I stiffened and Tegan frowned before strode over and stopped before the entrance. “Who is it?”
The voice of a young lad answered. “I have a message for a Mr. Tegan from the payer.”
Tegan opened the door and revealed a lad of eight. The young man held out a slip of paper to him. “He said to give this to you and for you to burn it as quick as you can. If you want to give a reply then you know where to find him.”
Tegan accepted the paper and rummaged through his coat before he pulled out a coin which he handed to the young man. The boy’s face lit up and he tipped his cap. “Thank you, sir!” And with that, he scurried away down the hall.
Tegan shut the door and turned to me with a confused expression. The paper had been sealed with wax and he pried that open with his dragon nail before he unfolded the note. His eyes scanned the contents and a dark cloud settled on his brow. His eyes flashed with anger and he crumpled the letter in his fisted hand.
“Damn them!”
I was taken aback by his fury. He’d never shown any anger before. I hurried off the bed and over to him. “What’s wrong?”
He glared down at the wad in his palm. “This letter is from Alan. He’s warning me that my bounty hunter license is about to be revoked by the local council.”
I blinked at him. “But why?”
“He couldn’t say in writing,” Tegan told me as he strode past and over to the fireplace.
He tossed the paper into the cold hearth and followed that with a fireball. The parchment crisped to nothing in no time, but that wasn’t the end of it. A strange black smoke rose from the ashes and formed itself into misty words.
I squinted at them and read them aloud. “My sources tell me the council was instructed to revoke your license by the Key office. They don’t know you’re a dragon.” I gasped and the words were blown away.
Tegan narrowed his glowing eyes at the ashes. “I see. They’ve discovered my real name and are trying to eliminate my income so we would have no choice but to go to them. They worked faster than I expected.”
“But how did they find that out?” I asked him.
He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. “There are countless ways. They could have assumed I was employed somewhere and began their search where magic would be most useful.”
“As a bounty hunter,” I finished.
“What other place for a Key then as a well-paid hunter?”
Another question popped into my head. “And what was that line about them not knowing you were a dragon?”
“I don’t make it a habit to advertise my true self at the Pay Post,” Tegan explained.
I furrowed my brow. “But wouldn’t that maybe get you more jobs? I mean, people might need the special abilities of a dragon.”
He nodded. “They might, or they might be as interested in me as those witches, so I choose to keep my unique qualities to myself unless necessary.”
“Like in the swamps?” I guessed.
“Exactly,” he confirmed as he cast a look out the window. Twilight was coming. “There’s still time to get to the Key office before it closes.” His eyes flitted to me. “Unless you’re tired.”
I shook my head. “I want to know what’s going on, too, so let’s go.”
We slipped downstairs and reached the front door before a familiar voice bellowed at us.
“Where are you going with such a sneaky walk?” It was MacAlastair himself who had caught us in the act as he strolled out of the dining hall. He stopped in front of us and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Well?”
Tegan gave him a sheepish grin. “We were merely going out for some fresh air.”
MacAlastair scoffed. “Fresh air and some fresh trouble. This is my inn and don’t think I didn’t notice the errand boy who came here a few minutes ago.”
Tegan shrugged. “We’re merely having a slight dispute with some of their policies.”
“Policies don’t get your scales in a bind like they are now,” MacAlastair countered.
“We’ll be sure to let you know the full story when we return,” Tegan promised as he grabbed my hand and we hurried past our host.
“Don’t forget what I gave you earlier!” MacAlastair shouted as we slipped out.
“What did he give you earlier?” I wondered as we hurried on our way.
Tegan pressed a finger to his lips. “Silence will help us better reach our destination without catching anyone’s attention.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. “Whose attention?”
“Our friends at the office.”
His words held a hint of warning that made me follow his advice. We tiptoed through the streets, over the bridge and across the city to the foreboding headquarters of the Keys. The shadows of night slunk out of the corners between the majestic houses as we arrived at the steps. I half hoped to find the doors shut, but they were still open.
