And? Oliver asked. Are we right? Are we in Italy?
David nodded. Were in Italy.
Oliver couldnt help but exclaim, Italy!
Hazel, too, seemed completely enthralled by where theyd ended up. Rome! During the Renaissance!
Walter whirled and craned his head up to take in the sight of the tall, crumbling churches. Im glad you two are so happy about where we ended up. Im just glad were not dead.
So, the portal took us to sixteenth-century Italy, Hazel said, still looking awed despite her attempt to get back to business. Why would the cure for Esther be here?
At the mention of Esthers name, Oliver felt his stomach twist. There was no time to be entranced by the surroundings, to marvel at having landed in sixteenth-century Italy, because every second that passed was a second wasted.
We need to work out where to go next, he said hurriedly.
Oliver pulled out his compass. But to his surprise, while the main golden dial was pointing at a vialwhich surely represented medicineall the other smaller dials were pointing at the same symbol. It was giving him no other clues.
Olivers shoulders slumped. He felt defeated.
It-its not working, he stammered, helplessly.
Now what? They were back in Renaissance Rome with no idea where to go or what to do next! Every moment they stood there dithering was another moment Esther came toward death.
Uhhh Oliver David said in a warning voice.
Oliver peeled his eyes away from the useless compass. To his surprise, there was a young boy running toward them. He looked desperately concerned.
Oliver felt dread rise through him. Who was the boy and why was he homing in on them like that, with a look of pure anxiety?
He ran up to them and began to speak in urgent, rapid Italian. Oliver looked helplessly to Hazel and Walter, who looked just as clueless as he must have.
David took the lead. He stepped forward and nodded along as the boy spoke.
When the tanned-skinned boy finally finished, David looked over his shoulder at Oliver.
Hes a seer, he said.
Olivers eyebrows pinged up his forehead. A seer? How did he find us?
He says that when we activated the portal it sent a beacon alarm to his school. He says we must follow him. Its too dangerous here.
But why? Hazel asked. Whats dangerous about standing innocently in the streets?
Beyond the roaming livestock and beggars, you mean, Walter quipped.
David translated her question to the boy. He shook his head, seemingly growing more and more exasperated. He spoke in a quick, exaggerated manner, throwing his arms around theatrically.
Well? Oliver asked, growing increasingly anxious with every second that passed.
The beacon, David gasped, relaying the message back to the others. He locked eyes with Oliver, his expression now deeply troubled. It doesnt just send an alarm to the school. The alarm can be picked up by all seers.
Hazel gasped. You mean
Rogues, David finished for her. Weve sent out a signal to them that were here.
Oliver felt the warmth drain from his face. Finally he understood why the Italian seer boy was so frantic. Theyd practically sent out a signal for any rogue seer to come along and mess up history!
Quick, Oliver told his friends. Lets get out of here.
Hazel grabbed his arm. Are you sure we can trust this boy?
He risked a lot just to come here and get us, Walter said.
But Oliver wasnt so sure.
David, can you ask him more about himself? Find out if theres any way to prove what hes telling us? he asked.
David looked back to the boy and asked him something in Italian. His name is Gianni, he relayed to the others. He said he can prove that hes trustworthy.
The boy, Gianni, took a step forward and pulled from his pocket a bronze key. He held it out to Oliver, nudging it into his hand.
Wondering why Gianni seemed to want him to have it, Oliver took the key, frowning, and turned it in his hands. Then he understood.
There on the back was a familiar symbol. A ring with three evenly spaced eyes. The symbol of the School for Seers.
Oliver felt a smile tug at his lips. That symbol felt like home to him.
He showed it to the others. Walter nodded, satisfied, but Hazel folded her arms.
I still dont know, she said.
Her skepticism reminded Oliver of how hed felt toward David. But David had proved himself back at the portal and he now trusted David fully. His bodyguard would not lead them into danger.
If David says we can trust Gianni, then I think we can trust him, he told her.
A look of pride flashed across Davids features. I promise you, Hazel. Gianni is exactly who he says he is. A seer. A friend sent to get us.
Hazel chewed her lip as if deliberating. But finally she nodded. I supposed statistically speaking were more likely to get caught by rogue seers if we stand here than if we go with him. So Im in.
