Fathomless by Anne M. Pillsworth Read Free Book Online Page B

That’s an awesome tan.”
    Marvell’s white-toothed smile made his skin look even darker. “Thanks, Eddy. Two months in Greece helped.”
    â€œWere you on an archaeological dig?”
    â€œNo, just visiting relatives.”
    Oh, right, because Marvell’s mother was Greek, which explained his dark brown hair and eyes and that scary first name of Theophilus. To poke at Eddy, Sean asked, “Your relatives aren’t archaeologists, Professor?”
    Marvell must not have realized it was a joke, because he didn’t smile when he turned to Sean. “I’m afraid not, Sean. Glad to see you arrived without incident.”
    â€œNo problems. Eddy drove.”
    â€œAh, that explains it.” Marvell smiled again, at Daniel. “Good morning. All well?”
    â€œAll well, Professor.”
    â€œTo business, then. Let the tyranny of the alphabet prevail, Glass before Wyndham.”
    â€œI’ll warm up the rack for you,” Daniel whispered before following Marvell and Helen into the library.
    Eddy curled up in a front parlor armchair and started rerereading Franny and Zooey . Apparently, Daniel was also rerereading it, so they could analyze the book together at lunch. That sounded like so much fun that Sean went out to watch carpenters lay the carriage house subfloor. He’d helped Joe-Jack lay floors, but the foreman here gave him dirty looks if he drifted near the work zone. His loss—Sean would have worked for nothing to pass the long hour before Daniel came outside, his pale skin flushed. “Was it that bad?”
    â€œNo. It was good. You better go in.”
    After a pit stop to wash off secondhand construction grime, Sean slipped into the library. Marvell sat at the head of the conference table, with Helen to his right. The chair to Marvell’s left was askew, so Daniel must have sat there. Good enough for Daniel, good enough for Sean. “So,” Marvell said as he settled in. “How’s the carriage house coming? The crew must have arrived by now.”
    They hadn’t heard the nail guns? Come to listen, Sean didn’t hear them either, even though the windows were open and the chirrup of sparrows drifted in from the side garden. “Yeah, and they’re making a racket.”
    â€œBut not in here,” Helen said.
    â€œIs it magic?”
    â€œA ward that filters out unwanted noise,” Marvell said. “Too bad we can’t ward away the mess, but it’ll be worth it once the Order’s housed in one building instead of scattered around campus.”
    â€œAnd the basement, Professor? Looks like it’s going to be a vault.”
    Marvell’s eyebrows arched. “Part of it will be. We’ve collected many irreplaceable items, some dangerous. That area will be closed to students, of course.”
    In fortune-teller singsong, Helen added, “But someday you’ll have a key to all the mysteries.”
    â€œNobody has that key,” Marvell said, so totally serious that Helen got busy with the canary yellow binder in front of her. To Sean, he said, “You saw Orne’s aether-newt the other night?”
    So the small talk was over. “Yeah, Professor. But it didn’t bring any message. Not unless the way it wags its tail means something.”
    â€œThe gestures probably have meaning for its master and his regular contacts. Helen says you spoke to the newt. Do you think that was a good idea?”
    Marvell had borrowed Dad’s you-screwed-up voice, and his Back Bay accent made it sound even more ominous. “I didn’t think it would matter. I mean, I didn’t tell it any secrets.”
    â€œWhat did you say?”
    â€œI asked why it was letting me see it. All it did was flick its tail, like it was flipping me the bird.” Marvell gazed at him unamused, but there was no going back. “So I told it and Orne to fuck off.”
    As if Marvell smelled something nasty, his