Tegan strode inside and I reluctantly followed. We found the man still behind the desk and still with a sour look on his face. He lifted his gaze from his work and frowned. “May I help you?”
“We wish to see Senator Shea,” Tegan told him.
The man wrinkled his nose. “Do you have an appointment?”
“She’s expecting us,” Tegan assured the man as he took my hand. “But we’ll show ourselves in.” And with that, Tegan pulled me into the lion’s den.
“Hey!” he shouted as he shot to his feet. “You can’t do that!”
I grinned at him over my shoulder. “We are.”
We hurried down the hall and soon arrived at the imperious door of the senator. The entrance opened of its own accord and revealed our hostess. Her hand glowed softly as she used it to beckon to us. “Please come in.”
We stepped inside and she waved her hand. The door creaked shut.
“You’re powers are getting old in the tooth,” Tegan commented.
Shea shook her hand and frowned at the fading light. “Unfortunately, you speak the truth. However, I doubt you came here to listen to my complaints about the limitations of my powers. Have you already made your decision and are eager to join our little group?”
Tegan crossed his arms over his chest. “We came to discuss my hunting license.”
A small smile curled onto her lips. “Hunting license? Are you a registered hunter, Hal? Or is that perhaps not your real name?”
“You and I both know my true name, but I wonder about your true intentions in trying to deprive me of my livelihood,” Tegan replied.
She shrugged. “I was merely trying to make my offer more tempting, but I believe we are getting ahead of ourselves. I have yet to see what this young woman might offer our organization.” She stretched out her hands to me. “Take my hands and I will gauge your power.”
My eyes flickered to Tegan and he hardly moved. This would have to be my choice. I swallowed the lump in my throat and stepped closer to the desk where I gingerly lay my palms on hers. Shea closed her eyes and lifted her chin slightly. I felt the same sensation as when Tegan had tapped into my power, but there was something. . .off about this connection. I didn’t like it.
In fact, it frightened me.
“Let go,” I pleaded as I tried to remove my hands. “Let go of me!”
“Hold still!” Shea hissed as she tightened her grip on me. “I have connected with your power-”
“I said let go!”
White light burst out of my hands and blinded me. Fortunately, it also shocked Shea and her grip loosened. I was able to wrench myself from her grasp and stumble backward. Tegan caught me in his arms as the light in my hands faded. My chest moved up and down as I clung to one of his arms. My whole body quivered and I stared at the floor without seeing anything. All I could think about was the horrible sensation of her moving through my being.
A look of shock and fury covered Shea’s face, but she quickly regained her composure and grasped her hands together on the desk. She grasped her hands so tight the knuckles paled but I could still see her hands shake.
“You needn’t have been afraid, my dear,” Shea assured me, though the corners of her smiling lips were very tight. “I was merely trying to decipher your abilities.”
“And?” Tegan questioned her.
“She has quite the gift as a day witch and we would welcome her with open arms,” Shea told him.
“May we think it over and return here to give our answer?” he requested.
Shea’s shoulders tensed a little and shook her head. “Now that you’re here, I’m afraid I can’t let you leave.”
Tegan stiffened and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. “Why not?” I questioned her.
Our hostess clasped her hands together on the desk and sighed. “You see, the Key offices and the Seer Senate have received permission from the king himself to manage all Keys and their Clasps, so you see you fall under our jurisdiction whether you choose it or not. I would much rather you chose to work with us than argue against the law.”
Tegan smiled, but there was no mirth in the look. “That’s a strong offer.”
“We are a strong organization,” Shea told him as she returned her attention to me. She offered me her hand and a smile that lacked warmth. “The time for your decision is now. Seeing your power, I cannot do anything else other than to demand your answer.”
I stepped back and shook my head. “I’d rather think it over some more, if that’s okay with you.”
The senator sighed. “I allowed you one leave which I should not have. I cannot allow another.”