11. Dante
11
Dante
D ante strode through the automatic glass doors of MAGIIC HQ, his boots clicking against the polished marble floor. The map was clutched securely in his hands, its edges glowing subtly under the soft lighting of the futuristic lobby. Sebastian followed a step behind, his expression neutral as he surveyed the quiet grandeur around them. The late-night stillness of the sleek lobby wrapped around them, warding spells humming gently in the background while crystalline sconces cast a soft glow on the polished marble. Dante didn’t glance back, his focus locked on the map as he navigated the familiar corridors of the Spire tower. The elevators carried them swiftly upward, their glass walls revealing a glittering view of Eryndia’s skyline before they arrived at the ARC team’s debriefing room, perched high in the tower.
“You think they’ll know what to make of it?” Dante asked.
Sebastian cast him a sideways glance. “If anyone can, it’s the professor and Orion. They’re not amateurs.”
Dante shifted the strap of his bag higher onto his shoulder, his gaze flicking to the distant glow of light spilling from the main meeting room. “Yeah, but even experts hit dead ends.”
“Then it’s a good thing we’re not relying on luck,” Sebastian said. He reached the door and pushed it open without hesitation, revealing the ARC team’s debriefing room. The space gleamed with clean, modern lines, its panoramic windows offering a breathtaking view of downtown Eryndia lit up against the night sky.
Amara looked up from the central table, her silver-rimmed glasses catching the light as she adjusted them. Orion stood nearby, his arms crossed as he leaned against the edge of the table, his expression sharp with focus. Both turned their attention as Dante stepped into the room, his presence commanding focus.
“You’re late,” Orion said.
Dante placed the artifact map on the table with care as he met the gazes of the team gathered around. The intricate symbols on its surface glimmered, casting soft reflections on the polished tabletop. The room stilled, curiosity flashing in Amara’s eyes and Orion’s impassive face shifting to one of surprise.
“This is beyond what we anticipated,” Amara said, her tone marked with a mixture of intrigue and disbelief.
Amara reached for the map, her fingers skimming over its surface. The shimmering runes seemed to dance as if alive, and her brows knit together. “Where did you find this?” she asked, betraying her astonishment.
Dante stepped forward, his shoulders rolling in an effort to shed the weight of the night. “Malachi Lockwood,” Dante said. “He’s the one orchestrating the fires.
Orion straightened, his gaze locking on Dante. “Malachi Lockwood,” Orion repeated, his brow furrowing. “That name doesn’t ring any bells. What else did you find out?” Orion asked.
“More than we wanted to, honestly. Malachi’s got an entire group with him. They’re calling themselves the Heralds of Zephyr . And…” Dante hesitated, his gaze darting to Sebastian before refocusing on Orion. “They’re organized. Way more than we expected.”
Orion’s jaw tightened, and he exchanged a look with Amara. “Names? Faces?”
“Magnus Rhodes was there,” Dante said.
Amara’s fingers paused mid-trace over the map, and Orion’s arms uncrossed as he pushed off the table. “Magnus Rhodes?” Orion repeated in disbelief.
Dante nodded, his brows drawing together. “Lucas’s older brother.”
“Well, shit .”
The words seemed to hang in the room, heavy with implication. The professor’s gaze shifted toward the door leading to the ARC dormitories, her expression pensive. “Lucas should know.”
“He’ll need to,” Sebastian said. He stepped back from the table, his posture as composed as ever, though a flicker of something unreadable crossed his features. “But we can’t afford delays. The map needs to be decrypted, and fast.”
Amara’s nod was curt. “Start first thing tomorrow. You both need rest. For now, Orion, get your team up to speed.” She gathered her belongings and left the room, her measured footsteps fading into the corridor.
Orion gestured for Dante and Sebastian to follow him as he stepped into the hallway, motioning toward the ARC dorm common area. The panoramic windows of the Spire cast reflections of the city’s lights, giving the space a serene but focused atmosphere. Other ARC members were already gathering, some leaning against the glass dome while others settled into the modular seating.
Once everyone was present, Orion activated a holographic interface in the center of the common area. The blue projection expanded into a three-dimensional model of Eryndia, glowing with key points of recent magical activity.
“Here’s what we know so far,” Orion began. “Fires, disturbances, and now… this map. We’re dealing with someone named Malachi Lockwood. None of us know him, but he’s organized. He’s not just lighting fires for chaos—this group, the Heralds of Zephyr , are planning something methodical.”
Ezra leaned forward in his chair. “What’s their angle? Just destruction, or are they after something specific?”
Dante leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “It’s bigger than destruction. Lockwood was rallying rogues and giving orders.” He paused, glancing at Sebastian, who gave a subtle nod in agreement. “Whoever this Lockwood is, he’s running the show, and from what I could tell, they’re serious, not just a bunch of freelancers looking for trouble…”
Dante glanced toward Lucas, his next words cautious. “And… Magnus Rhodes was there. He’s working with Malachi, possibly leading alongside him.”
