Page 518

Rowan felt a flush of frustration course through her. “The arm didn’t help?”

“No. He seems to be behind a protective barrier, and even with our work around in trying to track the magic signature before he disappeared behind it, we can’t lock on.

Still, it was an excellent cut. Your father’s prestige on the battlefield translates into your combat skill, Princess.

” Terra’s eyes roved the grounds as they got deeper and deeper into the Estate, her guard up.

Rowan wondered how much of that uneasiness was because outsiders were stepping into the more private side of the estate, and how much of it resulted because of the magic running amok on the grounds of Draconis.

There were several houses, many more than Rowan had ever imagined. They were mostly white stone work with terracotta roofs, each personalized in only a way that made sense to dragons.

Precious gems glittered from accent points along the clay trims. Gold and gem doors were a popular choice.

Dragons loved their treasures and nothing could point this out more than the sometimes gaudy collections that occurred in the bigger houses.

Rowan observed with a tad bit of jealousy as Terra wrangled the magic back into proper order. As they passed overgrown vines and small fires other dragons were failing to deal with, Terra’s precise use of earth magic was as graceful as the woman.

Terra woman was powerful. As one of Alessandro’s generals, it was a given. But there was an underlying aspect of leadership that she had. Stone, the true heir, lacked it.

Could it be that she was older and therefore more experienced than Stone? Or was it that Rowan had known him in his youth and had once helped hold him up for a keg stand?

“What are the chances you killed him during your fight? You always leave your opponents worse than what you look like, and you look terrible.” Axel didn’t pull her punches, emotional or physical.

Rowan threw out an elbow to her side that Axel easily dodged. “Unless we see a body, I’m not making any assumptions. But I think he was a Cursed.”

“Cursed? Like Elaine?” Stone asked.

Rowan felt the bottom of her stomach drop. What had Alessandro revealed? Did his dragons know of her involvement? Had she trusted someone she shouldn’t have with her secret?

But Stone’s question wasn’t for her. It was for Terra, who looked conflicted by whatever crossed her mind. Alessandro had said she was like his sister. Did she know?

“I didn’t ask about specifics, but he said the curse had completely overtaken Elaine, half transformed into her beast form. How did Barros seem?”

Rowan chose her words carefully. “He was lucid. I could feel his emotions range.” Yet, her sword, which could only bring harm to the Cursed, had chopped his arm off.

She’d summoned it purely based on the fact he’d had the stench of rotting meat, the stench that followed any of the other Cursed that came to her.

If she was incorrect, she wouldn’t have that arm.

Yet, she couldn’t just say this is how she knew.

She didn’t just go around spilling the secret her godfather had always pressed was imperative she kept.

That Alessandro had caught her in action as a Blessed was the only reason she ever let him know—then again, she’d never made the right call with that man.

“Then what makes you think he’s a Cursed?” Terra asked softly.

“He smelled…rotten, and when he gave into the violence, I could almost swear darkness shrouded him.”

“If he’s a Cursed, we can tweak the tracking spell with the new information. Maybe he won’t need to be connected to magic for us to find him.” Terra’s hazel eyes shone with new ideas.

“What exactly is the plan when you locate him?” Rowan asked as they turned the corner and caught sight of their goal.

Her cabin looked humble next to the massive manor that was Alessandro’s home.

Three times the size of the other houses, Alessandro’s had a white stone floating fountain in the front, four detailed dragons spewing all four elements from their mouths to fall into four separate basins as they spun in a lazy circle.

The exterior of the home used the same white stone, which contrasted with the dark shingles of the roof and up to the giant tower she’d seen as far as three blocks away from the steps of the medical ward.

Even though her cabin should’ve looked awkward next to the disparate architecture, Rowan couldn’t help but admire the sight.

Somehow it fit.

“We want to call Judgment.” Terra’s answer made sense.

As the species of both magical and non magical descent built their new world of near inseparability, it quickly became apparent that cultures and sense of justice differed from species to species. Spells like phasing created a jurisdiction issue solved only by Judgement.

