Page 56 of Of Flames and Crows

“Roman is as powerful as Katarina was,” Budimir confessed gruffly. “Possibly more.”

Ludmila’s head snapped up. “He is?!”

Mae nodded. “Yes. Even I can attest to the strength of his magic from what I felt through his familiar’s core.”

She hesitated.I don’t think I should be the one telling her he can access ley lines too. That privilege belongs to Roman alone.

Ludmila blinked. “His familiar?”

Mae indicated Filomena where she clung to Nikolai’s shoulder. “Roman saved her before Oscar captured him. It’s probably the reason they’re both still alive.”

Admiration brightened the old woman’s eyes as she studied the chameleon. “He’s a smart boy.” She gave Budimir a reluctant look of approval. “You taught him well.”

“I had little to do with his magic abilities,” the Bratva general said curtly. “Eleanora gave Katarina’s journal to Roman.”

Ludmila paled. “A journal?”

Budimir nodded. “He’s been practicing his magic in secret using her knowledge.”

Ludmila seemed fairly stunned at that.

“What are they after?” the old woman finally said. Her gaze turned calculating as she looked around the table. “What do you know? I doubt this little meeting of yours was for social reasons.”

Mae swallowed a sigh.She really is demanding, isn’t she?

She summarized the events that had brought them to Prague, carefully omitting the incident from the night before. Ludmila’s eyes rounded as she listened. The old woman interjected sharply with pointed questions from time to time.

“They can’t be after Fire Magic users just to kill them,” Ludmila muttered after a tense lull. “I can’t see the point of Vedran expending energy on such a fruitless venture.”

“We think they’re trying to use Fire Magic users’ cores in one of their schemes.” Mae paused. “The caliber of Fire Magic users they’ve kidnapped to date may have been too poor for them to achieve their goal, which is why they’re still hunting for people who harbor that magic. But now that they have Roman in their grasp…”

A glum silence befell them.

“We need to rescue him and soon,” Ludmila said in a steely voice. She gave Mae a hard look. “The Vissarions’ powers are at your disposal, Witch Queen.”

Mae blinked, surprised. Even Vlad and Budimir looked shocked at the old witch’s proposition.

“Can you useRevealto identify Roman’s location?” Violet asked Mae. “I mean, his familiar is here.”

Mae shook her head. “I already tried. Like I suspected, Barquiel must have erected a portal around their location.” She frowned at Nikolai. “We can’t risk Nikolai accessing the ley line to trace Roman’s Fire Magic either. It might expand the crack in the nexus.”

Ludmila recoiled. “There’s a crack in the nexus?!”

Nikolai dipped his chin grimly.

“By the way, Marlena wants you to pay an official visit to the Council of the Moon,” he told the old woman.

“I was planning to do that anyway,” Ludmila said dismissively. “It would be rude not to pay my respects to her considering I’m in her city.”

Mae and Cortes glanced at the smashed-up door of his suite.

Ludmila noted their expressions. “What?”

Mae grimaced. “Your, er, priorities are a bit contradictory.”

“Yes, well, I had more important matters on my mind, what with me finding out about my precious great-grandson and all.”

She and Budimir exchanged glowers.

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