“Done,” Kadin said. “Just waiting for your authorization to proceed.”
“Go ahead. The job must be completed within the next three days,” Zohar ordered.
“Won’t be a problem.”
Dismissing him with a wave of his hand, Zohar said, “Send Niam in.”
Giving a short nod, Kadin left the room, stopping briefly to inform the guard of Zohar’s instructions, before weaving his way through the magic users still waiting to be summoned for their appointments. Spying Niam, Kadin headed for him, wondering if he’d been as successful as himself in accomplishing his assignment for Zohar. If Kadin was lucky, Niam would fail, giving him a chance to replace him as Zohar’s Second on the Council. It was a position he’d aspired to for years, but no opportunity had arisen for him to show why he’d be a better Second than Niam.
Cursing at being born a second-level magic user, Kadin knew he was fighting an uphill battle since the Second on the Council was always a first level magic user. But he’d never let things like that stand in his way in the past and he wasn’t going to begin now. Reaching Niam, Kadin placed his hand on the man’s shoulder, then leaning in, whispered, “Zohar is waiting.”
Tilting his head in acknowledgement, Niam Graves excused himself from a group of warlocks he’d been chatting with before moving quickly toward the office at the end of the hallway. Pausing with his hand on the doorknob, he waited until the guard confirmed his identity before slipping into the room. Claiming a chair, he sat down, waiting for Zohar to speak.
Glancing up at his Second, Zohar smiled at his friend. “Kadin’s hoping you’ll fuck up this time so he can take your place.”
Rolling his eyes, Niam said, “So what’s new? If I were in his shoes, I’d be more worried about staying alive than becoming Second.”
“He’s too stupid…and a risk,” Zohar muttered. “After he’s done, I want him gone.”
“Agreed. Have you spoken to Thayer yet?” asked Niam.
“I will shortly,” Zohar said, smirking. “Did you find the proof we need?”
“I did…she’s definitely broken our laws,” replied Niam. “I also have everything in place as we discussed. All that’s required is your order to proceed.”
“Go ahead and arrest her but make sure she can’t contact anyone.”
“Got it covered already. The last thing we want is for her to inform the Keeper,” Niam agreed.
Mystia’s blood ran cold as the words washed over her. She had no doubt Zohar was referring to her as the one who defied the Council laws, thereby putting a wrench in his plan to seize control of the Mystic Realm. The problem she was wrestling with, though, was how arresting her and charging her with a crime would help Zohar get rid of the Keeper or the Mystic Guardian.
Mystia didn’t have that answer yet, but in the meantime, there was someone she had to warn. Slipping her phone out of her pocket, she found his name and sent him instructions, hoping he’d follow her instructions to the letter. There was only one other person Mystia had to warn and, after that was done, she put her phone away, thankful her actions couldn’t be detected by any magic users. While she’d been sending her messages, Niam had left the room and Thayer had just entered.
“What did you find out about the new Keeper?” asked Zohar as Thayer sat down facing him.
Waving his hand, a report appeared on the desk. “Everything in there has been verified. The Mystic Guardian is indeed a wolf shifter from a very small pack in California…definitely not one we have to worry about. There are numerous laws the Keeper has broken, including failure to register as a low-level magic user, committing fraud and bribery in order to take custody of his brothers…”
“Are his brothers’ low-level magic users?” asked Zohar.
“No, according to the records, they are first-level magic users.”
“Hmm…” Zohar continued reading the report and, when he got to the end, looked at Thayer. “You say the Keeper’s brothers are protected…how?”
“Yes, they are, but I don’t know how. One of my men tried to get close to two of the boys he spied playing but was unable to. I haven’t figured out what the Keeper did, but whatever it was, it prevented my man from translocating there.”
“What else?”
“So far, the news of a new Keeper and Ruler has been restricted to the four of us. And until you want that to change, that’s the way it will stay,” answered Thayer.
“What about the two guards who met him?” asked Zohar.
“I removed their memories of that encounter.”
“Have you checked to see if the High Council was notified?”
“I have, and no, they haven’t. It seems the Oracle who sent you notice, followed protocol by only notifying you, leaving it up to you to follow up with the High Council.”
Grunting in satisfaction, Zohar twitched two fingers, making the report disappear. “Have you selected the guards for each of the assignments yet?”
