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“Oh.” I barely managed the word. It seemed an impossible thought. My shoulders slumped and I suddenly felt like my arms were too heavy. “And?”
He shook his head. “Dead ends so far, but I’m running into strange situations.”
My brow furrowed and I waited in silence, worried that if I asked a specific question, he’d stop talking.
“I wasn’t willing to share anything about your family with you because I wanted to have good news to share. Now, I’m starting to think that might not happen.”
This was an angle I hadn’t considered. I always figured he was hiding things from me, but I sort of made it more sinister in my head. “You were looking for good news?”
“Yes,” he said. “You came from a large extended family so there was a good chance someone was out there. A cousin or aunt or something.”
“But you can’t find them?” My voice was small. I hadn’t realized how much I wanted to find someone from my family until now. To have even a single person who shared a history with me would be amazing.
“Worse, when I find their trail, I keep finding that they’ve met the same bloody end as your parents.”
My chest felt like it was being squeezed. “Because of their magic?”
“I suspect so,” he said. “Time magic is illegal, but it’s also rare. And we know it’s inherited. I just never thought someone would target a whole family line because of it.”
“How long ago?” I asked, not able to finish the sentence. I wanted to know how long ago the last member of my family had taken a breath. How long had I been as alone I as felt?
“Shortly before the thief died,” he said. “Which makes me think she was the culprit.”
I swallowed over the lump in my throat. That wasn’t that long ago. Someone from my family had been alive after I found out I was a mage. “There’s nobody else?”
“I’m not sure yet,” he said. “I was following some tips I got about some of your father’s relatives, but I wasn’t successful finding them. I’m not sure if it’s because they are gone, or if it’s because they are much better at hiding than I am at seeking.”
“Maybe they’re out there, then,” I said, not sure if I believed it. I took a deep breath, hating the other thought swirling in my head. It was the selfish thought of self preservation.
“Do you think it’s over? That the thief was the one who was doing all of this? Or is there someone still out there hunting my family?” I felt terrible for asking, but I wanted to know what I was in for once I left the protective walls of the academy.
“I think it was the thief,” he said. “But we can’t be sure.”
I nodded, not sure what else I could say or do. “This family you were tracking, were they near here?”
“No,” he said. “They were supposed to be in the mountains outside of a hidden fae settlement. None of the locals were helpful but I don’t always give people the warm fuzzies when they see me.”
“Maybe I could go,” I said.
“You should go after you graduate. If nothing else, you can learn more about your fae heritage,” he said.
I shook my head. “You’ve known the whole time, haven’t you?”
“I told you, I didn’t want to have this conversation with you without any good news.”
“Yet, here we are,” I said.
“I told you I didn’t find the family I was looking for,” he said. “I didn’t tell you that I didn’t haveanygood news.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“Your case was dismissed last week,” he said.
The words didn’t seem real. “Wait, what? Is that why Officer M isn’t here?”
“He’ll be here, but not to see you,” he said. “I wasn’t able to get Mr. Obscura’s case dropped yet. But the council agreed that your circumstances were unique and you’ve been given a clean slate.”
I covered my mouth with my hands as I laughed. Thatwasgood news. It wasn’t as good it would have been if he’d found some of my family, but it was incredible.
