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Sergio smiled then, with true delight and no posturing.“I thought so.Come with me, Veronica Elal.Collar the familiar,” he casually ordered one of the hunters.
“No!”Alise shouted, her spirits manifesting to protect Nic.
“Sabrina, sweetheart,” Sergio drawled.“Why don’t you show your little playmate that it’s not nice to thwart us?”
Sabrina flipped her hair and smiled, her magic lancing through the air, hitting Alise like an invisible fireball.Everyone gasped, flinching back as Alise contorted in a rictus of agony, fingers curling into claws, a strangled scream wrenching out of her strained throat.She lost her grip on her own magic, the spirits vanishing again.
“Stop it.”Nic ordered with cool authority, striving to appear unmoved.“I will obey the terms of the warrant and cooperate in being conducted to Convocation Center.”Perhaps she could find a way to appeal her case there.
“But she stole my familiars,” Sabrina whined, sending another jolt through Alise.
Nic fought for control, reminding herself that Sammael punishment rarely did physical damage—the Convocation valued its wizards and familiars intact, if only as magical commodities—and mostly worked via tricking the mind and nervous system.“Does House Sammael truly want to anger House Elal by harming Lord Elal’s heir?”Nic asked Sergio, gambling that they couldn’t know of Alise’s reduced status.In truth, no one knew, as their father had yet to say anything about Alise’s departure from Convocation Academy.
Sergio eyed her, then flicked a hand at Sabrina.“Playtime is over.”
Sabrina stomped her foot in annoyance, but stopped.Alise collapsed to the ground, Jadren quickly moving to help her up.Sergio raised his voice, surveying the small gathering.“It would be unwise for anyone here to interfere with this lawful arrest.”He gestured to the hunters.“I don’t think you want to fight my deputies.”Sergio laughed at his own joke, Sabrina joining in, while everyone else stood around stone-faced.“I said to collar the familiar,” he ordered the hunter nearest him.
It advanced on Nic, another of the hated iron collars in its hands, the twin of the one she’d worn in Wartson.She squinted at the too-familiar thing.It could be the same one—and would be a fine joke from House Iblis to furnish the thing to the Convocation in a petty bit of retribution for Gabriel stealing their familiar.You stole ours, so we’ll be an agent of repossessing yours.
Alise glared at her in fury and terror.“You can’t mean to go with them, Nic.”
“This is a battle we can’t win.They have a warrant.I’ll be remanded into Convocation custody, where I’ll be examined, and Lord Phel’s claim on me verified.I’m pregnant with a valuable child,” she added in a lowered voice, touching Alise’s arm to soothe her.“They won’t dare hurt me.”
“Not in a way that physically harms you, that is,” Sergio inserted with unsettling enthusiasm.“Still, I look forward to renewing our acquaintance.”
Nic forced herself to hold still as the hunter’s foul breath washed over her.It smelled like the dead thing it was.
“Is that really necessary?”Jadren asked in a bored tone, though he kept an easy hold on Alise’s arm, casually restraining her.“A collar is so gauche.Surely a pair of Sammael wizards aren’t afraid of a mere familiar.”
“Veronica Elal has always thought far too highly of herself,” Sergio returned in a sorrowful tone, “or she wouldn’t have dared attempt to escape the Convocation and her rightful role in life.She needs a bit of humbling.This is only the first step in breaking the false pride that has warped what could’ve been a brilliant familiar.But no worries: the Convocation trainers are eager to teach her the important lessons that will restore her early promise as a valuable cog in our well-oiled machine.”
Though it took everything in her to submit to being collared again—and in front of all of House Phel—Nic quelled the urge to run.The hunters possessed supernatural speed, as she’d experienced, and they’d only pin her down and drag her away in chains.She should probably be past caring about her pride, but if she ever returned to House Phel, she’d rather not be shamed before her people more than she already was.Still, she turned her head away, unable to bear the hunter’s dripping fangs so near her face… and she spotted Laryn, standing well off to the side, wearing an expression of unholy glee.The fool hadn’t even had the sense to disappear.What did she imagine would result from this—that Asa would take her back to Convocation Center?
Perhaps so.
“I’m contacting our father,” Alise gritted out, her hands clenched in fists.“You’ll regret crossing House Elal.”
Sergio snickered, swaggering forward to attach a lead to Nic’s collar himself.“Lord Elal can take it up with the relevant authorities—though I doubt he’ll have any luck, if he even cares—but the Convocation is extremely interested in making an example of this recalcitrant familiar.”He yanked viciously on the chain, dropping Nic to her knees before she could resist.“House Sammael is ever loyal to the Convocation,” he declared.“We are above such petty extortion and threats.Come along, pet.No time for napping.”Winding the lead around his hand, he dragged Nic to her feet again and pulled her toward the carriage.
“Wait!”Sabrina shrieked, stomping her foot like a child.“What aboutmyfamiliars?”
“Don’t fret, silly Sabrina,” Sergio chided, shoving Nic into the carriage.“The hunters have their scent now.They’ll ferret out wherever the naughty things are hiding, and your pair of lovers will be at House Sammael in a heartbeat.You’ll be able to play with them to your heart’s content.”
“Yay!”Sabrina clapped her hands together, following them into the carriage.
From the inside, the carriage was transparent, allowing Nic a good, last look at the graceful manse, her people, turning to each other in agitation, Alise in tears and Jadren looking stoic.In the background, Laryn waved goodbye, and the hunters split into groups, dropping onto all fours to sniff the ground.Like a lethal river of blight, they streamed off to find Han and Iliana.
Nic closed her eyes and, for the first time, hoped that Gabriel wouldn’t wake up, so he’d never know about this.In the meanwhile, she was on her own again, and it would be up to her to extract herself and the babe from the Convocation’s trainers.If she was smart and kept her cool, she could do it.She would have to.
