Ryder slowly raises his eyebrows like he’s questioning my sanity.
“I’m serious,” I insist.
“I can tell,” he laughs. “But are you certain he’s not a shifter who’s lying to you? Do you have a thing for mages? Maybe he’s trying to pull a fast one on you.”
“Shifters can’t talk in their animal forms.”
He holds up his hands in response to my exasperated tone, apologetic. “All right, Tinker Bell. I’m listening. Please, go on.”
Ignoring the nickname, I press forward. “We’ve found a way for me to change him back. All I have to do is use a dust pendant to extract?—”
“Stop.” This time, the humor has left his voice, and his face is dead serious. “He asked you to do what?”
“I know it sounds bad. But if I siphon some of my magic into the dust pendant, and an elf tempers it with his magic, in theory, I can learn to wield it and turn my friend back into a man.”
“Introduce me to this man,” Ryder says, his voice stern. “Right now.”
“I don’t have to introduce you—you already know him.” I turn toward the hall, where the cowardly owl has decided to hide. “Rowan, get out here.”
The tea shop is quiet for several seconds, and then Ryder finds his voice. “What did you say his name is?”
Before I can answer, Rowan flies into the room and lands on the back of a chair. Glaring at me, he says, “Hello, Ryder. It’s been a long time.”
Chapter 22
What to Do When Your Elf is Broken?
The elf goes pale.
He looks at me…looks at Rowan…and then looks at me again. “Are you a sorceress?”
“What kind of question is that?” I ask incredulously. “I’m a pixie.”
“This has to be a trick. What are you doing?”
“I’m not doing anything,” I protest, mildly offended.
Before this can go any further, Rowan says to Ryder, “When you were seven and I was eight, you, Marshall, and I were jumping off Torrin’s bridge even though our families told us not to. You hit shallow water and broke your leg. You told your parents you fell off your bike.”
“How do you know that?” Ryder demands.
“When I got my driver’s license, you and Marshall convinced me to ditch school and drive us to Lake Champlain and spend the day fishing. My uncle took away my keys for a month and fired the parking garage attendant who let us leave.”
Ryder stares at Rowan, his eyes narrowed…looking rather freaked out. “All right. But if you’re really Rowan, you would know why I can’t help you.”
“It’s because that blasted elemental elf nearly stole all your magic, and what’s left of it is broken,” Rowan snaps. “But I didn’t think you’d want me to tell Kitthat.”
Ryder looks over at me, raw embarrassment flickering across his face. But my mind isn’t on the elf right now.
Rowan’s declaration hits me like a rock. I sink onto a chair, staring at the wall of tea, feeling a wave of hopelessness wash over me.
If Ryder can’t help us, who can? How in the world will we find another elf?
“Hey.” Rowan flies to the back of my chair. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not,” I whisper.
“You’re going to make it rain again,” he warns.
