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“These wards,” she asked, “are they the same as the ones here? If we have any unexpected visitors, will there be a Lockdown?”

“No, the wards around Woodhaven are significantly different,” Darrius said. “The ones here have been constructed and are maintained by the Library. I have very little control over their security protocols, but since they’re the most complex wards I’ve ever encountered, I’m content to keep them working as they are. The ones King Aurileous has commissioned won’t be as advanced, but they should nevertheless be quite effective.”

He stood and walked over to his desk to pull something out of a drawer. “Do you know what this is?” he asked, handing an item to her.

She squinted at the watch-like, touch-screen device until a memory came to her. “This is a military thing,” she said, recalling Major Tyson having something similar strapped to his wrist at the Soori Outpost. “I’ve seen one before and it activated some kind of short-range teleportation portal when we stood on a circle marking the ground.”

Darrius nodded as if he’d anticipated her answer. “ITDs— Instantaneous Transportation Devices,” he informed her. “Youand your friends will each be given one of these to wear for the duration of your stay in Woodhaven. They’ve been adjusted to link with the wards around the entire township—which has in turn been programmed to resemble the carved circle portal. If you find yourselves in any danger, you need only tap three times on the screen and you’ll be whisked away to a different location.”

“I was under the impression there are some distance-related problems with the transporters?” Alex said, remembering Tyson’s words about how they were trying to work out the kinks. “I don’t particularly want to be turned into human soup anytime soon, Darrius.”

“That’s the drawback of the wards,” he admitted. At her startled look he quickly clarified, “Not the human soup, Alex, the range. Their lack of long-distance transportation complicates matters. If you have to activate the portal, it’ll give you an immediate escape, but you won’t be relocated far enough away to avoid capture if Aven remains nearby.”

She passed the device back to him. “Then what’s the point of this?”

“I’m getting to that,” he said. “The plan is that the four of you will carry Bubbler vials on you everywhere you go. If you need to get away for any reason, you’ll activate the short-range teleportation portals, which will distance you from immediate danger and hopefully give you enough time to step through a Bubbledoor without unwanted company. The king has asked that you follow his protocol and Bubble straight to the palace, where he’ll keep a constant security detail waiting in the receiving room.”

“Why do we need the ITD wrist thingies when we could just Bubble out of Woodhaven at the first sign of trouble?” Alex asked, thinking that would be so much simpler.

“The time it would take to activate a Bubbler and then have you all step through, no matter how swiftly, leads to acertain amount of anxiety,” Darrius explained. “And, of course, someone could easily step in after you. The ‘wrist thingies’ afford an almost instant, simultaneous escape. If nothing else, just humour us, Alex. We’re doing this so we can be assured that you’re all adequately protected.”

“Fine,” Alex agreed. Admittedly, she felt a lot more comfortable knowing how secure they would be over the holidays. She would have to remember to thank D.C.’s father the next time she saw him.

“And this brings me back to my original concern,” Darrius said. At Alex’s blank look he reminded her, “Aven getting to you here before you leave tomorrow.”

“Ah,” she said, understanding. “Right.”

“Initially the plan was to have Woodhaven’s wards active and functioning well before your arrival, but the Technos involved in their construction were delayed by—well, you don’t need to know the details.” He waved a hand in the air, brushing his explanation aside. “What youdoneed to know is that the wards around Woodhaven will activate at precisely eight o’clock tomorrow morning, while the wards here at the academy willdeactivate at seven o’clock. That gives Aven a one-hour window in which he could, potentially, sneak through undetected. It’s highly unlikely, but it wouldn’t be the first time he’s tried something similar.”

That was true. Aven had infiltrated the academy when the wards had been down for the students to return after last year’s Kaldoras break. That day he’d confirmed his belief that Alex was Chosen by the Library, which resulted in pretty much all the mess she’d been involved in since then. She definitely wasn’t keen for a repeat experience.

“So, what’s the plan?” she asked.

“To get you, and your friends, out of here the moment the wards at Woodhaven are activated.”

She gestured for him to continue, and when he didn’t, she questioned, “That’s it?”

“I’m afraid so,” he answered. “Other than that, you’ll need to remain on your guard. I’ll be patrolling the boundary of the wards with most of the other teaching staff to make sure students are safe until they leave the academy. You and your friends will remain in the food court after breakfast and wait for me to come and give you the ITDs. Once I’m certain the devices are active, you’ll all take a Bubbler to Woodhaven where you can hopefully relax for the next two weeks.”

“I like that last part,” Alex said. “I’m not sure about the rest.”

Darrius smiled at her. “You’ll be fine, Alex. Aven will be hard-pressed to sneak past us when the wards are deactivated. The professors and I are not without our own gifts.”

He looked at her confidently and for the first time ever Alex realised she had never properly wondered what gifts he and her other teachers possessed. She knew about Marmaduke’s low-level mind arts gifting, and she knew parts of Hunter’s supernatural awareness, but she had no idea about any of the others. She wanted to ask Darrius straight out what his gift was, but she wasn’t sure whether or not that would seem rude—it could be like asking someone what size underwear they wore, for all she knew. She decided her safest bet was to wait and ask her friends later.

“That’s all I wanted to speak about tonight,” Darrius said, standing again. “You have a big day tomorrow so you should get some rest. Feel free to talk with the others about what we’ve discussed. I’ll reiterate the security protocols tomorrow morning when I hand over the ITDs, but it can’t hurt for them to hear the basics in advance.”

“No problem,” Alex agreed, standing as well. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Just before eight o’clock,” Darrius reminded her as he escorted her to the door. “In the food court.”

“I think I can remember that,” she said with a smile.

“Goodnight, Alex,” he returned. “And try not to worry.”

Easier said than done, she thought as she descended the staircase.

She hoped the next twelve hours would pass quickly—and without any drama. Then she could relax and enjoy the next two weeks, just like Darrius had said.