Kaito Silverleaf's Arc

Chapter 5 of 5

Kaito reached the tower as the sun climbed. It rose from the trees in gray stone, wrapped in ivy, its glass dome bright above. Old marks were carved around the door. A wide willow stood beside it, its long branches sweeping the ground. Kaito stopped in its shade and looked at his arm. The gray paste had cracked and thinned. Under it, the marks glowed faint. Garrick had warned him: two days, no more. The two days were gone. Once the master saw the light, he might react like every elf had. Fear. A closed door. Kaito wiped his sleeve down, trying to spread the last of the paste. It smeared into dust and fell away. The marks showed clear now, five of them, pulsing pale blue. He could not hide them. He pressed his back to the willow trunk and thought about running. But there was nowhere left to run. The tower door opened. An old man stepped out. He was small, with a long white beard and hair tied in a knot. His robe was plain, his feet bare on the cold stone. His eyes went straight to Kaito's arm. Kaito braced for the shout, the slammed door. "You let the paste run out," the old man said. Not afraid. Annoyed. "Garrick sends me a boy who can't keep his own disguise." "You're Master Shen Wu," Kaito said. He held his ground under the willow. "You know what these are." "I know they're not a curse." Shen Wu came closer. He took Kaito's wrist without asking and turned the arm to the light. He studied the five marks the way Kaito had studied a map. "Old blood. Older than any house in that town. They fear it because they forgot it." He let go. "You crossed soldiers to get here." "Yes. A man was taken because of me." The words hurt to say. "Aldor. He gave the guards my name so I could reach you." Shen Wu's face did not soften. "Then don't waste what he bought." He turned toward the door. "Inside. The paste taught you to hide. I will teach you the opposite." Kaito followed him into the tower. The room was tall and full of tables, glass jars, and open books. A soft hum ran through the walls. For the first time since the marks appeared, no one had backed away from him. His chest loosened. "Sit," Shen Wu said. He set a small locket on the table between them. Kaito knew that kind of locket. Eleanor's message had come through one like it. "Before I teach you, you answer me one thing." His dark eyes fixed on Kaito. "Who told you to come here?" "My great grandmother. Eleanor." Shen Wu went still. He looked at the locket, then back at Kaito. "Eleanor Silverleaf is dead a hundred years," he said quietly. "And she never had a grandson."