17. Chapter 17
Chapter seventeen
SAGE
“What the fuck is up with your face?” Ollie blurted the second she saw me.
“Just tired,” I grumbled, hoping she would drop it, but knowing she wouldn’t.
“I think you passed up tired at least a day ago. When’s the last time you slept? You’re in worse shape than I am.”
“It’s been a long day. I can’t believe they shut down the tavern for this.”
She waved it off. “It’s just for an hour or so.”
After days of research and our talk with Lancaster, it was time to lay down everything we knew and put our focus on our next steps. I let everyone know it was time for another meeting and Royce had closed the tavern to the public “for a private party” so we didn’t have to wait until Tuesday. Alwin and Declan would be leaving soon and it was better to have everyone on the same page.
Since it was a last minute meeting, we were waiting on everyone to show up while Ophelia fawned over the baby in Zane’s arms. Clearly the incubus had taken to parenting like a pro because he bounced the sleeping baby like he’d been born to raise kids. Hell, maybe he was, I couldn’t claim to know anything about incubi.
“Well? You still haven’t told me, what’s the little one’s name?”
Ollie laughed. “I think it’s the one thing that having so many partners didn’t help with. We all had different opinions and we had to fight it out.”
“Who won?”
She snorted. “Zane did, he wins all of our fights. In the end he said we could go with the name I picked since I did all the work, but a win is a win. He got first name rights and we shortened the name I picked to work for her middle name. I originally picked Everly, and we’ve been calling her Evie, but officially, she is Harper Eve.”
“That’s cute, congrats Ols.”
The words sounded sincere enough, but the discussion weighed heavily on my shoulders. What kind of life would the next generation have if we fucked up and left an entirely different world for them to deal with?
My eyes were drawn to where Ophelia now held baby Harper and not far away, Alwin had Aiden’s egg strapped to him. Since no outsiders were here, he hadn’t bothered with the glamour and just the edge of the dark shell peeked over the top of the sling. The elf stroked one hand over the little bundle while he spoke with his brother and Bastian. His expression never changed, but somehow I got the feeling he was quite content to care for his little niece or nephew.
Of course, it could be the soft look Declan was throwing his way that gave that impression. I’d never seen a look like that on the sorcerer’s face, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced with something almost painful as he peeled his eyes away to stare into the drink in front of him. Maybe I wasn’t the only one with concerns about where things were heading.
I excused myself to throw some cold water on my face in the bathroom while Luca was distracted. By the time I returned, everyone had arrived and Bastian was discussing his campaign.
When Bastian finished speaking, all eyes turned my way. They’d seamlessly slotted me in as Ollie’s replacement the moment she had her baby, and while I couldn't quite measure up to Ollie’s talents, in the middle of things was where I worked best.
In the days since I’d found out that the dark mage was more involved than we originally thought, I’d buried myself in work, trying to track the man down. We didn’t have a name to go on and, unlike witches, mages didn’t rely on ties to their families for their magic. Even sorcerers had closer family connections because they were constantly trying to merge with more powerful bloodlines. Technically mages could do the same, but it would take generations before their efforts bore fruit. Even then, they would never be as powerful as sorcerers. Unless, of course, they turned to dark magic.
The power gained through dark magic was limited only by what the magic user was willing to exchange for power. It was dangerous, obviously, but it also tainted a magic user’s natural magic. The more someone relied on dark magic, the closer they inched to the point of no return. Once they hit that point, the only way forward was down the dark path they’d chosen. And no doubt, the power was addictive.
What I hadn’t originally considered when we thought the mage had simply found a convenient customer in the hunters, was that he was getting more than money in exchange for the spells he gave them. If a dark magic user was limited only by what they could exchange for power, then having a large group of humans doing his bidding gave him a lot more to work with.
We’d assumed that all the captured non-humans were sent to the hunter facility we’d found, but what if there were more handed off to the mage to use in his spells? Historically, those who'd waded into the deep end of dark magic exchanged human lives to power their spells. Humans were abundant, easy to find, and for a magic user, easy enough to subdue. But the power boost they’d get from using shifters and fae and magic users instead of humans would be significant, as we already saw with the unbelievable spell Holt had tapped into when he took Levi. As the pieces came together, there was every reason to believe that the dark mage was someone we were going to need to deal with sooner rather than later.
