Fly by Midnight by Lauren Quick Read Free Book Online

of the pieces of parchment that Harper had given them. The inky writing sprang to life, shifting into an elaborate grid.
    “What is that? It looks like a blueprint of some kind.” Strange architectural diagrams and magical rune marks emerged on the parchment.
    Sawyer ran his hand across the top of his head. “It appears this guy was working on the wall. See this,” he said, pointing to the series of runes. Literally hundreds of marks created columns of magical spells on the page. “Layered advanced spellwork. It’s where magic and science connect.” He took a deep breath. Magical science was the hottest persuasion to emerge in the last century. “I thought I was smart, but compared to this stuff…whoever wrote these spells is a genius. Wands down.”
    “Hold on, back up. Did you say the wall ? Are you kidding?” Excitement flooded through her. It made sense. The information from Jane had pointed to a large-scale project, and the wall was basically a huge network of barrier spells. “The witching wall!”
    “From what I can tell, this guy is seriously talented in magical-barrier spellcraft. In fact, the parchments suggest he’s deeply involved.”
    Honora’s gut tightened, and she paced the office, trying to absorb the enormous implications of a wizard of Jonathan’s skill level gone missing.
    The witching wall was an invisible magical barrier and was Everland’s best-kept secret. No one talked about it, because it simply was. The council had built the magical barrier to keep all other entities out of Everland and to keep the witching world hidden and safe. Maintaining that separation took a lot of powerful magic. It was Everland’s last defense against the Otherworld.
    The wall was so secretive, powerful, and magical, it was practically a myth, and only the basics of its existence were ever disclosed. No one had ever seen it. The wall’s magic and location were unknown to the public, and the witches and wizards who worked to maintain the magical barrier were even more secretive than the Hex Division. All Honora knew was they were called wardens of the wall.
    “Can you determine what kind of work Jonathan Rainer was doing with the wall?” Honora pulled a chair up to Sawyer’s desk. “I need to know for sure. Was he a magical consultant? He’s an academic, but how involved was he?”
    After a few minutes of staring at the material, scribbling notes across a parchment pad, and deciphering the runes, Sawyer turned to Honora with a grin. “These magical codes and spells are amazing. It’s unbelievable,” he gushed, and then cleared his throat. “I believe Jonathan Rainer is one of the council’s top persuasionists on barrier spells, magical containment, and illusion. He’s doing a lot more than consulting.” Sawyer squinted as a new string of magical runes appeared on the parchment. “The rune spells are old, like ancient. If I’m reading this information right, it’s based on the original magical spells that built the wall. It reads like a history lesson.”
    “I’ve got photos showing two different identities, which would make sense if he’s involved with a high-level security project concerning the wall. He’s probably using a disguise. Depending on her clearance, Jane might not even realize what her husband does for a living.”
    “Interesting. The wizard who wrote these spells couldn’t be young, unless he’s some kind of genius.” Sawyer scratched his head. “He’s got to be much older, highly experienced, and knowledgeable on historical spellcraft of the wall.”
    “You don’t think he’s a warden of the wall, do you?” Honora couldn’t believe what she was asking. A shiver trailed up her spine.
    “I don’t think so. The parchments clearly state that the wall is maintained at the four quadrants—north, south, east, and west. There’s a station building at each secret location, housing a warden and a guardian to maintain the barrier. So I don’t see how he can be a warden