Conceal, Mosaic Chronicles Book Six Page 12

  “I’ve already discussed it with the other deans, along with the university president, and we’re willing to do whatever is necessary to accommodate any requests you may have.”

  Coolidge sent a small “I told you so” glance to Nicole before turning his attention back to Professor Smith. “We appreciate that.”

  The professor continued. “What’s going on this time?”

  He had directed the question to Nicole, so she told him about Keitus, the talismans, and everything that had happened so far.

  Professor Smith steepled his fingers. “We’d be willing to try to convince this Renforth, if you think that’s necessary.”

  Coolidge and Nicole both shook their heads.

  “I don’t think anything the university could say or do would sway him,” Austin said, speaking for the first time. “He’s pretty adamant about keeping Keitus’s body.”

  “What else can we do for you, then?” the professor asked.

  “We’ll be missing a lot of classes,” Nicole said. “When we discover the location of any of the talismans, we’ll have to drop everything and go find them right away.”

  The dean nodded, an expression of understanding crossing his face. “Makes sense.” He stood and circled his desk, taking a seat in his chair. “If I’m understanding correctly, we’d need to be able to put your schooling on hold at a moment’s notice, for potentially several days at a time, right?”

  The three in front of him nodded.

  “Assuming, of course, that you’re using your magic while you’re gone, do you want the opportunity to earn credits for these trips? I’d hate you to fail your courses while you’re doing things that benefit the university.”

  “Yes, we definitely will be using our powers,” Nicole said. She couldn’t imagine a situation where her magic wouldn’t be useful. Unless, of course, it was stripped away again.

  “All right, then. I think we’d be willing to do this. Is there anything else you need the university to do? As I said, we’re very eager to be of assistance.”

  Coolidge leaned forward. “Same as last time—allow us to use any equipment we might need. Within reason, of course.”

  “Within reason?” Professor Smith asked.

  “Well, if the equipment is being used by a class at that time, we’d do our best to find something else.”

  “Would other students be welcome to assist in these expeditions?” Professor Smith asked.

  Coolidge glanced at Nicole and Austin before answering. “Honestly, I’m not sure if that would be possible. From what it looks like, we’ll be working very closely with Jacob and the people from his planet. Between the three of us here, we represent all the elements, and large groups would most likely complicate things. If we need assistance, I’d rather use people who are as experienced as we are, or who aren’t students any longer.”

  Professor Smith nodded. “I take it you expect these trips to be dangerous.”

  “Yes. Very. We nearly died trying to get my talisman back.”

  The dean was silent for a moment. “I know this is a stretch, but I do have one request, if it’s at all possible.”

  “Anything,” Coolidge said.

  “Donate one of the talismans to the university,” Professor Smith said. “That is, if the owner doesn’t mind. How many of them are there?”

  “Four, that we know of,” Nicole said. “Coolidge’s is out of reach now, one is in Japan, and we still don’t know the locations of the other two.”

  “Surely one of the owners would be willing to part with a talisman?”

  “We’ll definitely keep it in mind,” Professor Coolidge said. “We can’t make any promises, but we’ll do our best.”

  “Thank you.” The dean got to his feet and shook everyone’s hand. “And thanks for meeting with me. Please keep me updated on your progress.”

  “What now?” Nicole asked after they’d left Professor Smith’s office.

  “We need to go to Japan,” Coolidge said. “Today, if possible. I’m starting to worry about Takashi. I only contact him every few years, but it’s never taken him this long to get back with me.”

  “Do you think Keitus has found him already?”

  Coolidge nodded. “I’m beginning to think that’s a strong possibility.”

  “What do you know about Takashi?” Austin asked as they entered the science building and went down the stairs to Coolidge’s office.

  “Not a lot—he did work on Hashima Island for several years, though.”

  “Hashima Island?” Nicole and Austin said it at the same time. Nicole didn’t know where that was, but from the expression on her boyfriend’s face, he knew and was very excited about it.

