“Why? You’ve already removed his license to practice. What more can you do?”
She pulls a white cloth-wrapped packet out of her bag. She unwraps it and lays the cloth flat, placing a crystal goblet beside a large piece of amber and a bar of chocolate.
“We have, but if he’s found guilty of being Arcanas, he will have his access to The Plain severed.”
Grayson pales upon hearing that, and his basil scent is putrid with the scent of rotten greenery.
But it’s Finn who says, “That sounds horrific.”
“It is. It’s a terrible process, and the result is even worse. The severed magic user can see The Plain—feel the magic—but would not be able to draw on it.”
Gideon shudders at the thought of how torturous that must be. Grayson’s face has now gone green.
“How can someone live like that?”
“They don’t, not for long. The process of convicting someone of using arcane magic is thorough and intense. This is a last resort, and we require an international panel of thirteen to make the decision.”
Grayson’s distress is enough to draw Nix out of the bedroom and into his soulmate’s arms for comfort.
“Luminary Nimue, hello. Why so sad, Gray?”
“Nimue was just sharing a bit about the magic user I saw this morning when I was Traveling.”
Their omega starts up a low growl before he can get it under control, and his cheeks pink up in embarrassment.
“Gosh, excuse me.”
“That’s alright, Nix. It’s only what we’re all thinking.”
She pours the rest of her glass of water into her crystal goblet and places her amber to rest on the top of the glass.
“We can talk more about it tomorrow, though, if that’s alright with you? I need to be in the right state of mind for the protections, and thinking about Aleksander Withers is not conducive to a positive state of mind.”
“Do you think the wards will keep Withers from finding Gray?” a rumpled-looking Luca asks from the doorway, with a shy wave.
“I do. While Grayson is here and not accessing The Plain, that is. But Grayson draws so strongly on The Plain unintentionally, and Aleks—Withers’s talent is such that he can follow those traces to their source. It would take more skill than I can offer to stop him from doing that, but I can protect you from other visitors. It’s difficult since you share this dwelling and this floor with others. I can’t effectively keep your neighbors from their home, but I can ward the doors and windows with a bit of a deterrent and an advanced warning system if they’re breached.”
“Is it difficult?” Finn asks.
“It’s quite simple, but it requires that I draw a lot from The Plain.” She smiles and removes the amber from the top of the glass. She then takes the goblet of water and the amber in either hand and visits each access point to the apartment.
While she doesn’t speak the words, Grayson is enthralled with the process as he follows in her wake, eyes alight with happiness and the curiosity Gideon only sees when his mate is at his easel. He must be able to see the streams of magic as she calls on them, his fingers twitching.
Gideon’s wolf doesn’t like to see her marking their territory with her water and magic, but the man appreciates her expending her talents—her soul—for the good of their pack. Especially since she has no skin in the game…or at least, not to Gideon’s mind.
Once she’s done, she sits again, and Grayson tops up her water glass, holding his curiosity and questions back with difficulty.
“Thank you for doing this for our pack, Luminary Nimue. We are in your debt,” Finn says with a bow. It must be a ritualistic response because Nimue bows in return.
“The Plain is here for us all, Dr. Merritt. Thank you for trusting me to care for your family.”
“So cool. It’s all done? Like you did at the house?” Luca asks and steps in closer to see the amber.
“Yes, as much as I can alone and without direct sanction of The Guild.”
“These are important to the process? The goblet, the water, and the amber?” Gideon asks, as she folds the cup back into the white cloth and then follows it with the amber.
“Tools of the trade. They act as external focuses for aspects of The Plain where my Affinity is not as strong: water and earth.”