“Magnus?” Lucas said, disbelief and shock twisting his usual cocky demeanor into something rawer. His electric-blue eyes narrowed on Dante. “Are you sure?”
Dante nodded. “I didn’t speak to him directly, but he carried himself like he belonged there. Whatever he’s doing, it’s not as a follower.”
Lucas’s fists clenched against his thighs, tension rippling through his frame as he sat rigidly. “Magnus left us over a decade ago,” he said, his tone raw. “I was barely ten when he stormed out after a fight with my dad. There are rumors—stories of him along the coast. Nothing solid, but enough to shame my family.”
Kaelen shifted in his chair, his dark eyes thoughtful. “And now he’s working with someone like Lockwood? That doesn’t happen by accident.”
Lucas exhaled, his electric-blue gaze fixed on the hologram. “No, it doesn’t. He hates authority, hates following anyone’s rules. If he’s involved, it’s not out of loyalty.”
Dante glanced at Lucas, catching a flicker of something softer beneath the anger. “You think there’s more to it?”
Lucas hesitated. “I don’t know. Maybe. A part of me…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “I don’t even know if he’d recognize me anymore. Or if he’d care.”
Ezra tilted his head, his violet eyes glinting with curiosity. “What does he want, then? Revenge? Power?”
Lucas exhaled, his frustration spilling over. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
Dante shifted his weight, leaning back against the wall as his gaze drifted toward the hologram. His thoughts felt fractured, replaying the events of the night, though they kept looping back to one moment—their forced proximity in the closet. Sebastian’s touch was all part of the act, but its memory burned hotter than he wanted to admit.
Was it just an act? His jaw tightened as the question surfaced again, unbidden. Sebastian had said he “liked” him after they’d gotten outside, the words flippant yet disarming. Was it a joke? A tease? Or was there truth behind it? The doubt churned in his chest, and he hated how much the answer mattered.
Sebastian stood on the other side of the room, his posture relaxed but his silver-gray eyes sharp, tracking the conversation. He hadn’t glanced his way once since the meeting started, which only made his awareness of him more acute.
His gaze lingered on him, searching for something in Sebastian’s expression—some sign that the consultant was affected too.
But there was nothing. No hesitation. No acknowledgment.
Just that same cool, unflappable mask he always wore.
Lucas shifted in his chair, his agitation filling the room like static. Dante tried to focus, to pull himself back into the moment, but every time Sebastian moved, even slightly, Dante felt his attention waver. He caught himself clenching his fists and forced his hands to relax, hiding them in his jacket pockets.
Finally, Sebastian’s gaze flicked toward him, brief but direct. The look wasn’t accusatory, but it carried weight.
Dante quickly averted his eyes, his pulse quickening.
A heavy silence settled before Orion continued. “This map,” he said, gesturing to the artifact, “is our best lead. If Lockwood and this group are any indication, those fires might be just the beginning.”
“What’s their endgame?”
“No idea,” Orion replied, his tone grim. “We need to figure out their next move.”
***
Carding fingers through his hair, lingering traces of exhaustion from the night before clung to Dante like a second skin. The artifact map sat unrolled on the long oak table, its shimmering runes casting soft reflections against the polished surface.
Sebastian leaned over the map, his posture relaxed but focused, scanning its intricate designs with an air of effortless precision.
Restless energy coiled in his limbs as he drummed his fingers against the table. The artifact map glowed, its runes flickering in a pattern he didn’t fully understand. Normally, his focus was sharp during missions or research, but now, with Sebastian’s calm presence radiating beside him, his thoughts skittered like sparks from a flame.
His dreams hadn’t helped. Flashes of last night’s closeness haunted him—Sebastian’s touch, his breath against his neck, the way his hand had lingered just long enough to blur the line between necessity and something more. It wasn’t the kind of thing Dante wanted to dwell on, but his subconscious had other plans. The memory seeped into his sleep, twisting into something heated and impossible to ignore.
“You know,” Dante said, breaking the quiet, “about last night in the closet… why’d you do all that to me?”
Sebastian didn’t look up immediately, his fingers tracing one of the map’s glowing runes. The smirk tugging at his lips told Dante he wasn’t going to get a straightforward answer. “It worked, didn’t it?” he said.
Dante crossed his arms. “That’s not what I’m asking. You didn’t have to go that far. So why?”
Sebastian finally glanced over, his silver-gray eyes unreadable but sharp. “Why do you think?”
The answer, maddeningly vague, sent an uncomfortable jolt through Dante. His scowl deepened, heat creeping up his neck. “I think you just like messing with people.”
“That’s true,” Sebastian said. “But… I wasn’t just messing with you if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Dante dropped his gaze back to the map, though the swirling patterns refused to hold his attention. “Whatever…”
Sebastian chuckled. “Relax. You’re way too tense.”
