Page 44 of Sweaty Nights & Gator Bites

“You look for those symbols while we focus on a way to protect ourselves next time we face Garrick in the swamp,” Kota replied. “If his magic is getting stronger, we are going to need it. We barely held him off last time."

“You're on the right track,” Adèle said. “Keep pushing, keep searching. The answers are there.”

One of Xinar’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. “Seems like you will get better answers if you’re immersed in the energy of the swamp.”

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sighed. “I was hoping no one would point that out.”

CHAPTER 15

DANIELLE

“We should move Willowberry out here. We’ve spent enough time out here lately,” Kota griped as we trekked through the thick humidity.

We’d decided to get some rest the night before after we’d used significant amount of energy creating wards. We didn’t want to be out here at less than one hundred percent. Garrick was too formidable for that. The sun was barely peeking through the dense canopy of cypress trees as we trudged through the swamp.

“We should have stayed in bed longer,” Lia countered as our boots squelched with each step. The damp earth clung to them stubbornly. The swamp was alive with the sounds of croaking frogs and rustling leaves despite the undercurrent of something darker.

“How are we supposed to know if anything ties the Montclairs, Dubois, or Rousseaus to the dark activities plaguing the area?” Phi changed the subject away from inanetopics. Not that I didn’t appreciate my sisters’ snark. It alleviated tension, but right now, Phi’s question was far more important.

Dre pushed a vine out of her way. “We already know the families are up to no good. We just need to connect them out here. I know I keep harping on that idea, but I can’t let it go.”

Lia and Dea moved to the left and scanned the ground for any signs of recent activity. While the rest of us fanned out to the right. “We believe you,” Lia told her. “Keep the power we felt in that old plantation and on the relic. If we find anything like that, we might be able to connect it to Garrick.”

Hours passed, and despite our thorough search, we came up empty-handed. There were no markings, no artifacts, nothing that could definitively link the families to the recent murders. I wiped the sweat from my forehead as we paused to take a break.

“We’re missing something,” Dre muttered, her voice tinged with annoyance. “They’re too careful to leave obvious clues out here.”

“You’re right, Dre,” Adèle interjected. “The families are cunning and won’t leave easy evidence behind. Perhaps it’s time to confront them directly.”

I frowned, considering her suggestion. “You mean we should go talk to the heads of the families? They’re not exactly going to welcome us with open arms.”

Adèle’s mental voice was calm but insistent. “They may not, but they might slip up or reveal something useful. You need to be direct. The subtle approach isn’t working.”

Lia added, “Adèle has a point. Maybe it’s time to take the fight to them. If we confront them, we might learn something new.”

Dea nodded in agreement. “It’s risky, but we’re running out of options. We need answers, and we need them now.”

“Or we might get our asses kicked,” Kota pointed out.

I couldn’t hold back the snort that escaped. “Our dragon hides are pretty thick-skinned. I say we confront the families. But we need to be smart about it. We can’t just barge in without a plan.”

Dea batted a mosquito away as she suggested, “We should approach them separately, not all at once. You know, divide and conquer. We’ll need to figure out who to talk to first and plan our approach carefully.”

Phi's analytical mind was already at work as she lifted a finger in the air. “We should start with the Montclairs. They’re the most influential and might have the most to lose. If we can rattle them, it could lead to more information about the others.”

“Agreed,” I said, feeling a renewed sense of purpose. “We’ll prepare and head to the Montclair estate later.”

I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease as we returned to Willowberry. Confronting the heads of the families was a bold move. One that could go horribly wrong. There were still some in the magical world that thought we were phonies. They didn’t believe the rumors about our adventures despite the proof we’d had to cover up more times than I cared to admit. The worst part was, there was a piece of me that agreed with them. Having grown up a mundie, I felt like an imposter some of the time.

Back at the plantation, we gathered in the ladies’ parlor with Cami who had just finished a morning tour of the place. The room was our version of a living room. The comforting familiarity of our home grounded me and made it easier to remember I was a full-fledged member of the magical world.

Dre looked at each of us in turn. “How can we catch them off guard?” She got right to the heart of the matter. “If they suspect we’re onto them, they’ll just shut down and we won’t get anything useful. They might even attack us.”

“Agreed,” Lia said, leaning forward with her arms crossed. “Maybe we can use their arrogance against them.”

“The Montclairs have always considered themselves untouchable,” Cami added from her perch in the chair near the fireplace. “If you play on that, they might let something slip.”

Phi tapped her fingers on the table, deep in thought. “We should split up our roles. Someone needs to be the good cop, someone the bad cop. We need to make them uncomfortable but not too defensive.”

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