Mekal started to stir, and when he opened his eyes, he looked up at Gavin. The El’aras dagger started to glow more brightly.
Gavin shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He placed his hand on Mekal’s chest, keeping him from sitting up. “You should know that we have your buddy—brother—Kegan over here. He’s been telling us some very useful information, but he doesn’t want to tell me anything more about where you’ve been learning magic.” Gavin leaned close to him. “Now, I’m not a constable, but I am someone who needs information.”
“Who are you?” Mekal asked.
His voice trembled as he did, and Gavin wished this weren’t necessary. He needed this information so he could keep Alex safe. And it might be more than that even.
“Your brother knows who I am. That’s all that matters. Now, why don’t you tell me a little bit more about where the two of you have been training. If you don’t, then I might have to find a different place to stick this dagger.”
Mekal looked up at him, and he didn’t say anything. He trembled, and the power that he was holding onto started to build.
The glow of the El’aras dagger intensified. Gavin reached for the blade, and he held it above Mekal’s eyes. “You see this?”
Mekal nodded.
“This tells me that you’re trying to call upon power. This is my little enchantment that allows me to know what the two of you are doing.”
At the mention of “enchantment,” Mekal’s eyes twitched.
“See,” Gavin continued, “I have a feeling the two of you know all about enchantments. And that’s the information I need right now.”
“This is where you’re going with it?” Gaspar whispered.
Mekal stared at Gavin. “Go ahead and do what you need to do to us. We can’t reveal the others.”
It was almost enough to make Gavin regret his choice. Here they were being heroic. Defiant. “I have no interest in harming your other buddies. We’re looking for a group of enchanters. All I want is for you to tell me who might know where to find them.”
“I…”
Gavin slammed the dagger into the ground again, and it sank all the way to the hilt. The blade’s glow winked out, leaving them in darkness.
He leaned toward Mekal. “Listen. I knocked out these three constables in your home. Now, I didn’t know the two of you were here, and for that I apologize. I suspect they’re going to come back.”
These two were in more trouble than he’d realized. Had he known that there were children here, Gavin might’ve tried a different approach. He would’ve tried to draw the constables out, and then he would’ve attacked them in the street. Even if they had noticed him, it would’ve been better than having them think that Mekal or Kegan had attacked them.
“All I need is a name. Or, even better, where to find Zella.”
With that, he pulled the dagger out of the ground and held it up close to Mekal’s face.
The boy turned his attention toward the dagger, his eyes still wide. “Why do you want to find Zella?”
“Because she might be able to help me.”
Mekal turned his head, glancing over toward Kegan. “I’m sorry, Kegan.”
With that, Mekal started to pull upon more power.
Gavin felt it. It was the first time he’d felt anything like it. This was more than just seeing the glow of the El’aras blade. He felt something deep within, almost as if his proximity to Mekal connected them and gave him a sense of what the boy was doing.
Gavin leaned over him, and he touched the El’aras dagger to Mekal’s neck. “Stop,” he said.
Mekal trembled. “What are you going to do to me?”
“I’m sure that your imagination can come up with many different things that I might do.”
“You’re despicable,” Gaspar whispered.
“You know I’m not going to hurt him,” Gavin muttered, trying to keep it under his breath.
“Still. This is a child.”
“A child sorcerer.” Or powerful enchanter. Gavin no longer knew if he could tell the difference. “Where do I find Zella?” he asked Mekal.
“I can’t tell you.”
Gavin sighed deeply. “I’m afraid that’s not the answer I needed. Unfortunately for you, I think that—”
“I can show you,” Kegan said.
Gavin glanced over, holding his arm completely still. He could hold this position for hours if needed. He’d tortured men in a similar way before, creeping a knife toward them only a sliver at a time. In Mekal’s case, he didn’t expect to need to actually penetrate the skin, though the boy was tougher than Gavin thought.
“Where is she?”
“I can show you. Just don’t hurt him,” Kegan said.
“If you try to mislead me, if you try to do anything other than show me where she is, then he goes first,” Gavin said, nodding to Mekal. “Then you.”
He got to his feet, grabbing Mekal and jerking him up to stand. He glanced down at the constables. “What should we do with them?” Gavin asked Gaspar.
“You’re the one who knocked them out.”
“I did, but I didn’t really think anything through. With these two kids here, we can’t let them come around.”
“You’re not killing them here,” Gaspar said.
Kegan stared at him. “You’re going to kill them?”
“I can’t have them waking up and finding the two of you,” Gavin snapped.
“There might be something else we can do,” Kegan said.
He crouched down in front of them, and before Gavin could react, power built from him that caused the dagger to glow brightly.
“You really shouldn’t do that,” Mekal said.
“Quiet. If he was going to kill them…”
“What’s he doing?” Gavin asked Mekal.
“He’s changing their memories.”
“He’s doing what?”
“It’s not really very effective. All he can do is obliterate the last day. In time, he might be able to do more than that, but…” Mekal shook his head.
Power that was able to erase memories like that would be incredible.
“Why didn’t you use that against me?”
“If they fight it, it doesn’t work,” Kegan said.
“You need them sleeping. Unconscious,” Gavin mused.
“Pretty
