I shook my head, reluctantly. A couple of marks on a map and a last-minute appearance at the meeting didn’t constitute proof. Besides, all indicators were that the lighting of the torches was an official part of the Beltane Festival.

“I see.” Brackenberry cracked his knuckles, the sound as loud as tree branches snapping. “We’ll look into the claims about the festival, but I need to know if in your little investigation one of you took some kind of magical stick out of Miss Norton’s classroom. She says it went missing this very day, and that strikes me as quite a coincidence.”

It took every ounce of my self-control not to look at Eli. Miss Norton kept the talking stick—surely the object in question—in her classroom, at least during the school day, and he would’ve had a perfect opportunity to take it if he wanted to. Not that he had any reason for taking it that I knew of.

“No, we did not,” Eli replied, coolly.

Brackenberry turned that accusing gaze on me. “Well, then, you won’t mind turning out your pockets for me, will you?”

“Nope.” I stood up and did as he asked, although how he thought I would be able to hide that thing inside these jeans was beyond me.

“Okay, now the rest of you,” Brackenberry said, once he’d seen both of my pockets were empty.

Selene and Eli did the same, and Eli’s pockets—which probably were deep enough to conceal the stick—were as empty as mine. I wondered where he’d stashed the moonwort key, then decided I didn’t want to know.

The sheriff stood up. “All right. You three will stay here until we’ve sorted this out. And we’ll be checking your lockers for the stick, too, just to be sure.”

I shrugged. “Knock yourself out.” I hoped I wouldn’t regret saying that. I hadn’t cleaned out my locker in ages, but I didn’t think I had anything in there liable to get me in trouble.

Well, more trouble.

The moment Sheriff Brackenberry and Lady Elaine left, I turned toward Eli. “Was the talking stick in her classroom when you went through it?”

Eli shook his head. “I don’t remember seeing it, but it wasn’t exactly my focus.”

He waved at Selene. “So how did you know Miss Norton was coming?”

Selene grimaced. “Lucky chance. She passed by my classroom. I didn’t know for sure she was heading for her office, but I figured better safe than sorry. I asked to be excused and then I sprinted up the stairs, hoping to cut her off. She waddles pretty slow, but there just wasn’t enough time.”

“Why didn’t you send us a text?” asked Eli.

“I was stupid and forgot my phone this morning.”

I patted her arm. “At least you tried. But of all the bad luck. I bet the missing stick is the reason she came to her office in the first place.”

“Probably.” Eli leaned back and stretched his legs out in front of him, crossing them at the ankles.

We did only a little talking after that, which didn’t help pass the time any. And there was a lot of it. Sheriff Brackenberry and Lady Elaine didn’t return until more than an hour later.

Once again they sat down across from us, but this time Lady Elaine started off the conversation. “It turns out you were correct about the Terra Tribe.”

I sat forward, eager for news.

“They were planning a demonstration for the festival,” Lady Elaine continued. “The torches were enchanted with messages that would appear in the sky once they were lit. A speech along the lines of the one you heard Oliver Cork give during the meeting.”

I frowned. “That’s it? Just a speech?”

Brackenberry cleared his throat. “Perfectly harmless, if a little inflammatory. Still, I’m sure the Magi Senate will appreciate not having their celebration disrupted by a student protest. But unfortunately, it’s too close to the celebration to replace the Terra Tribe volunteers, so they will be permitted to light the bonfires, but they won’t have any access to the torches beforehand.”

I huffed and leaned back in my chair. I knew I should be relieved they hadn’t been planning anything nefarious, but it was hard not to feel a little disappointed, too.

“Speaking of perfectly harmless,” Lady Elaine said as she tapped her fingernails against the table. She wore bright pink nail polish. “I wanted to tell you that we’ve identified the curse used on Lance. It’s not deadly, at least not at first, and we should be able to break it any day now.”

Selene exhaled, the sound just barely audible. “What kind of curse was it?”

“One designed to inhibit a person’s production of fictus.” Lady Elaine glanced at Eli. “It prevents him from being able to dream.”

It was my turn to exhale. This proved it then. That curse had been intended for Eli. It was the only reason why it would be designed to affect fictus. Titus Kirkwood was definitely trying to stop Eli and me from seeing the future in his dreams.

“Now, if there’re no more questions,” Sheriff Brackenberry said, “we need to discuss your punishment for today’s fiasco.”

Eli, Selene, and I all glanced at one another, sharing mutual dread.

“We’ve decided to let Miss Norton determine your punishment,” Lady Elaine said. “She wants two weeks of Saturday school starting next week and suspension from the Beltane Festival.”

I gripped the arms of my chair. “How’s that fair? Don’t let her decide. She was the one behind the protest.”