“I think some people are just born with natural gifts. What makes the village unique is that so many obviously were.”
He tapped his fingers on his thigh as if it were a nervous gesture. Benedek knew a mage had no wasted movement with their hands.
Drakos is up to something,he warned Silke.
“As a group, we’ve tried to visit the local forest. It’s ancient and supposedly has many unusual flowers, trees and shrubs that would be interesting to us, but even though we can see it quite plainly, no matter how far we walk, we can’t seem to get there. Castello claims he was able to get someone to take him, but they couldn’t walk even a step inside. How is that possible?”
“Who took Castello to the forest?”
“What difference does that make?”
“Some of the locals enjoy playing pranks. If what Castello told you is true, he could have been led to a portion that no one enters.”
“Ese Jordan. He seems solid enough. Castello knows him from online. I believe they’ve been friends for a couple of years or so.”
Jordan has a gambling problem. He is a partner with Milan and Gesina Laninga. He stole money from them and sold off their best cows. She’s pregnant.
Would he be able to tell Castello who the slayer is?
No, but he could tell these people all the myths surrounding the Battle of Baduhenna.
What of Tora?
He was around when Tora was growing up. He would never suspect her of being Carpathian. Once she became grown, she didn’t mingle with the villagers. She’s worried about the gate and spends quite a bit of her time there unless I call to her.
It seems this Ese Jordan will need a visit very soon. We cannot afford to have traitors in the village during a battle with Lilith’s army.He expected a protest, but instead, Silke addressed the mage.
“Ah, Ese. He’s one of our problems here in the village. He’s a known gambler, and many times he runs cons for money. If Castello offered him any money at all, he would take him to the wrong entrance so later he could get more money to try again.”
“Does the forest have magical properties?”
The mage had the perfect tone, curious and interested. He’d already established his interest in plants. It would stand to reason that he would ask questions about the forest.
“To me it does. I love plants and spend a great deal of time transplanting anything medicinal and finding out as much as I can about them. I’ve brought quite a collection here, as did others before me. Some plants are very poisonous, and I want to be able to ensure the children don’t go near them.”
For some reason, her answer seemed to irritate Drakos. The mage waved one hand in the air toward Silke in an animated gesture, at the same time exhaling outward, sending tiny invisible hooks, hundreds of them, through his mouth as he exhaled. His hand pushed the hooks toward her even as the fingers of his other hand tapped out a dark spell.
It was easy enough for Benedek to see the hooks. He was invisible, and anything in that realm was like glaring lights to him. Unfortunately, at the moment he was molecules, easy for the hooks to pass through to get to his woman. He took a chance by pushing air around her, erecting a barrier the mage would be unable to see.
He’s trying to entrap you. I’ve surrounded you with an air barrier he can’t get through, but he felt the disturbance.
The mage was looking carefully around him and then his suspicious gaze jumped to Silke. “You want to tell me the truth about your adoptive mother. Is she a slayer?”
“No, she’s not. She’s a healer. Most likely awitte wieven. In case you are unfamiliar with that term, she is considered a wise woman walking among us. To me, she is my mother and an infinite source of education on plants and healing. The villagers revere her, and most won’t speak of her to outsiders. I’m certain you and Castello have already run into their silence.”
Benedek noted she slid the backpack open and it now lay on the side of her chair at her fingertips. She would not have disclosed any information to the mage unless she planned to attack him.
Drakos didn’t notice the change in Silke or the position of her backpack. Triumph slipped into the coolness of his eyes. He believed his hooks had found her and she was answering his questions because she was under his spell. Benedek could feel the power in the mage, yet he was so used to having an easy time because he dealt mainly with humans, he didn’t see that Silke was a threat to him. Even after he’dfeltthe disturbance in the air when Benedek had used a Carpathian gift, the mage, although suspicious for a moment, dismissed the warning.
Castello, the demon, was also used to dealing with humans. He had never encountered shields in humans preventing him from recruiting or getting the answers he wanted. Both men had been in the world of humans for so long that they’d grown complacent.
Do not attack him without giving me the word that you are going to. I’m between you.
I know exactly where you are.
He had to smile at her snippy tone. His woman didn’t like it when he underestimated her.
“Invite me into your home to meet your mother.”
