Fallon: Shifters claim to know nothing about it.
Astor: We’ve put up a reward for anyone with more information. We’ll see who bites.
Arden: Ha! Good one.
Astor: …
Arden: Changing subject. Maybe we should start a group text every night and update each other? I’ll go first. Cassandra’s missing. I helped Caro locate her. She’s alive, but we’re not sure where. Caro lied about her location. Wherever she is, Caro hates it. The good news is Caro did us a solid in return. Not on purpose, of course. She’d already pulled all the files mentioning MacAllister, and she asked Henry to send them to us tomorrow. Wasn’t that sweet of her?
Theron: I wonder what she originally intended to do with the documents.
Arden: I shudder to think. Astor and I will work together to sift through them.
Astor: I will? Maybe I can help organize them for you.
Arden: Great, thanks.
Fallon: Nothing new on her other powers yet.
Valerian: Things are in an uproar here, which I expected, but nothing new to report.
Daire: The uprising is turning out to be bigger than we thought. Lucifer’s spies are trying to find out what’s going on. I did swing by the library and ask the archivist to search for information. Nothing yet.
Theron: Spoke to the archivist at the dark Fae library. Gave them a list. No other updates.
Arden: I’m exhausted. Dropping off.
Arden: …
Arden: Night everyone.
I stareat the phone as everyone says goodnight. When my phone pings several times a few minutes later, I frown. Glancing down, I see separate goodnight messages from Theron, Daire, and Valerian. Guess they miss me too.
11
ARDEN
Fallon rings me early the next morning. “I’ve heard back from my contact, and they’ve given me some suggestions to test for Elven powers. Meet me in the lobby in fifteen minutes.” He hangs up.
Groaning, I roll over and pull the pillow over my head for a minute. Exhaustion weighs on me, but I slowly steel my resolve and get up. After the usual morning routine, I dress in workout clothes, grab my phone and, at the last minute, grab a jacket. If we’re meeting in the lobby, there’s a strong chance we’re leaving The Abbey, which is surprising, given our furry guard outside.
Nobody’s in the lobby when I step out, but a tap on my phone reassures me that I’m right on time and Fallon is late. Too bad Theron’s not here to see me. I laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Fallon’s voice is low as he strides up to me with a backpack in his hands. “I grabbed us a few waters and some breakfast. We’ll be gone all morning. Are you ready?”
“Yes, let’s go,” I reply. My enthusiasm is low this morning. What if nothing happens? I didn’t feel anything the first time we tried.
Fallon conjures a portal for us, and we step through it. When we come out the other side, we’re in a forest, but not any I recognize.
“Where are we?” I ask. Studying the trees around me, I realize we’re in a pretty young forest. The one near my old home backed up to the Wilds, a forest older than any other, full of dangerous creatures and wilding magic. The only known inhabitants are The Hunt, wielders of magic and riders of justice. Outside of supernatural law, they dispense and uphold the ancient laws governing all magic and magic practitioners. I’ve never seen them, but Vargas assures me they’re real.
“A forest near one of my houses,” he replies. Raising his hand to the left, he motions me in that direction. “There’s a small pond nearby. According to my source, we need to be surrounded by natural elements, including water. I used to swim in the pond when I was a boy, so I know we’re in a relatively safe area.”
We walk a few hundred yards, until the trees stop and we’re standing in front of a large pond and waterfall. It’s peaceful. The steady sound of the waterfall cascading into the pond fills the air and the entire scene makes me want to lie down and be lazy for a while.
Fallon sets the bag on a large rock and takes off his jacket. “We’ll start with the water. According to an old tutor, water is the most prolific and natural source on Earth, and the best one to use when learning or testing. Take off your jacket, and let’s get started.”
“Let’s do this,” I say, bouncing on my feet in anticipation.
