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Finn led them to a narrow side street that ran between two weathered brick buildings, one a butcher and the other a laundry house.The alley appeared unremarkable at first glance—just another gloomy East End passageway littered with debris and redolent with the mingled stench of refuse and damp.

Even from a distance, Evander smelled a lingering trace of dark magic and the strange metallic tang he’d detected in Whitley’s hidden room.The smell he now knew to be a form of a magical hybrid derived fromBlood Magic, dark, and shadow magic.

Solomon’s pouch lay on the ground a little more than halfway along the passage.Inky lines scorched the brick wall beside it.

It was clear some kind of battle had taken place there.

Evander crouched beside the pouch, touched the bloodstain marking it, and rubbed his fingers.It wasn’t quite dry yet.He frowned.

“It’s been less than two hours since he went missing.”

“He was supposed to meet an informant at lunchtime,” Viggo confirmed stiffly.“The man dropped by the guild when Solomon failed to turn up.”

“It looks like he put up quite a fight,” Shaw observed, her sharp gaze taking in the damage to the wall.She removed a small vial from her forensic bag and dabbed the silvery liquid it contained on one of the scorch lines with a cotton stick.

There was a purple sizzle.

Shaw frowned at the colour of the dark red residue it left behind.“This is the same magic I found in the hidden room under Professor Whitley’s lab and outside the lecture hall where Leon was attacked, your Grace.”

Viggo stared at them.“Leon was attacked?”

“Yes.”Evander stood up, tension humming through him.

He briefly explained what had happened that morning, their discovery concerning Musgrave, and the conclusion McAndrew had come to about the artefact they’d taken to the Met.

Concern clouded Viggo’s eyes.He took a step towards Evander.“Are you hurt?!”

Evander’s expression softened a little.“I’m fine.Leon was the one who got injured.”

Rufus cleared his throat discreetly.

Evander and Viggo became conscious of Shaw’s avid stare.

The Brute lowered his brows.“If that device we found is similar to theBlood Siphon?—”

“Then the sooner we find that hidden lab, the better,” Evander agreed with a brisk nod.

He walked to the centre of the alley and released a pulse of magic, seeking any residual trace of arcane energy that could give them a clue to Solomon’s possible whereabouts or his attacker’s identity.His scalp prickled when a faint but unmistakable sensation brushed against his awareness—a shadow of the foul power he’d felt coming from Musgrave in the lecture hall.

Evander followed it to a pile of rubbish.His eyes narrowed when he spotted something glinting on the ground, half concealed by a crate.He squatted and used a handkerchief to retrieve the object.

It was a silver ring engraved with a rune.

“What is that?”Viggo asked, looming over him.

A thrill shot through Evander as he examined the item.

“It’s a seal to remove wards.”He took a careful sniff of the ring.“Judging from the stink of dark magic coming of it, it must belong to whoever took Solomon.”He twisted and looked at the scorch marks on the wall.“Shadow creatures would not have made those, so Solomon must have fought a dark mage directly.”Evander met Viggo’s gaze and saw the light of hope come to life deep in his dark eyes.“It looks like we were right about our theory.They must have been watching from the shadows all along.”

Remorse tightened Viggo’s face.“I should have kept some men on him.”

“None of us could have anticipated this,” Evander said firmly.He straightened and placed a hand on Viggo’s arm.The tension thrumming through the Brute’s powerful muscles made his heart ache.“This is the first time they’ve snatched a thrall in broad daylight, Viggo.Blaming ourselves for what happened is not going to help Solomon.”

Finn’s gaze darted nervously between them.“What do you mean, watching from the shadows?”

Evander explained the theory he and Viggo had come up with.A thought struck him then—a terrible, chilling possibility that made his breath catch.

“The shadow creatures,” he said slowly, his mind racing.“What if they’re not just weapons or guards?What if they’re extensions of the dark mage controlling them?Eyes and ears that can move undetected through the city?”