Alchemist Academy: Book 2 by Matt Ryan Page B

never heard of him?”
    “I have,” Kylie replied.
    Jackie shrugged. “I’ve been in a bubble for the last couple of years, and my Alchemist Monthly subscription ran out.”
    “He’s the most powerful alchemist of the modern age. I’m surprised you haven’t heard of him.” He glanced at Mark. “But he has been helpful in bringing many things to resolution.”
    Wendy jumped in. “Yes, but now we have evidence of this Dark Academy. If Verity is running it, we might be able to use that as further proof that Quinn is hiding things from us. I hear he’s getting close—”
    “That’s enough, Wendy.” Foster looked sharply at her. “We will not speculate. If this is all true, we’re looking at very dark times ahead,” Foster said. “Our response must be calculated.”
    “They took her. We don’t have time for calculations,” I said.
    “That is all,” Foster said, raising an eyebrow and looking at Wendy.
    Wendy nodded and didn’t say anything else on the matter.
    Frustrated and deflated, we left Foster’s office without a solid plan to get Iggy back. If he wasn’t in contact with the Intrepid, then who was? I doubted the conversations and calculated responses would prove fruitful.
    Wendy left us in the commons with an order to go back to our domiciles. Nothing felt fair or easy anymore. Maybe I’d taken advantage of my previous life with Janet and Spencer. They had been horrible to me but they still let me live in their house while all other ties had been severed from me to them. I hadn’t thought of them in a while. They didn’t even register on my hate chart anymore.
    We crossed the commons with a little less energy than when we’d left. The idea of someone being taken in front of us sank in and made my feet heavy. My whole body felt weighed down, pulling me toward the ground. I wanted to find my bed and try to figure out a way to make things right.
    Kylie and her group split off from us and appeared to be having an angry debate near a tree. We stayed on our path toward the housing unit.
    “What do you think they’re doing to her?” Jackie asked.
    I moved closer to Mark and wrapped my arm around his waist. He took me in under his arm. I didn’t want to even think about what they were doing to poor Iggy. I was sure she had parents or siblings and friends who would be devastated if something happened to her.
    “Hopefully they’ll realize she isn’t Allie and give her back,” Mark said.
    What reason did they have for wanting me, anyway? Sure, I could make difficult stones, but so could Bridget and probably many others around the world.
    “We need to talk with you guys,” Kylie said, hustling to catch up with us. Turning to look back to Foster’s house, she added, “But not here.”
    She led us to the edge of the garden where the tomatoes were turning red and about ready to be picked. That seemed strange. Weren’t they just buds a little while ago?
    Kylie tugged on her braid. “We don’t want to sit around and wait for diplomacy. We want to get Iggy back.” Tears formed in her eyes, but she kept a steady voice. “We can contact the Intrepid and I bet they could get something done.”
    “You’re in contact with them?” My chin dropped. I couldn’t believe these were their contacts inside the Academy, not some teacher or disgruntled janitor, but actual students.
    “Yes. Our parents dumped us in here for safety reasons. Same as you, I suppose.” Kylie faced me. “Our moms work together. I heard you mention your mom’s name. Cathy? Cathy Norton, I take it?”
    “Yes.” Hearing my mom’s full name fall from her lips sent chills down my arms. I wanted to shake more information from her.
    “She basically runs the Intrepid, you know?”
    I shook my head. I hadn’t known that. I apparently didn’t know a thing. “How do you contact them?” I asked, stepping closer.
    “You heard Foster mention that tunnel, right?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Let’s just say it isn’t as locked or as