Sebastian and Jade ducked behind velvet drapery twice as tall as a man. The window was open, and Sebastian could hear the autumn breeze rustling the hedges outside.
When the maid had hurried past and disappeared at the end of the hall, they slipped back out and found the stairs Wesley had described.
“I think I found the trophy room, but I can’t project into it,” Zhang’s projection said, floating backward in front of them as Sebastian and Jade climbed the stairs. “He’s got more magic guarding the door.” He glanced at Sebastian. “At least, for now.”
A couple halls over, and they were at the door Wesley had marked on his makeshift napkin map at the restaurant in York. Sebastian stepped in front. He put his hand over the doorknob and closed his eyes. “Zhang—”
“Leaving now.” Zhang’s astral projection vanished.
Sebastian took a breath, and swept out with his magic. He distantly heard a soft hiss from Jade at his side as her telekinesis weakened beneath his magic, but his attention was focused on the magic traps that disintegrated under his sweep, like a house of cards toppling in a strong wind, or snapping like guitar strings tuned too tightly.
When the sensation of other magic was gone, save for Jade’s bobbing beneath the surface, Sebastian pulled his magic back into himself and opened his eyes.
“Goodness.” Jade lifted her hand, and the tassel for the drapes down the hall danced like she was tugging on them. “It’s working again as normal now, but it’s as if I’m wearing lead cuffs when you’re using your magic. Could you ever permanently bind another paranormal, so they can’t use their powers at all?”
“I’ve never tried,” Sebastian admitted. “Mateo wanted me to try for him, so he wouldn’t have to see the future anymore, but we hadn’t figured out how. And then Baron Zeppler came calling, and—well. You know.”
Jade touched his arm, gentle but strong. “We do know,” she promised.
He put a hand on the doorknob—and it wouldn’t turn.
He furrowed his brow. “That’s not magic, it’s just a lock,” Jade said, sounding amused. She raised her hand again, staring at the doorknob in concentration, and then a moment later he heard the soft click of the lock releasing.
Sebastian went through first. He stood in the middle of the room and took a breath through his nose.
“My word.” Jade was on his right, her voice gone awed but also tense.
The room was as large as a library, with pedestals set every few feet. Each pedestal was topped with an item in a glass case, like they’d entered some kind of paranormal museum.
Jade walked forward. “Are all of these magical items that he stole?”
The air beside her flickered, and Zhang’s astral projection returned. “I don’t think so,” he said. “I think these are mostly genuine antiques, with a paranormal item here and there because Blanshard can’t resist showing off his trophies in plain sight. From the astral plane, I can see only some of the cases are made with leaded glass.”
Blanshard had stolen from people across the globe. Sebastian could see jewelry, a nautical compass, figurines. Thumb screws, ugh, how awful. And Mateo might be somewhere around here.
“We can’t leave the paranormal items here,” Sebastian said, even as his eyes were scanning the room for any clues about his brother.
Jade’s steady hand was on his arm again. “We won’t,” she promised. “But your brother is our priority too.”
The room’s ceiling was gilded around the edges and painted with a scene of wolves chasing rabbits and stags. Andpeople. Sebastian’s frown deepened.
Zhang’s astral projection floated up just below the mural, studying an area with heavy gilding. “There’s another floor above this one, but I can’t get through the ceiling. This mural is painted with lead paint.”
Sebastian looked around. Beyond the pedestals, bookshelves lined the walls. He strode over to the closest one, his gaze scanning the titles. Most seemed like the sort of titles one would expect an English aristocrat to keep in their library, until Sebastian found one he recognized.
“Una Teoría de la Magia,” he read aloud. “A Theory of Magic.Blanshard should not have this book.”
Jade appeared at his side. She started scanning the books too, one hand out in front of her like she was seeking something.
Zhang’s projection flickered out of the room again, probably off to check on the servants or another part of the manor. Jade stepped down the shelves, hand still out, as Sebastian read over the titles. The paranormal books were interspersed with nonmagic books, collections on curse breaking and blood magic threaded between collections of Shakespeare.
And then, a book that made him pause, because he’d seen it more times than he could count.Una Genealogía de la Familia De Leon. His family’s genealogy.
Why the hell did the Earl of Blanshard have a copy? Was this because of Mateo?
“Here we go.”
Sebastian looked up from his shelf to see Jade standing on her toes to pull at the spine of a book. A moment later, the entire section of bookshelf swung outward, revealing a staircase that curved away and disappeared.
