“Alex potential.”
Gavin crouched down, sweeping the dagger around. He needed to figure out the source of the other attack. He hurried through the room, staying low, and debated whether it made sense for him to keep the El’aras dagger out. His knives would likely be more useful, but if he sheathed the dagger, he wouldn’t have the advantage that it offered. He needed its light to be able to see.
He moved forward into the large room. He had thought that it was enormous when he’d first seen it, but now that he was here, it seemed even larger than he’d believed when the door first opened. It wasn’t as well hidden as the one beneath Cyran’s home, but perhaps it didn’t need to be.
The doorway that had blocked it had been effective. Had Gavin not had the glow of the El’aras dagger, he might not have ever noticed that there was anything here.
He stayed low and crept forward, then turned when he reached the far end of the room. There was a shadowed form across from him.
Gavin lunged. His elbow connected with something, and he toppled farther forward than he’d anticipated.
It was another child.
Crap.
Gavin rolled to the side, holding out the dagger. This child was a little bit older than Kegan, but still couldn’t be out of their teens. They were unconscious.
Gavin grabbed the boy and slung him over his shoulder, carrying him toward the entrance of the lair. He stepped out and found Kegan watching Gaspar, who simply stood over the three constables, a short knife in hand.
“I found a buddy of his,” Gavin said, carrying the other child out and setting him near the constables. He glanced over at Kegan. “Do you have anybody else in there?”
“Mekal?” he whispered.
The boy was older than Kegan, with a hint of whiskers growing on his cheeks, the earliest wisps of a beard. They had the same wide set eyes and the same shock of dark hair. Mekal looked taller and thicker than Kegan, like an older version of him.
“He’s fine. Well, he will be. He needs to wake up.”
“I didn’t take you for the kind to attack children,” Gaspar said.
“I wasn’t attacking a child… that’s not right. I did attack a child, but I didn’t know I was,” Gavin said.
“Who is he?”
“You got me. He was in the back of the room. Kegan came out first, so I suspect this one had been teaching him.”
Gavin looked over at Kegan, who was staring at Mekal. “Is that right? Has Mekal been teaching you?”
“Our master is going to return home any minute.”
“Are you sure about that?” Gavin glanced over at the constables. “I could wake them up and give them the news. I’m sure the constables would be most impressed with what you’ve just told me. I’m sure they might even have something to say about your master’s return.”
“Don’t,” Kegan said, moving toward him.
“Then start talking.”
“We live here. It was our parents’ home.”
“What happened to them?” Gavin asked, already on edge. He worried about what the boy was going to say, but he already had a suspicion.
“Do you think this is the first time that constables have come to our home?” Kegan said with an edge of arrogance.
“What do you mean?”
“They come every few weeks. Most of the time, we have enough notice and we can hide. Sometimes we have to run.”
“Run?” Gavin asked.
“If they come inside.”
“Like they did today.”
“We didn’t detect them,” Kegan said. “I don’t know how.”
Gavin glanced down at the constables before turning his attention back to the boy. “How do you detect them?”
“They aren’t subtle,” he said. “They come looking for those who have abilities, and they want to drag them off, but they…” He shook his head and wiped away tears that had formed in his eyes.
Could that be what the constables were doing?
He could imagine that they were going door-to-door, checking out the old homes of sorcerers or even enchanters.
“Were your parents sorcerers?”
Kegan shook his head quickly. “They didn’t have enough power.”
Enchanters then.
Enchanters had a weaker form of magic. The type of magic they called upon was similar to that of sorcerers, but not nearly as potent. Enchanters had to harness their power, focusing it into items that could be used in other ways, such as Gavin’s first communication device. It was how some people had enchantments that allowed them strength or speed or, in the case of the Captain, impenetrable skin.
“Your brother has been teaching you?” Gavin asked.
“He’s been trying to show me as much as he can, but he doesn’t know enough. There are—”
Kegan cut off, and Gavin smiled. “There are what?”
“Nothing.”
“Were you about to say that there are others you’ve been working with?”
Kegan’s eyes widened slightly. “No. I wasn’t going to say anything like that.”
“Listen, boy. If you know something about other enchanters, I need you to share it with me now.”
“I’m not going to tell you anything.”
“Even if I do something to your brother?”
Gavin pulled out the El’aras dagger and twisted it. The blade glowed softly, so he knew that Kegan was still holding onto some magic, though not nearly as much as he was able to.
“What are you going to do to him?” Kegan asked.
“It depends.”
“On what?”
“On what stories you’ve heard about me.”
Kegan shook his head. “I don’t know anything about you.”
“That’s too bad.” Gavin crouched down.
Gaspar shot him a hard look. “What are you doing?” he whispered.
It came through loud and clear through the enchantment. That was interesting. It was another use for the enchantment he hadn’t even considered before. Perhaps he should have thought about that before now. He imagined that Anna had realized the potential of the enchantment in such a way.
Perhaps they needed to call upon the El’aras. They had power, and Anna had lived in Yoran for quite a while—long enough that she might know what was taking place here. The El’aras in the city would have to have known about others who used magic, wouldn’t they?
“Just watch,” Gavin whispered. He held the dagger out
