The Sorcerer Heir (Heir Chronicles) (8 page)

“I don’t think your presence or absence will make that much of a difference to her,” Leesha said. “I think it’s more up to you—whether you can deal with that kind of reaction from some people.”

Emma straightened and her chin came up. “I don’t scare easy, if that’s what you mean.”

Good, Leesha thought. That will help when you meet Aunt Millie.

I
t was beginning to get light when Emma parked in the lot behind the Keep, but it would be another hour before the sun found its way into the canyons between the buildings downtown. About the only time Emma was up at this hour was when she’d never gone to bed. But this way maybe she wouldn’t run into anyone else. She planned to wait for Gabriel outside of his offices, state her case, and be gone before the campus was stirring.

If she’d had a choice, she’d have moved out in the middle of the night without a word to anyone. But that would close the door to the Anchorage, and she needed to keep that door open. She needed to keep in contact with the people who might answer the questions she needed to ask. Once she knew what those were.

Most of all, she needed Gabriel Mandrake to not contact the authorities in Memphis. She’d run away from there after her grandfather died to avoid going into foster care. She needed Mandrake for cover, which meant she needed his blessing.

To Emma’s surprise, the lights were on in Gabriel’s reception area, though Gabriel’s assistant, Patrick, was not yet at his desk. Emma could hear a murmur of voices from Gabriel’s inner office. He keeps early hours, Emma thought. Surprising, for a music promoter.

She sat down in one of the chairs and leafed through a magazine, but she didn’t read a word. She was trying not to listen, but the voices in Gabriel’s office got louder and louder so that pretty soon she could make out who was in there, and bits and pieces of what was being said.

Gabriel. And Alison. Maybe Alison was facing away, because Emma couldn’t hear much of what she was saying.

“And I am telling you that you will get through this, Alison,” Gabriel was saying. “As you always have done. I realize that you’re going through a difficult time, but I need you to keep moving forward. You do know how important you are to me, and to our continued survival.”

Emma gripped the arms of her chair. It was hard to resist going over and putting her ear to the door. This was Alison’s private business.

Alison said something else Emma couldn’t make out.

“No!” Gabriel said sharply. “The risk is too great. We’ll just have to sit tight. There is nothing more to be done right now.”

Again, she heard Alison’s muffled voice.

“Very well,” Gabriel said. “Meet me at the infirmary at six this evening, and we’ll see what we can do. But right now, I need to prepare for a meeting, and you need to get ready for class.”

Emma heard a scraping as chairs were pushed back. She buried her nose in her magazine as the door to Gabriel’s office slammed open. She heard a quick intake of breath as they spotted her there.

“What are
you
doing here?” Alison demanded. “Eaves dropping?”

Emma looked up, and saw that Alison’s face was fish-belly pale.

“N-no,” Emma said. It wasn’t like she was
trying
to eavesdrop. “I was hoping to talk to Gabriel.”

“I was, too,” Alison said. “In
private
.” And she stomped out.

Gabriel stared after her for a long moment, eyes narrowed, then turned his attention to Emma. “I’m sorry about that, Emma. Was there something you needed?”

“I wanted to talk to you about making a change. But it looks like you’re in a hurry?”

“No worries,” Gabriel said. “I have a few minutes. I just needed to end that last conversation.” He gestured to a chair. “Please. Sit.”

So Emma explained what she intended to do, while Gabriel looked more and more annoyed.

“I still don’t understand why you would choose to live in Trinity,” Gabriel Mandrake said, snapping shut his laptop. “It seems to me that the Anchorage is ideal for someone in your situation. You’ve only been here for, what, three months?”

Emma picked at a scab on her arm. She could guess what he was thinking.
You’re living in your own apartment for free. Meals and healthcare and tuition are provided. You’re attending a school that is designed to meet your peculiar needs. Why would you want to go somewhere you had to pay your own way? Are you crazy?

Since Gabriel still seemed to be waiting for an answer, she said, “I’m not saying I don’t like it. It’s amazing, and I feel lucky to be here. The woodshop and the music program are—I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I just need a little different experience.”

