An excellent question. “First I’d like to read more, then I’ll decide. If you find more information on the symbol or the metal, will you send me another pigeon? Just one this time.” I wanted to know everything contained within these four walls on the subject.
Pedro held up a finger. “I anticipated this very question and took it upon myself to gather what I could find.” He leaned down and produced an armful of books, which he set upon the table with a soft thud. “I marked the relevant pages.” He paused. “Well, you can thank Adelaide for that. She used a spell so we didn’t have to use adhesives. Bookmarks have a tendency to slide out too easily.”
I removed a book from the top of the pile and placed it in front of me. “Show me Damascus steel.”
The pages flipped faster than I could’ve managed with my fingers. They stopped on page 74.
“Tell Adelaide thank you the next time you see her.” Her spell would save me valuable time, especially considering the number of books now on the table.
He bit back a smile. “She was happy to help from a safe distance.”
I flicked through the pages and committed everything I read to memory. The stone and the metal it created would be dangerous in the wrong hands and that included vampire hands. My mother taught me that knowledge was power and that statement was never truer than it was today.
It was time to update the Lord of Shadows on my progress. As annoying and uncomfortable as it was, I’d grown accustomed to him stalking me and was somewhat miffed that I had to arrange a meeting. I didn’t want to return to the palace—too risky. Instead I asked to meet him at the townhouse with the red door. The only other vampire I was likely to run into there was Maeron. He knew I was working for them though, and wouldn’t subject me to scrutiny.
“Please tell me you’ve found her,” Callan said, once we were settled in the living room of the townhouse.
“Not yet, but I have information.”
“Excellent. Let’s hear it.”
A knot tightened in my stomach. “First I have to ask you a question and it requires an honest answer.”
He looked at me sideways. “Making demands of a prince, are we?”
I didn’t shy away from looking at him. “Yes.”
“I see. What’s your question?”
“Do you know what the stone’s power is? What the symbol on it means?”
He frowned. “I told you I didn’t.”
“Wouldn’t be the first lie you’ve told me.”
He nodded, his face somber. “I understand. No, I don’t know.”
“Then you’ll be pleased to learn that I do.”
Hope shone in his green eyes. “And?”
“The symbol signifies elemental magic. That stone is to elemental magic as your stone is to immortality.”
“How do you know this?”
“Water, air, fire, metal. All the crazy incidents that have happened lately have been elements gone wild. If these guys have the stone and don’t know how to use it or control it…”
Understanding flared in his eyes. “They weren’t seeking the stone. They stumbled upon it.” His brow furrowed. “If those were experiments, why not conduct them away from prying eyes? Seems risky to conduct them out in the open.”
“Simple. They didn’t intend to be spotted.” Dragons weren’t easy to track. If the wizard got wind of one on his radar, he would’ve taken the risk and rushed to the nearest rooftop. And where else could you melt a skyscraper but in the city?
“There’s been no earth magic.”
“Not yet. I suspect it’s one reason they realize they haven’t accessed the stone’s full potential.”
His muscles bulged beneath the thin fabric of his shirt. I tried not to notice.
“They could level the entire city with powerful earth magic.”
“They could do worse than that.”
“Is Davina meant to be a bargaining chip? We share information in exchange for her safe return?” He shook his head. “No. Can’t be. They would’ve negotiated already.”
Yes, they would have, which meant…
Oh, shit.
Callan registered my expression. “What is it?”
I didn’t want to tell him.
“I asked you a question.” His voice was low and menacing.
Here I go. Signing my death warrant. Somebody feed and water the menagerie.
“If someone is trying to draw magic from a powerful object and it’s not cooperating…” I inhaled deeply. “They’ll resort to primal methods.”
“Blood.”
“Not just blood. A ritual.” Now it made sense why they kept Davina alive. They were biding their time.
“A sacrifice.” He closed his eyes and swore. “They can’t do better for fuel than the royal blood of a vampire.”
Something troubled me about the conclusion though. “Wizards.”
He eyed me. “Are we naming the ones we know? Or declaring categories of species? I’ll go next. Minotaurs.”
I licked my lips. “Wizards don’t generally perform rituals.”
“They might if there’s a powerful stone at stake and they want to access its magic. Whoever controls the stone controls unimaginable elemental magic.”
“I feel like they’d find another way. A coven of witches might go the ritual route, but wizards don’t work in groups either. They’re the lone wolves of magic users.”
The muscle in his cheek pulsed. “You said you saw a man on the rooftop. Any chance it could have been a woman? Perhaps we should be searching for witches.”
“I guess it’s possible.”
He cupped his hands behind his neck. “Do the locations where the elemental magic occurred have anything in common?”
I reached for my phone and opened a map of the city center that I kept stored with my photos. Britannia City was full of nooks and crannies and maps were invaluable for a knight.
Callan peered over my shoulder. I felt his breath hot and inviting on the curve of my neck and fought the urge to shiver. Even if he wasn’t sure whether it was from fear or pleasure, he’d enjoy the reaction and I refused to give him the satisfaction.