  “It’s an abandoned island,” Austin said. “It used to be a coal mining facility.”

  “The entire island?” Nicole asked.

  “It’s not very big—only ten, maybe fifteen acres,” Coolidge said.

  “While Japan was being industrialized, they needed a lot of coal,” Austin explained. “Someone discovered that Hashima Island had a ton of it, and they built an entire civilization around the mine. Once the coal disappeared, the people did too. The place hadn’t been touched in decades until a few years ago, when the country decided to open it for tours. You need to go look it up—it’s pretty creepy.”

  “Do you think Takashi might have hidden his talisman there?” Nicole asked.

  “It’s a strong possibility,” Coolidge said. “He worked on the island when he took ownership. As most owners don’t use their talismans, I’m willing to bet he stashed his. And if he did, Hashima Island would be the perfect place.”

  Nicole nodded. “When should we go? If you’re worried, the sooner, the better.”

  Coolidge glanced at them, taking a seat at his desk. “You’re both ready to drop everything at a moment’s notice?”

  When Austin and Nicole confirmed that they were, Coolidge said, “I’ll see if I can get tickets tonight.”

  “We don’t need tickets,” Austin said.

  “What do you mean?” Coolidge asked.

  “We have Jacob—he can get us there for free.”

  Coolidge chuckled. “I’d already forgotten. Thanks for reminding me.” He pulled a phone out of his pocket and made a call. “Jacob, I need to talk to your parents. Could you arrange for that to happen?” Coolidge nodded. “Yes, thanks. I appreciate it.” He ended the call, tucking away his phone before looking at his students. “Go ahead and get ready to head to Japan. I’ll let you know what to expect.”

  Nicole and Austin went home in their separate cars, then met up at Nicole’s place an hour later. Knowing they wouldn’t need to fly meant they could probably get there and back within a day. Nicole was glad she didn’t have to pack much.

  Austin’s phone rang right when he got to her apartment. He hung up after a brief conversation.

  “We’re heading out now,” he said. “They want us all—including Lizzie—to go.”

  “Awesome!” Lizzie said from the couch. “Well, awesome, as long as it doesn’t end up like our last trip.”

  “Let’s hope not,” Austin said.

  A few minutes later, Jacob and Coolidge walked through the front door, Jacob with his key in hand.

  “Ready?” he asked. He wore dark clothes that matched his dark hair, and his blue eyes were much brighter than usual. He was obviously excited for this trip. Nicole couldn’t blame him—they were going to Japan!

  “We’re ready,” she said.

  “Off we go, then!”

  Jacob put the key in the lock, said, “To Takashi’s apartment,” and opened the door.

  Nicole and Lizzie looked at each other excitedly. Neither of them had ever been to Japan, and Nicole couldn’t wait. She knew it wasn’t going to be a fun trip, per se, but still, it would be authentic. She loved the Japanese culture.

  The moment everyone stepped through the link, they were hit with an overwhelming stench of decay.

  Nicole pulled her shirt up over her nos
e, surveying the complete wreck before her.

  Coolidge and Austin rushed into the living area of the Japanese apartment.

  “Oh, no!” Coolidge cried out, dropping to his knees near a body. “It’s Takashi.”

  Nicole stopped where she was. She’d seen enough death to last her an eternity. She didn’t need yet one more incident forever imprinted on her brain. “The poor man,” she said. “Can you tell how he died?”

  “If I had to guess, I’d say a Croent was here,” Coolidge said. “There are several bite marks on his neck. He’s probably been dead a couple of weeks, if not more.”

  “Why hasn’t he been found?” Lizzie asked.

  “He wasn’t married—his wife passed away years and years ago. But he had kids. Where are they?”

  No one had an answer for that.

  “Do you think the Croent found the talisman?” Nicole asked.

  Everyone turned to Jacob. He put up his hands. “I’m fine with figuring it out, but there’s no way I’ll be able to concentrate here.”

  “Take us back to my place,” Coolidge said. “While you’re Seeing what happened, I’ll find another Japanese contact. We’ll also need to report Takashi’s death to the authorities.”

