Page 18

My eyebrows rose in alarm.

“He is an incredibly powerful seer with a vast amount of spells in his repertoire, he could most certainly curse us if he wanted to,” Saanvi replied with a shrug.

Nik had also asked Alastir to join the resistance, but he had claimed he was too old for war. Maybe there was still hope yet to sway him to our side. He had been the closest friend and advisor to my father Osiris. He hadn’t been surprised whenI had shown up on his doorstep in Prins searching for stolen spells.

Tess glanced behind her, checking to be sure we still followed closely behind, before approaching the door to the charm shop and swinging it open. The last time we had come here it had been the middle of the night and the shop hadn’t been open for business. Today the shop was open. A few Shades milled about selecting potions off the shelf or ringing out with their purchases at the front counter.

Alastir was nowhere in sight. The gentleman operating the till was much younger than the seer we came searching for. My eyes fell on the doorway in the back of the shop that led up to the apartment above, and I fell into the memories of that night. How Donika had found me with Corian by her side. How they had pulled me into a dream. How that same night Nik and I had given into our feelings and touched each other on the gym mats of the training room for the first time in weeks.

The voice of the cashier pulled me back from my reverie as I blinked several times to refocus.

“What can I help you with?” he asked, his eyes roving over each of us as he realized we hadn’t brought any items up to the till to cash out.

“We are looking for Alastir, is he in?” Puck asked, placing a hand on the counter and leaning against it in a way I could only describe as arrogant.

It almost made me laugh.Almost.

“One moment,” the cashier replied, moving towards the room that sat in the back of the shop. It appeared to be an office of some kind.

When the cashier returned—alone—I swallowed back the lump in my throat.

“He isn’t available at the moment,” he replied, his lips pressed together in a thin line. He didn’t offer us anything else.

“Can he make himself available?” Puck asked, a threatening note in his voice. “I’m afraid it’s incredibly important, ole chap.”

Tess rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest. I had to stifle a groan at Puck’s attempts at intimidation. He couldn’t play the part that Nik did, he was too… British.

“Afraid not.” The cashier replied, offering nothing further than a searing gaze.

“Please, Sir. You don’t understand—” I spoke, moving to the front of the counter and pushing an indignant Puck out of the way. “This is of the utmost importance and it iscrucialthat we speak with Alastir right away.”

We couldn’t stay in Prins; Donika’s soldiers would find us. If we didn’t find Alastir—and soon—we would have to return to the seaside cabin empty handed. And that simply wasn’t an option. Time wasn’t on our side, and I could sense the minutes ticking down.

As far as I was concerned, all plans of going to war were put on hold until we found the antidote to the siphoning spell. Or some other kind of cure. I had made up my mind about thatthe minute Amiyah had mentioned the spell. All magic had a balance, we simply needed to find it.

Surely Alastir had seen this. Seen that I wouldn’t go to war without Nikolai by my side, and that we would be coming to him to seek out the spell we needed.

“What is it you wish to speak with him about?” The cashier asked with a smile.

He hadn’t been nearly this nice to Puck, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

Pursing my lips I said, “you don’t have the clearance. I will speak with Alastir, and Alastir alone. If he isn’t here, I implore you to tell me where we might find him.”

I plastered a fake smile across my lips and my teeth ground together as I tried my hardest to push down the magic that surged to the surface every time I lost my temper. A wave of relief washed over me as I sensed it return to my core, to the ember of energy that lived there.

The cashier frowned. “I’m sorry then, afraid I can’t help you,” he replied, that false smile returning to his lips that never reached his eyes.

I slammed my fists against the glass counter in frustration and the beakers and potions that sat atop it rattled together.

“When he returns… will you let him know that Diana is looking for him?” I asked through clenched teeth, meeting the cashier’s stern gaze with one of my own.

Recognition lit his eyes before he leaned over the counter towards me. Puck’s arm shot out to stop him, but I gave him a reassuring nod, his arm falling back to his side.

“Are you… you’re not… Diana Kotova, are you?” he asked in a voice merely above a whisper.

“Oh, mother above…” Tess exhaled as her arms dropped to her side in a huff. “So much for staying hidden…” she muttered as she moved towards the front door of the shop and glanced up and down the street.

“Who is asking?” My eyebrow arched in question as I turned back towards the counter.