Will heard soft music. His dad had brought along a record player. A black disk was spinning on the turntable on the other side of the room, the needle riding on the vinyl, a hiss and a pop during the chorus: All you need is love … All you need is love … All you need is love, love … Love is all you need …
“You’re so close to cracking it, Will,” said Jordan.
Feeling suddenly uneasy, Will’s eyes darted around the room. A vase of fresh flowers—white chrysanthemums—sat on a table under the window, in a shaft of moonlight. A compass and a steel ruler sat next to the vase. There was a chessboard nearby: two black knights confronting a squad of white pawns. He heard a ball bouncing on the floor, looked to his left, and saw two old wooden tennis rackets resting in the corner. Strangest of all, a falcon perched on the top of a chair beside them. Staring right at Will, fierce and regal.
In the doorway, half in the shadows, stood Coach Jericho. What looked like blood dripped steadily from his left arm, hanging limp at his side.
“You saw one of them,” said Jericho. “One of the Old Race. Wi-indi-ko.”
The needle got stuck in a groove, skipping the lyrics: … love … love.… love …
“I’m sorry?” asked Will, confused.
“The Prophecy,” said his dad. “We should have told you. A long time ago.”
“But there were things we didn’t want you to know,” said his mom, leaning in. “We love you so much, but you never really knew us. We couldn’t let you. For your own safety. Even before you were born.”
Will opened his eyes.
He was in a hospital bed, in a room in the infirmary or medical center. Lights dimmed, darkness outside the window. He winced; everything ached. An IV was plugged into his left arm.
Coach Jericho sat by the side of the bed. His left arm was in a sling, under a long black leather coat hanging over his shoulders. His bronze face looked as hard and unyielding as flint.
“Am I still dreaming?” said Will.
“No,” said Jericho. “You’re awake.”
Awake. Will tried to read him but couldn’t. “How much do you know?”
“Enough.”
“Did you know some of your guys were involved?”
“I do now,” said Jericho.
“You won’t have much of a team left.”
“Don’t need a team,” said Jericho. “I have you.”
Will closed his eyes, remembering parts of the dream. “What’s a wendigo?”
“Apex predator,” said Jericho. “Strong expression of weasel medicine.”
“What, they kill more than they eat?” asked Will.
“Except the Wi-indi-ko feeds on souls,” said Jericho. “And it’s never satisfied.”
Will thought about Lyle’s body, twitching on the ground, and shivered. “I saw an animal in my dream,” he said. “A falcon.”
Jericho thought about that and gave the slightest smile.
“Is that good?” asked Will.
“You tell me, when you get to know it better,” said Jericho. Then he leaned in and whispered, “It’s a crucial time now. Be careful what you say, and who you say it to.”
Will nodded, took a breath, and closed his eyes for a moment. “Hey, Coach, is it true what they say? Are you really related to Crazy Horse?”
Ajay appeared at the door. “Thank God. I didn’t want to wake you, but it sounded like you were mumbling in your sleep.”
“Coach Jericho was just—” Will turned back to Jericho. He was gone.
“What’s the matter, Will?” asked Ajay. “What about Jericho?”
Will felt a sudden chill and pulled the covers up. “How long have I been here?” he asked.
“They brought you in two hours ago,” said Ajay. “We’re all here. Nick has a broken leg. They found him in the locker room, pretty badly banged up.”
“Elise? Brooke?”
“Elise is here, stable but still unconscious. Brooke has no serious injuries, but she’s severely shaken. Her parents are flying in tonight.”
Will focused on him. Ajay looked worn to a nub. “And how are you, Ajay?”
“I’m all right,” said Ajay, but he sniffed and fought to hold back tears. “Mild hypothermia. Nothing a few cups of cocoa couldn’t take care of. But I’ve been worried sick about the rest of you.”
Will reached out and took his hand and waited until Ajay could talk again.
“I feel so completely ineffectual, Will,” said Ajay. “You guys did all the important stuff and what did I do? I went for a bumpy ride on the back of a horse.”
“No, Ajay, no. You were great. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
“But it’s also true,” said Will. “And we need you even more now. Because you’re the best witness to all this they could ever hope to find. You see everything, and it’s not like you’re going to forget any details, are you?”
“Never,” said Ajay, smiling, and then proved it. “Help arrived at the boathouse exactly fourteen minutes after you left. Mention kidnapping and attempted murder and an entire regiment shows up: cars, trucks, boats, police, ambulances, troopers.”
“What did you tell them, Ajay?”
“That someone dressed as the Paladin kidnapped Brooke and threatened to harm her if we didn’t do as he said,” said Ajay. “So we felt we had to rescue her without informing authorities. And I was able to show them your conversation with the Paladin on my tablet to prove it.”
“Perfect,” said Will, patting his arm. “And that’s all we should tell them.”
“I read you loud and clear, Will,” said Ajay. “I saw police taking away Durgnatt, Steifel, and Duckworth at the boathouse. In handcuffs.”
“What about Lyle?”
“They brought him in on the chopper with you, but I haven’t heard anything.”
“And Todd Hodak?”
“Apparently police picked up six more kids at the Barn,” said Ajay, “but no one’s mentioned Todd.”
Will thought for a moment. “There were two Paladins, Ajay. It was Lyle at the boathouse. The one at the Barn had to be Todd. When he figured out it was Nick and not me, he ran off.”
“So Lyle’s the one we saw on camera, then?” asked Ajay.
“Had to be,” said Will. “Lyle was in charge. Will they let you out of here?”
“They haven’t said they wouldn’t. Why?”
“I need my iPhone. It’s on a shelf in Lyle’s office, in a plastic box with my name on it. If they haven’t clamped down Greenwood Hall, you might be able to sneak in and grab it.”
“Not to argue, but don’t you think we’re in enough trouble already?”
“All the trouble’s pointing at the Knights,” said Will. “It’s not like we kidnapped anybody, right?”
“If you say so,” said Ajay, still uncertain.
“We’ve got more work ahead of us,” said Will. “We need that phone.”
“I’ll get right on it.” Ajay started out but stopped at the door. “Will, I know we can piece together a lot of the facts … but do you have any idea of the big picture?”
“I’ve got some ideas,” said Will. “I don’t want to say anything until we’re all together again. Do you play tennis?”
“What a thoroughly bizarre non sequitur.”
“I’m trying to figure something out from a dream. So do you?”
Ajay shrugged. “I’m more of a Ping-Pong man myself.”
“What’s the meaning of love?”
“Dear me, from the absurd to the profound—”
“I mean in tennis,” said Will.
“In tennis? In the scoring of tennis, love means zero. Its origin is somewhat in dispute, but since the game evolved in France, one theory has love deriving from the French word l’œuf. French for ‘egg.’ Because an egg looks like a zero.”
“An egg.”