Page 48 of Research with Rivals
It did nothing to ease the tension that crept into my shoulders. The tavern had been near empty when Ambrose and I walked in. It had still been the end of the workday. Now, the whole place was filled. I hadn’t even noticed. I’d been too invested in my conversation with Ambrose.
I couldn’t believe all the ground we’d covered. His father’s accident had occurred while experimenting with mulberries? He’d told Gabriel about me at the Records Office? The facts didn’t overlay well with my picture of the library’s golden boy who wanted to see me and my rogue experimentation methods gone.
Lord Arctos looked at me expectantly, holding out a chair at the table for me to sit. How long had he been waiting? The dull roar of patrons around us swallowed my “thank you” as I sat. While I was happy for Seraphina and her booming business, I wasn’t sure this was the best location for this discussion. Anyone might have been listening. Ambrose and I needed information on the blood magic connection between the gods and their Compass Points.
It was supposedly a secret, but Lord Arctos didn’t appear worried. He ordered a drink and food immediately from Mina like he’d been waiting all day for this very moment. “Luna has been raving about this place. It better be as good as she says.”
“You had us come here because Luna recommended it?” I asked.
He nodded. “What else are you supposed to do in a new city?”
Ambrose cleared his throat. “This city isn’t exactly … new to you … is it?”
Lord Arctos gave him a flat stare. “You may be surprised to learn that the dining establishments in a city change over hundreds of years.”
I raised my glass to my lips to hide the smile that threatened when Ambrose’s ears pinkened with the chastisement.
“So, what were you two discussing? Any progress on breaking your own little connection?” He looked directly at me.
I felt Ambrose’s gaze on my cheek, and parts of our conversation flashed back through my mind, warming me from the inside. What was I supposed to say about our progress? I’d shared more than I intended—about Mom, and finding my father. How much had Ambrose meant to share? We wouldn’t know if it worked until we physically separated.
“We’re trying something.”
Lord Arctos glanced dismissively at his fingernails. “What are we trying?”
On a deep sigh, I explained. “We are trying to work through the magic. If we complete the magic’s original objective, it won’t be needed anymore.”
Something lit in Lord Arctos’s green eyes. They flicked to Ambrose. “And has everyone come clean about their intent?”
I honestly had no idea how he knew that, but I guessed it didn’t surprise me that he did.
Ambrose, on the other hand, sputtered. “How do you know we both had intent?”
Lord Arctos leaned back in his chair in a sprawl that would have looked lazy on anyone else, but somehow Lord Arctos always appeared formal. “I’m a god.”
This time, I glared at him. “It’s a real question. The information could help us.”
He sighed, clearly bored again with the conversation. “The magic connecting you, I can see it tied in the middle.”
Ambrose and I stared at each other. My brain was stuck on the fact that Lord Arctos could see magic. Again, he was a god. Who knew what he was capable of? He seemed to enjoy dropping magical facts like little sprinkles of whimsy in a dull conversation. Either way, I was glad when Ambrose finally spoke.
“You can see the magic connecting us?”
He shrugged. “Yes, and if anything, the knot has tightened. I’m not sure what you’re doing is working.”
I opened my mouth to continue questioning that, but he cut me off.
“I asked you both here to talk about the next steps in my problem. Although it’s not reassuring that you’ve failed to solve your own.”
I rubbed my temples. This conversation was giving me a headache.
“The Osten God wanted me to share more information with you if you figured out where the magic was enacted on your own. Even with your own situation”—he waved his hand between us—“you were quick to identify the creation of the fae as the origin. So here is what I know: His intent was to share.”
Lord Arctos spread his arms like he’d dropped some all-powerful truth at the table. Ambrose and I stared at each other, blinking.His intent was to share.I wasn’t sure what to do with this particular piece of information.
“We need more,” Ambrose said.
Lord Arctos pursed his lips. “Zrak is the one who concocted the magic to create the fae. I thought you were a history expert, but since that assumption is proving incorrect, let me hand you the details.” He cleared his throat like he was preparing to enrapture us with storytime. “The gods created the fae to keep our power in check. It was about balance. We had made enough mistakes with our power, we needed a group on the continent that could?—”
