I thought about it a moment, my head spinning with details from our history class. “Naturekinds are the ones who sank Atlantis and started the first War of the Kinds.”
“Uh-huh. And I bet the trigger for the Telluric Rods is fire. It’s the only thing that makes sense. Which means tomorrow it’s going to look like a group of naturekinds sunk Lyonshold. And with the current state of things you know what will happen next when the witchkinds and darkkinds start pointing fingers.”
“Another war.” I swallowed as the sound of rushing blood filled my ears. “But why would he want to start a war?”
Eli rolled his shoulders. “Beats me, but I’m sure he sees some advantage in it.”
I didn’t reply as my eyes fell to the page once more. For a second, all I saw was the Telluric Rod, but then my eyes slid lower and I spotted another symbol that struck a chord of recognition inside me. I gasped.
“What is it?” Eli put a hand on my back as if he feared I might faint.
I bent closer to the book, examining the inscription beneath a three-ringed symbol I knew I’d seen somewhere before. I pointed my finger to it and read the inscription aloud: “‘Always from twelve is the circle undone.’”
Eli repeated the words after me, reading it for himself. “What do you think it means?”
I turned toward him. “No idea, but I’ve seen this symbol before and these words. Not exactly as they’re written here but close enough there’s no doubt of the connection.”
Excitement lit Eli’s face. “Where?”
“Mr. Corvus.” I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down so I could explain it correctly—I hadn’t thought about the book with the strange pictograms I’d decoded during my detention since the moment it had ended, but everything came rushing back to me now. By the time I finished telling him the details, Eli’s excitement had given way to that dangerous, thrilling focus I’d come to expect from him whenever we found a hot lead.
“We need to see that book,” he said.
“Do you think Corvus is working with Kirkwood?”
“Maybe.” Eli traced the three-ringed symbol with his finger. “Either way this is the first physical clue we’ve had connecting Corvus to this. Looks like the crows might’ve symbolized him after all.”
“Right.”
Eli rubbed his chin. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that book contains instructions on how to make the Telluric Rods.”
I started to nod my agreement then stopped cold. “But that doesn’t make sense. If the book contains dark, secret magic why would he be having students decode it for detention? Seems pretty stupid and risky.”
Eli smirked. “We’re talking about a guy who might be helping plan the murder of a bunch of people. I don’t think rational figures into the picture much.”
I frowned, unconvinced.
Eli saw the look and sighed. “Regardless of Corvus’s reasons, there’s no denying the connection between the two symbols, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, that alone means it’s worth checking out. Make that double when you throw the crows into it.” Eli put his hands on his hips. “Why are you so reluctant? I thought you wanted to find proof that could save Paul from his uncle.”
“I do.”
“Well, we might find that proof through Corvus.”
“That’s just it.” I bit my lip, surprised that the problem hadn’t occurred to him already. “How are we going to get into his office to find the proof?”
I could tell at once that Eli had forgotten this little detail. “Shit.” He kicked the desk’s leg, raking his hands through his hair. “I forgot. If we only had more time. I could get a pass and sneak in my dad’s tension wrench from home.”
I sighed, my excitement deflated. Once again we were going to be defeated by lack of time. It was so frustrating I wanted to hit something or blow something up just to vent.
Blow something up …
An outrageous idea sprouted in my mind. I poked it a couple of times, testing it for viability. It was insane, it really was—but it just might work.
“Eli,” I said, drawing his attention. “Mr. Culpepper.”
“What about him?”
“He’s the maintenance man. He’ll have a master key to Corvus’s office.”
Eli frowned. “But we don’t know where he keeps the keys at night. If it’s the maintenance office we can break in there, sure, but he might take them home with him, and that would be a much more dangerous mission.”
I shook my head. “That’s not what I meant. Why don’t we just ask him?”
Eli raised his eyebrows, looking at me as if I’d gone insane. “Just ask him if he’ll help us break into a teacher’s office? In the middle of the night?”
I nodded. “He and I have sorta become friends these last few months. And I know that if we tell him why we need to go in there he’ll do it. Especially if he finds out that Titus Kirkwood purchased the garrote that killed Rosemary from him. He cared a lot about her.” I paused then added, “Not that I want to tell him that unless we absolutely have to. It would crush him.”
“But how would we even get ahold of him this late at night?”
“Easy. I have his cell number.”
Eli didn’t say anything for several long seconds, just stared at me, his expression oddly blank. Then a huge smile seemed to split his face in half. “Dusty,” he said, stepping toward me, “you are a genius.”