He had an idea though. He suspected that she knew far more about these young enchanters—and about everything that was taking place—than she was letting on.
“The enchanters told me they wanted the jade egg for the Mistress of Vines so they could free their families,” he said. “They claim she’s the only one who knows how to release the magical energy within it.”
Olivia returned, and Gavin glanced behind him toward the kitchen. He thought that she’d gone with the others, but she must have snuck back in. At this point, she deserved to be a part of the conversation.
Desarra and Olivia shared a look, and neither of them spoke.
Gavin chuckled. “I take it that isn’t quite right.”
“No,” Olivia said.
“So what’s the truth of the matter?”
“You wouldn’t understand,” she said.
“Try me. I think I might understand more than you give me credit for.”
“Watch it, boy,” Gaspar growled.
Desarra rested her hand on his arm, and she shook her head. “It’s okay, Gaspar. He’s been helping. He should be a part of this.”
“A part of what?”
“They didn’t get the jade egg to the Mistress of Vines so she could release their families. They’re gone, unfortunately,” Desarra said. “The jade egg is an item of magic, and whoever possesses it would be able to unsettle others of considerable power.”
“It’s my understanding that it allows the constables to make enchantments,” Gavin said.
“It can help make enchantments for the constables, but that’s not its only purpose. The egg contains collected magic, and in the right hands—or the wrong hands—it allows someone to use it against another person who has power.”
Gavin frowned and looked from one to the other. “The Captain. Why?”
“Because he’s been holding power over the city.”
“He might be powerful, and he might have misused some enchantments, but—”
“Not misused,” Olivia interrupted. “He’s been buying off those who have the ability to place enchantments and forcing them to serve.” There was heat in her voice, anger that seethed just beneath the surface.
Gavin looked over and frowned. He thought about the enchantments that he’d experienced when he’d broken into the Captain’s home. They had been more than what he’d expected.
Within Yoran, there weren’t all that many people with enchantments. Having them was an admission of a link to magic that most people didn’t want, especially somebody who was as well-connected as the Captain would be. The fact that he had magic and was willing to use it so openly suggested that not only was he not concerned about his link to magic, he could use it without repercussions.
“How’s the Captain tied to the constables?” Gavin asked.
“He’s bought a measure of influence. Not with all of them, but with enough. He uses that influence to maintain his hold over the city, or at least his role within the city. And he doesn’t fear the constables taking away his enchantments because doing so would reveal theirs,” Desarra said.
Gavin shook his head. “That doesn’t make sense. The constables aren’t afraid of revealing their own enchantments.”
There was so much about Yoran he didn’t fully understand. There was a history here he wasn’t privy to, one that people like Gaspar—and, he suspected, Desarra—fully understood.
“Let me get this straight. The Captain uses enchanters to place enchantments on whatever he needs,” he said. “The constables look the other way, but at the same time, they search for those with magic. And now Zella and the others with her are somehow involved.”
“Zella and the others have always been involved,” Olivia said.
“Why?”
“Because they’re the ones who have suffered the most.”
“What do you mean?” Gavin asked.
“Do you think Alex is the first one who’s been rescued? The Captain has captured others over the years. Not all of them escape, but many of them do. Even with the enchantments he’s able to place, he struggles to hold them, partly because they’re incredibly powerful in their own right.”
“What about Alex?”
“She was taken.”
“I know that,” Gavin said.
“She was part of the group that attacked the constable caravan. They were the ones who took the jade egg in the first place,” Olivia said. “Her ability is…”
“What about her ability?”
Gavin had seen it was powerful, but it had to be more than that.
“She can tap into enchantments. Make them stronger.”
He breathed out. That explained many things. “And since the jade egg is an enchantment…”
It would be why the Mistress of Vines wanted her.
Alex could make the egg much more potent.
“She was captured like so many others have been,” Olivia said.
Gavin looked to Olivia. “You were captured once.”
Olivia said nothing.
“How did you get out?” he asked.
“There’s one thing the Captain understands,” Olivia said softly.
“What’s that?”
“Money.”
Gavin glanced at Desarra, then turned back to Olivia. “How long ago were you held?”
“It’s been a while,” she said.
Gavin frowned and glanced at Gaspar, who made a point of ignoring him. “So you were once there. I take it that’s how you got the layout to the Captain’s home?” He looked at Desarra.
She nodded.
“Then what’s going on with the Mistress of Vines? If these others have used her to get to Alex…”
It still didn’t make complete sense to Gavin. Alex was able to augment the jade egg, and somehow the Mistress of Vines was responsible for it. She was the reason that Gavin got involved in the first place. She’d wanted him to get Alex out—which meant she would use the egg. The enchanters had said that the Mistress of Vines would help free their families and somehow release the energy trapped in the jade egg. They’d finally have a sense of safety that their families had not had for years.
“What is she really after?” he asked.
“The same thing they are,” Olivia said.
“And what exactly is that?”
“They want to remove the Captain.”
“Why remove him? It sounds to me like he’s not opposed to the use of magic.”
“Not opposed to it, but he’d also rather keep the status quo. Given how much power and authority he has, he’d much rather ensure he keeps it rather than allowing others to have any.”
“Why would he even care? It seems
