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Grant had known the warlock almost as long as he’d been in Five Bridges. They’d both served on their respective Border Patrols and had become friends, at least before the drunken altercation occurred.
The spell Neil had contrived that night had turned the woman’s head. She’d been ripe as hell and ready for plucking. Grant had excused himself to get some relief from too many beers. When he’d returned, Neil was kissing the bespelled woman.
Grant had levitated like a bullet in Neil’s direction and hauled him out of the booth. The woman had shrieked. Neil had tried to throw a spell at Grant, but it hadn’t worked.
Grant had plowed into him.
A drunken brawl had ensued ending when Grant’s skull connected with the wood bar. He’d awakened when one of the owners threw a glass of water over his face. Shortly after, Trib forces had taken him to their nearby drunk tank where he’d passed out. Later, he’d awakened, smelled urine and vomited then passed out again. He’d spent the entire next day in the same cell, repeating the process.
Good times.
Ryan had collected him just after full dark.
He hadn’t spoken to Neil in all that time.
He still didn’t trust him completely because of those damn, highly illegal spells he’d employed, or tried to.
Grant flew slowly, wondering how the hell this was going to work.
He knew the island community in which Neil had bought an upscale property. Rumors had it the area had underground levels as well. Neil was one of the wealthiest men in Elegance and Natalie had helped get him there.
Reaching the island, Grant hovered in the air above Neil’s modern home. Huge rocks and dozens of evergreens shaped the landscaping. There were stone pavers for paths, the occasional cactus, an absence of flowers. It was a man’s home.
Tall sissoos and pines separated the various properties of which there were only six in this exclusive development. But as a group they were surrounded by a large moat with two small stone bridges at either end that connected them to nearby residential streets.
He drew his cell from his pocket and texted Neil to let him know he’d arrived. He remained in the air a few yards away from the house and above the stone path.
A half-minute later, Neil opened the front door and stepped onto the walkway. He wasn’t smiling and didn’t invite him in.
Grant levitated down to the path. He was three yards away from Neil, uncertain if the warlock intended to try more of his spell-tricks.
“Well, shit.” Neil glanced up at the sky then back at Grant.
“What’s bugging you now?” Grant asked, irritated by his attitude.
“It seems you found my house with no trouble at all.”
Grant also looked up then finally understood. “You’ve got a disguising spell over your house.”
“And you saw my property as though the spell didn’t exist.”
“Guess I did.”
Neil narrowed his gaze. “You’re experiencing a power surge, am I right?”
“You could say that.” Grant took in Neil’s garb. He wore an odd, gray artist’s smock over leathers. He was pasty white with blue forming shadows beneath his eyes. Even so, he radiated power like the air currents of an electrical storm. “You don’t look so good.”
“I’m for shit right now, no question. You’d better come in.” He seemed to weave on his feet as he turned and entered his house. He left the door wide which was the only welcome Grant was going to get.
The interior of Neil’s home was like his landscaping, lots of stone everywhere even covering the entire face of the entrance wall. To the right was the living room and a massive stone fireplace.
The floor was also made of dark gray stone tiles.
A dining space and a kitchen opened up to the left beyond. It was a great-room with tall glass windows on the north and south walls overlooking both the front and back gravel-and-rock yards, as well as the moat.
Wood tables eased back some of the hard, granite feel to the space. But the furniture was in black leather. The theme shouted its message. Beyond the moat was a park-like green belt with dozens of trees. But Grant had the sense this was more for protection than beauty.
Grant knew that most wizards had an affinity with an earth element. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Neil was fully aligned with stone.