“You’re not likely to be well-received in Trinity. Mainliners in general are not very accepting of our students. This most recent catastrophe has just added fuel to the fire.”

Emma recalled Madison’s reaction to her being at Grace’s funeral. Still, she’d never in her life been sheltered, and she didn’t intend to start now. “I know. But I have a—a sort of sponsor there. Who has offered me a job and a place to stay.”

“A sponsor?” Gabriel looked surprised. “Who?”

“Alicia Middleton,” Emma said. “A wizard.”

“And also one of those investigating the bridge incident,” Gabriel murmured.

“Bridge incident?”

Gabriel waved off the question. “What kind of job?”

“I’m going to help with her aunt,” Emma said. “Do light housekeeping and cooking.”

Gabriel slammed both hands down on his desk, making Emma jump. “So...let me get this straight. You are leaving the Anchorage in order to become a domestic servant for mainliners.” Something about the way he said
mainliners
hit Emma’s ears like the aftertaste of a bitter medicine on the back of her tongue.

He
hates
mainliners, Emma realized, even though he tries to act like he doesn’t.

Emma’s ironwood spine stiffened. Lifting her chin, looking Gabriel Mandrake straight in the eye, she said, “I guess that’s one way of putting it. I would call it honest work.”

Gabriel released an exasperated breath. “I just hate to see someone with your talents being underutilized. If it’s a job you’re looking for, we’ve talked about your working with the music program here, and teaching woodworking skills to some of the students.”

“I just need a change of scenery,” Emma said.

“If you leave the Anchorage, do note I’ll have to report that you’re no longer under my supervision.” Gabriel’s voice was back to clipped and businesslike. And pissed. With her.

This was what she’d feared: that he’d turn her over to Child Services. One thing would lead to another, and it would turn into a tangle.

She collected her thoughts. “I’m not out to burn any bridges. It’s just...a lot of the students here have health problems. Well, I don’t. I mean, I’ve got problems, but I’m not sick. I need to get ready for a life after here.”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. Pulling the laptop toward him, he popped it open, then keyed something in. He scanned the screen, frowning. “I don’t see any evidence of an admission health assessment.” He looked up at Emma. “Did you ever have one?”

Emma shook her head, fear snaking through her middle. “I don’t need one. I’m fine.”

“Even if you feel fine,” Gabriel said, “an assessment would alert us to any potential problems that might appear later on.” He tapped his fingers on the keyboard. “Did something happen with one of the other students? With Jonah Kinlock, perhaps?” Gabriel’s seemingly lashless eyes lasered in on her.

Emma’s cheeks burned.

“Emma,” Gabriel said gently, “there’s something you should know about Jonah that he will not tell you himself.”

“I don’t really want to talk about Jonah behind his back,” Emma said.

Liar, she thought.

“Hear me out,” Gabriel said. “You will have noticed that Jonah is extraordinarily attractive physically, and irresistibly charismatic.”

Emma had the sense that this wasn’t the first time Gabriel’d had this conversation. “Well,” Emma said, “that about sums it up.”

Gabriel sighed. “Actually, it doesn’t. There’s a lot more to Jonah Kinlock than meets the eye. He was born an enchanter, you know.”

“I did know that,” Emma said. “My father told me to stay away from them—that they can talk you into anything.”

“Your father?” Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “I thought you lived with your grandfather.”

“I did,” Emma said quickly. “But I used to see my father now and then—before he died. A long time ago.” Less talking, more listening, she scolded herself.

“Well, your father was right,” Gabriel said. “Enchanters
are
persuasive. Jonah has special challenges, though, because of his history. His Weirstone is damaged.”

Any pretended reluctance about talking about Jonah behind his back flew out the window. Emma leaned forward, her hands gripping her knees. “What do you mean? What’s wrong with him?”

“As you’ve probably noted, he is physically gifted: extremely strong, quick and agile, with acute sensory perception, and, of course, an empath’s ability to read emotions.” Gabriel spoke about Jonah like he was a collection of abilities and features, strengths and weaknesses, and not a person. It hit Emma’s ears wrong.

