Rufus looked uncomfortable for the first time Call could remember. It was amazing. He had finally acquired an expression. “Whatever he said means nothing. He’s gone completely mad. And yes, I suppose he was an apprentice like you once, but he became one of the Devoured long, long after that. He was a Master by then. My Master, in fact.”
They were silent all the way back to the Refectory.
At dinner that night, Call, Aaron, and Tamara tried to act like their day had been normal. They sat at the long table with the other apprentices but didn’t say much. Rufus was off with Master Milagros and Master Rockmaple, sharing a lichen pizza and looking somber.
“Looks like your orienteering lesson didn’t go so well,” smirked Jasper, his dark eyes flicking from Tamara to Aaron to Call. Admittedly, they all looked exhausted and dirty, their faces smudged. Tamara had hollows under her eyes, as if she’d had a nightmare. “Get lost in the tunnels?”
“We ran into one of the Devoured,” Aaron said. “Down in the deep caves.”
The table burst into chatter. “One of the Devoured?” Kai demanded. “Are they like people say? Hideous monsters?”
“Did it try to absorb you?” Celia’s eyes were round. “How did you get away?”
Call saw that Tamara’s hands were shaking as she held her cutlery. He said abruptly, “Actually, it told us our futures.”
“What do you mean?” asked Rafe.
“It said that one of us would fail, one of us would die, and one of us was already dead,” said Call.
“Think we know who’s going to fail,” Jasper said, eyeing Call. Call suddenly remembered he hadn’t told anyone about Jasper being in the Library, and began to reconsider that decision.
“Thanks, Jasper,” said Aaron. “Always contributing.”
“You shouldn’t let it bother you,” Drew said earnestly. “That’s just babble. It doesn’t mean anything. None of you are going to die and you’re obviously not dead. For Pete’s sake.”
Call saluted Drew with his fork. “Thanks.”
Tamara put her cutlery down. “Excuse me,” she said, and slipped out of the room.
Aaron and Call immediately stood up to follow her. They were halfway down the corridor outside the Refectory when Call heard someone call his name — Drew, hurrying along after them. “Call,” he said. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
Call exchanged a look with Aaron. “You go ahead,” Aaron said. “I’ll go check on Tamara. Meet you back at the room.”
Call turned back to Drew, pushing his tangled and cave-dusty hair out of his eyes. “Is everything okay?”
“Are you sure that was a good idea?” Drew’s blue eyes were wide.
“What?” Call was totally confused.
“Telling everyone about that. About the Devoured! About the prophecy!”
“You said it was just babble,” Call protested. “You said it didn’t mean anything.”
“I just said that because —” Drew searched Call’s face, his own expression turning from confusion, to concern, to dawning horror. “You don’t know,” he said finally. “How can you not know?”
“Not know what?” Call demanded. “You’re freaking me out, Drew.”
“Who are you?” Drew said, half in a whisper, and then backed up a step. “I was wrong about everything,” he said. “I have to go.”
He turned around and ran. Call watched him go, totally bewildered. He resolved to ask Tamara and Aaron about it, but by the time he got back to the room, exhaustion had clearly overtaken them. Tamara’s door was shut and Aaron was asleep on one of the couches.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CALL WOKE UP to the sound of someone moving outside his door. His first thought was that it was Tamara or Aaron working late in the common room. But the footsteps were too heavy to belong to either of his friends, and the raised voices that followed were definitely adult.
He couldn’t help hearing Alastair’s voice in his head. They don’t have any mercy, not even for children.
Call lay sleeplessly staring upward until one of the crystals set in the walls sputtered into brightness. He took Miri out of her drawer and slid from the bed, wincing as his shoeless feet hit the cold stone floor. Without the heavy blankets, he could feel the chill air through his thin pajamas.
He hoisted Miri just as the door opened. Three Masters stood in the doorway, looking in at him. They were dressed in their black uniforms, and their faces were grave and serious.
Master Lemuel’s gaze flicked from Call’s face to the blade. “Rufus, your apprentice is well trained.”
Call didn’t know what to say to that.
“You won’t need any weapons tonight, though,” said Master Rufus. “Leave Semiramis on your bed and come with us.”
Looking down at his LEGO pajamas, Call scowled. “I’m not dressed.”
“Well trained in preparedness,” said Master North. “Less well trained in obedience.” He snapped his fingers. “Put the knife down.”
“North,” said Master Rufus. “Leave the discipline of my apprentices to me.” He moved closer to Call, who didn’t quite know what to do. Between Drew’s bizarre behavior, his father’s warnings, and the Devoured’s creepy prophecy, he was feeling deeply unsettled. He didn’t want to give up his knife.
Rufus’s hand closed around Call’s wrist, and Call let Miri go. He didn’t know what else he could do. Call knew Master Rufus. He’d eaten meals with him for months and been taught lessons by him. Rufus was a person. Rufus had saved him from the Devoured. He wouldn’t hurt me, Call told himself. He wouldn’t. No matter what my father said.
An odd expression flickered across Rufus’s face and was gone immediately. “Come along,” he said.
Call followed the Masters into the common room, where Tamara and Aaron were already waiting. Both of them were in their pajamas — Aaron was wearing a T-shirt that was practically transparent with washing and sweatpants with a hole in the knee. His blond hair stuck up like duck fluff and he looked barely awake. Tamara looked tense. Her hair was carefully braided and she wore pink pajamas that said I FIGHT LIKE A GIRL across the front. Under the words was a screen print of cartoon girls executing deadly ninja moves.
What’s going on? Call mouthed to them silently.
Aaron shrugged and Tamara shook her head. Clearly, they didn’t know any more than he did. Although Tamara seemed to know enough to look like she was going to jump out of her skin.
“Seat yourselves,” said Master Lemuel. “Please don’t dawdle.”
“You can clearly see that none of them were trying to …” said Master Rufus in a low voice that faded out at the end as though he didn’t want to speak the rest out loud.
“This is very important,” Master North said as Call, Aaron, and Tamara sat down together on one couch. Tamara yawned hugely and forgot to cover her mouth, which meant she was really tired. “Have you seen Drew Wallace? Several people told us that he followed you out of the Refectory and he seemed upset. Did he say anything to you? Discuss his plans?”
Call frowned. The last time he saw Drew was way too weird to talk about. “What plans?”