the enemy,” Monty said. “Don’t misconstrue civility for friendliness. Magnus is not an ally, not even one of convenience. He is here to determine how much of a threat we pose.”

“As long as he doesn’t lose his mind and go ballistic, I’m good,” I said. “I’m not in the mood to fight another one of his kind. Those fights usually end up with body counts and massive destruction.”

“This is a neutral zone,” Monty said, looking around. “A formidable one. My abilities are greatly diminished in this place. The same will happen to him once he crosses the threshold. He will not attack us here. Even dragons abide the rules of neutral zones.”

“I seem to recall a similar speech when you described the Randy Rump,” I said. “Then it got blown up several times. You’ll excuse me if I keep my weapons close.”

“The fact that we were allowed to keep our weapons speaks volumes,” Monty said. “Do not forget, we are his guests. Try to refrain from shooting him, or at him.”

“It pays to be safe,” I said, tapping Grim Whisper with a slight nod. “He may be powerful, but he isn’t invulnerable.”

Monty gave me a look.

“Fine, I won’t shoot unless absolutely necessary,” I said. “How much do you want to share with him? I mean, there’s a highly trained group of assassins gunning for him. You think he knows?”

“I’m certain he’s cognizant of this fact,” Monty said. “That, and you also belonged to said group.”

“Long ago and lifetimes away,” I said, looking at the balcony door as it slid open. “Let’s see what he has to say.”

Magnus came into the space first. The runes at the threshold shone a brilliant white for a few seconds as he crossed the balcony door. He was followed by Gant, who caused the runes to turn a brilliant mix of green and gold.

Magnus must have shopped in the same place as Hades. His suit was an impeccable Amosu Vanquish bespoke item. The black fabric shimmered with a subtle silver line pattern. Underneath the jacket, he wore a crisp white shirt and a rose tie, which matched the exterior of the building. His shoes were a pair of black Tom Ford customs by Arasheben that gave me pause.

Anyone who would wear a seven-figure pair of shoes crossed excessive and sailed right into pretentious. Everything about him was meticulous. He could have been the poster boy for mages around the world, with his own tagline. Dragons: when nothing short of pompous will do.

He had rugged good looks and reminded me of a young Pierce Brosnan, right around the Bond years, and he definitely had the suave look down. He didn’t look a day over thirty, which I knew was a lie. If Monty said he was old, Magnus was counting birthdays in centuries at this point.

He smiled as he approached and that’s when the facade slipped. His smile was about as warm as an arctic wind and I could sense the wave of anger and contempt directed at me.

Peaches gave off a low rumble, and I agreed. We did not like Magnus.

Gant moved off to the side and headed to the small bar. Magnus stood in the center of the floor and gazed at us each in turn, before looking at me again. Soft classical music began to play, and Magnus nodded.

“Perfect,” Magnus said. “Do you know this piece?”

“Sounds a little somber if you ask me,” I said, recognizing the Mozart piece. “I prefer a good Coleman if you want to go for sad and meaningful. This is just people yelling in a language I don’t understand.”

“Mozart, Requiem in D minor, K626,” Monty said. “An interesting choice.”

“You killed Slif,” Magnus said in a soft baritone. Not a question, just a simple statement of fact. “Did you manage this alone?”

“I’m never alone,” I said. “She started it.”

“I’m sure she did,” Magnus said, walking over to one of the large chairs and sitting. “Shall we discuss how to rectify this situation?” He motioned to another set of chairs. “Please sit. Make yourself comfortable.”

Right, that was like wearing a bloody steak and comfortably swimming in shark-infested waters. Everything about Magnus set off alarms in my head. I took a seat and Peaches sat next to me. I could tell he was ready to pounce. Monty, his expression grim, sat in a chair close to me and opposite Magnus.

“Rectify what, exactly?” I asked warily. “I’m not aware we need to rectify anything.”

“The stench of the Auer still rests on you,” Magnus said with a slight smile. “Am I to assume she was the one who disclosed this location to you?”

I saw no point in lying.

“She gave us a nudge, yes,” I said. “I tried to google ‘secret dragon club,’ but that was a mess. You really need to work on your SEO. The Auer made it so much easier, pointed us right here”—I glanced over where Gant stood—“and said we should speak to Gant.”

“I will make sure she is dealt with.”

“I’d leave her alone if I were you,” I said. “She’s not exactly an easy target.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“I’m advising you. Trying to take her out would be a bad career move.”

“I’ll take your advice into consideration,” Magnus said, motioning to Gant, who pressed a panel near the small bar. “Send them.”

“Send them?” I asked, looking from Magnus to Gant. “Who did you send?”

“A solution to my Auer…problem, but that’s not pertinent to our present discussion,” Magnus said, waving my words away. “Do you care to explain yourself?”

“Explain myself? What’s there to explain?”

“You killed one of my enclave sisters,” Magnus said, getting right to it. “The way I see it, we can approach this one of several ways.” He looked over at Gant who nodded holding up a bottle. “No, the Versos 1891. This is a special occasion. Apologies. You’ll forgive me; good sherry is one of my weaknesses.” Gant handed him a glass. “And this is one of the best. Now, where were we?”

“I killed one of your enclave

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