Chapter 1 #2
Alric looked lighter these days, far happier than anyone could recall seeing him.
His mate and consort, Cameron, likely had much to do with that.
Alric must have done something official today, as he wore an impeccable black three-piece suit with a white shirt and tie, setting off his dark hair.
He’d always been a handsome man, their king, but as he looked up at Warin with a smile, it was easy to see how Cameron had fallen for him.
“What is it, Warin?” Alric asked. “And sit, I haven’t talked to you properly in weeks.”
“You have been a little busy,” Warin pointed out, taking the chair he’d been gestured to.
“Moving an entire family from one country to another proved to be more of a challenge than anticipated,” Alric admitted with a grimace. “The paperwork alone was outside my expectations. But happily, we’re all settled now.”
That ‘we’ was meant literally, as Alric had redone his own rooms to accommodate his new spouse moving into them.
But that was only the tip of the iceberg.
Alric and Dieter had worked hard to get Cameron, his twin sister Cassie, and Cameron’s grandmother Ha Na officially moved from the United States to Germany. “I’m glad to hear it.”
“Did you come to chat or with a problem?”
Warin gestured irritably toward his back. “Problem, unfortunately. I feel this sensation from time to time; a tugging. Do you remember how it felt if a mage caught hold of some part of you and used it as the focus for a seeking spell? That’s how it feels.”
Alric’s easy attitude abruptly fell away, replaced by sharp interest and concern. “How many times have you felt it? No, wait—Ravi, go and fetch Lisette immediately. Gunter as well, if you can drag him out of his dungeon.”
Ravi arched a dark eyebrow at him and pulled his phone out of his pocket, tapping in a message.
“Right,” Alric sighed, watching him do so. “I will get in the habit of using my mobile. Eventually. I just don’t think of texting someone first.”
Warin gave him a commiserating smile. It was the same for him.
He and Alric were close in age—Warin had only thirty or so years on his king—and while they handled new technology well enough, they weren’t in the habit of it.
For hundreds of years, if they wanted to speak to someone, they got up and went to them.
The idea of calling for them was still something settling in.
“Both are coming,” Ravi reported a moment later. “Hoheit, I was in the hallway with him when it happened this last time. I saw absolutely no one nearby. I don’t think this is a prank.”
“I do not doubt Warin’s senses. He’s had seeking spells used on him many times.
I’m sure he’s correct in what it is. But with the Jaeggi about and causing trouble, it behooves us to be wary about this.
If they’ve somehow found a scale of his, or hair, or some such item, then it could cause a great deal of trouble.
While the Jaeggi know where Burkhard Castle is located, this person could be using the spell to track when you leave the protection of the castle. ”
Precisely Warin’s concern. He’d already accompanied Baldewin on an expedition to track down a mage.
He wouldn’t allow the Jaeggi to track him on another trip like that, potentially leading the bastards to another vulnerable mage.
They still had no idea what their ultimate purpose was, but there was no doubt in his mind it was bad. Very, very bad.
The clan had been responsible for the Dragon War five hundred years ago and seemed perfectly willing to start more trouble in modern times.
Lisette appeared in a rush, her colorful skirts flapping about her ankles as she walked right into the king’s office. “What’s this I hear about Warin under magical attack?”
Just what had Ravi typed? Warin shook his head and corrected her, “I believe someone is using a seeking spell on me. Hopefully one of your students?”
The head mage of the Burkhard Clan gave him a look like he’d lost his mind. “We’d have asked permission before practicing on you, you know that.”
“I do,” Warin sighed. “I just would have preferred it.”
Lisette gestured for him to stand and walked around him, examining him carefully from all angles.
The mage had more magical information locked in her brain than any other mage he’d ever met.
If anyone could figure out what in the world was happening to him, it was Lisette.
“I do see a wisp of magic, trailing from your tailbone and out. It’s faint, but that’s likely because the seeker is working from a great distance.
Incredibly powerful, whoever this mage is, to still be able to find you.
