Thea's head wouldn't stop spinning. Her own uncle. In line with the Breaker. She didn't want to believe that Uncle Van was a Shadow Alchemist, but the more she thought about it, the more she had to admit it made sense. C.C. had acted the way she did because she didn't trust Uncle Van. It explained C.C.'s fear, as well as the odd vibe she got from Uncle Van when she met him at her birthday party. He'd given her such an odd look when he'd first met her. Probably because he had been worried she would remember him and what he'd forced Todd to do to her.
She looked at the schedule again and saw that the instructor for the very next lesson was also marked. Guru Ellhorn, of the Celestial Fragment. She dreaded the idea of going to yet another lesson with an Alchemy tutor she couldn't trust.
She marched across the Keeper's Antechamber and up to the Bookkeeper's desk. Tenebrous saw her coming and rolled his eyes before she even opened her mouth to speak.
"I need to talk to the Keeper. Something very serious has happened."
"The Keeper is meditating. Privately." Tenebrous spat the last word. "Not to be disturbed!"
Thea huffed and stamped her foot. "Will you just listen to me? I think I may be in very real danger!"
Tenebrous glared at her. "Keep your voice down, missy! This is no place for a tantrum."
"I'm not having a tantrum. I just need to see the Keeper."
"And like I said-"
"I know!" she interrupted quietly. "Fine. I'm going back to my dorm room and I'm not going anywhere until the Keeper comes to see me." She wheeled around and began to walk away, but Tenebrous came out from behind his desk and grabbed her vest, bringing her to a halt with a scowl on his face. Thea brushed him off and clenched her jaw as she looked back at him.
"You need to go to meditation, or you will lose your Spectrum Scholar Vestments." Tenebrous scowled at her.
Thea clenched her jaw. "Surely you can make an exception?"
"The only exceptions we offer are for illness and injury. Otherwise, you must attend each lesson."
She rolled her eyes up to the marvelous arching ceiling of the magnificent Antechamber. What would her favorite character, Hermes Trismegistus do? Hermes wouldn't get caught in a trap, but he wouldn't run away from an enemy either. The library was definitely the safest place for a lesson with a known enemy. Ellhorn couldn't very well get away with any foul play in the crowded library. Now that Thea knew she couldn't trust Ellhorn, she could go to her meditation lesson without too many risks.
Finally she nodded. "Fine, I'm going."
Tenebrous sighed heavily and nodded curtly.
Thea spun on her heel and walked all the way up the main corridor toward the Crowning Chamber, her head swimming with frantic thoughts. What would her parents think if they knew what was happening? Would they take her somewhere far away from here? Or would they side with her uncle because he's family? Would they allow the Keeper to continue to manipulate her? Would she ever truly be able to make a choice, or would he manipulate her for the rest of her life? The thought made her stomach swim, and she regretted having such a large lunch.
She'd never felt so vulnerable. Who in the whole world could she trust? She couldn't trust anyone in her family. They had allowed the Keeper to manipulate her. She couldn't trust any of her Alchemy tutors. Either their names were marked on her schedule and they worked for the Breaker, or they worked for the Keeper, who couldn't be trusted either.
What about Todd? He had erased her memory, after all. Could she trust him? She longed to talk to him about her uncle. He would probably be in the Crowning Chamber for meditation. Maybe she could arrive early and try to talk to him. She picked up the pace as she walked by the green hallway where her dorm resided.
What about her other new friends? Could she trust Tajana? She'd like to think so. The Spectrum Scholar had fed orphans, though she had needed to sneak out of the halls in order to do so. Regardless, it seemed like the type of thing a genuinely good person would do. She had felt so drawn to Tajana when she had first met her. There had to be a reason for that feeling of nostalgia. Tajana had felt it too. If only she could see Tajana right now, but she needed to follow her schedule.
What about Chadwick, she wondered as she kept walking. Could she trust him? He was researching a legend that centered around the idea of stealing the Keeper's secrets. It certainly seemed like the type of thing a Shadow Chemist would do. She wanted to be friends with him, but she didn't know if she could ever grow to trust him. Maybe she should ask Tajana how she felt about her own Protégé. But who knew when she'd be able to see Tajana again.
Everything was starting to feel so hopeless. Just as she finally arrived at the Crowning Chamber, she realized that she could give up her Spectrum Vestments and go back to her dorm where she'd be safe. She could forget everything and run away. But she'd be letting herself fail if she did that. Could she really give up on herself like that?
Before she could decide what to do, the people behind her swept her up in the crowd and ushered her into the room. The library tables had been moved off to the sides. A large group of Chemists and Alchemists with vests and robes of all colors filled the Chamber. They all milled about, finding places to meditate and setting up zafu cushions or Conjuring Alchemical clouds.
