the knob and pulled—but the door was stuck fast. This often happened, when the resident ghost of Delphi Keep—a cantankerous spirit who haunted the east tower almost exclusively—locked trespassers either in or out, depending on which side of the door they happened to be on.
With a tired sigh Ian leaned his head against the wood paneling. “Please, ghost?” he said. “It’s been a right awful day, and I’d just like to find Carl and Theo.”
There was a click and then the door pressed hard enough against Ian’s head that he stood back. With a loud creak it opened all the way. “Thank you,” he said, and hurried up the stairs. As he made his way up, he heard the door close behind him. Before he even crested the landing, he heard voices.
“Who’s there?” asked one.
“It’s me, Carl,” he said, hurrying up the last few steps.
“Ian!” Theo shouted, jumping off the cot that served as Ian’s bed and hurrying to his side. Throwing her arms around him again, she asked, “You all right?”
He nodded and gave a small smile to Jaaved and Carl, who were looking at him with concern. But he then realized who else was in the room and his mouth fell open a bit. “Good eve, Ian,” Argos said, nodding to him from Ian’scot. He was now dressed in thin trousers and an old green shirt. Ian recognized the clothes as belonging to Landis, their groundskeeper.
“I pinched ’em from the laundry downstairs,” Carl confessed.
Argos scratched at the fabric. “How do you people wear such coverings?” he asked.
“You’ll get used to it,” Carl assured him.
“So all of you know?” Ian asked Jaaved and Theo. They both nodded. “Have you had a chance to tell the earl?” Ian asked Carl, wondering if the earl already knew but hadn’t wanted to let on in front of the admiral.
“No. He’s been locked up in that room with Admiral Ramsey all afternoon,” Carl replied. “We were waiting to see if perhaps you’d had a chance to tell him.”
Ian told them that he hadn’t, and then he explained why he’d been dragged off by the military police. He ended by telling them that he’d finally been let go to come see about Madam Dimbleby, and he noted their somber faces.
“She’s been moved into the girls’ dormitory,” said Theo, her voice no louder than a whisper. “The doctor wanted her kept in a quiet place, away from the noise of the rest of the hospital. Madam Scargill is there along with Eva.” Ian felt his hopes lift a bit until Theo added, “She’s doing her very best to help Madam, but …”
Theo’s voice trailed off and Ian’s chest tightened with fear. “But what?”
“Eva doesn’t know if she has it in her to save Madam Dimbleby, Ian,” Carl said, his voice choked with emotion.“She’s so worn out from healing all the soldiers who’ve come through that she says there’s precious left for her to give to Madam.”
Ian’s eyes darted to the floor and no one spoke for several minutes. Beside him, he could hear Theo sniffling, and he knew he should attempt to comfort her, but he was so upset by the prospect of losing the only mother figure he’d ever known that he found he could barely breathe.
Theo must have sensed this, because she placed her hand in his and leaned against him, which sparked a question Ian had for her. “Theo?”
“Yes?”
Ian hesitated. The question he had to ask was a difficult one, and he wondered if he could even utter the words, but Theo’s vision from a few days before about a grave site prepared for their headmistress greatly distressed him. “Do you really see her passing?”
He could feel the eyes of Carl and Jaaved on him, and he knew he’d asked the one question they couldn’t. Theo took a long time to answer him. “Sometimes, the future is not so certain, Ian,” she said softly. “On very rare occasions, my visions contain two outcomes, and I have no idea which will actually take place.”
Ian understood that to mean that Theo had seen
With a tired sigh Ian leaned his head against the wood paneling. “Please, ghost?” he said. “It’s been a right awful day, and I’d just like to find Carl and Theo.”
There was a click and then the door pressed hard enough against Ian’s head that he stood back. With a loud creak it opened all the way. “Thank you,” he said, and hurried up the stairs. As he made his way up, he heard the door close behind him. Before he even crested the landing, he heard voices.
“Who’s there?” asked one.
“It’s me, Carl,” he said, hurrying up the last few steps.
“Ian!” Theo shouted, jumping off the cot that served as Ian’s bed and hurrying to his side. Throwing her arms around him again, she asked, “You all right?”
He nodded and gave a small smile to Jaaved and Carl, who were looking at him with concern. But he then realized who else was in the room and his mouth fell open a bit. “Good eve, Ian,” Argos said, nodding to him from Ian’scot. He was now dressed in thin trousers and an old green shirt. Ian recognized the clothes as belonging to Landis, their groundskeeper.
“I pinched ’em from the laundry downstairs,” Carl confessed.
Argos scratched at the fabric. “How do you people wear such coverings?” he asked.
“You’ll get used to it,” Carl assured him.
“So all of you know?” Ian asked Jaaved and Theo. They both nodded. “Have you had a chance to tell the earl?” Ian asked Carl, wondering if the earl already knew but hadn’t wanted to let on in front of the admiral.
“No. He’s been locked up in that room with Admiral Ramsey all afternoon,” Carl replied. “We were waiting to see if perhaps you’d had a chance to tell him.”
Ian told them that he hadn’t, and then he explained why he’d been dragged off by the military police. He ended by telling them that he’d finally been let go to come see about Madam Dimbleby, and he noted their somber faces.
“She’s been moved into the girls’ dormitory,” said Theo, her voice no louder than a whisper. “The doctor wanted her kept in a quiet place, away from the noise of the rest of the hospital. Madam Scargill is there along with Eva.” Ian felt his hopes lift a bit until Theo added, “She’s doing her very best to help Madam, but …”
Theo’s voice trailed off and Ian’s chest tightened with fear. “But what?”
“Eva doesn’t know if she has it in her to save Madam Dimbleby, Ian,” Carl said, his voice choked with emotion.“She’s so worn out from healing all the soldiers who’ve come through that she says there’s precious left for her to give to Madam.”
Ian’s eyes darted to the floor and no one spoke for several minutes. Beside him, he could hear Theo sniffling, and he knew he should attempt to comfort her, but he was so upset by the prospect of losing the only mother figure he’d ever known that he found he could barely breathe.
Theo must have sensed this, because she placed her hand in his and leaned against him, which sparked a question Ian had for her. “Theo?”
“Yes?”
Ian hesitated. The question he had to ask was a difficult one, and he wondered if he could even utter the words, but Theo’s vision from a few days before about a grave site prepared for their headmistress greatly distressed him. “Do you really see her passing?”
He could feel the eyes of Carl and Jaaved on him, and he knew he’d asked the one question they couldn’t. Theo took a long time to answer him. “Sometimes, the future is not so certain, Ian,” she said softly. “On very rare occasions, my visions contain two outcomes, and I have no idea which will actually take place.”
Ian understood that to mean that Theo had seen
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