I shake my head, but I know he’s right. Maple trades spots with Ric and holds the bag while he warms up, and I start my cool-down.
“Where’s the boy toy?” Ric asks me.
“Not here yet,” I say. I’m waiting for him, waiting to feel it—to have the magic start thrashing inside of me—but there’s nothing. And that makes me more nervous than I’d like to admit. I step away and check my phone. Nothing. “Do you think he’s okay?”
Ric sighs. “He’s pretty good at taking care of himself. When’s the last time you talked to him?”
“Yesterday afternoon,” I say. “He had a phone call and he was going to see—” Poncho, about Kriegen. Kriegen had been hidden from the database, the same way Azsis was. They might be connected, too. And if they’re connected, then Carter needs to know what he’s looking for. I have to find him and tell him.
“I know that look. What are you doing?”
“I’ll be right back,” I say, grabbing my bag off the floor.
“The final is in forty-five minutes,” Maple calls out. I don’t need her to remind me.
“It won’t take long. I promise,” I say. Ric doesn’t look like he believes me, but I run out the door. I really hope I can keep all the promises I’ve been making.
The library is dark, but the door creaks open and I look around and don’t see anyone. The only light comes from Poncho’s desk lamp.
“Poncho?” I call. There’s no movement. No sounds. I expect monsters to jump out of the shadows and eat me any moment now. That doesn’t happen. How am I nervous about shadow monsters but not about real ones?
There are some books lying open on Poncho’s desk. I run my hand over one of the pages. “Poncho, are you here? I’m looking for Carter.”
There’s no response. Not even the hum of a computer or the purr of a cat. Where is he? Does he leave the library? I mean, he’s always here. He was the last one who saw Carter so he has to know something.
I move away from the desk and walk toward the stacks. There’s no way I’m going down one of those because I don’t have time to get lost in the dark, so I stay in the main lobby and poke my head down an aisle to call for Poncho. The third time, there’s a huge thud, a hiss, and I turn around to see Hyde the cat pouncing out of the room.
“Stupid cat,” I mutter, as I walk to recover the mess of books he’s made. One by one I place them back on the desk, spreading them out so a page is open. Poncho’s not going to like that they’re out of order now, but it’s all I can do. The last book has a wrinkled page, and I smooth it out.
That’s weird.
I read what’s written there out loud. “There is one who seeks the same as you and one who hides the truth from you. Only when the two meet, shall the lost be found.”
That’s what Vassago told Carter and me the day we met him in the bar. And it’s here in this book? That doesn’t make sense. Why would it be in this book?
“You’ve put them in the wrong order,” Poncho says. I jump half out of my skin. My heart’s racing when I look at him. He squeezes beside me, placing Hyde down on the table and switching the position of the two books.
“Almost though.” His face is serious and then he smiles. “Can I help you?
I press my fingers to my temple. I can almost feel time slipping away. “Do you know where Carter is? Yesterday you called and he was coming to see you. I haven’t heard from him since then.”
“He hasn’t come back at all or he hasn’t come back to you?” he asks. I don’t respond. Poncho debates for a moment, and then sits in a chair. I sit next to him. Poncho stares off into the distance, fingers grazing the spine of another book.
I try again. “Carter said you knew something about Kriegen. He came here yesterday to talk to you about it. Do you know where he is now?”
Poncho’s eyes drift back toward me. “Yes, he came here. I found some information.”
“About Kriegen.”
Poncho smiles. “I did well. He really wanted to know.”
“Yes, I’m excited. We both are. I’m sure you worked hard—”
“He’s been looking for his mother for years. I’m glad I found it.”
I shake my head. His mother? “No, no. He said the information was about the demon, Kriegen.”
Poncho looks confused. “His mother.”
“Where is he, Poncho?”
“He said he wanted to find his mother,” he says, standing up. This is getting me nowhere. I stand, but Poncho’s already walking away toward the cat. I walk too, but toward the door. I need to find Carter. Poncho’s words have me worried. Something is wrong. I can feel it.
I look back over my shoulder and something catches my eye. Poncho’s pant leg is caught in his shoe, exposing his sock. A sock with a red stripe. I do a double-take to make sure, and it’s definitely there. Poncho looks toward me, and when our eyes meet, the color is a familiar shade of green.
I don’t walk. I run to find Carter.
The Partner Final is in twenty minutes, but I don’t go that way. I go in the opposite direction, to the supply closet. If I’m going find a demon without magic, I’m going to need a whole lot more than the salt in my vial. Carter said Poncho was giving him information about Kriegen. Poncho said it was about his mother. That red-striped sock said a whole bunch of other things that I don’t even know how to explain. All of them say trouble. I need to find Carter.
Kriegen is the key. I find Kriegen, I find Carter. And, thanks to Emmaline’s little tryst with a demon, I think I know how to catch one even better now. With dessert, better known as me.
This is certifiable, but I push salt-crusted iron daggers in my socks anyway. And salt pellets in my pockets. A nice pistol in my waistband. A salted, iron army knife in my bra strap. You can never be too prepared. I grab a bow and arrow off the shelf and sling them around my shoulder. I’m halfway down the hall when Ric shows up and grabs my arm.
“What are you doing?”
I shake my head and try to pull away, but his grip on my arm is tight.
“I have to get him back.”
“Get who?”
“Carter. He’s in trouble. I need to help him.”
Ric shakes his head. “Penelope, you have to be at the test.”
“It doesn’t matter. I can’t test without him, let alone pass, and he’s not here. He wouldn’t miss this.”
“But—”
“I have to find him, Ric. I love him,” I say. I realize I’ve never told Ric that before—how much I love Carter. He lets go of my arm and stares at me. I’m wasting time, trying to explain all this to him. I just need to go.
“I can go with you,” Ric says, stepping in front of me.
“No. You have a test to take with Maple,” I say, shaking my head. Ric starts to protest, but I will not let him miss this. One of us has to succeed. “Now get out of my way before this bow makes good friends with your colon.”
I move past him. I’ve already wasted more time and I can’t afford to do that. I start to run when his voice echoes down the hall to me. “Where are you going, at least?”
“To hell!”
I stand in the alley where all this started and hold my breath. Part of me keeps hoping that Carter will step out of the shadows like before, but I know that’s not what’s happening.
My blood drips to the ground. I wrap the piece of bandage over my arm and tie it tighter. The blood keeps seeping through. I probably should’ve thought through cutting myself a little more—but there were demons a mile back, and I had to figure out a way to make them follow me.
It’s been like ten minutes. If this doesn’t work, plan B is a lot more dangerous. Carter probably wouldn’t even approve, which says something. Not that he’d like this one either. I put on my jacket to hold the bandage tighter, even though it’s hot and humid out here and it’s barely 10:00 a.m.