Walter rolled his eyes. Trust Hazel to make a decision based on statistics!
Guided by Gianni, the seer boy from Renaissance-era Rome, the friends began to run.
CHAPTER SIX
Mistress Obsidian sat in her office, staring into the vision bowl. Shed been keeping a near-constant vigil over it, ignoring all signs of fatigue inside her that demanded she sleep, all signs of hunger telling her to eat. Nothing was more important to her than finding Oliver Blue and destroying him once and for all.
But the weariness was becoming hard to fight. Shed lost track of the days. Two? Possibly three? Her life had become staring obsessively into the vision bowl, listening to the constant shouts of Colonel Cain from outside her window as he trained Christopher Blue in the dark arts.
The thought made a smile twitch across her lips. There was no chance of failure this time. Christopher had the most dangerous magic inside of him. Along with the best training the dark army could offer and Chriss unparalleled murderous desire to kill Oliver, this time they would succeed.
She just wished their mole would hurry up. What use was it sneaking a spy into the Amethyst School for Seers, to set the trap that would lure Oliver out, if they were going to take so long enact the plan?
She may have to conjure up another, one that would speed things along a little. Perhaps she could find someone within the school to manipulate. Throw in a little bit of time travel for fun. In fact, the more she thought of it, the more she realized just how enjoyable it would be. There had to be a student inside the School for Seers who was feeling dissatisfied. Molding an impressionable young mindjust as she had with Malcolm Malice, and now with Christopher Bluewas one of her favorite things to do.
Yes, she would dupe one of the students into doing her bidding.
No sooner had she decided on the new plan, than something in her vision bowl flickered.
Mistress Obsidian jerked up, straight-backed, and leaned closer to the bowl. Through the dark storm clouds that had obscured her view for days, she now saw a shimmering purple light, swirling.
She knew at once what she was looking at. It was a portal. Oliver Blue was on the move.
Excitement crackled through her veins. She watched intently as the image cleared even more. Then her heart jumped in her chest.
There he was! Oliver Blue!
He was standing on a very ornate street. Mistress Obsidian frowned, trying to place the architecture.
Rome? she muttered under her breath. Fifteen hundreds?
He was standing on a very ornate street. Mistress Obsidian frowned, trying to place the architecture.
Rome? she muttered under her breath. Fifteen hundreds?
She watched on, revulsion swirling in the pit of her stomach, as Oliver and his pesky little friends all gathered around. Then she noticed another boy hurrying them through the streets.
The group reached a brick wall and the boy pressed a sequence of bricks. The wall hinged open.
Mistress Obsidian knew immediately what was happening. The other boy was a local seer and he was leading Oliver Blue into the safety of his own school! The second they were inside, shed no longer be able to see him!
Frustration overcame her. She slammed her fists onto the tabletop as fury overwhelmed her. A growl of anger came from her chest.
No matter where he goes, that pipsqueak always manages to get help! she cried angrily.
Fuming, she paced over to the window and gripped the sill. She would not endure another three days staring into the vision bowl. Shed seen enough to work out that Oliver Blue was in 1500s Rome. He already had a head start. And support. There was no time to waste.
She threw open the window, ignoring the driving rain that pelted her.
Its time! she roared into the black sky.
Her voice, magnified, boomed through the evening like a peeling bell.
She thundered back to the table and slunk down into her throne. A moment later, she heard the door open. In came Colonel Cain, Christopher Blue, and Malcolm Malice, responding to her summoning. They looked like drowned rats, covered in mud, their cheeks bright red with exertion. It was satisfying to see them that way.
Sit, she told them all brusquely.
They did as she commanded. Absolute obedience was Mistress Obsidians favorite thing.
Ive tracked Oliver Blue, she announced. There is no time to waste. You must travel to him immediately.
Christophers face was aghast. But Ive been training since sunrise. Its almost midnight. Im exhausted.
Mistress Obsidian felt irritation crackle through her. They were always so whiny, these students. She gave them the best education, the darkest powers, every chance to thrive and succeed and take over the universe, and all they ever did was complain.
