Page 3 of Out of Sight

“Four. The weird thing is that I heard the dark elves were so nice. I never thought one of them would do something like this.”

Nora froze. “Dark elves?”

“Yeah. Hrinian is a dark elf. He’s the one who put the lock on me.”

Nora looked at her. “I am going to make a call, and you are not going to leave my sight until I get someone out here. They police their own, and this should have been dealt with.”

Ted nodded. “Sure. Aurora is busy trying to find more food that isn’t squishy or sticky. We have some time before we finish our mains.”

Sabin looked appalled and finally asked, “Was it a bite?”

“Oh, it isn’t a mate mark. It’s a thrall mark. He’s using my power as if I was a servant and owed it to him.”

Nora spoke quietly into her phone and relayed a little of the information. She paused and said, “They want you to go to the palace.”

“The moment you hang up, they will forget about the call. Right now, you are the tether.”

Nora nodded and explained the issue with her being out of direct view. It was going to be a person-to-person handoff.

There was a hazy mark on the sidewalk out front, and a dark figure took shape inside it.

“Oh, I get it now. That makes more sense.”

Nora whispered. “What?”

“Hrinian isn’t pure dark elf. He’s a descendant and needed a boost. I was the boost.”

The figure walked into the restaurant and came directly toward their table. He sat and looked at Ted. “You have been marked?”

“A thrall mark. Six years ago. It is making people forget me the moment that I am out of their sight.”

“Ah, hence the direct contact. May I see the mark?”

She pulled the neck of her t-shirt down to show the thick black band. “It goes all the way around. No variation or glyphs. It is a straight power draw.”

“You know who did this?”

“His name is Hrinian. After seeing you, he was a photocopy error. I think he was descended from dark elves but definitely doesn’t have the same vibe you do.”

He blinked. “Are you flirting?”

“Um, no. I don’t do that.”

Sabin smiled. “She doesn’t.”

“May I touch the mark?”

She shrugged. “That is rather the point, right?”

He carefully extended one finger, there was a bright crackle of static, and he was zapped. “Oh, dear. That wasn’t a dark elf.”

“What was he then?”

“Shadow mage. Fortunately, there are new mages who should be able to help you break that link.”

“You can’t do it?”

“No. It is like AC versus DC.”