Midnight Frost

my hoodie sleeve down and tell him it was nothing when another idea occurred to me.
    “Actually, I, um, found something else besides the ambrosia flower while we were out in Colorado,” I said. “Some sort of . . . artifact, I guess you would say. Do you feel like taking a look at it?”
    Nickamedes straightened his shoulders. “Of course. I may still be a little under the weather, but I’m not dead yet, Gwendolyn. You should know by now that I’m always interested in artifacts.”
    So I pushed my sleeve up and held the bracelet out where he could see it. He leaned forward and ran his fingers over the leaves just as Grandma Frost had earlier. Nickamedes turned one of the laurel leaves this way and that, studying it with his usual intensity.
    After a moment, his eyes brightened with wonder. “The mistletoe chain is quite beautiful, but this looks like a silver laurel leaf. They all do. Where did you get so many of them? Silver laurel is even rarer than ambrosia flowers. I’ve never actually seen them myself, not in person, just pictured in books in the library.”
    “Oh, it was just something I . . . picked up in the ruins,” I said, not quite ready to tell him the whole story yet. “I need to know how to use the leaves and what they can do. Do you think . . . you can help me with that? Please?”
    Back at the ruins, Covington had bragged about how he’d been researching artifacts for the Reapers. I figured it couldn’t hurt to have Nickamedes do the same for the Pantheon—and for me too.
    He smiled again, looking more and more like his old self. “Of course. I wonder if I could convince Ajax to bring me some books from the library. Well, actually, you can go get them. You’ll be able to find them quicker than he would anyway. I know just the place to start researching this. Hand me that piece of paper and pen, will you? Quickly now, please. I want to make some notes before I forget them . . .”
    I handed the librarian the items he asked for, and he started muttering to himself and scribbling down all the books he wanted to use to start researching the silver laurel. Instead of leaving, I sat down in a chair in the corner and listened to him talk, happy that he was going to be okay and that everything had worked out, despite the Reapers’ plans.
    For now at least.

Chapter 36
    Things slowly got back to normal over the next few days.
    Once Nickamedes was out of danger, my friends and I went back to our regular schedule of classes, homework, and weapons training and tried to catch up on all of the assignments we’d missed while we’d been away. Rumors swirled around campus about what had happened in the Library of Antiquities the night Nickamedes had been poisoned and about where my friends and I had gone, but I ignored the stares and whispers. All that mattered was that he was getting better. Besides, I doubted the other kids would believe everything that had happened anyway. I could hardly believe it, and I’d been there.
    A few nights later, I was back in the library, sitting behind the checkout counter, working my usual shift. Alexei was standing against the glass wall behind me, while Aiko, the Protectorate guard, was at one of the study tables, reading a book. After the attack, the Powers That Were at Mythos had decided to assign Aiko to watch over me, as well. It wouldn’t do much good, though. If the Reapers wanted to get to me, they would get to me. All I could do was just keep trying to become a better warrior so that when I faced Vivian again, it would be for the last time. So that I would finally manage to defeat her.
    It was a slow night in the library, and most of the kids had already left to go back to their dorms for the night. I’d grabbed several books out of the stacks and was poring over them, comparing the pictures on the pages to the artifacts on the map Oliver had drawn for me. Since the attack at the Eir Ruins, I was more determined than ever to find the artifacts before Vivian, Agrona, and the rest of the Reapers did—
    Tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap.
    I glanced behind me. Nickamedes slowly shuffled out of the glass office complex. With his left hand, he cradled some books to his chest. With his right hand, he leaned on the cane that he was using to help him walk. The librarian was still feeling the aftereffects of the poison that had damaged his legs, and his steps were slow and a bit unsteady.
    Tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap.
    Nickamedes was getting around well enough, and Metis