Page 26 of Dragon's Midlife Secret Baby
Maeve’s nostrils flared. “We wouldn’t come to you for something like that. Sol, I believe this was a mindwipe spell.”
He’d been sitting back on his chair, not relaxed but certainly not interested in the conversation. Now, he leaned forward, making the red pendantaround his neck sway. It caught even the dim light of the room. “Mindwipe?”
“Yes,” Maeve affirmed. “The victim is concerned that whoever did it might still be after him, which is why we need to find that person, even though the spell has been broken.”
Now it was Sol’s turn to flutter his eyelids, this time in disbelief. “Maeve, I never thought you were living up to your potential with all your potions, crystals, and natural magic. You were smart, though, someone who could really start to understand the true notion of the universe if you were so inclined. That was why I bothered wasting my time with you, and it was no surprise when you wanted to take the easy route. That’s what everyone wants to do. The thing is, even being smart and talented, there’s no way you could break a mindwipe spell.”
“We had help,” Chelsea offered. Her mother didn’t pinch her this time.
“Please,” he shot back dismissively. “I don’t keep track of all the women in your fold, but I doubt even the entirety of the sisterhood would be strong enough to handle a spell like that. It would take someone incredibly powerful, someone with arcane knowledge to do such a thing.”
“It took my grandson,” Maeve spat.
“Please!” He got up from the chair and shooed them toward the door. “This is ridiculous.”
Maeve remained firmly seated, and her chin jutted forward slightly as she addressed him. “Sol, I’ve always tried to be generous with you. You and I wanted different things, and there’s nothing wrong with that. You had a different life path to pursue, and I respected your work as a mage. But I think it’s about time in your old age that you start understanding you’re not the only person in the world, nor are you the only one who knows a few things. My grandson Corbin is just a toddler, but he’s got powerful blood mixed in his veins that makes him a very special talent.”
He worked his mouth for a moment, and his thin brows furrowed. “Fine. I suppose you have something of a point. Now, you’re sure that this spell was what you think?”
“Yes,” Maeve said firmly.
“Hm.” Sol sat down, and this time, when he raised his hand to his mouth, it was to put his fist under his chin. “Although it pains me to say so, you’re right in thinking anyone who’d put that kind of a spell on someone could be quite malevolent.”
Chelsea felt herself relax a bit. Solwas coming around, and they needed his help to make sure Beck would be safe.
“Now, what of this person that you cured? Can’t you just ask him who did this?”
“He doesn’t know,” Chelsea replied, and her heart dropped a little to have to say it out loud. It bothered her so much that there were still a few missing pieces, ones they could never recover. Beck didn’t know his attacker, and the spell’s effects had kept him from truly observing the world around him while he was being held captive.
“All right.” He still had the fountain pen in one hand and twirled it expertly between his fingers. The ink flowed freely in the translucent barrel and sloshed from one end to the other. “Do you knowwhythis was done?”
“I’m afraid we don’t have much information,” Maeve said, almost sounding apologetic. “That’s the problem, really.”
“So I see.” He stopped twirling the pen and tapped it against his teeth a few times. “I suppose I should say I’m impressed. The level of magic you’re talking about here isn’t something that just anyone can identify and deal with. The fact that you broke it—and especially with the help of someone so young—is remarkable. A spell like that would take a lot ofenergy to cast, so no one would do it unless they felt it was truly worth it. That means that your friend could be in quite a bit of danger. Or perhaps he’s dangerous himself, and someone decided the spell would be a good way to keep him from acting out?”
“No.” Instantly, Chelsea hated the way that Sol’s words echoed Beck’s. Her mate had convinced himself that he was too much of a risk to be around his family. It was patently untrue, and it was her mission now to make him believe that. “Unfortunately, we really don’t know why anyone would do this. It’s diabolical that someone would take another person’s memories and just completely erase their mind.”
Sol looked at her with those dark eyes of his, and Chelsea realized he’d only been focused on Maeve up until this point. “Your disbelief says a lot about you.”
“Like what?” she snapped, confused.
His hand touched the pendant again, arranging it against the fabric of his shirt. “That you think everyone should have a logical, sensible motivation for what they do. That you believe someone is so far outside the lines of what’s socially acceptable when they go outside the norm. My dear, people can be pushed into doing things for all sorts of reasons.Sometimes, those reasons even come from within themselves. My point is simply that what you see as malevolent might be seen as a mercy from the viewpoint of the person who did it.”
Her mother cleared her throat. “I’m afraid we’ll have to save the philosophy lesson for another time.”
“Yes. Of course. Regardless of the philosophy behind it, I do agree with you that we need to find this person. I’ll check with some of my connections and see what I can find out. I assume your coven still resides at the same place?” He lifted his eyebrows almost imperceptibly with his query.
“Yes,” Maeve confirmed. “Same as always.”
“In the meantime, we can warn the other covens in the area and let them know what happened. It could give them a chance to protect themselves and their loved ones,” Chelsea suggested.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Sol responded quickly. “For all we know, this mysterious magic-maker is hiding among one of the covens already. If you start spreading the word, you could be alerting the very person we’re looking for. Keep this to yourselves, and we’ll only start bringing others in if it becomes absolutely necessary.”
Maeve looked uncertain, but she finally nodded. “All right. Thank you very much, Sol. I hoped thatyou would come through for us.” She stood, and she and Chelsea moved toward the door.
“Well, you’ve made a good point. I’ve underestimated you all these years, as you’ve proven to me today. I still don’t agree with the kind of magic you prefer, which, in my opinion, is no more effective than a cup of herbal tea, but I suppose we can’t all want the same thing at the same time.” Sol followed them, and he swept the door open with a flourish.
“Let us know if you figure anything out,” Chelsea reminded him. “It’s very important.”
