Page 32 of Magic Claimed
“We still need to confirm whether the kidnappers were actually human,” I reminded her. “Which means I need to find whoever Callum asked to sweep thevan for prints.”
“You’ll have to ask him.” Kira shot me a sideways glance as she headed east on Twenty-third Street. “You know he’s probably just tied up. In the figurative sense,” she hastened to add. “The fae aren’t going to tackle someone like Callum when they’re neck deep in their own problems.”
Sure. Let’s go with that. I held my breath and tried calling him again.
Again, it went straight to voicemail.
It was late, I told myself. He needed sleep. I would try again in the morning.
“Have you heard much from Draven since he left?”
Kira grimaced. “Enough to know that he’s safe, but the situation is still dire. If Dathair doesn’t wake up soon, the court is going to force the coronation of a new king, and we aren’t sure Rath has enough supporters.”
“I thought the fae monarchy was hereditary.”
“It usually is,” Kira noted, “at least nominally. But the heir has to show himself capable, and even a king lasts only as long as he’s able. Fair or not, the fact that Dathair fell to poison throws his son’s capability into doubt. And it doesn’t help that Rath himself has been playing the part of a genial idiot for most of his life.”
“So everyone is waiting around to stab each other in the back, and whoever lasts the longest becomes the new king?”
“Basically.” In the glow of the streetlights, Kira’s expression was grim. “Essentially, it ensures that whoever rules the fae is the most cruel and ruthless of the bunch.”
“And whoever doesn’t rule…”
Dies.
I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud, but Kira could easily fill in the blanks. “Yes. And despite his illegitimacy, as Dathair’s son, Draven will be considered a threat by the other contenders. Especially since he’s been so unwavering in his support of Rath.”
I shivered. She had to be terrified right now. “I’m sure you’d know if anything bad had happened,” I said quietly.
“To Draven?” Kira chuckled darkly. “I almost hope they try attacking him. He’s more powerful than most of them realize, so they’d be in for a deadly surprise. Might knock a few of Rath’s enemies out of the running.”
I wished I had that much confidence in Callum’s safety. But while he was visiting the Fae Court, he would be unable to shift without provoking a war, and had no other magic to defend himself.
Kira suddenly let out a rueful laugh. “Here I am, driving back to The Portal, when I should be taking you home.”
Home, with Kes, Ethan, Logan, and Ari. Home, with my worries about Ethan’s magic, Ari’s teleporting, and Logan’s volatile emotions. A home we would soon be evicted from temporarily while the water damage was fixed.
I wasn’t sure where we would go, but we would figure it out. We’d dealt with far worse since we became a family, and a little flood wasn’t going to break us.
It was late,and the streets were nearlyempty as we headed back towards my apartment. Both of us were lost in our own thoughts when Kira’s phone buzzed with a text.
“Can you check that?” she murmured, eyes glued to the road.
I picked it up.
“The number isn’t in your phone, but… the first line says it’s Rath.”
She slammed on the brakes so fast the tires skidded, then pulled into an empty parking spot on the curb and snatched up the phone.
“I don’t know if I should trust it,” she muttered. “He said his phone got smashed in an ambush. He’s fine, and so is Draven, but he has a contact he needs me to meet at a park north of here.”
It sounded legit, but then, scams always did. And we couldn’t check its authenticity, since neither Draven nor Callum were answering their phones.
“Why not just give you the contact’s phone number?” I queried suspiciously.
“He said she’s a pixie herbalist,” Kira explained. “Kind of a hedge-witch, hangs out in the woods kind of vibe. And pixies aren’t huge fans of technology, so she might not even have a cell phone. But I’m betting they’re hoping she can make an antidote for Dathair.”
I still didn’t like it, but if Rath’s information turned out to be accurate and she agreed to help? This could solve so many of our problems. Dathair could return to his throne. Draven could come home. And Callum could… at least call me back.