I have sat here for three days waiting for this signal, Mistress Obsidian told him. When youve done the same, then you can talk to me about being tired.
She paused. On reflection, maybe Christopher had a point. Sending two tired seers on this task was a fools errand. Theyd need support, at least until theyd rested and rejuvenated their powers.
You can each take another with you, she said. Lookouts who can watch over you when you need to sleep. But you must decide quickly. Who will you take?
Natasha Armstrong, Malcolm said without missing a beat.
A good choice, Mistress Obsidian replied. Natasha was one of the students who attended her gifted and talented class. She would make a fine addition to the mission. Christopher?
Chris floundered. I dont know anyone. Ive never had a chance to make any friends here.
Then take someone you met from your last mission, Mistress Obsidian told him impatiently, trying to hurry him along. Whoever you felt helped you the most.
Madeleine, Christopher said, shrugging.
Mistress Obsidian scoffed. Madeleine? The carrot top whose mouth I zipped shut the other day? Very well. Its your choice.
She tapped into her seer powers, searching within herself for the surge of energy she needed to move atoms. She knew every nook and cranny of her precious school, and it was easy for her mind to latch on to the exact locations where Madeleine and Natasha were sleeping. This would be quite a rude awakening for them.
Using all her glorious talent, Mistress Obsidian grabbed hold of their atoms and moved them, tugging them all the way into her office. She rearranged them again, until the two girls materialized in front of her.
They both blinked, looking startled, their cheeks flushing red as they realized they were standing in their nightgowns in the middle of the head teachers office.
Madeleine. Natasha, Mistress Obsidian announced, today is your lucky day. Today, you are going on a very important mission, one that will result in the annihilation of Amethysts once and for all. Today, you are going to Rome. Today you will kill Oliver Blue.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Gianni, the Italian seer, led the four friends through the enchanted brick wall. As they emerged through the veil and out the other side, Oliver gasped at the sight that awaited him.
Hed never seen anything quite like it. The Italian version of the School for Seers was the most extravagant-looking place hed ever seen. Unlike Sister Judiths school in England, which had had the vibe of a monastery, and his own school in the U.S, which at times felt like a futuristic spaceship, this one had the vibe of a royal palace. He was half expecting to see a king waltz through the huge doors, or a row of bugle players to announce their arrival.
This way, David said, relaying back to them what Gianni was saying.
They hurried inside the huge school. Here, the opulence only increased. There were columns of marble and statues all over the place, not to mention an intricately painted domed ceiling. It made Oliver think of all the Renaissance-era artists, like da Vinci and especially Michelangelo, who painted huge murals on the ceilings of religious buildings. He wondered whether a few had visited the school.
As they hurried along the corridors, Oliver felt a strange sense of déjà vu overcome him. He couldnt understand it, but it felt to him as if hed been here once before.
You okay? Hazel asked.
Oliver nodded. I just have a weird feeling, thats all. Like Ive been here before.
A frown appeared between Hazels eyebrows. Perhaps you have. Another you, I mean. From a different timeline.
Oliver pondered her words. It was of course possible that a different version of himself had been to this place before, but that didnt account for the strange feeling of familiarity Oliver himself was having. Any different Oliver from a different timeline would have different memories. There was no way hed be able to tap into those.
It was a complete mystery. And yet, with each footstep he took, he felt more and more like hed walked this exact path before.
Oliver shook the thoughts from his head. It was impossible. He mustve just been thinking of a history book hed read, or a documentary hed watched. Perhaps he was recalling a dream. Either way, he didnt have time to waste thinking about it. He had to stay focused on Esther, on finding the Elixir to save her life.
Gianni led them up to a large lacquered door and rapped his knuckles against it. He turned his head and said something to David. David relayed the message in English to the others.
This is the headmistresss office.
Oliver gulped. He couldnt help but feel nervous every time he met another powerful and revered seer. He respected Professor Amethyst more than anyone in the universe and to meet his counterparts through history was always a humbling, nerve-wracking experience.
Gianni opened the door and led them into an office. It was enormous, more like the ballroom of a palace than a head teachers office. There were large paintings in gold frames all over the dark green walls, and a huge marble fireplace. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling and the smell of almonds punctuated the air.