Antebellum Awakening (The Network Series #2)(74)

“Very good. What are your views?”

Leda just stared at her.

“My . . . views?” Leda asked, taken aback. Even I stared at Miss Scarlett in surprise. She had never solicited our opinions before.

“Yes,” Miss Scarlett said, as if she didn’t notice our gaping mouths.

“I-I think the Eastern Network will stick to the Mansfeld Pact,” she said, slowly warming to it. “They won’t get involved in any business or war that doesn’t directly involve them.”

Miss Scarlett turned to me next.

“And what do you think?” she asked.

“I think Leda’s right,” I said, pulling myself together enough to form a coherent response. “The East will wait for the Western Network to get through us before they get involved. Why put their witches in danger when they can hide behind us?”

Miss Scarlett thought our assessments over with pursed lips.

“What of the Southern Network?” she pointed out. “They’ve been training their army for months now. Will they break the pact?”

“I don’t know,” I said.

“I think the South will break the Mansfeld Pact and form an alliance with the West. Both will advance on us, and then the East will follow. That’s my assessment,” Leda piped up, her voice thick with gloating. She shot me an expectant look and I scowled.

“Very interesting,” Miss Scarlett said. “Leda, here are your tests. Please sit at an empty desk to take them. You have no time limit.”

Leda took the proffered scrolls just as Camille came bouncing into the room, her face flushed.

“Find a table,” Miss Scarlett commanded. “You have one hour, Camille.”

Miss Scarlett handed Camille a daunting scroll, one that may have been as big as all three of Leda’s combined. I felt a twinge of pity for her. To my surprise, Camille took it with a self-assured nod. “Thank you, Miss Scarlett.”

I wasn’t the only one startled by her reaction. Miss Scarlett studied Camille again and responded with a slow drawl.

“You’re welcome. Best of luck to both of you,” she said. “Bianca, come with me.”

Camille shot me a wink as Miss Scarlett started to walk away.

“I just found this in the Witchery when I got my things,” Camille whispered to me, motioning to the corner of a small envelope in her skirt pocket. “I got a letter from Brecken!” She squeezed my hand and headed to a free table with a little spring in her steps, humming under her breath. I smiled and caught up with Miss Scarlett.

We moved to the other side of the library where a large map of Chatham City covered the wall. Though the map had been there for ages, many of the shops were still in business. Market Street, normally crammed with the vendors from farms and the outlying cities, was one of the five main roads. Miss Emma’s Bakery, Miss Holly’s Candy Shop, Owens Pub, and a few others, were still open on Market Street today.

“If you seek answers regarding Mabel, perhaps I can help. I can’t verify this for you with any certainty,” Miss Scarlett began in a low tone that only I could hear. “But I will tell you that there’s a little pub here, toward the outskirts of Chatham City, which Miss Mabel went to infrequently.”

I wanted to ask Miss Scarlett how she knew but bit my lip. Miss Scarlett, while a talented and devoted teacher, had been a spy for the High Priestess all the years that she worked at the school. She must have followed Miss Mabel more than a few times, trying to figure out her wicked plots.

“Who did she meet there?” I asked.

“It’s hard to say,” Miss Scarlett said with a frown. “I never followed her inside, but I’m certain she went there to meet someone.”

Miss Scarlett ran her finger along a road just across from Letum Wood in the seediest part of Chatham City. “Here,” she said, tapping the little square that represented the pub. “This is it.”

I looked from the map to her. “How will this help me find answers?”

“I can’t be sure it will,” she said and I thought I heard regret in her voice. “But I felt like I should tell you all the same. There may be a few breadcrumbs there. Of course, as your teacher, I cannot support the breaking of any rules.” She gave me a severe glance. “But I cannot be held responsible for what I don’t know.”

“Then why are you telling me?” I asked, searching her eyes. I’d never known Miss Scarlett to bend the rules. To my surprise, she softened just a little.

“Let’s just say that I know how haunting unanswered questions can be,” she said in a steady tone. She reached to her wrist and slipped one of her bracelets off. The crimson beads gave off a dull sheen in the light. “Wear this when you go. It will protect you.”

I hesitated. “Protect me?"

“It’s a charm. The High Priestess gave it to me when I started working at Miss Mabel’s for extra protection. I give it to you now.”

Miss Scarlett walked away before I could thank her. I watched her go, uncertain how I felt about this new information, and what the roiling in my chest meant, if it meant anything at all.

???

Finding the pub Miss Scarlett directed me to proved easier than I expected. I wasted no time getting there. The moment Miss Scarlett turned away, I left the library, ran to the Forgotten Gardens, and transported to the outer wall of Chatham City.