“So...that’s all good, right?”

“Unfortunately, his touch is deadly.”

“What?” Emma folded over like she’d been punched.

“You’ve probably wondered why he wears gloves all the time.”

“He told me his hands were disfigured,” Emma whispered. “But then I—then I saw them, and they were as beautiful as the rest of him.” So many puzzle pieces were falling into place now, forming a pattern that even she could figure out. “Why wouldn’t he tell me? It would have made everything so much easier.”

Gabriel’s gaze met Emma’s. He’s reading me like a book, she thought. “Jonah prefers not to disclose it,” the sorcerer said, “because he can’t take the emotional reverberation.”

“The what?”

“People are attracted to Jonah, then repelled when they discover his—his gift or disability or whatever you want to call it. Attracted, then repelled. It’s as if he has a contagious disease. Embarrassing for both parties, and Jonah feels every bit of it. Jonah would rather keep everyone at a distance, than to take that hit every time. Still, despite all of his efforts to be...disagreeable...people fall hard for Jonah and everyone gets hurt.”

“Is it—” Emma’s cheeks heated. How to phrase her next question?

“You’re wondering if every part of him is equally dangerous,” Gabriel said. “I’ve proposed doing some testing to determine exactly what his situation is, but he wants nothing to do with that. He doesn’t want to risk killing anyone else.”

Emma looked up. “Anyone
else
?” She could barely force the words between her dry lips.

“Jonah holds himself responsible for the death of his little sister back at Thorn Hill, before we were aware of the danger. She was a toddler at the time. He was just seven years old. He carries tremendous emotional baggage and guilt related to that.”

Gabriel studied his hands. “Since then, Jonah’s gone to a great deal of effort to keep from killing anyone accidentally,” he said. “In addition to the gloves, he covers up as much as possible. He wears leather whenever weather permits it, even though fabric seems to provide an adequate barrier to the toxin. He’s extremely uncomfortable being touched, even through clothing. As you can imagine, skin-to-skin contact is terrifying for him.”

Emma instantly recalled Jonah’s reaction that day they went back to Tyler’s, when Emma was crying and Jonah was trying to soothe her. He’d wrapped his arms around her and held her close, but he’d been stiff as a board, like he couldn’t wait to get away. Emma had assumed that it had to do with how he felt about
her
.

At the party at McCauley’s, when they’d danced, he’d insisted that she keep her face turned away, had pressed her head against his shoulder.

He was afraid I might try to kiss him, Emma thought. And that’s why he had told her that they could never be together.

As if Gabriel had overheard her thoughts, he said, “Jonah has resigned himself to being...solitary. I guess what I’m saying is, don’t fall in love with him. It’s so easy to do, but he will break your heart, and I’d hate to see that happen. If putting a little distance between you helps, then take a break and move to Trinity. But I hope you’ll consider coming back.”

Emma felt like she’d swallowed a stone of despair, and it had settled in the pit of her stomach. “And there’s nothing you can do? No way to treat him?”

“I wish there were,” Gabriel said. “If we knew exactly what kind of poison was used, it would be easier to devise a treatment. I’ve devoted my life to trying to undo what was done to these children at Thorn Hill. Failing that, to provide a permanent home and meaningful work.”

“What’s going to happen to him?” Emma whispered.

“Well,” Gabriel said, “I thought Jonah would be a good candidate to succeed me as director of the foundation and the music promotion business. Aside from his...problem, he’s physically healthier than most of his peers, and his talents make him suitable to the job.”

Emma got the message.
Cross Jonah Kinlock off your list.

But it wasn’t as if you could call it a list when there was only one person on it.

Well, at least that had stopped the questions about why she was leaving—Gabriel assumed it was because Jonah had broken her heart. So she didn’t have to tell Gabriel the truth, that Jonah Kinlock was maybe a murderer, a murderer who could get in and out of any building whenever he pleased, who had all kinds of reasons for killing Rowan DeVries at the Halloween party and probably had tried.