“I think you should go back to your side of the plane now.” Adne returned her gaze to the window.
Satisfied, Logan went back to his original seat. Though Adne’s unexpected arrival had been something of a boon, Logan had been worried he’d have to constantly contend with her for control of the situation. But now he saw things differently. For reasons she didn’t want to or wasn’t ready to admit, Adne was no longer Logan’s enemy. And Logan was beginning to think she might turn into a surprising ally.
AFTER CONSIDERABLE discussion, it was decided that four of their number would go to meet Holt: Anika, Tristan, Ethan, and Sabine.
Anika, as the Arrow, was an obvious choice, and Tristan was deemed a good counterpart to Anika because he would be able to emphasize the threat that the Harbinger posed. Ethan was to play the “common man,” a warrior of the Searchers. And Sabine, as Anika put it, represented their future.
“The future?” Sabine frowned at the Arrow. “How does that work?”
“You’re a Guardian who became an ally,” Anika replied. “You represent the potential for peace.”
“I represent peace?” Sabine laughed, glancing at Ethan. “She doesn’t know me very well, does she?”
“You expect me to walk into that trap?” Ethan lifted his eyebrows. Sabine jabbed an elbow into his ribs.
“As painful as it will be,” Anika told them, ignoring Ethan and Sabine’s exchange, “we need to keep Holt happy, within reason. The goal here is a united front. If we don’t get to Logan in time, we may be looking at the beginning of a new war.”
“We get it, Anika,” Ethan said. “We can suck up to Holt for the greater good.”
“All right then.” Anika smiled at him. “Let’s go.”
They waited outside the door to Holt’s offices in Pyralis for at least five minutes before someone finally came to greet them.
“I appreciate your taking the time to speak with us,” Anika said.
“I assume you’d like to reach a détente.” Holt didn’t bother to stand when they filed into the room.
Two Strikers flanked Holt, standing tall and silent, with their weapons displayed prominently. They were even wearing sunglasses. And while the crystals running through the walls of Pyralis boasted the bright, flickering tones of burning flames, the shades were just unnecessary. Sabine wished she could tell them how lame they looked, but that wouldn’t make Anika very happy.
Holt gazed at them from his seat, wearing a smug smile, as if he were a king sitting upon a throne and about to receive petitioners.
Watching him, Sabine thought, A man who feels it necessary to flaunt his power has no real power at all.
If he hadn’t been making such a mess of things at the Academy, Sabine might have felt a little sorry for Holt. He was a petty man grasping at power, his ambition no doubt fueled by self-doubt and fear.
“I’d still like to think we have the same goals,” Anika said to Holt. “Goals that compel us to work together rather than against one another.”
“And what is your goal, Anika?” Holt asked.
“The same as it has ever been,” Anika replied. “To protect the earth from the corruption of the Nether.”
“You say that.” Holt leaned back in his chair. “And yet you seek to hinder my efforts to rid our world of the lingering threat posed by the Keepers who survived the war.”
“You’re right.” Anika clasped her hands behind her back. “We don’t see eye to eye on that issue. But new information has come to my attention that I wanted to share with you before I brought it to the other guides. Something that requires immediate action.”
Holt straightened up. “Really? I’m intrigued.”
Of course you are, Sabine thought. The offer of exclusive access to information. She was surprised he wasn’t drooling all over his desk.
“You heard about the incident in the garden,” Anika said, waiting until Holt nodded. “It turns out that the robbery at Rowan Estate and the other event were connected. The girl who was found on the grounds of Rowan Estate, Ariadne, has recently gone missing. And until early this morning, Tristan’s wife—Sarah—was missing as well. We’ve learned from Sarah that they were together and it was at the behest of Logan Bane.”
“The Keeper? Whose house we just raided?”
“It wasn’t Logan’s house,” Ethan corrected. “He was just staying there.”
Holt gave Ethan a sour look.
“Sorry,” Ethan mumbled.
“Logan has been attempting to make contact with the Harbinger,” Anika continued, hurrying past the awkward moment. “He’s using magic to reach through the veil and apparently he’s been successful. The Harbinger wants to return to our world, and Logan Bane is serving him in this quest.”
“Can you run that by me again?” Holt asked.
He listened as Anika repeated the information they’d gathered from Sarah Doran. When she finished, he nodded.
“So it all comes down to the Harbinger,” Holt said. “The great Nether lord who was expelled from the earth when the Scion closed the Rift.”
“Yes,” Anika said, wearing a smile but clearly losing patience.
“And according to Sarah Doran, the Harbinger is planning his great comeback.”
Uh-oh. Sabine threw a worried glance at Ethan. He gave a slight nod, confirming her fears.
“Do you have any other evidence?” Holt asked the Arrow.
“Other evidence?” Anika repeated with a frown.
“Forgive me,” Holt continued, “but the story you’ve presented is a bit far-fetched and, as far as I can tell, supported by rather unreliable sources.”
“Ariadne and Sarah are hardly unreliable,” Anika countered.
“I’m afraid there are other reasons I’m not particularly inclined to believe you.” Holt glanced at Sabine. “For example, the company you keep.”
“I guess I’m not the future after all,” Sabine murmured.
“Seriously?” Ethan scoffed at Holt. “Did you sleep through the end of the war? We would have lost without the help of Guardians.”
“I’m not entirely convinced that’s true,” Holt replied, straightening his jacket. “From what I’ve observed, the end of the war saw far too many compromises of what Searchers always stood for. We tainted ourselves by making deals with the devil. I’m trying to undo that damage and restore our cause to its former glory.”