Kalylle handed the parchment to Vednor and pointed to a name. Philippe stared at it over the old man’s shoulder, not that he could read the wizard’s script. He made a mental note to fix that soon.
“Lestria? Are you mad?”
Vednor’s incredulous voice sent a wave of anger through Philippe. “You should know better than most,” he hissed. “Kalylle doesn’t make jokes.”
He knew Kalylle recognized his anger. The wizard rested a hand on his shoulder, saying soothingly, “Relax.”
Glaring, Philippe pulled away and stalked to a chair. Flopping onto it, he watched Kalylle focus on Vednor. “Now isn’t the time to anger him.”
Vednor’s gray brows rose. “Sorry. But you know I can’t take this to the Council without proof. Dammit! She’s on the Council.”
“Well, I’ll just have to ask her about it,” Kalylle said calmly. When Vednor’s brows shot up, he laughed. “Discreetly, old friend. I am a wizard of the Second Order.” He continued to smile.
The older wizard crossed his arms. Philippe noticed the man’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “She’s not in the city at the moment. She’s out on an errand.”
Philippe glared, hissing, “Why are you protecting her?”
Vednor drew himself up, his slender form towering over Philippe’s seated position. “I’m not protecting anyone. I’m simply warning you that you can’t go accusing First Order wizards of conspiracy!” When Philippe opened his mouth to reply, Vednor sighed. “Once you find proof, then we’ll all go to her.”
“You know, you still didn’t tell me how you can tell a Wizard of the First Order.”
Kalylle pointed at a pin on Vednor’s lapel. “Recognize this?”
Philippe narrowed his eyes as he gazed at a small, silver dove grasping an olive branch in its beak. “Yeah. That woman had one on her robe, too.”
“It means they’re on the Council,” Kalylle explained. “It means they’re a Wizard of the First Order.”
Vednor shook his head. “Find proof. My hands are tied until you do.” Pivoting on his toes, he left the room.
“Pompous, arrogant, ass…” Philippe let his words trail off when he saw the warning in Kalylle’s eyes. Running gloved hands through his short, white hair, he grinned suddenly. “Not here, huh?” Philippe poured water from a stone pitcher into a metal mug and took a swig. “Then it’d be a good time to search her room for proof.”
Kalylle chuckled, shaking his head. “All rooms here are magically locked and unlocked by the occupant. I can’t open it. And even if I could, I wouldn’t be able to—”
Hearing Kalylle’s words, Philippe laughed.
Kalylle smiled. “Damn, Philippe, you should laugh more often.”
Philippe slowly sobered. In truth, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed such mirth. Grinning, he explained, “I didn’t plan on using the door.” He rose to his feet, holding his hands out from his sides. “Have you forgotten who you’re talking to?”
“Of course. How forgetful of me.” Kalylle scoffed, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. “I can’t believe I’m considering going along with this.” Crossing his arms over his chest, he admitted, “Before meeting you, had anyone told me I’d be not only considering but agreeing to this idea of searching another wizard’s room without permission, I would never have believed it.”
“Just show me to her room. I’ll do the rest,” Philippe assured him. Maybe he was a bad influence on the wizard, but he couldn’t say he was sorry. He watched Kalylle stare at him for a long moment. He could feel his indecision. “She’ll never know I was there,” Philippe promised encouragingly.
Kalylle gave a curt nod. “Let’s go.”
Philippe followed Kalylle down the hall and up one set of stairs. Walking through an unadorned hallway that looked similar to all the others in the building, Kalylle nodded at a door they passed. “That’s the one,” he murmured.
“Fantastic.” Taking in the empty hallway, he smiled coldly. “I’ll see you back at your room.”
Without waiting for a response, the thief slipped into the Innerworld and stepped through the wall. He pushed through it easily, as though moving through a waterfall. Standing in the middle of the room, he reappeared. Slowly, he pivoted, taking in the area through narrowed eyes.
Lestria had covered most of the floor with brocade rugs of blue and green. Two large wardrobes stood side by side along one wall just to the right of the door. A desk had been placed opposite the wardrobes on the left, and the bed faced the door. A small table similar to the one in Kalylle’s room was pushed into a corner, two chairs next to it.