She hesitantly descended the stairs and looked about for someone she knew. Despite the giant crowd in the room, she felt so vulnerable.
"Excuse me," someone said, coming up behind Thea and touching her shoulder gently. She jumped and spun around to see Hulan, Todd's friend from the Roots yesterday. "Oh, sorry to startle you."
Thea sighed and shook her head at the Chemist in his blue Chandler Vest. The boy had a worried look on his face. "It's fine. What's wrong?"
Hulan sighed heavily and said, "No one can find Todd. Have you seen him lately?"
"What?" She felt the blood rush out of her face. "He's missing?"
Hulan nodded. "Nobody I've talked to has seen him since breakfast."
"Since breakfast?" she blurted, feeling her pulse quicken. "He wasn't at lunch?"
Hulan shook his head. "Here, come with me. We're going to meet up with Desmond." Hulan motioned for Thea to follow him, and he ventured into the large Crowning Chamber, scanning the crowd. It seemed hopeless to find anyone in this crowd, but somehow Hulan led them straight to Desmond. "Des!" he shouted, waving his hand at Desmond, who sat on the floor near a fountain.
"Hey! Have you seen Todd?" Desmond stood and pushed his way through the crowd to walk up to them.
Thea shook her head, her gut swimming with worry. "Hulan said you haven't seen him since breakfast?" she asked.
Desmond nodded. "He ate with us and then left to go to his first lesson. I have a lesson with him at ten o'clock, but he didn't show. He wasn't at lunch either. We've started asking around, but no one has seen him."
Thea nodded. "We had our first lesson in the Modicum Rotunda, and, well, we were only there for about ten minutes maybe, because I finished my lesson really quickly. Then we came here and watched some Elemental Sparring. I left him here to go to my next lesson around 8:45, I guess?"
"Maybe someone in his Sparring Cohort saw him. Do you know who is in his Cohort?" Hulan asked.
"Um ... Joella, Meris, ... Santiago, Tajana, Keisukei, and ... Will," Desmond said.
Thea felt a spark of excitement when she realized that she knew where Tajana would be when meditation ended, so she could ask her about Todd.
"Maybe we should go talk to them?" Hulan said.
Desmond nodded. "Let's split up and see who we can find."
Hulan nodded and looked back at Thea. "I know you don't know anyone in Todd's Cohort. And Meditation is about to start. You can just go to your private Meditation Lesson. We'll find Todd, alright? Don't worry."
Thea bit her lip. If she told them where Tajana would be, she'd be breaking her trust with her new friend. She decided to keep it to herself and nodded. She would need to go ask Tajana about Todd after meditation ended.
Suddenly, a loud bell rang out, and the voices of the gathered Chemists and Alchemists died down. Everyone settled into various meditation poses, all facing the far side of the Crowning Chamber, where a group of Alchemists dressed in golden robes stood on the Mezzanine.
A female Alchemist held her hands up, and in a strong voice, she said, "Thank you for joining us for meditation. No matter how fast your life is moving around you, there is always a place for stillness. Shall we begin?" She looked at the other Alchemists standing with her, and they took out brass singing bowls from their robes. In unison, they all struck the rims of the brass bowls with black mallets.
The large Crowning Chamber practically vibrated with the sounds of the mallets circling the rims of the singing bowls. Underneath the calming sound, Thea could hear the trickling water from the fountains. A few Alchemists standing with the group began to chant OM.
Thea felt very out of place. Where was her private Guru? She scanned the room and noticed a man standing up on the Mezzanine toward the entrance to the Crowning Chamber. He wore violet robes, with short black hair and a plain face. Oddly enough, the man was barefoot. He gazed up the hallway, seemingly waiting for someone. Could that be her Guru?
She carefully made her way across the room to the Guru up on the Mezzanine walkway, carefully stepping around every Alchemist and Chemist on her way. When the Guru's eyes met hers, he beckoned for her to come forward.
"Althea Presten?"
She nodded wordlessly.
"I am Guru Ellhorn," he said as he came down the steps toward her. "I will guide you in meditation and help you rejuvenate after your long morning and ensure that you are ready for the rest of your day. An Initium such as yourself will have plenty to learn. Shall we begin?" The man motioned for her to follow him into a small private area below the Mezzanine.
She froze. If she followed this Shadow Alchemist into the private chamber, who knew what would happen.
Guru Ellhorn held up his hand and waved her in. "Please, we must begin."
If she refused to attend her lesson, she would lose her Spectrum Scholar vest. Would they expel her from Blackthorn and Burtree? She would have nowhere to go. The thought made her breathe a sigh of frustration. She followed the Guru into the private room.
Thank you for continuing to read this story and come on this journey with me. Don't forget to vote if you are enjoying the story. See you soon for the last half of this chapter!
~A.C.