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It was perhaps the oddest-looking device Gunter had ever laid eyes on. It had a silver disc on either end, something with a small strap on the top, another larger loop at the bottom of it, all connected to a slender, rectangular box via flexible tubing. It was rather like a water hydration pack but with arms? He couldn’t really make sense of it.
Tori took one look and growled in disgust. “Oh, that thing.”
Gunter’s head snapped around. “You recognize this?”
“Hell yeah, although I wish I didn’t. That’s what the Jaeggi were using on Cassie to drain her of power.”
This was the device?
Lina also gave it a disgusted look. “Yeah, that’s what it’s for. The flat discs go into your palm, with the loops over your finger and wrists, and the magical energy is drawn into that main part, there. It’s stored like a battery until the energy flow is reversed and it’s put into another mage. This one’s broken. The reverse switch is missing.”
“Hence why they left it behind.” Dimitri poked at it with a finger like he was touching a dirty dishrag. “I thought these severed wires here were a sign it was broken. But now I wish I hadn’t brought it back with me.”
Gunter was equally disgusted by it, but the device told him something else, hinting at something that went far, far deeper. He caught Lina’s eye and indicated the machine. “Miss Lina, are machines like this common? Does the Jaeggi Clan use machines like this on a regular basis?”
“I mean, most of our magic uses machines in one way or another.” She splayed her hands in a shrug. “It’s not like we can draw magic out any other way. We’ve got different devices for different types of spells.”
Tori made a strange noise in the back of his throat. “Wait, so what about what Sora and Yuki just did? Drawing on the elements in the bottles, the wand, all of that? Have you ever seen magic used like this before?”
Her eyes darted between the five of them, lip bitten uncertainly. “Uh…so that’s normal for you? I mean, that’s not just doctor-type spells they were doing?”
“Oh my god,” Tori breathed, the realization hitting him clearly.
“Their magic is so warped they can’t even channel magic properly. Even with stolen magic, they can’t do it.” Sora ran a hand over his face. “What the hell did Kaiser Jaeggi do to his own family? It’s monstrous.”
Lina’s eyes traveled over the table once more, taking in the elements and tools Sora had laid out. The realization sank in with her, too, and she looked lost for a moment. “That’s normal. You’re telling me mages do this? They pull out ingredients, and maybe a wand, and they speak the spell and that’s all it takes? You don’t need anything else?”
“No, child,” Yuki answered gently, her expression sad. “No, that’s all we need.”
Lina’s eyes came up to meet hers. Her expression warred between anger and grief. “Just how badly did one man destroy us?”
“More than we anticipated.”
“But you still think you can fix me?”
“This is a land of magic and wonder.” Sora took her hand in his, squeezing in support. “We can do amazing things with it. I’m not about to give up hope before we even start. Are you?”
“No. No, I’m not.” She sucked in a breath, released it. She seemed overwhelmed, in need of a minute to think everything over and let it sink in.
Yuki suggested to Gunter, “Find her a room and let her rest. She needs that, after all she’s been through today.”
“Feed her first,” Sora chided him. “Her stomach is entirely empty.”
“All things considered, maybe let her eat here? The clan might have really mixed emotions if she’s in the dining hall,” Tori cautioned.
Ah. Good point.
Nikki was completely out of patience.
If there was patience left to give, it had already left. On a scale of one to ten of patience? Theirs was somewhere in the negatives.
They wanted sex, dammit. Gunter’s courting gifts had been sweet, and Nikki had loved every second of it, but their boyfriend seemed oblivious that he was a sexy, sexy beast and Nikki wanted to get their hands on him. They thought they were making progress when Gunter had given them the tree and Nikki had gotten their hands on that sweet ass. Gunter was definitely in the mood at that point. Nikki had been sure after the gifts that they’d progress straight to a bed. Sadly, not the case.
Patience was that thing Nikki had tried last week. Nikki was not really the type to wait for things. If there was something they wanted, they were more proactive and ready to go after it than to mope about. If Gunter didn’t want to push for the next step, Nikki would.
If Gunter wasn’t ready for sex, Nikki would respect that too, of course. But they had the feeling Gunter had some sort of game plan all laid out, and it was for Nikki’s sake, and it had little to do with what Gunter wanted. Which was sweet and all, but he’d clearly gotten the pacing wrong. Maybe he was nervous about Nikki’s lack of experience? He’d started questioning along those lines. And Nikki was a little nervous with their first time, sure, but…not that nervous.
