The Knowledge of the Hidden

Chapter 28

We run to Eximius, not speaking, wind deafening in our ears. When we reach the perimeter, Josh grabs ahold of Xavier and my wrists and suspends to oxygen flow to our fides so we can enter without detection. Sienna follows, her own lack of fides allowing her to move more freely than the rest of us.

"Are you going to have to hold hands the whole time we are in here?" she asks as we move through the outskirts. Josh shakes his head.

"Just until we are far enough in to avoid triggering the alarms. After that, our fides will register with the computers, but unless someone is actively counting the signals it'll be a while before anyone notices. It doesn't really matter at that point, anyway, since it's not like we are trying to hide."

Once we clear the tree line, Josh lets go of us and we sprint through the square toward Central Hall. Josh leads us straight toward the front door but I grab his arm and redirect him to the alley where the secret back door lies. He looks at me with confusion, but follows anyway, raising his eyebrows in surprise when I push aside the dumpster and type in the code, the door seeming to appear from nothing in front of us.

"How did you," Josh starts, but I cut him off before he can finish.

"My dad showed me. He brought me to work a few times to try to motivate me when I started flunking out," I lie.

I know my story probably seems unlikely, but no one questions it and I'm glad. I definitely don't feel like explaining how I know about the back entrance, let alone the code to get in.

We rush up the stairs to the top story, breathing hard and trying to pretend like we aren't, and push open the door. We enter into a long hall, all dark except for the largest office at the very end, the office of the president. We run down the hall and push open the door, knowing we only have a short time before the others arrive. I'm still not really sure what the plan is, or if we are walking right into an ambush ourselves, but I push ahead blindly, running on gut instinct.

When we explode into the room, President Linding jumps noticeably. He is propped up in a chair with his feet on the desk, watching television on a high definition screen that takes up the entire south wall of his office.

"What do you kids think you're doing?" Linding demands, upon recovering his stage face. "You're not supposed to be up here." Josh moves quickly around the room as he speaks, shutting the blinds and locking the door.

"We think Eximius is about to be attacked," Sienna says. Linding just stares.

"This might be hard to believe," I begin, suddenly unsure of what to say. "But there are people with magical powers, like before the war, and they've formed a camp beyond the Eximius border. They've been building up an army for over a hundred years and they plan to attack the city. Tonight." I imagine I must sound crazy, and half expect him to call the guards to come throw us in the insane asylum, but something strange happens to Linding at my words. His face changes, but not to one of disbelief or shock or even fear like I expected. No, rather, he looks almost guilty.

"Why, I've never heard such nonsense in my life," he says, but his jumpy eyes suggest otherwise. "Now, kindly remove yourselves from my office immediately, or I will have a guard come and do it for you."

Sienna waves her hand, lighting the nearest paper on Linding's desk on fire. "Believe us now?" she demands, as Linding shrinks back into his chair. "This is serious. We're trying to help you." I glance down at the photographs on his desk and nearly jump when I see a familiar face staring up at me.

"Tricks! Lunacy! I'm summoning the guards."

"We're risking everything to come warn you," Josh insists. "You have to believe us."