Cursed to the Bone

43. The Pioneer Program

My Overlord called me into his office in the early hours the following Monday. By early hours, I meant that I was rudely awakened by a hawk pecking at our window at four in the morning until I crawled out of bed. I found Tedric Halsey sitting at his desk, his hands folded neatly together. He grinned as I entered the room, yawning, and sank into a chair.

"Is this about the Wexpo?"

"Yes!" Tedric said, leaning back. "You've heard about it?"

I nodded. "It's all anyone can complain about."

"There's complaining?" He huffed and gestured me to go on. "Tell me."

"The underclassmen are upset it's only for seniors. It would make more sense to allow underclassmen in since seniors have already chosen their focus."

Tedric hummed. "I'll take that under advisement. Let's get down to business, yes?"

I perched my arms on the armrests. "Sure."

"I need you to head down to the library and help with setup. Just lend a hand wherever it's needed. We'll be having a guest speaker at noon, an Alumni. That will take place in the auditorium. You're going to speak with her right after she speaks. Don't worry, I'll introduce you."

Thank goodness for that. "Who is she?"

"Patience, girl. I'm getting there." Tedric slid his drawer open and freed a cigar, lighting it up after a gentle tap against the edge of his desk. "Her name is Kalino. A world-renowned moderator and intuit. Two birds, one stone, and all that. She'll give you some insight to your abilities and together, you'll go on the prowl at the Wexpo."

On the prowl? We were hunting something, apparently. "Two questions. First, won't people be angry I'm there? You know, as a freshman? I don't think I need any more attention from the seniors."

"You're my assistant. No one will think twice about it, but we'll keep it on the down low. What else?"

Fair enough. "What exactly are we hunting?"

"Today is the day we take down our inside threat. I've allowed her to linger much too long, and after her latest attempt, Lucien is out for blood."

My breath caught for a moment as it hit me. "We're hunting Lauvet's daughter?"

"Yes. I have a plan in place, and this time you're not bait. Not really. It will be too busy for a murder attempt and she'll likely be caught off guard."

I wasn't convinced. Whatever he had planned, my presence could only mean that I was needed as bait. "What's the plan?"

"Now, now. I don't want to spoil the surprise."

Keep your secrets, then. "Who all knows?"

Tedric leaned forward again, resting his cigar on the ash tray after blowing out a wave of smoke. He placed his elbows on the desk and perched his chin on his interlocked fingers. "I've kept it need-to-know. Right now, it's Lucien, you, Kalino and a handful of our ward experts. Once the doors shut, no one is getting out."

A chill raced my spine. That sounded pretty certain. Certain enough that I felt hope building in my chest. My only concern was Lucien. If Killian was right, and Lucien had his own plans, maybe it would be best if he didn't know.

"You don't look happy," Tedric said, a flippant smile on his face. "What's on your mind?"

Goddess, this was going to be awkward, but telling Tedric felt like the right thing to do. I rubbed my neck through the collar of my top. "Professor Rhodes said something to me in the infirmary. Something about Lacroix."