“And whose fault is that?” he snapped, then slapped a hand over his mouth.
Silver-gray eyes tightened in amusement. “Well, not to spoil the mood but I found something you should see.”
Sebastian reached for a thick, leather-bound book lying near the edge of the table, flipping it open. “These symbols here,” he said, gesturing to a cluster of runes on the map, “match patterns tied to elemental ley lines. Specifically, dormant ones.”
He angled the book toward Dante, showing an intricate diagram of intersecting magical pathways. “If the fires are connected to these points…” He trailed off, tapping the edge of the map thoughtfully. “It’s almost like they’re activating something. The way the incidents line up—it’s methodical.”
Dante leaned closer, squinting at the map and the diagram. “Methodical how?”
Sebastian traced a finger along one of the glowing lines. “This isn’t random. Each fire site corresponds to a node on the ley line network, and each node feeds into the next. They’re not just lighting things up—it’s too deliberate. I think they’re activating something.”
His thoughts raced. “Activating what?” Dante asked.
“That’s what we need to find out,” Sebastian said. His gaze lingered on him for a moment, assessing. “But if we can figure out where the next fire site will be, we might stop them before they finish whatever they’re planning.”
Dante leaned closer to the map, tracing the intersecting ley lines with his eyes as Sebastian’s earlier words sank in. The pattern began to take shape, a web of dormant magic pulsing just beneath the surface of their city. His fingers hovered over a node that glimmered brighter than the others. “This one,” he said, pointing to a location near Mistwood Quay. “Could it be next?”
Sebastian leaned over, his shoulder touching his, and examined the map with an unreadable expression. “Possibly. It lines up with the pattern so far.”
His frustration ebbed as curiosity took its place. “So, if we can figure out the next node…” He let the sentence trail off, the possibilities dawning on him.
“We can cut them off,” Sebastian finished. “ If we’re fast enough.”
“Fast enough?”
“I’m guessing there’s a time limit between each activation—every fire has happened within forty-eight hours of the previous one,” Sebastian said. The map blurred as he leaned closer, his hand sweeping past his to tap a glowing rune. “And this cluster right after that node connects to one near Mistwood Quay. It’s subtle, but then it all flows east.”
Dante stiffened as his proximity became unavoidable. Warmth radiated off him, a clean, subtle herbal scent of him curling uninvited into his nose. He swallowed hard, forcing his focus back to the map. “You’re saying if they hit this one,” he said, pointing to a nearby node, “it might activate the whole network?”
Sebastian’s head tilted, his silver-gray eyes flicking to his face before returning to the map. “Might. I don’t know for sure. But from my minute experience will anything ley line related, it’s a strong possibility. And if that happens, we’ll be dealing with a chain reaction, and it won’t be small fire. Ley lines are tapped into faults all across the continent.”
And while possible world ending scenarios should’ve caused Dante to panic, his words barely registered. His mind was in a tailspin, his heart pounding in his chest as Sebastian hovered near him, his closeness sending memories of the wind weaver’s hands on him again—so close that his world narrowed to where their fingers brushed together on the map.
“Dante?”
He turned only to realize Sebastian’s mouth was only inches from his own. His breath caught. It wouldn’t take more than a slight shift of his weight to bring their lips together, it would take nothing…no effort at all…
Sebastian noticed, his lips quirking into a knowing smile. “Still with me?”
Dante scowled, catching himself, and heat crawled up his neck. “Yeah. Fine,” he said, though the tightness in his chest betrayed him. But he didn’t pull away from the other man, even as his thoughts churned in ways he didn’t want to examine.
Instead, he let Sebastian make his way back to his side of the table again with a chuckle and knowing stare.
They worked in silence for a while, the tension between them thick but unspoken. The artifact map glimmered softly under their scrutiny, its mysteries unfolding piece by piece.
As the clock ticked toward evening, the quiet between them settled into something almost companionable. Dante leaned back, rubbing the back of his neck. “I think we’ve got enough to bring put a solid plan together.”
Sebastian closed the book and leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. “Good.” He hesitated, glancing at Dante before adding, “Speaking of solid plans… my family’s throwing one of their soirees tonight. Some socialite nonsense. But my mother loves it, and I’m expected to attend.”
Dante arched a brow. “And you’re telling me this because…?”
Sebastian’s grin was small but disarming. “Because I don’t want to go alone. Come with me.”
“Me? To one of your fancy family parties?” Both brows shot up this time, and he crossed his arms. “Why would I want to do that?”
“Because it’ll be tolerable with you there,” Sebastian said.
Dante hesitated, his initial resistance faltering under the weight of Sebastian’s disarming smile. “Fine ,” he said. “But I am not getting all dressed up.”
Sebastian nodded, amusement lighting his gaze. “Noted. Pick you up out front. See you at eight.”