Flames in the Midst (The Jade Hale Series) by Sarah Reckenwald Page B

room looked almost exactly the way I had found it except for a clutter of papers on the floor from the backpack and two books missing from the bookshelf.
    “Stay here and stay hidden,” I instructed Jade one more time.  “Don’t let anyone see you.  I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
    Quietly, I closed the door and stepped back into the yellow light of the hall.  To my left and just a few feet down the hall stood the black door leading through the portal and into the bar.  I would have to plan my words carefully so as not to upset Cameron.  The result of that could be the end of my aunt’s life.  I didn’t know if I could trust a Shadow Ruler, but maybe there was another way.  To my right, I could hear laughter coming from around the corner in the hall.  If my mother was there, maybe I could get her to fix an elixir.  I could trust her.  I couldn’t tell her outright who I was, but I could probably tell her about what Cameron had done.  I could also trust her to keep little Jade safe.  Other than Aunt Lynn, there wasn’t anyone else I could be certain about.
    I decided investigating the laughter down the hall might be more favorable than trying to reason with a Shadow Ruler, so I turned to the rig ht and hurried down the hall.  I passed by all of the remaining doors and took a left at the end of the hall.  This opened into a great room of sorts. 
    A small but elegant kitchen took up the left side of the room.  Large terra cotta tiles covered the floor of the entire room.  A kitchen island served as a divider to mark the end of the kitchen and the beginning of the rest of the room.  Elegant bar stools with beige cushioned seats and dark wooden backs sat at the island.  Across from the island lay a space used as a dining room.  A large mahogany table stretched over the tiles with lavish chairs—shorter versions of the bar stools.  Beyond this, the room opened up into a family room with another fireplace on the back wall of the building.  This one was three times the size of the fireplace in the office where little Jade hid.  Bricks painted white to stand out against the tan walls and terra cotta tile surrounded the fireplace.  Too bad I couldn’t drag all of the books back to this fireplace; it would have made my task easier and more efficient. 
    Several billowing couches and chairs formed a circle with the fireplace.  There was no television.  The room released a calm and soothing sensation, making it appear as the perfect room in which to relax or to escape from the battle between the Guardians and the Shadow Rulers.  Unfortunately, as far as I could piece together, it was a room orchestrated by a Shadow Ruler disguised as a newfound Guardian.  The sense of safety and security given off by the posh setting was merely an illusion.  An illusion my mother had fallen victim to.
    Both the kitchen and dining areas were empty.  I stepped towards the opposite end of the room and found Justin and Amy in quiet conversation on a couch near the fireplace, erupting in muffled laughter over a shared joke every so often.  Madilyn slept on a large chair several feet away, but there was no sign of anyone else in the room.  My mother was not here.  It occurred to me she was either in one of the rooms I had passed by or she had gone out to check on Aunt Lynn and been trapped by Cameron as well.  I turned quickly to exit before I was seen, but it was too late.
    “Jasmine,” Amy called, “I’m so glad you’re okay.  We were worried when you just passed out like that.  Did Cameron show you how to get back here?”
    I gritted my teeth at the sound of his name, but I managed to smile as I turned to face Amy and Justin.
    “You could say that,” I faked my best smile and thought carefully before I formed my question.  The last thing I needed now was to create more problems for myself.  “Have you seen Diana?  I wanted to check in with her about some things I’m remembering.”  More