On the desk rested a large metal sculpture. Moving closer, he stared. Two women stood together, arms around each other’s waists, one in wizard’s robes, the other in warrior’s armor. Two names were carved into the base—Lestria and Diara. A sister? A friend? A lover? He wondered at the relation. The solid bronze color of the sculpture made it impossible to establish.
Maybe Kalylle will know.
Pulling open one of the desk’s drawers, he stared down at parchment, quills, and ink. Carefully, he picked up the stack of parchment. Flipping through them, he saw that none had been written on. He almost put them back when a shadow on the top paper caught his eye. Laying the other pages back in the drawer, he held the one up to the light coming through the window. He made out faint grooves in the paper, as well as a few black speckles, telling him that at some point, Lestria’d had the piece of parchment under another sheet while writing. He folded the paper and tucked it into his shirt. Opening the second drawer, he found it full of scrolls. Lifting one out, he stared at the seal thoughtfully. Could Kalylle fix it if I open it? He would have to ask him.
After replacing the scroll and closing the drawer, Philippe moved toward the wardrobes. Opening the first, he found several robes hanging. The drawers held undergarments. The second wardrobe housed several gowns for special occasions, while the drawers contained leggings and tunics—less formal wear.
After a quick search to make certain she hadn’t hidden anything amidst the clothes, he closed both wardrobes and turned to survey the room again. Uncertain of what he searched for, he didn’t know where else to look. Growling in disgust, he grasped the Innerworld and disappeared.
A moment later, Philippe found Kalylle pacing in his room. He reappeared and pulled the paper from his shirt. “Do you have any charcoal?”
Kalylle swung around to look at him, frowning. “Must you do that? Popping in and out like that is very unsettling,” he muttered as he crossed to the fire. “They normally clean this pretty well, but maybe…ah!” He spun around, holding a small, burnt piece of timber. “Will this work?”
“Perhaps.” Philippe took the offered wood, not bothering to say anything about Kalylle’s other comment.
“What’s that?”
“A parchment I found in her desk,” Philippe explained, laying the piece out flat on the table. “Don’t worry,” he reassured, sensing Kalylle’s alarm. “Lestria won’t miss it. It’s blank.”
“And what do you hope to discover from it?” Kalylle asked curiously, watching him rub the timber lightly over the paper.
“To see what was written on the paper above it,” he murmured. “Ah, here we are…”
Philippe held it up to the light, staring at the faint lines on the paper, but he didn’t understand it. He turned and held it out to his companion.
Kalylle took it and read, “Meet Diara at Twin City Lodge. Twin Equinox.” His pale brows shot up. “Impressive.”
“There are some scrolls in her desk. They’re sealed. I wasn’t certain if you could reseal them if I opened one to read it, so…”
Kalylle smiled and opened his desk drawer. “Like these?” he asked, holding up an identical scroll.
Philippe nodded.
“They’re blank. Break the seal, open it up, write on it, and then roll it back up. It’ll automatically reseal,” Kalylle explained. “Then tell the scroll who it’s for,
and only that person will be able to open it and read it. If someone else tries, the writing will be magically erased. It’s a useful tool for sending private correspondence.”
“That is very impressive,” Philippe murmured. “Secure.”
The wizard nodded, pacing the floor.
Philippe watched for several minutes. “So what’s our move?” he finally asked.
“We still need our proof,” Kalylle reminded him. “And your soul.” He paused to stare at the ceiling, sighing deeply. Then he turned to face Philippe. “We have two moons until the Twin Equinox. The plan is to get your soul before that, so we can be there for this meeting in Twin City Lodge.”
“If that’s a city, it’s not one I’ve heard of,” Philippe admitted.
Kalylle stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Lodge…an inn?”
“One that Diara knows,” Philippe mused. “Is that Lestria’s sister? Lover?”
“Lover,” Kalylle replied, confirming Lestria’s relationship with Diara. “We’ll have to keep our ears open and see if we can figure out where this is.”
“I’ve been wondering,” Philippe began slowly as he watched Kalylle toss clothes on his bed, clearly preparing to leave. “How many wizards do you think are involved?”
