Page 153 of Obsidian and Frost

Cloaking myself and tracking my target like prey certainly hadn’t been on the agenda.

At Velra’s behest, I’d planned to reach out to Sylas and attempt to heal what had been broken between us, both from my breach of trust and then his attack upon me.

As she’d impressed upon me the morning I’d woken up in her bed with her sleeping beside me so softly and beautifully, peace needed to be made in order for us to move forward.

She was deeply attached to Sylas and Lazriel, and she’d ensured that I understood that complexity and was mindful of it.

But as I’d returned to campus later that day after spending some time with Ketheron and us having breakfast together, I’d sought out the necromancer, only to find him cloaked on the edge of the forest while he took a call, employing a very high-level spell to prevent himself both from being seen and overheard. Given that I knew Velra was in class attendingHarmonic Discipline: Dark Fae Magic & Ethical Focus, and that Lazriel was also busy in hisInstinct & Invocation: Harnessing the Inner Beastclass, the fact that Sylas had beentaking such extreme precautions in spite of that had definitely sparked suspicion.

Shortly after he’d finished his call, a text had come into my phone through the Group Chat that Velra had added me to.

Sylas:Might be late back for dinner. Time-sensitive issue at Arcanum Order. All is well, just requires my assistance. See you as soon as I can.

I wasn’t a participant in this dinner he was referring to. Not quite yet time for that.

It had been a little premature to add me to the Group Chat with them all as well, but Velra had wanted me to get an understanding of the nature and nuance of it. She was working hard and carefully to try to bring me in through little stages.

She was going to so much effort for me, in spite of everything. The least I could do was defer to her in these matters and trust that she knew what she was doing.

I’d managed to track his teleportation path and I’d found myself at the clandestine Arcanum Conclave, the building that housed the elite and secret cabal of the greatest magical minds across the supernatural world who engaged in high-level research and magical development known as Arcanum Order.

The repurposed cathedral was an elegant architectural design, hidden by illusion magic in the misty highlands far away from anyone and anything.

I’d cast a spell to see into the building itself, something only somebody of my magical prowess and Celestial ability could manage, especially without detection.

And it had elicited a great deal of confusion as all I’d witnessed was Sylas working away on current research—one such project apparently being to unlock the complicated building blocks of Dark Fae spells which sought to violate free will.

Why had he cloaked himself earlier if his message in the chat had been true, if things had been above board, and he actually had just intended to head into Arcanum Conclave?

I’d watched him work alone for a while, until Cornelius Martel had arrived. He’d been followed a few minutes later by Maelira Draxen, a defected Dark Fae who engaged in philanthropic efforts on this plane now and this specialized secretive research.

She’d worked with Sylas, running her hands through her straight black hair with hints of purple as she concentrated on the tall task ahead of them. The flared sleeves of her gray top fluttered theatrically whenever she invoked her magic. She carried weapons in several sheaths strapped to her black pants—enchanted blades, a magical grenade. The mark of somebody still on high alert from her past associations, fearing them catching up with her.

The interior of the space was striking and impressive. The walls were lined with magical symbols glowing with magic. A spiral archive twisted upward along one wall with books and artifacts floating in containment fields. A round stone table with gold veins was situated at the chamber’s heart, surrounded by twelve chairs. Above it were magical projections of the current spellwork they were investigating—symbols, formulas, including recent discoveries. Floating lanterns illuminated the area, each contained within a glass orb. There were many magical stations situated on heavy stone tables.

I watched then as Kai Hunter walked in, and then Sylas veered over to him, joining him as Kai settled by the alchemical bench.

Before Kai even began to get to work, Sylas made a gesture toward the entrance doors, and then Kai was following him out, his hard leather trench coat flapping behind him, just like Sylas’ hooded cloak was doing.

I shifted position and used my magic to silently follow their path around the building to a shadowy area.

I employed an auditory enhancement spell and listened in as I watched curiously—and more than a little worriedly given the grave expression on both their faces and the palpable tension emanating from them. Even I, as ill-equipped as I was with emotions, managed to register that. It was that potent.

“Did you bring it?” Sylas asked him, urgency radiating off him.

Kai gave him a look.

“Fine. Of course you did.”

“Yes. Given your urgency and, honestly, your desperation, of course I fucking did.”

Sylas grunted and held out his hand.

Then I watched as Kai placed a Nexus Band—one in bracelet form—onto his palm.

“Vorzyr was okay parting with this for a while?”

“Just for a while. He’s immersed in closed-door meetings with the Shifter Stabilization Unit so it didn’t exactly go over well that I showed up. At least I was cloaked, but it was still a disruption.”