When did this happen? Was it the first time? ”
“No. The…third? I think? The first tug was so faint it was barely more than a tingle. I didn’t even realize at first that’s what it was. The second time was clearer. The third happened today, not fifteen minutes past. It was unmistakable.”
Ravi nodded in support of this. “He jumped like a scalded cat.”
Lisette pushed short, white hair out of her eyes and regarded Warin. “When precisely did it start?”
“I can’t tell you what time, I barely noticed it. But five days ago was the first instance.”
“And you’ve felt it three times.” She breathed in, tapping a finger to her mouth as her eyes narrowed in thought.
“Hoheit, I would say that whoever it is, they’re narrowing their search.
With each casting, they’ve come in closer, which is why he’s feeling the tug of it so strongly.
It’s likely whoever this is knows our approximate location at least.”
“The Jaeggi?” Warin asked in concern. “Can you tell if it’s them?”
Lisette shook her head. “The Jaeggi already know where we are and wouldn’t dare get closer to us like this. No, this person seems to be trying to get to you specifically.”
Oh. Excellent point. Warin had been so worried by the possibility of an enemy using magic against him, he’d not thought of that. But the battle at Sonthofen to reclaim Cameron from their grasp had shown the Jaeggi knew exactly where they were.
Unless it wasn’t about locating Warin, but luring him out? Burkhard Castle had significant defenses, not just physically, but magically.
Gunter entered at that moment, looking out of breath. He likely had run the distance from the basement of the castle to here. Stumbling to a stop in the doorway, he braced a hand against the doorjamb and asked, “What’s this about Warin being under magical attack?”
“Not a magical attack, rather a seeking spell,” Lisette corrected. “And from a great distance, to boot. I wish I could do a counter spell and trace it back, but it’s too faint for me to properly work with. Warin, when you felt the tug, in what direction did you feel it?”
Spells were literal things, or so it had been explained once to him. Seeking spells would go in a direct line, ignoring things like manmade roads and such. He turned and pointed west and a little north. “From there.”
Everyone shared a speaking look.
“Soooo…” Ravi looked from face to face as he drew the sound out. “If we’re all in agreement this is likely not the Jaeggi? Then does that mean we have a young mage out there somewhere working this spell, trying to find a dragon?”
“It’s a distinct possibility,” Lisette admitted. “I certainly can’t think of another. I can’t speak to what purpose they would use the spell, but I assume it’s to find a dragon.”
To do what? was the unspoken question in the room.
Warin didn’t have the patience to sit and wait for this person to find him. And frankly, if there was to be trouble, he didn’t want it here. For the first time in five hundred years, they had young mages to think of and protect. Like hell would he allow possible danger near them.
But what if this mage didn’t bring danger?
What if this was a lone mage like Tori or Cameron searching for a dragon mate?
Just the idea seemed too big to even dare wish for.
Dragons had been seeking their lost mage mates for centuries, and now one was quite literally tugging on Warin’s tail. He had to go.
“Hoheit, I wish to go and seek out this mage.”
“A scouting mission?” Alric’s forehead wrinkled slightly as he thought. “I agree that seems wise, as we have no information at this time. But I don’t want you to go alone. Gunter, will you accompany him?”
Gunter nodded immediately, eager. “I’ll gather some equipment. If we do find the mage, then can we engage, Hoheit?”
“Use your best judgement on that. But stay in contact, regardless. I don’t wish for either of you to be hurt. This might be a trap, a way for the Jaeggi to draw you out of our defenses.”
So Alric had realized it as well. No surprise there. Their king had a tactically sound mind. “We’ll be cautious going forward. Gunter, I feel that we should fly. We can quickly get out of area that way.”
“I’m all for it. I’ll meet you in the courtyard in five minutes.”
Warin gave his king a quick bow and left as well. He’d need to throw a few clothes together into a bag. Lisette had said the mage was some distance away, but who knew how far that actually was.
He rather hoped it was the Jaeggi. Warin wouldn’t mind squashing a few of the murderous bastards.