Morgan was prepared for Cassandra’s reaction. That she was speaking in her mind did not bode well.“I am in grave need of your healing touch.”
“What of yours?”
“Rowan was poisoned and is beyond my skill.”
Cassandra appeared in the entrance of the compound, flanked by two guards, her thoughts hidden.
Morgan waited for Cassandra’s answer. Cassandra was well within her right to refuse to help him. Rowan lay on the ground, his face turned away from them, his breathing shallow. Male Wizards and Trolls had a long-standing agreement to stay out of each other’s way. The centuries-old feud traced back to one incident that had never been resolved.
“Cassandra, please trust me. He will not harm you.”
“We trust you, milady, but male Wizards are another matter. Trusting them is not easy to do after a lifetime of broken promises. Trusting them costs us lives. Compassion was bred from them. Duty to the Talons and the Grey Council is all they know. You must seek another healer. No one here will risk touching him.”
Wiz loped from around the trees, barked and moved closer to Rowan, licking his face. The dog sat back on his haunches and held Cassandra’s gaze.
The green aura surrounding Cassandra deepened to emerald. She glided toward the dog and stroked the animal’s fur.“There you are, my pet. I had wondered where you had gone. Really? The Fire Wizard saved your life? Extraordinary. Yes, of course, that changes everything. No, no, calm yourself. Forgive us, milady. We will do what we can for your Fire Wizard.”
A group of male Trolls emerged from the shadows and carried Rowan toward the compound as Morgan followed close behind.“I am grateful, but why did you change your mind so quickly?”
“This Fire Wizard risked exposure to save an animal’s life. As I’m sure you are aware, Wiz is no ordinary shapeshifter. If he vouches for Rowan, that is enough for us.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
A veil of muted golden light draped over Rowan as green and white images glowed beyond his reach. He floated close to the surface of awareness as though partially submerged in a tub of warm water. Even the gunshot wound on his shoulder had retreated to a dull throb. If he was dead, maybe this was the fate of soul-less Wizards. So far, not so bad, unless you counted the sulfur smell and the fact his body felt like someone had used it for target practice.
The other reality was that he existed in the in-between time that had gripped his brother before he shapeshifted into his dragon form. Pain, not from Rowan’s wounds but the one throbbing from the empty place in his heart, flamed over him. Could Stryker still recognize him? Rowan knew so little about what Stryker had become. He knew only that his brother had the ability to shapeshift into a dragon form and had the power of invisibility. Those with these powers were called Dragon Wizards but had not been seen since the war between Dragons and Wizards.
Would Rowan evolve into a Dragon Wizard as well and seek vengeance on the magical community?
Better if he was dead.
He focused on the possibility Morgan had discovered a way to heal him, and he tried to remember the last events before he lost consciousness at Sorsha’s house.
He remembered finding out who was processing the Oculist stones and poisoning Wizards. The files in Zacharias’s office supported the man’s plan to start an old-fashioned Middle Ages style genocide, in which those the Talons deemed unworthy would be eradicated.
The files also revealed that Zacharias’s deceased wife was a Water Wizard, and they’d had a college-aged daughter, butthere was no mention of whether she had inherited any powers. Perhaps Zacharias felt he had had to comply with Vlad and the Talons to protect his daughter. She might not have powers, but half-breeds were considered an abomination by both the Talons and the hard-core members of the Grey Council.
The mystery of who was behind the male Wizard deaths was solved. The next was finding who had murdered Morgan’s sister Wizards on the island. That one could prove even more difficult—and a moot point if what he suspected was actually happening. He had to face the fact that the most logical reason he was still alive was his connection to dragons. If true, that meant he would likely share the same fate as his brother. Stryker had also lingered in a dreamlike sleep before he’d turned. Was that what was happening to him?
Was this the in-between time before you lost your soul but not your body?
“He’s awake.” Voices, soft and feminine, drifted in the air around him.
But he wasn’t ready! He wondered if that was always the complaint when a person knew they were dying.
He started to rise.
Strong hands pushed him back down into liquid warmth.
“Do not move.” The voice belonged to Morgan. He ruled out being dead. If this were the afterlife, Morgan wouldn’t be with him in the same dark abyss. She’d be in the light. The other option hung over him like a smothering shroud. “Am I…a…” His voice felt raw. He worked through the pain. “Have I turned?” Her image wavered in the golden haze, preventing him from seeing her clearly. Something blocked his vision. He blinked and felt a light fabric over his eyes.
Panic rose within him. “Why are my eyes covered? What’s wrong?”
“We shall find out soon.” Her words didn’t fill him with warm fuzziness.
“What’s wrong?” he repeated.
Morgan pulled his hands away from his face and began removing the bandages from his eyes. “Cassandra wants you to be still while she examines you. Can you do that for me?”