I was halfway through painting the picture when the door opened and August stepped inside.
“What are you doing here?” Ollie asked, handing Harper off to Elliot like she was ready to fight the man if necessary.
The council rep took a seat next to me and Luca quietly slipped into the seat on my other side.
“The witch called a meeting after our discussion earlier and I am here to get a report of your intentions. Obtaining information secondhand when I can simply sit in on your meeting would be a waste of time.”
Ollie shot me a look that said we wouldn’t get rid of him so easily and I waved her off. We didn’t necessarily want the council to know things were worse here than we originally anticipated, but August wasn’t stupid and we’d only be able to hold him off for so long.
I wrapped up my theory about the dark mage and my plans for digging up his identity and whereabouts. The gang accepted my plans at face value as always, but Lancaster was staring a hole in the side of my head.
“How do you plan to get that information?”
“What?”
“This mage has been supplying the hunters with spells, but aside from a few glimpses of the man, you have no clues about who or where he is. And unless I’m mistaken, you personally have never seen him, so how do you intend to locate him?”
“Researching things is my job.”
“You need information to research and you have none.”
“Sage is an expert at this, he comes up with answers based on almost nothing all the time,” Ollie chimed in.
“How?” Lancaster pressed. “Information cannot be extracted from nothing. Are you operating on nothing but guesswork? The only way you could possibly be coming up with the answers you claim to have is through tracking the hunter’s movements, surveillance, and stealing information. A magic user would be capable enough of those things, but you have no magic. If you had spies in the hunter network maybe, but you don’t have enough information for me to believe that's a possibility.”
“I should have let Ollie throw you out.”
“Well, which is it? Is this all based on conjecture? Where did you get the name of this supposed leader of the Origin Order?”
Dammit. “It’s not guess work, it’s my best theory based on the information I’ve gathered from the hunters we know are involved with the Origin Order.”
“And how did you get that information? You told me that raiding the local lodge didn’t bring any new information on their operations, and that all you’ve gathered from questioning them was the possibility that the mage is more involved than you originally thought, so where did the rest of this new information come from? How can you move forward with plans formed around these theories you’ve based on nothing?”
Several sets of eyes were now pinging between us and while Ollie had stepped in to defend me, I couldn’t help but feel the holes forming in their trust. I’d never told them the things I did to get the information we needed and they’d probably stop asking for my help if they knew how many times I’d barely escaped serious trouble or harm just for a scrap of information.
I wasn’t like the rest of them. I didn’t have magic or uncanny skills to get by. Well, I guess I did, but people tended to end up dead when I couldn’t handle things myself. There was no way I could say any of that, but my silence was just as telling.
“I'm sure you know reporters never share their sources,” Luca finally said. “To give you that information would undermine his work. If his sources are revealed, he may never be able to get information again.”
August scoffed. “I’m not going to do anything to his sources, I just want to know that you’re operating on accurate information.” He was about to continue arguing when the tavern door opened, disrupting the silencing spell.
“Not a chance he’s in a place like this,” a man said from the doorway a moment before his hard stare settled on August. One blond eyebrow arched over shockingly cold, almost silver eyes and he took in the council rep with obvious hostility.
August shot to his feet, his posture was stiff and wary. “How did you find me?”
An unfriendly smirk turned up the newcomer’s lips and he stepped inside. “I stand corrected.”
A tall, dark-haired man stepped inside behind him, answering August’s question. A demon. He must have tracked August. And that made the newcomer a sorcerer.
The door dropped shut behind them and Luca tugged me behind him as Maddox, Colt and several others moved to stand in front of the rest of us. The movement brought us behind August, which made it look like we were backing him up, though that wasn’t actually our intent. Mostly, we were just trying to keep them away from Harper and Aiden’s egg which had been immediately concealed by the glamour when August arrived.
“What’s this brother? Are you carrying on with the locals again? You know that’s only going to make your job harder in the end.”
August tensed. If this was his brother, why was he so on edge?
