The Golden Tower (Magisterium #5)(54)

“We agreed to interview him,” Master North said. “Graves agreed to it, anyway. And thanks to him, Graves is dead.”

Alex hung his head. Aaron, Call thought. Aaron, look at me.

But he didn’t. And Call didn’t know whether to think of him as Alex or Aaron, didn’t know if Aaron’s soul was intact inside Alex’s body, or if Aaron was in agony, crushed by guilt or horror or a million different other things. Or maybe his soul had been shredded — maybe he was no one now, neither Alex nor Aaron.

And then Call noticed Havoc. Havoc had crept to Alex’s side and was nosing gently at his hand, the way he’d once done to Aaron. And absently, Alex — Aaron, it had to be Aaron — reached down and stroked the wolf’s head.

Call saw Master Rufus staring at the wolf, his eyes narrowed. Before he could say anything, Mr. and Mrs. Rajavi flew up the stairs, racing into the room to embrace Tamara and Kimiya. “You did it, my darlings,” said Mrs. Rajavi, kissing them both. “You’re heroes. I’m so proud of you.”

Privately, Call thought Tamara deserved all the credit and Kimiya none, but he kept it to himself.

Alastair appeared in a whirl of air, startling everyone. “The others are gone,” he said. “It seems this is finally over.”

“As soon as they let Alex go,” Call insisted, and his father gave him a very confused look.

Aaron — because Call was sure Alex was Aaron, absolutely sure, except that he really wished that Aaron would say something to confirm it — didn’t speak at all.

“Enough,” said Master Rufus. “Let’s leave this tower. It can harm no one to restrain … Alex. We will keep his hands bound until he has stood trial before the Assembly.”

“We will take Anastasia’s body to the Collegium to prepare it for burial,” said Master Cameron, one of the mages Call recognized from his brief visit to the Collegium during his Bronze Year.

Rufus nodded. It was clear everyone was now looking to him as they once had to Graves. “Once we’re sure no one else is badly hurt, we can proceed to deciding what we’re going to do with Alex.”

“How come you’re acting as though you’re in charge?” Master North, who didn’t seem to have gotten the memo, demanded.

“I’ve been asked to join the Assembly and I’ve agreed. For a long time, I wanted to stay distant from the mage world. It’s not easy to be best known for teaching one of our great enemies. But this time I’ve said yes.” Master Rufus looked grave. “Now can we get these students to safety? They’ve risked enough for us.”

Call tried to say something to Aaron, but Master North was already levitating him in the air. Tamara reached out her hand to Aaron as well, but he went by without reacting. Call’s and Tamara’s eyes met, the same question in both of them.

Was Aaron in there — and if he was, was he okay?





THE TRIP BACK to the Magisterium was a blur. Call found himself hurried into the infirmary, then wrapped in blankets by Master Amaranth. Tamara and Jasper were enfolded in their own blankets beside him. The news came that Anastasia had been pronounced dead, which Call had already known. Still, the words felt stark.

Gwenda came in and hugged them all. She brought Rafe and Kai with her and they hugged Jasper a lot and high-fived Tamara and Call. They reported that the school was celebrating and everyone was acting like they’d never been suspicious of Call at all. Since Kai and Rafe were also acting like they themselves had never been suspicious of Call, he could believe it.

Alastair came in to say that he, Greta, Lucas, and Ravan were getting out of the Magisterium before they wound up locked up with Alex. He’d had Master Rufus’s promise that some kind of better system for dealing with the Devoured was going to be worked out at the upcoming meeting, but until then they were going to make themselves scarce.

“I’ll see you once you’ve graduated,” Alastair promised Call. “Don’t worry about me, either. I need to get back home and make sure the house and all my things are dealt with properly.”

They paused awkwardly for a moment. Alastair reached down to touch Call’s cheek. It felt like a brush of air. “I’m so sorry,” Call blurted. “Because of me, this happened. Because of me, you’re a Devoured of air, and you’ll never fix up cars again or go to the movies —”

“I’ll go to the movies,” Alastair said gently. “I’ll drift around in the back. I won’t have to pay to get in!”

“You know what I mean,” said Call.

“Listen, Call. All my life I wished I’d been able to do more. More to defeat the Enemy of Death. More to avenge Sarah. And I’ve realized now, that feeling is gone, like I’ve finally been able to put it to bed. I’ve finally been able to do enough.”

“By destroying Alex?” Call said.

“By raising you,” said Alastair. “You’re a good person, Call, and a fighter. And a heck of a mage.” His eyes shone. “I can’t tell you how worth it it’s all been.”

Call felt his heart lift. He almost asked Alastair when they were going to head home together, but Master Amaranth was giving them a sharp look for talking. Alastair winked and disappeared.

Call sighed. “Master Amaranth? I was wondering if I could go rest in my room. I’m not in pain, but I am really tired.”