“I cannot comment on her innocence,” he said, “but Adair doesn’t seem to be in the securest place. The House of Fire’s jail is primarily designed for mages, but not people like him. I understand that he already broke out of the Houses’ securest facility, and they must know they’re only delaying a repeat of the same scenario.”
“It’s your lucky day,” I said. “The guards at the House of Fire said they were willing to consider negotiating an agreement if you take Adair off their hands and imprison him here in the Court of the Dead.”
“Is that so?” he said. “What are his abilities, precisely?”
“He’s half-elf and half-human,” I said. “He can move faster than most humans, and he can influence anyone using mind control, but his power doesn’t work on liches. That’s why the House of Fire is confident that handing him over to you will solve the issue of his potential escape.”
“Did they assume I would agree to their offer?” he queried.
“I’m not sure they cared either way,” I admitted. “But the whole Family escaped from jail a month ago and they’ve only managed to recapture one of them. Not sure what your track record is, but it’s gotta be better than that.”
“Then I’ll take him off their hands and ensure he is secured here in the Court of the Dead,” he said. “Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the cantrip I’d taken from the House of Fire. “This was used to kill the jailor. It has the Family’s signature on it, but I know for a fact that their old factories burned down five years ago.”
“There’s a strong possibility they may have rebuilt, isn’t there?” he said. “I think we must assume they did.”
“Yes, but this cantrip is new,” I said. “They never used reusable cantrips before, and I don’t know where this one came from. I don’t know how it got into the jail, either.”
“The reusable cantrips recently came into use in Arcadia before spreading through the Parallel,” he said. “They’re manufactured at the local warehouses. There have been a few incidents involving illegal cantrip trade in the city, as it happens, and I’m not convinced it has been stamped out.”
“Oh?” I said, not sure what he was getting at. “I didn’t think that was something that would interest you. Illegal cantrip trade, I mean.”
“Anything that potentially threatens the safety of my Court is of interest to me,” he responded. “I intended to send Ryan to ask a few questions at the warehouses, so I see no harm in you going with them. Do let them know, won’t you?”
“Are you sure Ryan won’t mind?” I asked.
“Ryan knows that it’s best to have backup with them on dangerous missions,” he said. “They’ll understand.”
Ryan was not thrilled at being asked to escort me to Arcadia. They didn’t say a word to me on the walk out of the castle, and only laughed when Neddie the horse refused to let me mount him. In the end, I walked on foot to the outskirts of Arcadia while Ryan rode on horseback. By the time I reached the bare ground at the very edge of the swamp, I was in a bad mood, to say the least.
“Who’s the cantrip manufacturer we’re supposed to speak to?” I asked, kicking mud off my boots.
“You’ll see.” Ryan hopped off Neddie’s back and gave the horse a stroke, letting him canter away back into the swamp. “Stay close behind me and don’t wander off.”
“Do you even know what your master asked me to speak to the manufacturers about?” I said.
“Our master told me to speak to the manufacturers myself,” said Ryan. “If you get yourself into trouble, I’m not getting you out of it.”
That’s nice. “Noted.”
The warehouses covered the edge of the city which bordered the swampland. The Houses of the Elements barely had a foothold here in Arcadia, thanks to the vampires being the ruling force. I only knew of one hangout for mages and it wasn’t exactly reputable. I couldn’t picture the Family walking through this maze of warehouses to the central one marked as the city’s main market for all things magical. A steady flow of people walked in and out of the entryway: practitioners and mages, but also the occasional vampire, dressed in dark clothing and with their hoods pulled up to stave off the daylight.
Ryan and I joined the queue beside the doors, attracting a fair few stares thanks to our armoured clothing. The crush of people didn’t help, and it came as a relief when we finally got inside the warehouse itself. The open space before us contained rows of tables selling everything from produce to everyday items imported from the other side of the nodes as well as cantrips and other magical devices. At the very back of the warehouse lay a long line of tables covered with dozens of golden cantrips engraved with runes. I hadn’t seen such a big collection outside of the Death King’s castle before.
“The Collective of Spells.” I read the sign affixed to the back wall of the warehouse. “Is this the supplier we’re looking for?”
“Hello?” said the girl behind the table, giving the Air Element a wary look. “Can I help you?”
“We’re looking to speak to the manufacturer of the reusable cantrips being distributed throughout the Parallel,” I said. “I take it that’s you?”
The Collective of Spells. I’d never heard of them before, but I hadn’t exactly been plugged into the legal business of acquiring cantrips. I’d mostly got them from Striker’s network in Elysium before now.
The girl’s gaze darted between us. While her wariness was understandable for anyone faced with two of the Death King’s Elemental Soldiers, did she know some of her cantrips might have been used to commit murder?
“Not just