  “It’ll have to be an anonymous tip,” Austin said. “And we’ll want to wait until we’re sure we don’t need anything in the apartment.”

  Coolidge thought that over for a moment. “Yes, you’re right.”

  “Why can’t we tell them it was us who found him?” Lizzie asked.

  “We need to be quick about this,” Coolidge said. “And they’d bring us in for questioning. They’d probably have to find translators, the U.S. Embassy would get involved, we don’t exactly have proof of arrival and departure, and we’d be stuck for days as they sort things out.”

  Nicole nodded, though she felt bad about the situation. Poor Takashi.

  Jacob took them to Coolidge’s house, sat on the couch, and his eyes glazed over. Coolidge excused himself, Austin trailing him, and Nicole and Lizzie sat on the other couch.

  “Where’s Hayla?” Lizzie asked.

  Nicole glanced around and shrugged. She didn’t know.

  It took twenty minutes for Jacob and Coolidge to finish their projects, and they ended at about the same time.

  Jacob shook his head when Coolidge asked what had happened. “It was awful, but he put up a good fight.”

  “I wouldn’t expect anything else,” Coolidge said.

  “The Croent left empty-handed,” Jacob said, “even though he was very thorough in his search.”

  “I imagine he wasn’t happy about that,” Coolidge said. “Did he touch Takashi’s safe?”

  Jacob looked confused. “I didn’t see one.”

  “Takashi had a safe where he kept important documents. It looked like a flat wooden box made in the shape of an apple, about the size of a manila envelope, bright red. He found it in Russia—was one of his favorite possessions.”

  “I saw that—no, the Croent didn’t bother it. He moved it around while searching, though.”

  “He wouldn’t have been able to open it,” Coolidge said. “Only a Silver can do that. We need to get it. If Takashi had any record of his talisman, it would be in his safe.”

  “I’ll go,” Jacob said. He jumped up from the couch and opened a link to the apartment again.

  While waiting, Nicole turned to Coolidge. “Did you find someone to help out?”

  He nodded. “Yes. She’s not an Arete, but I do trust her, and she speaks English and Japanese fluently.”

  “Will she keep things confidential?” Austin asked.

  “Definitely.”

  Jacob returned then, holding the apple. He handed it to Coolidge, then sat on the couch again. Everyone watched Coolidge with interest.

  Nicole sensed Coolidge pulling power to himself.

  “All Arete safes work in different ways,” Coolidge said. “The trick is figuring out which element was used to seal it. That’s the element I’ll need to open it again.”

  He closed his eyes, holding the apple in his hands, flipping it over and over. Nicole sensed the pressure in the air around them increase—he was using Wind power first.

  The safe didn’t open.

  Nicole watched as dirt from a potted plant left the pot and spread itself across the safe. Again, nothing happened.

  Then the humidity in the air increased exponentially. With a pop and a hiss, the apple opened, revealing a large stack of documents inside.

  Coolidge separated the papers into several stacks, then handed them out. “It’ll be written in English.”

  “How do you know?”

  “One of the talisman owners’ rules. A common language that the majority of Aretes speak has to be used when recording the location of the item. As I explained earlier to Nicole and Austin, no one knows where all the talismans are, but the owners are required to keep a written log of the location of their specific talisman.”

  The documentation they were looking for ended up being in Austin’s pile. He started reading it, then looked at Coolidge. “It’s on Hashima Island, as you suspected.”

  Coolidge nodded. “I’m sure Juri, our translator, will be able to help us with this.”

  He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. “Juri? Yes. Hashima Island. We’ll be there in a couple of minutes.” He ended the call, then held his phone out to Jacob, pointing to a spot on a map. “Take us here.”

  Chapter Seven

  A traditional Japanese apartment greeted Nicole and the others when they stepped through the link, along with a Japanese woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties. Though she could have been older or younger—she had that beautiful, ageless quality Nicole saw in a lot of Japanese people. It was one of the things she envied about their genes—their ability to stay youthful-looking forever.

