Page 67 of Mage Massacres

She tilted her head, asking me to follow her outside with the other guys while we waited for Novak.

“It’s unlikely, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. There are other questions that need to be answered, and those answers could sway the potential outcome of what’s happening.”

“And what, exactly, is happening?”

She met my eyes, a crease forming between her brow as she frowned. “I have no idea, Briggs. I’m not sure what the real problem is or if this is a distraction. Is Annette someone worth our time? Should we be looking for Raguel or Alric or heading to the fae realm for a quick drop-in?”

“Is that going to be a quick trip, though?” Vaughn questioned carefully.

“No,” she whispered, shaking her head slowly. “I need to find my father. There has been no contact in three weeks, and we still don’t know if he found Amelia. Then there’s the issue of the fae queen as well. She can’t live, Vaughn. She’ll keep sending people after you, and I won’t let that happen any longer.”

“I know. You don’t have to justify her death with me, Lo. I’ll help you kill her, and I’m sure Freya will too.”

Hearing the fae mention his older sister made me curious as to what she’d told him when she’d visited last. It had been months, but her trip had been shorter than usual. Vaughn had been tenser than expected when she’d left.

“We need to find out if Annette has anything to do with Raguel or Alric before we start thinking about that,” Sloane commented. “There’s always a chance that Annette could be someone else sent by your mother, so we should tread carefully.”

York cut in, switching the focus. “Millie and Murph gave us some leads to check out while we’re in Belfast, so let’s start here, okay?”

“Mills said she’s had some customers mention high magic in these areas,” Palmer told us, scrolling through text messages from his sister. “One of them is right down the road.”

Once Novak joined us, we left the cafe. Palmer led us up some street I couldn’t remember the name of. It was a market-type side street, lined with historic-looking buildings full of shops and restaurants.

I loved the sights and sounds of downtown Belfast, but it was oddly quiet today. The sidewalks were nearly empty, the visible travelers looking haggard and paranoid.

“Do you feel that?” Stone asked, searching around him.

“I don’t feel anything,” I admitted. “What is it?”

“It’s like... the hairs on my arms rose all of a sudden. There was a moment where the air felt thinner.”

He shook his head, still glaring around us as if he was waiting for something to jump out.

“Stone?” Sloane called, following him as he backtracked. “Does it feel like electricity?”

“Yes, and no. It’s more like a vibration, no shock.”

The demon continued walking, swaying like he was drunk as he tried to find the feeling again.

Finally, he sighed in defeat. “I can’t feel it anymore.”

“Maybe it was farther up?” York suggested.

“What if you look from the roofs?” Novak inquired. “You can see more, and if that was magic, then you’ll still be able to feel it up there. They aren’t that high.”

“That’s not what I meant by up,” the druid complained.

“But that’s not a bad idea,” I said to Novak. “I’ll take the roofs on the other side of the street, and we can follow you guys from above.”

Sloane appeared uneasy as she scanned the street. “Okay. Just be—”

“Careful?” Stone finished. “We’ll be fine. Pay attention to the way you feel, though. I think we may have walked through a barrier or something.”

“That might explain why you can’t find it again. It could have been a warning, a type of trip-wire. Whoever set it up is watching,” Palmer confessed quietly. “We’ll window shop for a moment while you two get into position.”

Stone and I nodded, waving our hands like we were splitting from a group of friends.

“You go left, I go right?” the demon questioned.