She’s out the door before anyone can respond, the sound of her combat boots fading rapidly down the hallway.
Villeneuve watches her go with an expression that could be amusement, if amusement involved absolutely no change in facial features whatsoever.
“Your sister continues to find my presence unsettling,” he observes to Micah.
“Yeah, imagine that,” Micah says dryly.
I cross the room to where Villeneuve is standing, ignoring the way Killian’s attention snaps toward me. He doesn’t like me being this close to the dragon. But he’s also afraid for me to be close tohim.
Tough. I need answers.
“Any leads?” I ask.
Villeneuve’s dark eyes meet mine. “Vyse is cross-referencing the sample against the Council’s complete database. Every magical signature they have on record, including classified archives that require special clearance to access.”
It’s nothing I don’t already know, but I nod. “So how long is it going to take?”
“It’s being expedited. The Council takes necromancy seriously.” He works his jaw slightly. “However, it’s likely thenecromancer may notbein any official database. Practitioners of the forbidden arts make a point of staying off the grid.”
“Yeah,” I say with a sigh. “I figured. So, what, Vyse just wanders around with his magic sludge sample until he gets a hit?”
“Essentially, yes. He has certain... abilities that allow him to track magical signatures across significant distances. If the necromancer is within range, Vyse will find him.”
“And if he’s not within range?”
“Then we expand the search.”
I don’t like it. It’s too passive, too dependent on factors outside our control. Vyse could take days or even weeks.
Time Killian doesn’t have.
“I want to help,” I say.
Killian’s voice booms from across the room. “No.”
I turn to face him. He’s moved from the window when I wasn’t looking to position himself closer to where Villeneuve and I are standing. His ice-blue eyes look even more amber than they usually do when he gets like this. His hands are clenched into fists.
“I wasn’t asking for permission,” I say evenly.
“Rebecca was bad enough,” he growls. “You’re not going anywhere near that necromancer when we don’t even know what he’s capable of.”
“What we do know he’s capable of is pretty fucking terrifying,” Micah agrees.
“I’m not talking about the necromancer.” I hold his gaze, refusing to back down. “I’m talking about the coven’s mansion. The Council searched it after the meadow, but they might have missed something. Something that only someone who actually lived there would recognize, in places only I would know where to look for them.”
Killian’s brows furrow. I see him processing, trying to find a reason to object that doesn’t boil down to“I’m afraid of losing you.”
Unfortunately for him, it’s mutual.
And that’s exactly why I have to do this.
Villeneuve speaks before Killian can formulate an argument. “That’s inadvisable.”
I turn back to him, surprised he’s on their side about anything. “Why?”
“The mansion has been sealed by the Council. Any magical signatures that remained have likely been catalogued and removed.” He pauses. “That and returning to a location connected to your former coven could be emotionally destabilizing.”
“I’m not fragile.”
