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A little voice in my head told me to keep her forever. But I told it to be quiet for now. All in good time. I didn’t want her to feel pressured. Her life was stressful enough without a beast laying claim to her.
“Thank you, Mateo. For everything. And for telling me about yourself. It means a lot. We’re quite a pair, you know that? We can be family-less together because, as of today, I have no brother. Now, let’s get back to work because, on a more positive note, I think I figured out a little bit more about this locket.” She turned to me. “What’s a catalytic amulet?”
I didn’t know what a catalytic amulet was, but Seth did. Desmon surrounded himself with capable and knowledgeable people.
Seth was sitting in my living room, enjoying a cup of the hot cocoa Eva had picked up as part of our last grocery run. Apparently, eating snacks weren’t enough; she liked drinking snacks too.
Prax was also enjoying a cup, even though technically he didn’t need to eat. Not requiring nutritional sustenance didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy it, though. In fact, most demons I knew loved anything that pleased the senses, including food and sex. They knew how to enjoy themselves.
Seth was once again without his demon companion, and now that I had laid claim to Eva, and was keeping my scent strongly on her to deter the incubus, Prax’s attention had turned to the young wizard, since he swung both ways. What Prax didn’t know was that Seth’s demon, Liam, had a seriously protective streak. It was rare for his kind; most demons didn’t stay with wizards by choice. Many were forced into working for them, but they most definitely did not maintain long-term, romantic relationships with them.
“A catalytic amulet is exactly what it sounds like,” Seth said patiently, trying to ignore the incubus preening on the armchair. “It’s something worn that accelerates or augments a spell, much like the way a catalyst increases the rate of a chemical reaction.”
He went on to explain that such amulets and talismans were extremely rare. Unlike other forms of magical catalysts, such as a single-use potion or the use of a familiar, the amulets were a lot more versatile. Some were not that powerful, only augmenting certain types of magic. Others, however, were strong enough to make the wearer almost invincible.
“There was a concerted effort to destroy all the catalytic amulets still in existence a few centuries ago. It was felt they gave the wearer too much power. And sometimes there’s a trade-off for using them,” he finished.
“Like what?” I asked. “Giving up a first-born son?”
I’d been kidding, but the look on Seth’s face told me I’d accidentally gotten closer than expected to the mark.
“Something like that. It differs from artifact to artifact. To my knowledge, there can’t be any of these talismans left, though, because if there were, every single collector of magical artifacts would be after them. Desmon has had the locket in his possession for decades. He would’ve known if it was that powerful.” Seth shook his head. “I had it in my hands and worked with it when I made the replica. It had magic, but not like that. There must be some mistake.”
“Maybe my brother heard wrong. Or maybe the wizard was mistaken. Mom had it for years and years, and I don’t think it’s ever done anything but hold pictures of my family. What if everyone’s wrong, and it’s just a simple, silver locket?”
“No. The locket has to be important, or it wouldn’t be in Desmon’s collection. I’m just not sure what it is.” Seth looked at me and then Prax. “Any luck finding new leads?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I set up a camera when we visited the marina. I’ve been recording the license plate of every vehicle passing through. I looked up the owners and had Prax pay them a stealthy visit.”
“Wait, when did you put up a camera?” Eva asked. “You never left my side.”
“When we got back to the car. You got that call from your neighbor and weren’t paying attention.” I turned my screen around to show everyone one particular picture. “This man left the marina shortly after we did. That meant he was there when we were, probably hiding out in one of the guest rooms.”
“Hey! That’s him,” Eva said. “Or at least, I think it is. He’s got that same too-perfect-to-be-real look. Like he’s made of plastic or something.”
This guy was a lot younger than the rest of the wizards we’d seen in the photos Seth provided. He looked like an ultra-fake, super eerie version of Marlon Brando that was smack dab in the middle of Uncanny Valley territory. If this guy suddenly removed his face like a mask, you wouldn’t be surprised. You’d be terrified as hell, but also, like, “Ha, I knew he was a fake!”
“I know that guy,” Seth said. “Augustine. We went to the Academy together. He’s not actually on the WEC, but he does make yearly donations. Deals with hedge funds, I think, and is totally the type to steal from a dragon if he thought he could get away with it. He’s already a strong wizard; a catalytic amulet would make him very powerful—if the locket really is one, that is.”
“So we’ve got the who,” I said. “Now we just have to figure out how to get the locket back.”
“I believe he’s based out of Miami now,” Seth said.
“That makes sense,” Eva said. “My brother said he’s going to feed him to his crocodiles.”
“Whoa. That’s one way to get rid of evidence. He’s really playing up the evil wizard thing. Are you sure you don’t want us to help your brother out of this mess?” Seth asked.
“Thank you, but it wouldn’t be worth it. He’d probably stab you in the back the moment he had the chance.”
Seth probably thought Eva was being heartless, but I knew better. She’d given Tony enough chances. It was time he took the fall himself.
“I think he’s better off as croc feed than alive,” I said. “He’s a real piece of work.”
“That’s a lot of portaling back and forth to and from Miami,” Seth said. “A huge waste of energy.”
“He’s not portaling,” Prax said. “I followed him to a swanky hotel downtown.”
“So he’s actually staying here in Darlington? The locket really must mean something, then. I wonder if his uncle is involved. He’s on the WEC.”
