The table lapses into silence again and I take a bite of food to give myself something to do. When I happen to glance up from my plate, Jack’s brother is still eyeing Reva with interest while his mother has her terrifying gaze focused on me. She shifts in her seat, taking a painfully drawn-out sip of her drink before trailing her fingers over her neck.
Fighting a grimace, I return my focus to my food again, choking it down.
“Will you be staying for the dinner tonight?” His mother asks airily. “It’s the quarterly congress, as I’m sure you’re aware.”
Jack takes a swallow of his drink, rattling the ice at the bottom of his glass before he replies, “I’d forgotten, actually. My invitation must have gotten lost somehow.”
His mother nods, finishing the last of her drink before snapping her fingers to one of the waitstaff to refill it.
“Well, as much as we enjoy the pleasure of your company—” his father says, earning a snort from the brother that’s badly disguised by a cough. “—would you care to fill us in on the reason for this visit?”
“Well,” Jack says, pushing his empty plate away. “We wanted to see if you can help us track down some rogue sorcerers. Apparently, they’ve been kidnapping people and draining them of all their magic.”
His mother lets out a tinkling laugh that sets my teeth on edge. “Whatever are you talking about, son? Rogues? Kidnapping? All those years out of the city have made you very dramatic, darling.”
Jack’s smile is a smooth baring of his teeth as he splays his hands out on the tabletop. “Well, they haven’t exactly beensubtle, Mother. Leaving trails of people all over with their magic drained. Witnesses who know exactly how they look.” He tsks, shaking his head in mock disappointment. “You wouldn’t want word getting out that you’re losing control of your flock, now, would you?”
His mother delicately clears her throat. “Indeed? And do you believe you can identify these ‘rogues’ by sight?”
“We can.”
His mother’s eyes show more movement than the rest of her has demonstrated since this endless breakfast began. She gives a stiff, toothless smile that looks entirely unnatural before releasing another tinkling laugh.
“Then, of course, you should take a look at our current roster. If thereareundocumented sorcerers practicing, of course we’ll need to act swiftly.”
“Miles,” the father says with an expectant look at the brother who has his eyes firmly focused on Reva’s chest. His father nudges him in the ribs and he huffs a dramatic sigh before plucking something the size of a deck of cards from his pocket and tossing it over to Jack.
“We’ll let you finish your breakfast in peace.” Jack gets to his feet, and the rest of us jerkily follow his lead. Reva slips her hand into mine, translating quickly onto my palm. “Don’t worry though, we’ll make sure to get this back to you.”
His mother waves her hand airily. “Don’t worry about that. We have plenty.”
“Well then, we’ll be sure to update you if we do identify any of your rogues.”
Jack’s father makes a strangled sound and opens his mouth, but his wife cuts him off. “Of course, darling. It would be... well, justdarlingto see you tonight.”
Jack leads the way as we head out of the hotel while the rest of us trip along behind him. The moment we step outside, some of the tension lifts from my shoulders and Reva lets out an audible groan.
“So, that was enjoyable,” she mutters. “Where are we headed next, to stab ourselves with hundreds of tiny needles to add to this morning’s discomfort?”
“Nah,” Torin replies. “We’d need to set ourselves on fire for it to compare.”
“Or take a bath with a bunch of snakes?”
Thankfully, it’s none of those options. Instead, Jack directs us to a crumbling stone building that couldn’t look more out of place if it sprouted legs.
The city library.
Jack finds us a private study room at the bottom of the building, taking a seat around a huge wooden table. Once the rest of us have taken a seat, he reveals a small black rectangle that seems to be giving off a soft hum.
“Is that the thing your brother gave you?” Reva asks.
“It is.”
Jack taps it, just like the scrying glass in the captain’s office, and a tiny list of golden words appear on the table in front of him.
“Names,” Reva murmurs, leaning forward in her chair.
I feel even more like a country farm boy as I stare at the device. I’ve never seen anything like it.
