Chapter the twenty-second: Opal

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Bella's absence is discovered the next morning. For some reason, the three of us forgot about what would happen in the morning, when people found out.

The two of us are pulled into Saimad's office at separate times, for questioning. We both play dumb, though I'm not sure if he actually believes us. He leaves us be, though.

Usually, the disappearance of a student would be a huge deal, I'm sure. But with the threat of the elves on our horizon (literally) I think that everyone is just too focused on everything else.

Classes are cancelled for the day. They may be cancelled until the threat is past us. The teachers and the adults in the town are preparing for battle. I don't understand why they need so many weapons and people if they're only fighting three elves, but I guess they know best about these things.

"Do you really think they need to do all this preparing for three elves?" asks Kaitlynn, looking out the window in our room. She's been very subdued since Bella left, and not her usual cheery self.

I shrug. "I guess the teachers know best. But I would say that they don't need all these things."

Kaitlynn sighs and flops on her bed. "I miss Bella," she groans. "We would be out spying on these people or something right now if Bella were here,"

I lean back against my pillow, wrapping my arms around my legs. "I know. I do too,"

We sit there in silence for a while. I take to looking out the window, watching everyone prepare. It's soothing, in a way. It's just one row of people preparing, sending a line of weapons down to one end of the soldiers, people practicing their magic, everything that I had imagined when I would think about this school before I came here.

"I wonder if anyone's guarding the gates?" I ask, shading my eyes against the sun to look at them at the far end of the town.

"What makes you ask?" asks Kaitlynn, still lying flat on her back.

"I just....I thought I saw something out there...."

"Bella would want to see who it is," says Kaitlynn, finally getting up to look at what I'm seeing.

"We could see who it is, too. No one would notice if we snuck out. We're just two students. They have to prepare for war. I bet there's only one adult in the whole building right now."

A grin spreads on Kaitlynn's face. "You think we should?" she asks.

"I don't see why not. We can dress in those awesome cloaks from last night. I knew we did well buying those," I pick mine up from where it lies at the foot of my bed.

In five minutes we're out of the room. Some of Kaitlynn's enthusiasm seems to have returned to her, for she leads the way out of the building.

The town isn't very busy today. Most of the people are behind the school, preparing for war, so only really old people or people with small children are left behind. We walk through easily; no one pays any attention to us.

In the middle of our walk to the gate, Kaitlynn gasps and points to the sky, on the left. Three silhouettes are winging their way towards the town, heading fast.

I stiffen and stop walking. "They're almost here,"

"Come on. Let's continue. They won't bother us."

We hurry the rest of the way to the gates and peer between the thick metal bars, trying to see who on earth is coming.

The first thing I see is that they're riding a horse. It gallops toward the town, the person on it looking tired and dirty.

The second thing I realize is that I know this person. 

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