“Nope,” Smokey replied, warily eyeing the brood as they sat quietly munching their cookies. However, he wasn’t fooled by how angelic they looked.
“I kinda figured that, too,” Theo said, placing the rest of the cookies in a big picnic hamper. “So I came up with this great idea, you know, since soon you’ll be a father…for you to be around kids and, since we already have a bunch of them here, I figured it would be perfect for all of us to spend some time together to give you a chance to practice your daddy skills. And also because Colton needed some help…and, well, it all worked out perfectly.” After closing the hamper, he looked at Smokey and grinned. “Isn’t it grand? Perfect weather for a picnic!”
Dumbfounded, Smokey’s mouth opened and closed several times before he finally found his voice. “But…but…there’s onlythree of us and if you really want to be accurate…only two, because I’m useless as Daniel just proved.”
“You’ll be fine,” Theo replied, handing the hamper to Norm. “I’m giving you Galen and Eamon. They can’t use magic yet, so that should be a good way for you to start. Norm has Daniel and I’ll take Jake and Jessica.”
“Why does Norm get only one?” asked Smokey, frowning.
“Because you can’t handle Danny…remember?” Norm replied, chuckling. “Oh, and by the way…do you like your surprise?”
Chapter 12
Heath took several deep breaths, trying to calm down. Panic wouldn’t help find Kahn nor would it help to protect him from Josiah. Focusing on possible destinations his charge might have been headed for was a crap shoot, but he finally settled on Kahn’s condo. If he was lucky, he’d find Kahn before Reeve found out he was missing; he shuddered to think about the consequences if he failed.
Heath strode over to Gunter. “I want a man at every door. Donotallow anyone to leave and I don’t care if you have to nail every fucking opening shut, you do it…understood?”
“Yes sir.”
“And if Kahn comes back while I’m out, call me immediately…and keep him here even if you have to handcuff him to something.”
“Yes sir.”
Giving a brief nod, Heath walked out the front door. and headed for his SUV. Reaching it, he unlocked it, climbed in and started it. He sat still for a moment, trying to quell the anger surging through him; it wouldn’t do to unload it on Kahn when he finally found him. But hewouldfind him—of that he was certain. Shifting the SUV into gear, he started down the driveway, turning right towards Kahn’s condo when he reached the main road.
~/~/~/~/~
Lieutenant Duncan Steros sat frozen as he watched the taped proceedings of the last Witches’ Council—the one he missed when Zohar had drugged him and the rest of the Council’sguards with the intention of eventually killing them. “Thank the gods Zohar’s dead,” he muttered to himself.
During his time as a guard, he’d seen enough to conclude that Zohar was corrupt, but never in a million years would he have thought the magic user was capable of murder. But then there was the even more shocking piece of news about the disbanding of the Witches’ Council. The new Ruler of the Mystic Realm had decreed it, along with abolishing the Courts with their crooked judges. According to the recording, everything was changing—all past laws and actions against the low-level magic users had ended and their rights had been restored. That was something he—and his parents—never could have imagined.
Those old, draconian laws had taken away his beloved, older brother and had motivated him to enlist as a Council guard. Although his parents were unhappy with his decision, they couldn’t argue with his reasoning: to find his brother and bring him back home.
He’d spent hours of his free time studying the laws, looking for a loophole that might give his parents the right to reclaim their son, but he could find none. He couldn’t even access the records to find out who had bought his brother—they were kept in a locked room which was off-limits to guards. Now, though, he’d be able to gain access to them, and his quest would hopefully be coming to an end.
The screen went black and Duncan blinked when the lights came back on. Around him, his fellow guards rose, quietly talking among themselves, but he didn’t join in. His mind was too busy thinking about his parents and whether they’d heard the news that their son would soon be free.And what does that mean for me?His search finally over, he had to make a decision.There’sno reason to stay in the Council’s guards anymore…or is there?Or should I go back home?
Duncan knew without a doubt his parents would love to have both their sons home, but that thought didn’t sit well with him. He went into the guards for one purpose only, but eventually discovered he loved it—or at least part of it. And now the part he didn’t like had been exorcised by the new Ruler. It was a decision he’d have to make…
“Lieutenant Steros.” When Duncan didn’t respond, Dylan shook his shoulder. “Lieutenant Steros, the Ruler wishes to speak with you.”
Looking up, Duncan blinked several times, trying to focus on the man who loomed over him. Then remembering who he was, he turned to face him and said, “Okay…I mean yes sir...uhmm…why does His Majesty wish to seeme?”
Smiling, Dylon replied, “You’ll have to ask him. Ready?”
Nodding, Duncan brushed off some imaginary lint on his uniform before following Dylon out of the guards’ meeting room. He wished he could remember his previous encounters with the new Ruler but his memory of those had been wiped from his mind by order of Zohar, which now left him at a disadvantage. He tried to remember the protocol required when addressing the Ruler of the Mystic Realm but his mind was blank.He’ll think I’m a damned moron. May you burn in hell, Zohar!
Dylon stopped at the Council room door and turned to the man behind him. Frowning slightly, he saw the worry on the lieutenant’s face and made a guess as to what was causing it. “Hey, you okay?”
Surprised by the concern in the man’s voice, Duncan paused, the tension inside him beginning to subside. “Yes sir.”
“Good.” Dylon pushed open the door, stepped aside and gestured for Duncan to enter.
Once inside, Duncan looked around, spying the Ruler sitting in a chair talking to a young man about his own age. Unsure about what to do, he decided to wait until he received instructions. Standing at attention, he heard laughter coming from the corner where the Ruler sat, and began to feel more at ease. At least there didn’t seem to be any anger which, as he’d learned in the past with Zohar, could make for a very bad day.
Remy waited until Tade had finished giving his report before turning his head to look at the newcomer. Smiling, he murmured, “Tade, excuse me for a moment.” Then rising, he walked over to the lieutenant, and stood face to face with him. “Lieutenant Steros, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”
Kneeling before the Ruler, Duncan bowed his head. “Your Majesty. It’s an honor to serve you.”
