Page 58 of Joined By Magic

“A lady never tells.” Her grin widened. “But it went great! Compared to home, the men over here really know what they’re doing.”

I snorted. “I bet. Which one was it this time?”

“Erill. He works with the king’s physicians, does the grunt work.” A shadow fell over her face. “He’s so smart, I’m sure he could have been a doctor, but only mages are allowed to do that here.”

I nodded. “We thought home was bad.”

“Yeah.” Atalie remained silent for a few moments, and a frown settled over her features. “He said something odd. The king’s head doctor, a guy who’d been with him for years, stormed out. Just left, no explanations. Didn’t even collect his stuff. Have you heard about a row?”

I shook my head. A trickle of unease ran up my spine. I’d spoken with the old doctor several times and liked him. He’d seemed kind and dedicated. It made me nervous that he’d argued with the king. People who did that had a habit of dying.

An unfamiliar voice crackled across the room. “We’re about to engage.” A man’s face hung projected on the wall, sharp, live footage.

Leo stood facing the projected image, tension burning off him. “He’s dangerous. Do you have all your dampening tech activated?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Proceed, then. Good luck, men.”

“Thanks, Your Highness.”

The image shifted to a wider view, showing a picturesque lake house. Drone footage, probably. I leaned forward and drew in a breath. I’d expected a stern, depressing place, but the house was anything but. A bright, cheery, red-painted door. Flowers in a box on the windowsill. Flowers? It looked like a home, not a hideout.

Who was responsible? Surely not Adante. His woman, then. Talia. Something about the house made me uneasy and sad. So normal. Was she a normal woman, like me? What would the king do to her if she was captured? I’d have to speak to Leo if things went well today.

Silence fell. The footage showed five men creeping toward the house, loaded up with weapons. The first man reached the door, pointed a device, and bright green magic flowed from it, pulverizing the pretty door. The men paused, then two entered the house while the others remained in position outside.

A few minutes later, the same face appeared on the screen. “House is clear, Your Highness. Looks like they left in a hurry, there’s a lot of stuff still here. He had an entire room set up as a lab, and there’s a few bits of tech lying around. You want it all sent back?”

Leo’s eyes closed, and his shoulders heaved in a deep breath before he answered. “Yes. Everything, please. Thank you.”

The man nodded. “Will do, Your Highness.”

The call cut off.

Too late. I looked down at my hands as familiar fear settled in my gut. He’d be coming for us soon, especially now we’d almost caught him. Leo came over, face tight.

“I have to report to the king. I’ll see you later.” He stalked out of the door.

Beside me, Atalie sucked in a breath. “Ouch. I wouldn’t want to be him.”

“No. Me neither.” I eyed the room. A pall of despondency lay over everyone. Garron and his men filed out. Peter, Damien, and Hex talked together in a huddle.

I turned to Atalie. Our earlier conversation returned to my thoughts. A little niggle of worry. I couldn’t do anything about Adante, but at least I could set my mind to rest about this. “Hey, your friend from last night. Does he have the old doctor’s number? I’m curious why he left.”

Atalie gave me an odd look. “Why?”

I couldn’t give a good reason. “I don’t know. Just a feeling.”

She frowned but pulled out her link-up. “I’ll ask him, if you want.” Her expression softened. “It’ll give me an excuse to call him, anyway.” She stood and moved away to the side of the room.

A smile tugged at my lips. Atalie seemed to like this one. I let my thoughts wander. What now? Maybe Adante would slip up now we’d disturbed him. He could show up on security footage, or—

Atalie’s cry jerked me out of my chair. She stood stricken, eyes wide. “But he can’t be, I was only with him this morning.”

A voice on the other end said something I didn’t make out.

“But—”

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