But a first name, from the sound of it. Nothing we could easily trace.
The woman gets up without a single glance backward and stalks toward the back of the diner.
I swear under my breath. “I think she noticed my magic. If we can see where she goes?—”
As I shift on my feet, Asher catches my arm. “Do you really think that’s a good idea? If she’s already realized someone’s spying on her… You said you didn’t want a fight today. It’s only the two of us.”
And we don’t know what that woman is capable of, beyond planning multiple assassination attempts. We have no clue what her glim is, what protective measures she might put in place…
My hands clench at my sides. “Let’s just… just see what we’d be working with.”
Asher nods, no further argument. There for me when I need him, like he always was.
As the ache squeezes my heart again, we dash together around the side of the long building.
By the time we skirt the businesses along the corner and come up on the smaller parking lot around back, there’s nothing to see except a handful of parked cars without drivers.
“She left before we could get to her.” I close my eyesagainst the disappointment, even though I’m not sure how far I would have chased her if I had the chance.
Asher squares his shoulders. “We’ll keep putting the pieces together. We know more than we did before.”
He glances back at the mall, his eyes darkening. “We know you’d better stay the hell away from Professor Jovak.”
Thirty-Two
Elodie
“You can feel it, can’t you?”
I did before Uncle Nik even mentioned it. A hum of power resonates off the ephemera condensed in the stone wall in front of us.
I nod. “Very intense magical security system.”
“Yes. That’s what you’re going to face tomorrow going into the estate.” Nik swipes his hands together. “But I’m going to show you how to sneak through it.”
A frown crosses my face. There’s nothing around us in this lonely stretch of countryside except the wall, overgrown fields, and a dilapidated barn in the distance. None of the dangers my next mission will hold… but his statement makes my pulse stutter anyway.
I can’t stop myself from protesting. “There’s no way. I can’t take on something like this—I don’t think anyone could unless maybe they had a glim for picking apart magic.”
Nik gives me one of his rare smiles. “To layer the magic on thisthickly with this specific technique, a few flaws are left behind. Finding them isn’t about brute-forcing it but getting creative and, let’s say, squirming your way through. You start by prodding the barrier with just a gentle, narrow foray of your own. Picture the energy you’re wielding like the sharpest possible blade you’re wiggling against the surface, testing to see where the tip catches on a notch.”
I gather some of the natural ephemera from the ground beneath my feet, but the anxious weight in my chest doesn’t ease.
Another question slips out. “Are you sure I have to be right on the property for this job? I can’t catch him when he’s driving in or?—”
Nik’s expression hardens with the shake of his head. “Our target will be arriving by helicopter. Too far away from any unsecured spot for you to focus accurately. Don’t be losing your nerve on me, Elodie. You know how important this is.”
I know because he tells me so. I know because if I don’t do what he says, he’ll destroy the only good things I have in my life. I know?—
The rising anguish of the memory jolts me awake.
I rub my eyes and grimace at the gauzy canopy above me as my heartbeat evens out.
Just a dream. Another dream from another reality I can’t even reach anymore.
Maybe one day they’ll stop coming.
With a huff of breath, I push off the bed and begin my usual morning routine. Workout to keep my body toned and limber, my heart and lungs strong for whatever I might face. Meditation to slough off as much stress as I can. Shower to wash the sweat and the lingering strain away.