Judgement comprised elected representatives from every species that resolved to coexist. As of last count 356 representatives sat on the Judgement Panel and while not perfect, it allowed every species to have a voice.

With Antoni’s actions having spanned to more than one continent, he fell into their purview.

It was only half surprising the dragons weren’t just burning the man out of existence. They had a tendency to make aggressive responses to aggressive actions taken against them. It was what had kept them at the top for so long.

However, because the actions against them had highlighted their strength as a negative aspect, they had to approach it more conciliatory than normal.

Something the Thunder was so obviously at a loss with how to do.

Rowan herself, who normally took a softer approach, such as making herself smaller to avoid attention, found it difficult to picture doing anything other than running the man through with her blade so she could relate.

Dew’s dwindling heartbeat still rang through her head.

With emotion heavy in her throat, she asked, “How is Dew’s family?”

Axel shrugged. “You know faeries. They don’t see death the way most of us do. Louisa said they didn’t seem to take it too hard, and the funeral was more of a celebration.”

Dew would’ve adored that. She had always done everything in her power to keep things cheery. It was a contagious desire that had made the office seem more like a family than a business.

She would visit Dew’s mother when everything settled. She wanted to show Dew’s entire family how much she adored the fairy.

“And since the Coven is in turmoil, I’m guessing that means Cherry hasn’t recovered either?” She asked Miasma who looked startled to be addressed.

“No. Not really, there seems to be a block on her inheritance of the old Elder’s magic.”

“Tell her why you think that might be, Miasma.” Axel encouraged.

Rowan couldn’t wait to get her sister alone to tease her.

Miasma’s eyes widened in obvious discomfort and her thumbs twirled around one another.

“Well, umm, I believe a portion of the magic trying to get into you is the Elder’s.”

“Witch magic in an elf?” Terra looked both horrified and impressed.

“Elven-succubus.” Stone motioned to Rowan’s wings.

“Fair point. Could there also be witch magic in your bloodline?” Terra asked, unsure.

“No.” Rowan’s eye lit up as a thought occurred to her. “But I think I might know why it would be trying.”

She’d kept the Elder’s Grimoire for over two weeks already.

She hadn’t gotten to use it as much as she’d like, losing two weeks just from falling into her feeding frenzy and recovering from her fight with Barros.

Could the time limit have something to do with the Elder’s magic? Did it come as a package deal?

Or, and Rowan suspected, this was most likely the case: Had Henrietta known Barros would take Cherry?

Had Barros taken the expected Elder to steal the magic that she was supposed to have with her?

To take it as his own? Is that why Cherry had asked about it as soon as she saw who dropped into that second cage?

The idea of that kind of power existing in someone as deranged as Antoni Barros was terrifying.

“Is that the only magic trying to kill me?” Could the solution to her problem be so simple? Why were there so many questions and so few answers?

“I don’t think it’s trying to kill you,” Miasma spoke softly. “I think it just senses something in you that makes it feel like it belongs there. Like you’re its proper home.”

No way. Witch magic belonged to witches only. Though she could now pull magic through all of her chakra gates. Could that have something to do with it?

But maybe something in her blood or genealogy was of witch descent? She would have to look into that after she got the Dragon King back home.

As her priorities stood, the first was to get him back to his rightful place.

After all, it was her fault he had to resort to locking himself away.

Second was to check up on Kin and Louisa, who had been as close to the fallen fairy as she had been.

Third was to check out what the hell was going on with her magic and fourth was to find the bastard who had taken her eye and bring him to proper justice and restore some of the peace he had sledgehammered out of existence with his actions.

When they stepped up to her porch, she turned and watched as the chaos died down.

A pair of nearby water dragons who had been trying to drown a raging fire in a pair of rose bushes looked disappointed to have their fun ended so easily.

“So this is the power of a space and time anomaly.” Terra touched the wood of the wrap-around porch’s banister and Rowan could feel the cabin’s approval roil through their link.

Rowan smiled and turned the knob of the front door. What awaited on the other side took her breath away.