, though his stomach felt knotted. Jasper piled an enormous amount of food onto his plate and began shoveling his way through it with the determination of a shark.

“Havoc got a pass,” Call said. “But basically Graves is in cleanup mode. Everything that’s left over from the time of the Enemy of Death, he wants erased.”

Tamara was clearly bubbling over with questions. “Did you —” she began, but then looked over at Celia and seemed to think better of it. Celia hadn’t been with them when they’d left the school to try to find Alastair. She didn’t know Call’s secret. “Never mind. We should just have fun tonight. Aaron, come on, dance with me.”

Aaron managed to grab another cheese puff before he was seized by Tamara. He handed his empty plate to Jasper and disappeared into the mass of dancing people in a swirl of Tamara’s yellow skirts.

Celia gave Call a hopeful look he pretended not to see. With his leg, he had no hope of doing anything but embarrassing himself on a dance floor. Call smiled at her but said nothing. After the awkward moment had stretched out as long as an awkward moment possibly could, Celia sighed.

“I’m going to get a drink,” she said, and headed off toward an enormous punch bowl.

“Smooth,” said Jasper. “I guess everything they say about Constantine having deadly charisma was maybe not so accurate.”

Out of all of them, Jasper was the only one who Call sometimes caught looking at him with suspicion or worry, as if maybe he didn’t know him at all.

“I’m not the Enemy,” Call said under his breath.

“Let’s test that,” said Jasper, glancing at Call’s plate. “The Enemy of Death would never give me his last chicken skewer.”

Call handed it over without comment. He wasn’t that hungry, anyway.

“The Enemy of Death would also never introduce me to that hot girl who just waved at you.”

Call looked over in surprise to see that the hot girl Jasper was talking about was actually a girl he’d met before, a friend of Tamara’s older sister, Kimiya. She had long black hair and elegant cheekbones. She waved when she saw him looking in her direction.

Call gave Jasper his most evil look. “You’re right,” he said, and walked off to find Alastair. He thought he’d seen him talking to Anastasia Tarquin, her silver hair bobbing above the crowd. Call was pushing through a knot of people by the drinks table when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

It was the girl Jasper had mentioned, Jennifer Matsui. She was a Gold Year, like Kimiya, and up close she was a head taller than Call.

“Callum!” she said brightly. “Congratulations on the award.”

“Thanks,” Call said, craning his neck to see Jasper staring at him from across the room, as if he couldn’t believe what was happening. “It was a very good … award.”

That hadn’t been what he’d meant to say at all.

“I have something for you,” she said, dropping her voice to a low, conspiratorial whisper. “A pretty blond girl gave it to me.”

She held out a folded piece of paper with Call’s name scribbled on it. Puzzled, he took it. Jennifer blew him a kiss and bounced off through the crowd, back toward Kimiya and the small knot of older students who were giggling together. Call saw a familiar face — Alex Strike, one of the few older students he was friends with. Alex and Kimiya had broken up last year, but from the way they were standing and laughing together, either they’d gotten back together or at least they were friends again.