Darius poured himself and Ignatius a cup before tapping the book. “What significance does the site have?”
I tried to come up with a way I could use the place to aid in my spell casting, but without more information, I couldn’t come up with a good answer. “Was there any kind of formation or amplifier in the area?”
“No,” Ignatius said. “But well done. You see why Darius posed the question. There is nothing about the site that matters. It was just where they were at the time they were ready to cast the spell.”
Which meant anyone looking for the site would waste their time hunting for a place with no special powers. “Did Blackstone ever figure it out?”
“Impossible to know if he realized the site was meaningless,” Darius said. “But we know he never visited the place.”
“You were right, Rod,” Avie said. “He stayed to be close to mage government.”
I nodded absently. The way the guardians made us tease out information was irritating. We couldn’t afford to waste time, but we had to ask the right question before they’d tell us what we needed to know. “How do you know he never found the spot?”
“Darius and I owned the estate that was turned into Utrecht University,” Ignatius said. “We kept the plot of land where Katarina and Adelais died, and built our home there. No one knew who we were, so we lived there all these years.”
Much like Blackstone, they hid right in front of everyone, while protecting the final resting place of two heroes.
“Then it’s a waste of time searching the library for clues,” Lysandor said.
“Rod?”Cinaed’s voice stopped me from hearing the answer.“Are you okay?”
I had intended to argue against the futility of trying to unearth hints to what Blackstone was up to, but Cinaed’s call pulled me away.“Of course. Is something wrong there?”
“No. Your emotions were all over the place. I thought you were distressed.”
Checking my magical protection, I wasn’t leaking. So how did he feel me?“I’m not sure how that’s possible.”
Me neither, but it was disconcerting.”
Anything that distracted Cinaed was bad.“I’ll work on blocking my feelings from you.”
“Please don’t,” he said.“It feels nice. Like you’re with me all the time.”
Making him happy was always high on my list, but not understanding what I was doing gave me pause. I’d need to speak to my brothers about what was happening.“I promise not to cut you off without telling you first. Are you ready for your flight?”
“I’ve never been to Transylvania, and I’d be excited but for the reason.”
“Roderick?”
Avie calling me meant I’d zoned out on an important bit.“Hold that thought.”I wasn’t letting him go that quickly.
Refocusing on the meeting, all eyes were on me. “Sorry,” I said, not sounding the least bit apologetic. “I’m talking to Cinaed.”
“Ah.” Ignatius raised a finger. “Here we thought we were boring you.”
I’d met with Darius and Ignatius many times, and usually I appreciated their humor. This wasn’t one of those times. “Not at all, but what was the question? I want to finish my conversation with him.”
“The suggestion is we head to Maine and search the dragon library,” Avie said. “It’s older, larger, and away from James Blackstone’s attempts to destroy valuable information.”
I owed her—again. Had she been against going, she’d have presented that argument. “It makes sense.”
“Glad you agree,” Avie said, patting my hand. “Give my best to Cinaed.”
Now that I had permission, I returned to Cinaed.“Sorry, love. The demands of being the team leader.”
I explained our discussion, and he agreed with the idea.“We can compare notes twice a day.”
Transparent, but I’d long stopped worrying about appearances.“That sounds like the best idea I’ve heard today. Have a safe trip and contact me when you arrive.”
