A surge of warmth for Kensington washed over Zach in that moment. This man, thispowerfulman, who was the leader of the North American magical community, was grumpy and disconcerted because Drew was in trouble and he hadn’t been able to help. Zach had always liked Kensington, but he felt even more connected to him when it was so glaringly obvious how much he cared about the man Zach loved.
“I might be out of line here,” Zach said carefully. “But you’re the Grand Master. Can’t you just tell Tremblay to fuck off?”
Kensington took another long drag of his cigarette before answering. “It’s a delicate situation and I have to tread carefully,” he said. “Cavendish’s appointment was quite contentious, given how young and inexperienced he is. I myself was opposed to it. The Collective is a democracy, however, and the votes were in his favour, even though I don’t truly believe he actuallywantedthe position of head of the Alberta chapter.”
“You believe he was voted in so other, less powerful members who themselves would never have a chance of becoming head, could take advantage?”
“Indeed.” Kensington stubbed out his cigarette in the dirt and hid the butt away in the pocket of his robes. “Tremblay has nominated five times over the years to be the head of various chapters and has failed to gain the necessary votes by a long shot each time. It hasn’t dulled his lust for power, though. He’s a conniving bastard, but he can be quite charming when he wants to be. It’s how he wormed his way into the position of Alastair’s mentor, and I don’t need to tell you how much influence a mentor can have. Alastair is a good kid, but he’s easily led.”
“He was nervous about opposing Tremblay in there earlier, but he still did it,” Zach pointed out.
“It’s easy enough to do so when you’re agreeing with the majority of your peers,” Kensington said. “One-on-one, I do not believe Alistair would have the bravado to defy Tremblay.”
“You think he’s so easily swayed?”
“It isn’t that I believe him impressionable, but he does not like to let people down. He craves validation and to be praised.”
Zach nodded. “Drew is a people pleaser as well.”
“They are very similar,” Kensington agreed. “Our Drew has more of a backbone, though. I had been hoping to introduce them soon. I think a friendship between the two of them will be beneficial to both.”
“In order to introduce them, we have to get Drew back,” Zach said. “So, how about we work on getting that done?” He held out a hand.
Kensington allowed himself to be hauled to his feet, and he took a moment to brush off the seat of his robes and pop a mint in his mouth. Piece by piece, Zach watched the Grand Master put himself back together and wrap himself in his authority. Once he was done, he gestured back down towards the house. “After you, Zachariel.”
Zach nodded and led the way back into the fray.
Zach was rapidly losing his patience. He’d been polite when the group took a break to eat. When they finally got back to the workshop and began debating how they would actually go about pooling their collective power, he’d sat quietly. He didn’t murder anyone when they discussed sourcing a large crystal to use as a focussing tool. But they’d been back around the table for almost three hours now andthey were still talking and not doing anything.
When Van de Laar began to digress from her train of thought about the type of crystal they needed and started talking about an adventure she’d had in her youth, Zach was at breaking point. His hands were clenched into fists, and he wouldn’t have been surprised if steam was pouring from his ears. Luckily—for everyone else in the room—Kensington noted how close he was to grievous bodily harm and suggested he go for a walk.
“I’d rather stay here so I’m ready to go the minute you all are,” he protested.
“We need to wait for Simon to go to Chemainus and pick up a crystal then come back. That’s going to take time. Go and get some air.”
“I would really rather prefer—”
“Zachariel,” Kensington growled. “I’m not asking.”
Zach pushed up from the table, not even caring at the loudsqueakthe chair made on the floor. “Fine,” he grumbled, and stalked from the room like a petulant child.
The streets of Ladysmith were relatively quiet. Zach honestly couldn’t say if it was Monday or Tuesday, but he knew it was one of them. School wasn’t yet out, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before it was and parents would be dragging their kids to Country Grocer or Save On to get thingsfor dinner, or to a park to kick around a soccer ball or play on the playground.
He walked down First Avenue and allowed the bright sunshine to warm him. Gulls flew high overhead, circling the harbour to his right. The sun glinted off the water, and on the other side of the bay he could see the pens of floating logs bobbing up and down. It was the perfect summer’s day, one which Drew would have revelled in, and Zach’s heart ached once more at his absence. In his long, long life, he’d never considered himself to be clingy, but here he was, falling apart at the seams because he’d been without Drew for an entire day. Logically, he knew it was his fear and worry doing the hard work, but it didn’t stop him from feeling utterly pathetic.
Zach walked aimlessly for a while, then decided to cross the highway and head down to the park at Transfer Beach. He’d always found the ocean calming, and maybe if he sat and looked at the water for a little while, his agitated energy would dissipate.
The park was quite busy, with several young families using the splash pad, an elderly couple on a picnic rug reading, and a number of people doing Tai Chi on the grass. Zach walked past them all, wandering along the rocky shoreline to the far end of the park. Behind him, the massive floral display that spelled out Ladysmith in colourful flowers was in full bloom on the slope. A couple of tourists were taking photos of it, but they soon left and he was alone.
He sat for a long time, just staring out at the ocean. Now and then, an otter would breach the surface, sending a wave of ripples cascading away from its furry head before diving back under. Gulls flew overhead, screeching loudly as they dove for fish. It was peaceful, and little by little, Zach felt himself calm down. He was still eager to be moving, to be taking action, but he wasn’t at breaking point anymore. He knew if he went back to HQ now, he wouldn’t be tempted to strangle half the magic users gathered there.
A disturbance back down the beach caught Zach’s attention, and he noticed a small crowd gathering around a woman. Even from here, he could tell she was panicked. He stood, immediately at attention at her distress.
“My baby!” she cried. “Where’s Hayden?!”
Zach hurried towards the group and grabbed the arm of an older man. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Her little boy is missing,” the man explained in a tight voice. “He’s two years old, has brown hair and brown eyes, and is wearing blue swim shorts and a green T-shirt.”
