The wave of wrongness slammed into me like a physical blow, dropping me to my knees in Percy and Gio’s sitting room. This time was different—worse. The earth’s warning didn’t just invade my senses, it tore through me like molten steel, setting every nerve ending ablaze. My inner fire flared uncontrollably, and I heard the sharp intake of breath from someone behind me.
“Cinaed!” Bart’s voice cut through the roaring in my ears as I fought to keep from shifting involuntarily. The last thing Percy and Gio needed was a phoenix in distress burning down their cottage.
I pressed my palms against the wooden floor, trying to ground myself against the earth’s desperate cry. Whatever was coming, it was close. Too close. The warning carried a note of panic I’d never felt before, as if the earth itself was screaming.
“I’m fine.” My voice shook with the effort of containing my fire. “Just... give me a moment.”
Otto appeared at my side, while Leo stood behind him, yellow heliodor glowing with gathered power. I suspected he was prepared to shield the others if I lost control.
The attack subsided slowly, leaving me drained and shaking. I sat back on my heels, wiping sweat from my forehead. “The warnings are getting worse.”
“What is the warning about?” Thalion asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Leo said, sparing me from giving the snarky answer. “The Ward is failing.”
The assembled group watched me with varying degrees of worry, but my head hurt too much to confirm what Leo had said. “Water?” My voice cracked like I’d swallowed fire, which wasn’t far from what I’d done to keep from shifting.
A few seconds later, a cup of water was thrust into my shaking hands. Gio waited until I’d firmly grasped the drink before letting go. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
I wasn’t sure any of us were okay anymore. “The Earth is concerned. Like it’s running out of time.”
“If anyone would know how close Blackstone is to unleashing his plan, it would be the Earth,” Anso said. “He must fear we’ve learned too much.”
“We can never know too much.” Bart waved his purple tourmaline over a large map spread across a table. “But we’ve collected some useful information.”
“The trackers are still working, which means Blackstone and his mages haven’t detected them,” Leo said, joining his brother. “That’s the good news. The bad news is they’ve separated.”
I doubted anyone in the group expected them to stay together. Blackstone had never put all his assets into one scheme. It would be highly unusual if he changed his tactics.
“How many groups?” Leifr asked. “We don’t have time to chase shadows across the globe.”
“Three so far,” Bart’s purple tourmaline pulsed once, and three dots appeared on the map. “They split up almost immediately after they left, so it’s likely the number won’t change. The locations, however, correspond to known medicine wheels in North America.”
Not ideal, but manageable. “Any sign which one has my grandfather?”
“We haven’t had a chance to fully examine the data,” Leo said. “Given the earth magic needed to contain Ailpein, you and Cael are better equipped to find him.”
I examined the map, but I had limited knowledge of North America. “Are any of these sites power centers or a major nexus?”
Cael joined me at the table. “Not especially. They’re all in areas where earth magic is more abundant, but there are hundreds of other similar places.”
According to the map, Blackstone’s associates were congregating in Montana, Arizona, and Nebraska. I traced a line between the points. They formed a rough triangle, each point separated by hundreds of miles. “Is the shape significant?”
Everyone joined us at the table. Anso and Percy exchanged looks with each other and their mates. “Interesting,” Anso said. “After we created the Ward, we worried people would search for the location. The site itself held no magical significance, but it was where Adelais and Katriana gave their lives for the world. We didn’t want anyone to desecrate the place, so we created a fake location.”
Gio touched a point on the map. “These locations form a rough triangle around the fake spot.”
This felt like a trap to me. Blackstone was chasing a false lead, and thus far he rarely made mistakes. “Roderick said the site wasn’t important for creating the Ward. Why would he use the fake location for a focal point?”
“Roderick was correct,” Percy said. “The site isn’t important, but Blackstone wouldn’t have that knowledge. Only the guardians and the new guardians know the Ward can be created anywhere.”
Which confused me more. “Then why do we think this will help us find my grandfather?”
“Blackstone choosing these sites proves hethinksthe original location is important,” Leo said. “It would be too great a coincidence for him to select these three places at random and happen to triangulate on the fake spot.”
“Which strongly suggests your grandfather is in one of those three spots,” Leifr said.
They were right, but which one? “Can we narrow it down to one?”
