“Let me check. Hold on.” She closed her eyes, and her hands glowed brighter for a moment. But the light quickly disappeared, and she frowned. “Whoa. He’s wearing one of my amulets, Fort. The ones I made for Dr. Opps back at the NSA, to protect the wearer against mind magic. Why would they give him that?”

Fort snuck a look at Gabriel and saw that she was right. He’d mistaken it for just a chain around Gabriel’s neck at first, but now he could make out the shape of a silver ball beneath the boy’s shirt. Why would a first year student have protection against his mind being read? That didn’t make any sense. None of the other students had an amulet; only the teachers and high-ranking military had them, since there weren’t enough to go around.

“Oh shoot, I have to go,” Sierra said, looking annoyed. “Damian thinks he’s got a way onto a plane. You wouldn’t believe how many people’s brains we’ve had to magic already and still can’t even get a ticket. The TSA does not mess around.”

Wait, you’re still going to be around tonight, right? Fort asked, knowing she could feel his worry but not able to hold it back. We can’t pull this off without you.

“Oh, I know,” Sierra said, wiggling her eyebrows at him. “Don’t worry. I won’t stand you up like that girl Denise did when you were six, when you two were going to put on that little dance show for your parents.”

Fort’s eyes widened, and he felt his entire face light on fire. You said you’d stop looking at my memories!

“Oh, I say a lot of things,” Sierra said, grinning evilly, then disappeared.

Fort smiled in spite of himself as he sat down on his bed. Gabriel had gone back to reading, so at least he had some quiet to think, and his mind soon turned back to the book of magic they were stealing tonight. Nothing was going right so far. He didn’t have time to be sitting in his room, trapped by the guard, not when he should be going over the plan with Jia, Rachel, and Cyrus again. At least he’d be allowed out at dinner and could meet up with them then, but that was cutting it close.

Because tonight was their only night to steal the book of Summoning. And it all came down to Dr. Opps.

It was the doctor’s own fault, too. He was the one who wondered if Fort’s father might still be alive, given that the unthinking monster that had stolen his dad was controlled by an Old One. And why would the Old One kidnap someone unless it intended to keep that someone alive?