All That Lives Must Die - Eric Nylund [30]
“One hopes,” Audrey replied as she settled next to Lucia.
“Shall we start?” Cornelius mumbled. “I believe everyone is finally present.”
Cornelius was on the floor. He wore an I LOST MY HEART IN SF T-shirt, shorts, and athletic socks embroidered with tiny cable cars pulled up to his knobby knees. Good for him. Playing the tourist, preserving his childlike sense of discovery, was likely what kept the oldest living thing alive.
“Yes, all present,” Lucia said, and smoothed back her hair, tying it up in a knot. She rang her tiny silver bell. “I hereby call the Council of Elders of the League of Immortals to order. Narro, Audio, Perceptum.”
Lucia set a hand delicately next to Audrey. “Can you give us an update on the twins? Are they well? How have they done at Paxington so far?” The illusion of her concern was nearly perfect.
“Of course,” Audrey replied.
Henry drifted from the center of the room to the open shutters for fresh air.
“All has been arranged with Miss Westin,” Audrey explained. “I’ve received word that Eliot and Fiona passed their entrance and placement exams.”
“I dislike the twins at Paxington,” Kino said, his lips compressing into a line.
“It is neutral ground,” Lucia replied, “open only to students and staff. It is the safest place from the Infernals. Besides, Eliot and Fiona may learn a thing or two.”
“It is Paxington’s neutrality that concerns me,” Kino told her. “Now is the time for choosing sides—the right side—our side! Paxington harbors those who would not join us, and over the centuries, they have grown strong within those walls. Why? To preserve the magical knowledge of the world? Are any of us that naïve? They await an opportune time to strike.”
Cornelius cleared his throat. “It is a possibility,” he said. “Their Headmistress, however, is the chief enforcer of the 1852 Treaty of the Under-Realms. She alone keeps the peace with the London Confederation of the Unliving. Move against her, and I fear that would be undone.”
Kino shook his head. “Even more reason for the twins not to be there: Her kind should never be permitted near a child.”
“Do not forget their Gatekeeper, Harlan Dells,” Aaron told him. “Quite the feat, dismantling his own bridge as he left us. One does not lightly engage in combat with the One Who Can Be in Many Places . . . not unless you’re proposing a full-scale war?”8
Lucia rolled her eyes. “The Council is not debating this. Paxington keeps the mortal magical families complacent. Destroy their precious school, and they might unite, however unlikely, and threaten our power base. No, we require stability at the moment. After we deal with the Infernal issue . . . then we shall revisit Paxington.”
Kino sighed, but then nodded.
“What team are they on?” Henry asked, hoping to deflect the subject.
“Scarab,” Audrey replied.
“Hmm.” Aaron stroked his Genghis Khan mustache. “That’s a Covington heritage title. Must be one of those slippery characters in the mix. Not a bad thing: they’ll know how to handle the other students. I still dislike the whole point of their gym class, and that Mr. Ma.”
“You must get over your competitive streak with that man,” Henry told him.
“He and I have unsettled business,” Aaron muttered.
“In any event,” Audrey continued, “Miss Westin was recalcitrant to keep their identities hidden . . . but she eventually came around to the Council’s point of view.”
Henry saw in the distance, nestled next to Presidio Park, the Paxington campus: copper-capped spires, the clock tower, manicured lawns, and sparkling quad. A bank of fog rolled past, and the school was hidden again.
Kino was correct: Paxington had its drawbacks. But Audrey was also wise to place the children there. It served many purposes: training them in the realities of their world, keeping them on neutral ground, where they would have the best protection possible . . . as well as being advantageous to