Chapter 146: Spell Map
[Axel].
“I’m sorry, My King, but your reasoning is dangerous, for all of us,” the tall man wheezed as he coughed into a handkerchief. His long, reedy fingers looked like a spider’s legs as he wrapped them around the edges of the long oak table. "You have been in Los Angeles for two weeks and yet none of your witches or leprechauns or wolves have been able to find her exact location. How many more of our people are going to die to bring your Queen home?"
Gideon, Evander, and I are all standing at the head of the table as the leaders of the Southern California Fae Council gather to discuss the latest developments in the search for our Rosie. Evander is trying his hardest, but these damn fae won't listen to reason. I am so sick and tired of being the one who is standing up for Rosie.
Seb Sanchez, the local alpha, had given us a solid lead. But by the time we got there, all we found was an empty warehouse. The next lead took us in the opposite direction and we ended up wandering lost in the desert for two days.
The warlock is toying with us.
"When we get our claws on this bastard, I'm going to tear him limb from limb and eat his intestines while he watches," Conner growls, his teeth snapping in my mind. Lately our bloodlust has been insatiable. If we don't find her soon, I'm going to need to leave the city so I can have a proper run and hunt. I need to feel blood between my fangs and until we find Vincent, a rabbit or two will have to do.
"Can't you see that the reason so many have disappeared is because we are close," Gideon insists. He is sweaty and pale. He brought what is left of his coven down south and together the 5 of them have been trying what they can to locate Rosie. But without Marigold, they lack the strength to pinpoint her location while also going around whatever spell that Vincent has put up for us to not see him.
"How do we even know we are looking in the right direction?” The Selkie Queen nods towards the pixie lord who has just been speaking. “I say we stop looking and regroup. Whoever we are up against is better prepared and far more skilled. We need rest, reinforcements, and a new strategy."
"We are sorry for your loss, but maybe it is time that you move on." A sad woman with a voice like a dream whispers so that she doesn't accidentally enchant the entire room." She takes a moment to make eye contact with the three of us. Her elfish ears peek around the wispy strands of wood-brown hair that float around her face. "I can only imagine how painful the loss of your queen must be, but the Los Angeles Fae Community has made a decision."
"If we could have your permission," Evander speaks up as they turn to leave. "We would like to continue our hunt on our own through your lands. If we might receive clearance to do so.
As I listen to them give their excuses and their apologies, I take a moment to look at the map.
Something changes in my perception. I begin to see glowing lines connecting the points that we have searched.
"Can I ask a question," I raise my hand like I'm a student again, my mind reeling at what I am seeing. Either my Fae heritage is rising or Rosie gave me a bit of her witch with our connection, but if what I'm seeing is true, it changes anything.
"Of course, Prince," the Fae lord bows. Even though I am not an official part of Evander's marriage, all of the Fae have been treating me as if I am.
"Do spells have a signature? Kinda like a blast radius?" I look up and see that they are confused so I pick up a pencil and drop it into the center of the pattern I am seeing as I say. "Does a spell have edges?" As the pencil hits the center I use my hands to dramatically demonstrate the edges of a spell, taking my fingers out to the glowing spaces.
"A Don't Look Here spell," Gideon gasps under his breath. How is it that we couldn't see this before I...
Picking up the pencil again, I start to explain. "I'm an architect. I have built houses and I know how geometry works with three-dimensional shapes," I can see they are all confused because I'm just a wolf after all, with a touch of dryad. Why am I seeing something that they can't see?
"And what I'm noticing, what I'm seeing right now is that all of our leads are radiating out from a single spot. Here," my pencil lands on a spot in the hills that has no designation. It is a small valley just outside the city and is protected from sight by nearby mountains.
Taking the pencil tip, I trace the glowing lines that only I can see. It looks a bit like one of those tracing toys that kids get with the gears and the circles, a spirograph, making a hollow web that frames the spot where I just put the circle. I then take the attack points and draw lines leading them back to the center where I drew the dot.
An Elven Mage standing around the edges gasps. "The wolf just drew a spell chart. How is this possible?"
There are mumbles around me. Most of these fancy city lords are having a hard time believing that a country Alpha could see what they could not.
Gideon places a hand on my shoulder. "Well done, Axel," his grin is genuine. "Most witches would have missed that connection."
I shrug. "Maybe I got a bit more of my grandmother than I thought." I grin. "both of them."
"Tomorrow night," the Elf-lord looks up from the map, his eyes holding a new level of respect. "We need time to gather our forces, but tomorrow, young Wolf Mage, we will reclaim your Luna."
Inclining my head in a small bow of gratitude, I am grateful for the solidarity of the two men beside me. Without them, I'm not sure I would have had the strength to keep searching. I hate that it took losing the most precious person in our lives to make us into a family, but I am glad that I have the two of them so that none of us are suffering alone.
"Yes, tomorrow," Gideon seems almost gleeful. There is a flash of something behind his eyes, and I struggle to keep my expression the same.
For a moment, it looked like someone else was looking through his eyes.