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“Uh…y-yes. Not far. Only down to Inari.”
“Tori?” Alric asked.
“Inari is about two hours by car from here,” he quickly replied. “Southwest from here. It’s the closest town with something that resembles a bar and nightclub. Lots more stores.” Trips to Inari were viewed as a special treat and given only to those who had won favor with Mathilda or one of the other clan elders. Or in Tanja’s case, Mathilda was likely hoping the female mage would end up sleeping with one of the others and get pregnant, forcing them to marry and produce more mages for the clan.
“When did they leave? When did you discover something was likely wrong?” Cameron asked.
“They left in the afternoon yesterday. Their plan was to stay overnight and be back early this morning. All three properly checked in upon reaching Inari and later when they got to their hotel rooms,” Mathilda explained.
“But Tanja hasn’t contacted anyone this morning. None of them have. Tanja is responsible. She wouldn’t have forgotten to call, especially if there was some kind of problem.” Kirisi’s voice shook, and Tori could easily guess that Tanja was her daughter.
“We’ll find them,” Alric declared, and Tori believed the dragon. “I need you to return to your clan and work with your seekers to locate any sign of them.” He turned his gaze, which was now deep blue rather than gold, over to Rodrigo. “Will you and your clan accompany the mages back to Nuorgam? Be prepared to take to the air, should they get the slightest hint of their location.”
“Of course,” Rodrigo agreed.
“Cameron and Tori will work here, trying some different spells with guidance from Lisette and our clan’s mages. Ravi, Gunter, and Baldewin will be ready to fly on a moment’s notice. Tori, Cameron, and I will travel by ground as needed. I will call you if we discover anything.”
“My kings,” Evora spoke up. “May I remain with Cameron and Tori? There’s much I can learn from the Burkhard mages that could greatly benefit the Valerii.”
Thiago grasped her hand in both of his, worry filling his eyes. “Are you sure, my love?”
Smiling, she pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “I trust the Burkhard Clan with my life. I will be perfectly safe.”
“Evora would be a welcome help,” Cameron said.
“We’ll protect her as one of our own,” Alric added.
Rodrigo nodded, but there was still worry etched on his face. Tori didn’t know how many mages the Valerii had, but if it was anything like the Burkhard Clan, this was not an easy decision for the ice dragon king. They couldn’t afford to lose a single mage.
Tori took a deep breath, eager to start working magic with Cameron and Evora. Old fears and doubts had evaporated since finding his place among the Burkhard Clan. While the Taavi mages would focus on trying to find the three missing mages, he had an advantage that would help his work with Cameron and Evora—he knew exactly what the Jaeggi magic signature looked like.
While the Jaeggi might be able to mask the magic signature of the Taavi mages, he didn’t think they’d be able to completely mask their own signature because of its distorted, broken quality.
His blood ran cold at the thought of the three missing mages. He’d already witnessed how the Jaeggi had drained Cassie of her power. That same fate waited for these young mages, and Tori was not going to allow it.
Rodrigo and his dragons quickly gathered up Mathilda and the other Taavi mages, ushering them out the door so they could return to Nuorgam. The Taavi Clan might not be big, but there were at least a hundred strong, experienced mages on hand. They had the best shot at locating the missing kids, assuming they had simply run off.
Tori, Cameron, and Evora were focused on the darker side—locating the Jaeggi, as they worked under the assumption the mages had been kidnapped.
Baldewin’s hand squeezed his shoulder, his larger-than-life support helping to calm his worries while Tori turned his attention to Cameron, who was speaking briskly to someone on the phone.
“You have fought these Jaeggi?” Evora asked, causing Tori to face her.
Tori nodded. “I used captured sunlight to make the engine of their van explode. I punched, kicked, and ran the second I could get free. When Cassie was grabbed, I had only sunlight on hand to set them on fire.”
Evora flashed him a sly smile. “And you both survived. That counts for more than you give yourself credit.”
Tori allowed a small smile in return. “Well, I did end up having a dragon for back-up, even if he tossed me into the air and made me fly with Warin.”
“You are never going to forgive me for that,” Baldewin said with a sigh. “I didn’t know you had an issue with heights. My only concern was making sure you were safely away from the Jaeggi.”
