“Yes?”
He steps forward, between Ash and me, angling his body until I’m faced with his back. Before I realize what he’s doing, he nudges me into the room and points his wand at Ash. “I don’t care if you’re on the council—I’m going to report this. I can’t afford to get mixed up in this sort of thing.”
I blink at a smudge of rock dust on the sorcerer’s shirt, stunned.
“For crying out loud,” Ash mutters.
“Um…” I tap Ansel’s shoulder, racking my brain as I try to remember the polite way to address a sorcerer. It’s something ridiculous. “Mr…Sir…?”
Still pointing his wand at Ash, Ansel looks at me over his shoulder. “The Great.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You don’t address a sorcerer asMr.orSir.His title isThe Great. For example, The Great Merlin. I am The Great Ansel. Of course, that’s terribly antiquated, and I don’t expect anyone to address me as such.”
Yes, that’s it. The ridiculous title.
Pushing forward, I say, “I’m sorry,your greatness, but there’s been a misunderstanding. Ash isn’t trying to steal my magic. I asked him to help me.”
“Help youwhat?”
I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to figure out how I’m going to explain the situation without bringing Rowan into it.
Before I can come up with something, Ash bluntly says, “My idiot cousin turned himself into an owl, and he’s got it in his bird brain that Kit can change him back.”
Chapter 18
Just One Duck?
Ansel’s stance softens. “An owl?”
“You know the one—the screech owl that loiters about the town.”
Slowly, Ansel lowers his wand and shifts to the side so I’m no longer staring at his back. He studies me, perplexed. “He was hanging around when we met the other day.”
I nod, uncomfortable. Rowan probably isn’t going to be happy about this, butIdidn’t tell Ansel why we’re here.
“If your cousin managed to turn himself into a bird, why doesn’t he just change back?” he asks Ash.
Though Ash was happy to tell Ansel about Rowan’s tragic mishap, he seems reluctant to answer the question.
“Because he can’t use a wand, right?” I say, questioning myself. “No hands?”
Ansel’s eyes go wide, and he looks at Ash. His smile is highly amused and touched with wicked delight. “Your cousin is amage?”
“Yes,” Ash answers tightly.
“Wait.” The sorcerer holds up his hand like he’s just thought of something. “I’ve heard about this cousin. Is this the man who jilted the woman a week before their wedding and took off, neverto be heard from again?Thatcousin? The black sheep of your family? The man who sullied the grand Neilfellow name?”
Ash’s expression tightens. Thoughhecan mock Rowan, it’s obvious he doesn’t like airing his family’s skeletons out in public. “Yes.”
“That was, what…six years ago? Not too long before Rosalie and I moved here, if I remember correctly.”
“Seven,” Ash answers, his voice monotone.
“Has he been in the town all this time?”
Ash rolls his neck, refusing to answer.