Kalylle paused, turning to face him.
Unable to meet his lover’s gaze, Philippe instead focused on strapping the weapons belt back around his lean hips.
“That question has crossed my mind as well,” Kalylle admitted. “Knowing that you’ve already taken out one wizard and we now know there’s another, it’s possible that there could be dozens of wizards involved in this.”
Shaking his head, Philippe lifted his gaze and took in Kalylle’s troubled expression. “Not likely,” he countered. “The more people involved, the greater the chance of a leak. With someone that high up involved, a First Order wizard, they’re not going to want too many people to know what’s going on.”
“Makes sense,” Kalylle resumed his packing. “How many then?”
The corner of Philippe’s mouth twitched as he forced back a smirk. Interesting how the diplomat knew so little about subterfuge. He shrugged to release his tension. He felt relief at the prospect of leaving the wizard’s city. Even without carrying around his weapons, the urge to strike others nearly overwhelmed him. Hell, he’d wanted to throttle Vednor’s pompous ass.
Then it occurred to him that Kalylle might have his own ideas about numbers. “Maybe six actually know what’s going on. If you hired mercenaries when not in your robes, they’d be clueless,” he pointed out. He paused and tilted his head before asking, “Are you asking me because you really don’t know?”
Kalylle chuckled, tossed the saddlebag over his shoulder, and paused at the door. “Think me naïve, do you?” He grinned. “I wanted to validate my own estimates. With the three you killed, I’d say we have another four or five to deal with. Wouldn’t you?”
Pressing his lips together, Philippe nodded. He didn’t need to be reminded of those kills. His conscience wouldn’t stop bothering him. That he couldn’t seem to control himself around anyone other than Kalylle, whom he wanted to fuck constantly, didn’t help, either.
After the wizard checked the hallway, he motioned for Philippe to leave the room. Philippe walked a step in front of the other man, heading out of the building.
“Where are we going?”
In the stable, horses snorted and reared, moving as far away from the darkling as their stalls would allow. Kalylle glanced at him in shock. “Wow.”
Philippe glared, hissing, “Hurry up.” Frustration flooded him, and he realized his tenuous control was quickly slipping away. “I’ll meet you on the road,” he ground out.
Kalylle swung around, and his surprise swiftly faded from his expression. With his gaze sweeping over Philippe’s face, the wizard was obviously taking in his clenched jaw and angry glare. “How can I—” he started.
“Not this time.”
Then Philippe disappeared into the Innerworld. Running through the mists, he let the exercise assuage his irritation. Slowly, it slipped away, allowing him to regain control. Sighing, he slowed to a walk. Taking a long look around, he wondered if his angel soul was in there somewhere.
Was the door that Demara opened to this place?
He hadn’t taken the time to interrogate the wizard, and his human half kicked himself for his lack of control. Moving swiftly, he located the tiny clearing where he’d left his mount and reappeared. To his surprise, the animal nickered a greeting.
He chuckled, pleased. “Getting used to me, are you?” he murmured, rubbing the animal’s neck.
Releasing the animal from its ties, he mounted and urged the horse forward. Relaxing, he felt he could get used to this mode of travel. He stopped the animal in the woods next to a road and waited. Finally, he spotted Kalylle trotting toward him. Moving onto the road, he urged his horse to fall into step beside the wizard’s.
“So, where are we going?” Philippe asked just loud enough to be heard over the thud of the horses’ hooves.
Kalylle’s brows furrowed as he glanced his way. “I need your help in tracking Lestria,” he claimed. “To do that, you’re going to need to speak to people right?”
Philippe nodded.
“Then we go to Silvermoon to find your seer.”
* * * *
“They’re on their way back to Silvermoon.”
“How do you know this?”
She frowned at the man, not liking his questioning nature. Too bad that’s what made him so good at his job. “We have eyes and ears everywhere, even throughout Xebean.” At his frown, her smile turned cold. “How do you think we found out about your interests?”
The man paled, and she knew she’d struck a chord with him. She also knew he wouldn’t want anyone else knowing he dabbled in the ancient art of crossing into the Mists. He hadn’t succeeded in opening a door yet, but she hoped he soon would. That ability could prove very, very useful.
