Midnight Frost

to me. I shivered and took a seat at the end of the table, as far away from the carvings as I could get.
    “So,” Covington asked when we were all finally settled, “you want to tell me what you’re doing here? With five students in tow? I heard a rumor about some students being the target of a Reaper attack on the train this morning. I’m guessing that was you and your kids?”
    Ajax nodded. “We’re here on behalf of a friend. Nickamedes.”
    Covington nodded back. “I know him. He’s my counterpart in the Library of Antiquities at the North Carolina academy. We exchange e-mails, books, and even artifacts from time to time.”
    “He’s been poisoned, and we’re here searching for a cure.”
    Ajax drew in a breath and explained everything to his friend. The Reaper boy poisoning Nickamedes, our hurried journey here, the attack on the train. To my surprise, the coach didn’t say much about me or my friends. He introduced us, but he only gave Covington our first names. It made me wonder if Ajax didn’t entirely trust his friend—and if so, why not. Then again, we’d all been fooled by the Reapers. Maybe the coach was just being extra cautious, even though I thought it was far too late for that.
    When Ajax finished, Covington let out a low whistle. “Chloris ambrosia flowers aren’t easy to come by.”
    “I know,” the coach replied. “That’s why we need to go up to the Eir Ruins—tomorrow.”
    Covington frowned. “You want to go the ruins? With your . . . students?”
    Ajax nodded. “I know what you’re thinking, and believe me, I know how dangerous the ruins are supposed to be. But it’s the only place where the ambrosia flowers grow, and Nickamedes will die without them. So can you help us? Please?”
    Covington studied his friend. “And if I don’t?”
    Ajax gave him a level stare. “Then, we’ll go on our own.”
    Covington kept staring at Ajax, then his hazel eyes roamed over the rest of us. We all looked back, showing him the same determination to go to the ruins with or without his help. When he realized we were serious, he nodded.
    “Okay, okay, I’ll help. Don’t worry about that.” He hesitated. “It won’t be easy, though. I know someone who can guide you to the ruins, and I’ll be happy to accompany you myself, but I don’t know of any other professors or staff members who would be willing to go. Especially not tomorrow.”
    “What’s wrong with tomorrow?” Ajax asked.
    “A storm is blowing in,” Covington said. “We’re supposed to get a foot of snow sometime in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Maybe more.”
    Of course it was supposed to snow. As if this wouldn’t be hard and dangerous enough already. I wondered if the Reapers had looked at the weather forecast and had factored in the brewing snowstorm when they’d decided to try to poison me. Probably. I wouldn’t put it past them. That would be just the twisted sort of thing that Vivian and Agrona would think of—to make us all suffer as much as possible while we tried to get the antidote for Nickamedes.
    “Well, we’ll just have to risk the storm. And the fewer people who know where we’re going, the better,” Ajax said. “The Reapers already know we’re here and that we have to go to the ruins to get the ambrosia flowers. But just because we’re walking into a trap doesn’t mean we can’t be careful.”
    Covington nodded. “Understood. I’ll start making the arrangements immediately. We’ll leave tomorrow.”
    He stood up, and so did Ajax. The two men shook hands. Covington gave us all a polite nod, then left the conference room.
    “So not only do we have to hike up to some creepy ruins, but now, it’s going to snow buckets on us too? Terrific,” Daphne said.
    “Afraid you’ll get your pink snowsuit all messed up?” Oliver teased.
    She glared at him. “The only thing that’s going to get messed up is your face, Spartan. The second I shove my fist through it.”
    Oliver raised an eyebrow. “Bring it on, Valkyrie.”
    “Enough,” I said. “That’s enough. It’s bad enough we know the Reapers are lurking around waiting to attack us again. Can we please not snipe at each other too?”
    Daphne turned her glare to me, but I glared right back at her. After a moment, she sighed.
    “All right,” she said. “All right. I’m just a little stressed.”
    “We all are,” Carson said in a soft voice. “But we’ll be okay, as long as we stick together.”
    I flashed him a