Superior Charles flicks his wrist and opens the door to the study. “Now go. Chancellor Eduardo is waiting for you two.” As Victor and Leo are about to exit the room, “Leo, a word.”
Leo nods to Victor. “I’ll meet you at the mirror.” He walks back up to the desk while Victor exits the office. “Yes, Superior?”
Superior Charles waits until Victor is out of earshot. “He’s upset with you. Why?”
Leo takes a deep breath and looks down at the desk. “I think he’s more upset over Derek than me. But it’s hard to tell.”
“His feelings are hurt. Whatever happened, you’ll want to fix it. We can’t have a young empath-in-training with conflicting emotions. He needs to be focused,” Superior Charles suggests.
Leo nods doubtfully. “It’s not going to be easy to fix. I thought he was going to melt my face off when he spoke to me before we met up with Wren.”
“Then figure out a way.” Superior Charles gestures to Leo to leave.
Chapter Thirty-One
Victor and Leo enter a small room with windows that look out onto a field. Victor walks closer to the window and sees lines of agave plants sprawling for almost half a mile. He lifts the window open, feels the cool breeze, and can smell the agave roasting in a nearby building.
“¡Bienvenidos a mi casa, mis amigos!”Eddie enters the room, holding a bottle of tequila in one hand and three shot glasses in the other. “You’re just in time. This bottle is from my latest batch.”
“Nice to see you again, Eduardo,” Victor proclaims with a smile.
“Please, just call me Eddie. There’s no need to use formalities here, my friend.” Eddie then walks over and hands Victor and Leo a shot glass.
“No salt and limes?” Leo asks.
Victor chuckles, “Please forgive my friend. He doesn’t know how to drink tequila like a Mexican.”
Eddie laughs as he pours everyone a shot of tequila.“¡Salud!”Eddie cheers. They knock back their shots, and Leo’s face goes sour. Eddie pats Leo’s shoulder hard and says, “Come now, it wasn’t that bad.”
Leo can hardly breathe, saying, “Smooth.”
Victor hands Eddie his shot glass. “If this is how you greet your guests, I might visit more often.”
Eddie pours himself and Victor another shot. “You’re welcome anytime,mi amigo. Leo,uno más?” Leo shakes his head, and Eddie laughs.
Eddie holds up his shot glass for another toast.“Arriba. Abajo. Al Centro.”
Victor finishes,“Y Pa’dentro.”Eddie and Victor clink their shot glasses together and knock back their second shot. “Damn! How come I’ve never seen this brand before?”
Eddie sets down the bottle on a small table and takes back the shot glasses. “Tres Brujos is expensive. You won’t see it at normal liquor stores.” He claps his hands and rubs his palms together. “So, let’s show you to your rooms.”
Victor follows Eddie outside and down a sidewalk along the house. He looks out to the field and sees the workers collecting agave to be taken to the ovens. The workers are not using magic to collect and shave the agave for transport; everything is being done manually. As Victor scans the field, he can see their auras intertwining. The workers are enjoying themselves and take pride in their work.
Victor then stops for a moment and takes in the sweet smell of Mexican pastries. He walks up to a doorway and sees several people baking in a kitchen. Tejano music is playing on the radio. Everyone smiles and laughs as they knead the dough or take the bread out of the ovens.
Eddie leads Victor and Leo down another hallway and up a flight of stairs. “I hope you enjoy mi casa while you’re visiting,” Eddie says as he looks back at them.
“Is everyone here a person of magic?” Victor asks.
As Eddie rounds the banister, he responds, “Almost half of my workers are witches or warlocks. But everything made here is done by hand to keep the tradition alive and proper.” He turns around and stops at a door. “Almost everything.” Eddie winks at Victor as he opens the door. “Victor, this will be your room.”
Victor walks into a room decorated with vibrant Mexican decor. Beautiful tiles cover the wall which his bed rests against. The linen curtains hanging above the balcony door flow in the breeze from outside. He’s starting to feel a little relaxed, either from the setting or from the tequila.
“Buenas Tardes, Señor Russo!”says a midwestern voice behind Victor.
Victor’s relaxation comes to an abrupt end when the maid arrives. “Hello. I didn’t realize you work here.” Victor notices Leo leaning against the door frame, trying to hide his laughter. Eddie smiles with his arms crossed, amused by the situation.
The maid walks over to a set of suitcases by a tall dresser. “I go wherever you go, my dear. I am, of course, your personal maid. I just want to make sure you have everything here.” She looks around and says, “Mr. Leon, I don’t see Mr. Russo’s suit.”