  Juri gave a slight bow to each of her visitors before turning to Coolidge. “We’ll need a private way to the island—they don’t allow people on most of the property, and they watch the tour groups closely. They’re quite strict.”

  Coolidge glanced at Jacob. “That shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “I’ll start searching for a door now,” Jacob said. “Knowing where we’ll end up will help us find Takashi’s place a lot faster.” He hesitated a moment, then knelt on a cushion in front of a table and started Time-Seeing.

  Juri continued updating Coolidge’s group on the island’s current situation. The whole place was crumbling and dangerous, which was why the government didn’t just allow people to walk all over it.

  Once she finished, she handed out Japanese candies and invited everyone to sit on the plush, L-shaped couch. Nicole took the opportunity to glance at their surroundings. The well-organized apartment was small and clean. The flooring looked like bamboo, and one entire wall was covered in windows, letting in the early morning light. The kitchen was on that end of the apartment, and a couple of doors led to what she guessed would be a bathroom and bedroom.

  Twenty minutes later, Jacob still hadn’t stopped Time-Seeing.

  “Should we be concerned?” Austin asked.

  Coolidge shrugged. “I’m honestly not sure.”

  Juri handed out more Japanese candies.

  Finally, Jacob returned. “I couldn’t find anything. All the doors are either broken, blocked, or removed. I need a door that’s fully functional in order to use the key.”

  “So . . . what now?” Nicole asked.

  Coolidge frowned, turning to Juri. “What do you suggest?”

  “If we can’t get on the island that way,” she said, “we’ll need to hire a boat and try sneaking.”

  “Do you know anyone who’d be able to help us?”

  She hesitated, then nodded. “Yes, for a price.”

  Coolidge relaxed. “If it’s money we need, we’ve got that.” He glanced at Nicole.

  “Definitely,” Nicole said. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “Okay, I’ll call him.” Juri pulled out her ph
one and held a brief conversation in rapid-fire Japanese. Nicole couldn’t help but be in awe that someone could speak something so complicated so quickly. It was amazing.

  “We have to hurry,” Juri said. “He’s working as a boat driver for the tours, and his first shift will start in three hours. As it takes an hour to reach the island, that doesn’t give us much time. Oh, and we must give him half the money up front.” She looked at Nicole. “I can show you to a bank.”

  Nicole nodded, grateful yet again that she had access to large sums of money. It made everything so much easier.

  Twenty minutes later, Juri, the Aretes, and Jacob were at the boat harbor, watching as a Japanese man pulled his boat up to the dock. He and Juri bowed to each other, then Juri handed him a fat envelope, which he slid into his jacket pocket.

  The man turned a large smile to Coolidge and the rest. “Welcome! Please, come on boat.”

  Lizzie clenched Nicole’s hand as they walked up the gangway. “I hate water. Have I ever told you that?” she said.

  Nicole tilted her head. “No, you haven’t. I thought you loved boating.”

  “Okay, I hate the ocean. Fathomless, unreachable depths. Sharks. Jellyfish.”

  Nicole patted Lizzie’s arm as they settled in near the front of the large boat. “No worries. We have Aretes here who can help if anything happens.”

  Soon, a brisk breeze made conversation difficult, and Nicole turned to watch as the island slowly approached. She got chills looking at it. The thing was creepy. Deteriorating buildings covered it, with huge weeds growing through the stones. It looked like an ancient war zone.

  The man gave a memorized spiel about coal mining and how busy the island had been for many years until the mine was depleted and abandoned. He suddenly got serious, turning to the group.

  “Some of you must stay on boat. Rest, go on island.”

  Coolidge glanced at the others. “Lizzie and Juri, I hate doing this to you, but I’m going to have you be the ones who stay. Austin, Nicole, Jacob, and I will go.”

  Lizzie blinked, her eyes straying from the island to him. “What did you say?”

  He repeated his request.

  “Mkay.”