Gavin looked over at Gaspar. “You got me into this. You’re going to help me finish it.”
“Finish what?”
“If I know sorcerers, she wants the egg for more than just to help the enchanters.” Power, of some sort. It was just learning what kind of power. “So we have to reclaim the jade egg.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Gavin sat by the fire with hands clasped together, looking around the room for a moment before returning his attention to the crackling flames. Olivia sat next to Desarra, both of them talking quietly to each other. Gaspar had slipped out, looking for more information.
Gavin’s mind raced as he struggled with the various scenarios. To get Alex back, he’d have to stop the Mistress of Vines, though he had no idea whether he could. She was a powerful sorcerer, and skilled enough that he would need help.
“What is it?” Wrenlow asked, leaning forward and watching him. He held a book open in his lap and was jotting down notes, though nothing in the book would probably help when it came to what they needed to do.
“I’m just trying to come to terms with something I resisted over the years,” Gavin said softly.
“What’s that?”
Gavin looked over at his old friend, who watched him with concern in his eyes. He suspected Wrenlow knew just how dangerous this was going to be, though they’d gone into dangerous situations before and come out on the other side just fine.
“I’ve resisted taking enchantments with me.”
“You have not,” Wrenlow said, shaking his head. “You’ve taken as many as you think you need.”
“You mean this?” He tapped on the earpiece and shook his head. “This is as far as I’ve gone. I’m talking about a different kind of enchantment.”
It was a measure of the difficulty they faced that Gavin was willing to take one now. Wrenlow didn’t even see that from him.
Maybe it was for the best.
“What kind?”
“Similar to the ones the constables have used.”
“The… no. Gavin, you can’t go back there.”
“I know I shouldn’t,” he said, though maybe he should. There was no reason that he couldn’t break into Zella’s home and take some of her enchantments. They would be a challenge to get to again, but the issue wasn’t so much about what he could do as it was knowing whether or not they would even work. He’d have to figure out what the enchantments did. He didn’t have enough information, which put him in danger. “There might be another way for us to get the enchantments we need.”
Gavin didn’t know if the enchantments in Cyran’s sorcerer’s lair would be useful, but doubted it. Not unless he knew what they were for.
“What, then?” Wrenlow asked.
The door opened and Gaspar slipped back in and headed over to Gavin. “Time to get moving.”
“Now?”
“She’s making her play. The fortress.”
Gavin squeezed his eyes shut. “She didn’t even wait. After getting Alex back, she’s going to go straight at him.”
Gavin got to his feet, and he walked over to the table where Olivia sat with Desarra.
“This is going to be a break-in,” he said, looking to Gaspar. “Your kind of plan.”
“We’ve already done that,” Gaspar said.
Gavin nodded. “Right, which as we know is a bit dangerous, but this time we’ll know a sorcerer is there.”
“I seem to remember you thinking the girl was the sorcerer.”
“I’ve thought many different things during this whole scenario. None of them have been accurate, but that hasn’t been my fault. I’ve gathered as much information as I can to try to get through this.”
Gavin took a seat at the table, looking over at Desarra and Olivia. Both of them watched him. He couldn’t shake the resemblance, but given what he knew about enchanters, he wondered something.
“Why do all enchanters look younger than they are?” he asked. They needed to prepare, but this was a question he wanted answered.
Gaspar frowned at him. “What?”
Gavin nodded to Olivia. “Her. I suspect all of the enchanters that I’ve met, including Zella, look like they’re still in their teens. They appear young, though I have a feeling that none of them are quite as young as they seem.”
Desarra shook her head. “They are young,” she said.
“I don’t know. Something about it isn’t quite right.”
“It’s tied to the war,” Olivia said softly. She glanced at Desarra, then stared off into the distance. “During the attack, something happened. Nobody really knows, but all enchanters found that we were stuck in time.” She swept her hand down from head to toe and shook her head slowly. “Not that we really understand it. Even now, we still don’t.”
“So you’re stuck as you were?” Gavin asked.
Desarra shook her head softly, but Olivia nodded.
“Yes. It gives us the opportunity to move places where we wouldn’t otherwise.” She smiled tightly. “Many saw us as less of a threat.”
Gavin frowned. “Which means you are sisters.”
Desarra’s eyes twitched slightly, and Gavin knew he was right.
Gavin turned to Olivia. “For us to do this job, I need your help.”
“She’s not coming with us,” Gaspar said.
“I’m not asking you,” Gavin said to him. “And I’m not asking her to come with us. I just need her help.”
“What do you need?” Olivia’s voice was soft.
“I assume that your parents were enchanters as well,” Gavin said. He glanced from Desarra to Olivia, and the slight tension in the corners of their eyes told him all he needed to know. “Which means they poured part of themselves into this jade egg, no differently than any of the other enchanters.”
Olivia nodded.
“Why them, and not anyone else?” Gavin asked.
“What do you mean?” Wrenlow asked. He got up from where he was seated and sat down next to Gavin, watching him for a moment before turning to look at the other two. “Who else are you concerned about?”
“It’s not so much a concern,” Gavin said. “It’s more about understanding.” He rested his elbows on the