He nodded, pulling his green robes close. “What do you want me to do?”
She shrugged. “You’ve already had contact with the darkling. Travel with them. Monitor their progress.” Her smile turned cold, her blue eyes glittering. “You’ll be contacted with further instructions in Silvermoon.”
“You have people there, too?”
She narrowed her eyes in warning. “Leave now.”
The man hesitated before doing as she’d bidden. The door swished closed behind him. The man asked too many questions. She sat down at her desk, pulled a scroll from a drawer, and began to write.
Chapter Nine
Philippe groaned.
A massive, rune-covered, stone table flashed before his eyes.
“No,” Philippe ground out.
Unfortunately, seconds later he once again found himself chained to that slab. He roared, allowing the anger to consume him. This time, though, even his added daemon strength didn’t give him the power to break free of the chains that bound him.
A shadow appeared in the darkness to his left. It formed into a robed figure that moved toward him. Fear ripped through him. Blood pounded in his head. Letting out another roar, he snapped the chain holding his right wrist. He pulled the knife from his belt and hurled it at the figure. A dull thunk echoed, penetrating his dream.
Philippe snapped open his eyes.
With his body chilled by sweat, Philippe shivered as he scanned the area around him. He struggled to slow his breathing, to gain control of himself. Across the thicket, he spotted his knife embedded deeply into a tree. His breath came out in a soft groan.
“Your nightmares are getting worse,” Kalylle murmured. Once Philippe had focused on the wizard, his lover reached over and rubbed his chest, obviously attempting to soothe him. “I’d hate to think what would happen if you started walking in your sleep.”
Muttering a curse under his breath, Philippe slowly rose to his feet, drawing away from his lover. He threaded his fingers through his damp hair as he s
talked through the woods to the tree. “It was different this time,” he admitted gruffly, the hairs on his arms still standing on end.
Turning, he watched Kalylle roll to his back. He slid his arms behind his head and watched him, obviously waiting for more information. After yanking the knife out of the tree, he paused and stared at the other man, collecting his thoughts. He wasn’t certain why, but Kalylle always slept to his right, and Philippe’s attacker always appeared to his left.
It seems, even in my dreams, I know where my wizard lay. My wizard. Yeah, I do like the sound of that. Gods, I hope it doesn’t change.
Hurting Kalylle…somehow, Philippe just knew that would destroy him.
How the hell did I come to care for a wizard?
Except, there was something about Kalylle. Something thoughtful, accepting, something patient and kind.
Banishing that line of thought, Philippe focused on Kalylle. “I had trouble breaking the chains this time.” He’d told his lover about the nightmares when his cries had woken the other man in the middle of the night. “Someone came out of the darkness,” he continued in a whisper. “Fear gave me the strength to break the chains.” He shivered at the memory, tucking the blade back into the sheath on his belt and crossing his arms over his chest. “I didn’t think. I just grabbed my knife and threw.”
“Did you recognize the figure in the dark?”
Philippe stilled. “No,” he said after some thought. Before Kalylle could ask any more questions, he tossed his knife-belt onto his bedroll. “The sun will be up shortly. I’m going to the stream to clean up.”
Kalylle nodded. “That’ll be cold,” he warned, closing his eyes.
“All for the better,” Philippe muttered, slipping wraith-like through the woods. After stripping down, he lowered himself into the cold water and washed away the sweat and lingering unease left by the dream. Standing waist deep in water, he glared at the leggings and tunic on shore. Since they weren’t his own, the clothes reminded him of his slaughter of Demara. He needed something else.
Philippe vowed to find a way to pick up items more suited to himself while in Silvermoon. After washing the clothes in the river, he pulled the wet articles back on and returned to camp. Before reaching the small clearing, he heard a voice…one that was not his lover’s. Philippe lifted a branch slightly and saw Kalylle deep in conversation with another wizard. The other man, dressed in deep green robes, had his back to him.
The Darkling's Kiss: Part Two: The Daemon Unleashed (The Daemon's Descendants Book 2) Page 7