Chapter 14 Gideon #2
Three weeks of coordinated searching. Multiple factions, official resources, and Orion's political authority backing the hunt. Clara never had a chance of remaining hidden. The only question is why Orion wants her eliminated badly enough to risk exposure.
Orion's name burns in my mind like acid, but years of leadership taught me the difference between truth and proof. Accusations without evidence fracture alliances faster than direct warfare, and Frostfang can't afford isolation. Not with Clara's life hanging in the balance.
"Secure these three in the detention compound," I order Cassian. "Separate cells, no communication. We'll need detailed interrogations later."
Lyon nods toward the surveillance equipment. "What about their gear?"
"Catalog everything. Scrying crystals, communication devices, weapons. All of it goes to Cassian for analysis." I watch the vampire's face carefully. "We need to understand their operational parameters."
The witch struggles briefly as Elias adjusts his grip. "You can't hold us indefinitely. Council protocols—"
"Council protocols become irrelevant when council members orchestrate assassination contracts," I interrupt. "Your friend Orion seems to have forgotten that territorial sovereignty exists for a reason."
The unidentified supernatural finally reveals enough emotion to look genuinely terrified. Smart reaction. Orion's political reach extends far enough to make cooperation with us a death sentence, but refusing cooperation guarantees immediate consequences.
"Move them out," I command, then signal Lyon and Tobias to remain behind.
Once the prisoners disappear through the trees, I turn to my remaining warriors. "This changes everything. Orion Valecrest doesn't act without extensive planning and multiple contingencies."
"How do we prove council involvement without triggering political warfare?" Lyon asks the question I've been wrestling with.
"Carefully. Methodically. And without giving Orion any reason to accelerate his timeline.
" I scan the forest around our position.
"Double all patrol rotations. Institute communication protocols that bypass council channels entirely.
And find out how many other Alphas have received similar 'protection assignments' recently. "
Tobias frowns. "You think this extends beyond Clara?"
"I think Orion's been positioning pieces for months, maybe years." The implications crystallize as I speak them aloud. "Clara's emergence gave him an opportunity, but the infrastructure was already in place."
We make our way back through the forest in tactical formation, but my mind keeps circling around the same problem.
Proving Orion's involvement requires evidence that he's too experienced to leave lying around.
Meanwhile, Clara remains a target for every faction desperate enough to accept his contracts.
The pack settlement comes into view through the trees, warm lights cutting through the gathering dusk. I expect to find Clara secured within the protective perimeter I established, probably reading her grandmother's journals or arguing with Brielle about training protocols.
Instead, golden light flickers through the clearing beyond the main buildings.
I change direction immediately, Lyon and Tobias following without question. The light grows stronger as we approach. Not electric illumination, but something altogether more dangerous.
Clara stands alone in the center of the training ground, magical energy spiraling around her hands like captured starlight.
Her movements are intentional, controlled, nothing like the panicked bursts of power I witnessed during the attacks.
She's practicing. Alone. After dark. Outside the protective boundaries.
"What the hell is she doing?" Lyon breathes.
I watch Clara weave golden threads of magic between her fingers, her concentration absolute. The power she's channeling could attract attention for miles. Exactly the kind of signature that tracking spells and scrying crystals are designed to detect.
"Being magnificently reckless," I mutter, stepping into the clearing. "Clara."
She doesn't startle at my voice, which means she sensed my approach. Good situational awareness, terrible judgment about location and timing.
"Don't." She doesn't look up from the magical patterns dancing around her hands. "I know what you're going to say."
"Do you?" I move closer, noting the way the golden energy responds to my presence. "Because I'm curious which lecture you're expecting."
"The one about safety protocols and protective perimeters and how I'm endangering everyone by practicing magic outside designated areas." The golden light pulses brighter. "Did I miss anything?"
"Several things, actually." I stop just outside the range of her magical aura. "Starting with the fact that we just captured three surveillance operatives who've been watching pack territory for weeks."
That gets her attention. Clara's concentration breaks, and the magical energy dissipates like morning mist. She turns to face me, amber eyes reflecting the moonlight.
"Surveillance operatives?"
"Vampire, witch, and something unidentified. All equipped with faction-grade tracking equipment and orders to locate the Ward descendant." I let the implications settle. "Your little light show could be visible to anyone with basic scrying capabilities."