Chapter 16 #2
“He’ll suffer more being stuck in his dragon form,” Ashley said. “Chris, if you try, then maybe your light magic will also have a restorative angle.”
Ashley’s idea was sound, and he supposed that there was no point putting this off. Dorian wasn’t happy, but he wasn’t going to get happier hiding in the corner.
Alex crouched in front of Dorian. “I know everything feels terrible right now, but the sooner we get this over with, the better. Okay?”
Dorian didn’t say anything but nodded. Chris began his incantation, and within a few moments, Alex could already see a positive effect on Dorian’s demeanour.
Chris’s magic was something special, and he would defy anyone who said they wouldn’t feel better having been treated kindly by Chris.
That wasn’t to say he couldn’t be a nasty motherfucker if he thought somebody was trying to hurt Jack and he was equipped with firepower to stop most people in their tracks.
A few minutes later, Dorian had uncurled and stretched, a bit like a large scaly cat. If they bottled Chris’s magic, they could make a fortune.
Chris held up his hand to reveal a sphere. “And here we have the essence of Dorian.”
The sphere now shone with reds and golds, reminding Alex of the hues of Dorian scales.
Karl plucked it out of Chris’s palm. “I have already set up an analysis rig. I’ve got the potion on a similar one. It’s more complicated than I expected.”
“In what way?” Ashley asked, following Karl to the counter.
Seeing Dorian was doing better, Alex decided to go with them.
He could explain everything to Dorian later, as he didn’t think he would understand the jargon or the nuances, and neither Karl nor Ashley would have the patience to answer questions.
Karl tapped the counter’s surface, and a door slid across; a tripod rose upwards, upon which sat a black perfume bottle. “Whoever created this has a particular skill set, capable of masking his personal trace, yet producing pure and, quite frankly, exceptional spell craft.”
Ashley puffed out his cheeks. “Are you suggesting they’re a sentry mage?”
“I don’t know of any other who is capable of this level of masking,” Karl said.
Sentry mages weren’t something Alex had much experience with. “I’ve heard of them but not come into contact with one.”
“Not surprising really, as they’re rare. The WRC have a couple on the payroll to deal with situations where we don’t want our involvement to be public knowledge. But usually their magic is mid-range, not highly advanced, but solid.”
“The ability needed to make this potion and the dust we retrieved a sample of cannot be called mid-range,” Karl said.
“Is there a possibility that it’s two people working together?” Alex suggested. “The one with the real talent, and then this Trevir would be covering that person’s work?”
“I certainly wouldn’t rule the idea out.” Ashley pulled a pained expression. “The level of magic needed isn’t small fry. There’s someone in particular who is not enamoured of our dragon friend, but I don’t want to discuss in front of him.”
There weren’t many who could fit that profile; in fact, there was only one he knew personally, and he didn’t want to accuse Simon of doing something without absolute proof.
Even talking about the possibility on a vampire property would be a dangerous option.
“If you are suggesting who I think you are, then this is not a conversation to hold within the walls of Crofton Hall.”
“Agreed. And I admit I am struggling with why that individual would go to the bother to do this when there are much easier ways for them to remove the annoyance from their life.”
Karl’s expression told Alex he’d also realised what Ashley was suggesting, and he did not look happy at all. “There’s nothing to suggest the individual you are referring to is involved. I wouldn’t have thought a sentry mage would have been able to mask that person’s signature completely.”
“A good one, working with the person they are trying to hide, would be able to,” Ashley said. “Let’s discuss this once you’ve settled Dorian into his new quarters and before Ben wakes up. We’ll portal to neutral ground.”
Jack and Chris were still over by Dorian.
They’d kept their voices low, so the others would need to be brought up to speed with the new direction the investigation was taking.
“If you can fill in Chris and Jack, I’ll see if there’s anything Dorian might be able to add without raising his suspicions. ”
They needed to make sure they didn’t overlook any potential explanation, but Alex wasn’t sold on the idea that Simon was behind the plan.
Dorian might have annoyed him, and it might have been a way to test Robin’s loyalties, but his reaction when he’d walked in on Dorian and Robin didn’t add up.
He’d have known what was going on, and Alex didn’t think anyone was that good an actor.
He returned to Dorian, who was blowing smoke rings, and Jack and Chris were collecting them in bubbles. “What are you doing?”
“Ah, Alex, Jack suggested Dorian’s smoke might have residues we could harvest,” Chris said, floating a bubble into a net bag on the side.
“The smoke is made via his digestion of coal, so its elements will have worked their way through both his digestive and respiratory systems,” Jack explained.
“Great idea. Are you done, because I thought I’d show Dorian his new quarters.”
“You’re not making me stay in here?” Dorian asked.
“Not unless you want to. The rooms we’ve adapted would be more comfortable.”
Chris nodded. “I think we’re good for now. Next steps are to compare our samples to the items of Dorian’s from before he started using the cologne.”
“I’ll retrieve those later today,” Alex said. He could use his trip to LA to cover for his absence from the hall to talk to Ashley about Simon. “Come on then, Dorian.”
Dorian reminded him of an oversized puppy as they walked back to the hall. If he’d had a tennis ball to hand, he would be tempted to suggest a game of fetch.