Page 27 of Shadow of Spring (Wild Haven 2)

“Didn’t you say you lost your fleece?” I cock my head, and lift up a familiar looking gray fleece with the words Haven Veterinary Clinic stitched across the top left.

In two strides, Ezra’s at my side, pulling the fleece out of my hands. Shoving his nose into the fabric, he inhales deeply.

“Seriously, man, when did you start acting like a bloodhound?” Davis asks, sounding amused.

“There’s something familiar about the scent. But it’s off. It doesn’t smell right.”

“What are you saying? Someone stole your shirt and got their stinky BO all over it?”

“It doesn’t stink. There’s nothing wrong with the way it smells. It’s just familiar, and yet not at the same time.”

Ezra’s still sniffing the damn thing, his forehead creasing with confusion. That makes two of us.

“Well, that’s super helpful.” I push off my knees, standing up and stretching my hands overhead, forgetting how damn low the ceiling is.

“I don’t sense any magic down here. At least nothing recent. Beyond the wards I put up.” Davis turns in a circle, looking around the room like it’s going to reveal secrets any moment now. Before he let Miri move into her store, he’d warded the tunnels to ensure that nothing with ill intentions could enter.

“I don’t either,” Ezra says, still frowning down at his fleece. It’s a little worrying that we’ve encountered so much magic lately that we all know how to identify when it’s been used.

“So what? Do you think someone’s squatting here? Totally independent of whoever the hell was doing this shit.” I wave a hand at the altar.

“The person originally using this place as a casting room doesn’t appear to be doing so now. I don’t think whoever’s been coming down here recently.” Ezra waves his fleece around, and gestures toward the rest of the clothes and food on the ground, “is the person who was doing magic down here.”

“What makes you think that?” I look around the room to see if I can figure out what would lead him to make that conclusion.

“They have different scents.”

“Okay, do we know what kind of magic you’re supposed to be good at? Because I don’t have that kind of sense of smell.” Davis shakes his head at Ezra, who shrugs.

“I have no idea, man.”

“Yeah, well, Miri cooked up some sort of magic identifying potion for us all to take. I guess it can help identify the kind of magical abilities we will all have.”

“No offense, but I really don’t want to be taking magic potions.”

“She knows what she’s doing,” Davis grumbles, but then his eyes cut to the side. “Mostly.”

“Mostly? Not instilling a lot of confidence.” Ezra claps a hand on Davis’s shoulder.

Davis pulls off his stocking cap and drags his hand through his messy brown hair. “Since we bonded, both of our magic has been acting up.”

“How so?” I ask, swinging my flashlight to shine it on him. Davis throws up a hand and glares at me.

“Do we need anything else in here, or can we have this conversation while we walk our asses out of this tunnel?”

Davis doesn’t bother waiting for an answer. He turns and leaves the room. There really isn’t anything else to look at in here, so Ezra and I follow behind him.

“What’s been going on with your magic?” Ezra shouts to Davis, who’s a good ten feet in front of us.

“It’s been like a power boost. Before, I could occasionally cause a breeze to blow or make it drizzle rain for a few minutes, but now it’s like I’ve been supercharged. With barely a thought, I can create a fire. With the snap of my fingers, I can bring a wave crashing from the sea.”

“You almost sound like a poet.” Ezra snickers. I can tell it’s a nervous reaction, because the idea of more magical power scares the shit out of him.

“Sure, here’s one for you. Fuck off.”

Ezra and I both start laughing, and even Davis can’t keep from chuckling at himself.

“You’ve got a gift.” I throw a fist into his side, not hard enough to hurt, just enough to be irritating.

“You’re both idiots.”

“You’re the one who’s friends with us.”

“This is why I spend so much time alone.”

It feels good to laugh with my friends, even if Davis’s words are planting a seed of dread deep in my gut. What are my powers?

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