Bec made an aggravated sound. “What does that even mean?”
“Think of it like radiation,” I said. “Some things emit radiation, some things absorb it. The void is constantly emitting magic. Things like rhinoceros horns and elephant tusks absorb void magic so they have a high concentration in them.”
“Does that mean casket druids gather those things and use them to create magic?” Bec asked.
“Exactly,” Marduk said. “They’re powerful for as long as they possess the material. But each spell they cast burns up a lot of whatever they have prepared.”
“Do French bulldogs have a lot of magic in them?” she asked.
I snorted. “Not even a little. Hugo’s aura is nothing but a normal dog.”
“Then why did this guy want me to bring him Hugo?” Bec asked, then gasped. “I bet Gale has something he wants so he thinks if he can get Hugo, then he can get what he wants.”
“Maybe,” Marduk said. “If that's the case, then Gale is in danger.”
The next task was obvious. “We need to find Gale.”
“Are you sure she wasn’t in that house?” Bec asked.
“There wasn’t anything with an aura in that house,” I assured her. “There weren’t even bugs inside. Casket druids have a magic stench that drives animals away. All I could see was remnants of his aura in the dust.”
I felt Bec relax a little. “That’s good. It means she’s probably still alive. Oh, that's something I hadn't thought about. How did this druid guy know I had her dog?”
“Another good question,” Marduk said. “I hate all of this.”
“It's so weird," Bec agreed. "Isn't it great! What's our next step?”
“We should find out where Gale lives,” I said. “If she's home, we could get all our questions answered.”
“Take me to Masel Investigations. I’ll be able to find her address from there,” Bec said.
“Hey, we all made it out alive,” I said with a forced chuckle.
“We might’ve made it out alive, but both of you are being punished later,” Marduk grumbled. “Don’t think I didn’t notice how everyone ignored my instructions.”
“We saved your life!” Bec protested.
“I’m your twin, you don’t get to punish me,” I said.
“We’ll see,” Marduk said ominously.
Chapter 18
Bec
It didn’t take me long at my computer at Jim’s office to find Gale’s address. It really shouldn't be that easy, but this was the world we lived in. At least Jim had to pay for access to these services.
“Here’s where we’re going next,” I said, pointing to the screen. Danzig was quick to plug the address into his mapping app.
“Got it,” he said. I stood up to leave with them, but Marduk got in front of me, blocking me from moving away from my desk.
“You’re not coming with us,” he said.
I’m sure he was expecting me to argue, but I was done doing that. I made a shooing motion with my hands. “Then leave.”
Danzig snorted, and Marduk looked confused. The brothers held hands and stared at each other, and I heard the murmuring that meant they were talking. By their facial expressions, I couldtell Marduk wasn’t any happier by the end of the conversation than he was at the beginning.
I waited with my arms crossed. When they finally looked back at me, I raised an eyebrow. “Have you guys made a decision?”