“I am not carrying on . This is a strategy meeting to ensure they are dealing with the situation on their own. Why are you here?”
The man and his demon stepped further inside, stepping around August to get a look at the rest of us.
“So these are your new friends? Grandfather was concerned about your lack of progress, so he sent me to check up on you.” He stopped short when he saw Ollie and her mates. “This is certainly an interesting group.”
Not liking the odd look they were getting, Elliot handed the baby off to Zane while Ash and Jet got to their feet, ready to take on the demon and sorcerer. Jet’s eyes took on a red glint and he bared his teeth in a chilling smile.
The new Lancaster seemed strangely curious about their arrangement, not necessarily hostile, but certainly not friendly. His demon, on the other hand, curled his lip in disgust when he recognized the baby as part demon.
“Revolting,” he growled, turning his head away.
Ash’s eyes glowed with barely repressed flames and Jet snarled. I was pretty sure that the only thing holding the hellhound back was the fact that a fight would put Ollie and the baby in danger.
“Speak of my daughter again and I will rip out your tongue,” Ash growled.
The demon scoffed. “Your loyalty is disgusting, dog. Breeding demons to control. It’s vile. Or are you too well trained to see that?”
“We don’t own them,” Ollie snapped. “You’re the only dog here, they are our mates. Our contract is to ensure no other sorcerer can claim them and we can summon them back if anything happens. It doesn’t bind them to us against their will, it’s only because they are willing that this type of binding even works.”
“Pathetic. Do you expect anyone to believe that? I should put you out of your misery here and now,” the demon threatened, pulling two short swords from somewhere on his back.
“We can use our magic on them,” Zane said, handing Harper off to Bastian and moving to stand at his mate’s side. “Isn’t that proof enough?”
The demon snarled and stepped forward threateningly. “Lies!”
Surprisingly, it was August’s brother who held him back, placing a hand on the demon’s shoulder. The demon immediately shook off the touch, just as disgusted by his own sorcerer as the situation in front of him, but the man had already pulled his hand back like he’d been expecting that reaction.
“Prove it,” the sorcerer said.
Zane looked at Elliot and the sorcerer’s shoulders fell. “Fine.”
Ollie and the others backed away, not wanting to get sucked into Zane’s magic at the moment, but they didn’t go far in case the demon decided to follow through on his threat.
The incubus simply took a seat in front of Elliot and dragged his fingers over his jaw. Elliot’s eyes immediately went hazy and he leaned into Zane’s touch. Within seconds, he was practically panting, his skin flushed, eyes glassy and he was putty in Zane’s hands.
“Elliot, my love,” Zane purred, and the soothing undertones in his voice made even my insides shiver.
I took another step back and crashed into Luca, who pulled me back into his chest.
“Mmm,” Elliot murmured.
“Will you release me from my binding contract? I want to leave.”
“Okay,” Elliot agreed, though the idea clearly pained him.
His fingers immediately started tracing out magic on the table in front of him. And even as he obeyed, a tear spilled down his cheek.
Unable to take more than a few seconds of his mate’s pain, Zane took his hand and laced their fingers together.
“Stop! I didn't mean it. I’ll stay by your side for as long as you want me.”
Relief flooded Elliot’s face and he dragged Zane into a kiss that was probably not suitable for public.
Elliot pulled back and blinked, his eyes clearing as his ears turned bright red. He buried his face in his hands and groaned. “Why did you let me do that?”
A devilish grin spread over Zane’s face. “I’ll never turn down being mauled by my mate.”
The incubus turned to the newcomers and arched an eyebrow. “Satisfied? Call your demon off. The council has no business interfering in personal affairs in the first place.”
That was true, but I could see them making it their business if they truly believed that someone was breeding demons in our world. Luckily, Zane’s demonstration seemed to have cleared up any doubt. The younger Lancaster was clearly a little shocked, though his demon still looked offended by the whole thing.
“Leo,” August cut in. “This has nothing to do with the hunters or the exposure threat. What are you doing?”
Leo composed himself, his haughty glare returning as he turned to address his brother, but the door slammed open once more. It was my turn to groan and bury my face in my hands. What had I done to anger the gods so?