Trial By Fire (Going Down in Flames #3)(45)

She didn’t feel good about this, but she told them about the dead bodies in Dragon’s Bluff. “I swear. Even though I know the Red-Black hybrid boy attacked the town, and that is unforgivable, his face with those dead milky white eyes was the saddest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Ivy looked at the dumpling on her fork and put it back in the container. “Maybe I should have asked you to share after we ate.”

“Let’s say we believe Adam and Eve. Now we know there are hybrids on campus,” Clint said. “In the big scheme of things, what does that mean?”

“It means not all hybrids are dangerous,” Bryn said. “And maybe it means Directorate Sanctioned Arranged Marriages aren’t necessary.”

“I love that idea,” Valmont said, “for obvious reasons, but to play Devil’s Advocate, if the dragons that attacked the campus and Dragon’s Bluff were all hybrids then the bad seems to outweigh the good.”

“Maybe,” Ivy said, “it’s a certain combination of Clans that creates aggressive or violent hybrids.”

“No, that doesn’t work,” Bryn said. “If we believe Adam and Eve are good, they are the same hybrid mix, Black and Red, as that boy I saw in Dragon’s Bluff.”

“Maybe it’s like with the rest of the population,” Valmont said. “Some people are good and some are not.”

Clint walked over and picked up one of the Days of Knights books Bryn had left stacked on the library table. “We still don’t know how these tales fit into the system.”

“They may not fit into it at all, except as a way to needle the Directorate,” Valmont said.

Clint lined the books up in various patterns. “Wait a minute. That looks like a staircase.”

Bryn gazed at the area of the leather book cover. “You’re right.” She grabbed another book. “This one has the same pattern.”

“Are they stairs going up or stairs going down?” Ivy asked as they crowded around the table.

Bryn shuffled the books until a pattern came into line. There was a building, with a star on top of it. Underneath the building stairs went down for two stories. “This makes it look like there’s a secret staircase leading down to a basement somewhere.”

“I don’t think any of the buildings on campus have basements,” Ivy said.

“The dorms don’t.” Clint scratched his head. “Maybe some of the other buildings do.”

“We should start with the library,” Valmont said.

“Why?” Bryn asked.

Valmont shrugged. “Isn’t that where people go for answers?”

It was as good a logic as anything she could come up with. Checking the time, she said, “We have about ninety minutes until curfew.”

“Let’s fly over and see what we can find.” Ivy headed for the window, which led out onto the terrace. The rest of them followed. Once they were outside, Bryn shifted. When Valmont settled between her wings, she felt the now familiar rush of power and connection from the bond.

“Whoa,” Ivy said. “You’re glowing.”

“That’s normal,” Bryn said.

“Since when?” Ivy sounded ticked off.

“Did I forget to share?” Bryn asked.

Ivy dove off the terrace without responding. Clint followed his girlfriend.

Bryn dove after them. “It’s not like I didn’t tell her on purpose.”

“I’m sure she knows that,” Valmont said as they flew toward the library. “But she wants to be included in your adventures.”

“Even if she’s safer not knowing some things?” Bryn asked.

“Yes,” Valmont said as they soared toward the library.

They landed, shifted back to human form, and entered the building.

Miss Enid waved at them from the front desk.

“Do you want to ask her about the basement, Ivy?” Maybe if she included Ivy more, her friend wouldn’t stay mad.

“Sure.”

They gathered at the desk, and Bryn let Ivy lead the conversation.

“We have a question about the buildings on campus,” Ivy said, and she asked about the basement.

Miss Enid shook her head. “Not that I’m aware of. There are some storage vaults below ground here and at some of the other buildings, but no true basements. Why do you ask?”

“Bryn told us about the shelter at her grandparents’ house. We wondered if the Institute had anything like that here.”

“Unfortunately no, but that would be a good idea.”

“Could we see the vaults?” Ivy asked.

Miss Enid shook her head. “No one can access the vaults without approval from the Directorate. I have to fill out a form to request access to the keys.”

“What do they keep down there?” Ivy asked.

“Mostly old books and artifacts, which are too delicate to be displayed year round,” Miss Enid said. “Research material the general public would have no interest in. Things of that nature.” She picked up a stack of books. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to return these to their rightful places.”

“Thanks for the information,” Ivy said, and then she turned to Bryn with a smile on her face. “Now that we know the vaults exist, we need to figure out where they are.”