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SORCHA ATE A HASTY meal when she rose for the night, then sat down on her gold divan with a notepad and a pencil. “Which magic users have I met lately who could be the man Madam Quilla told me to find?” she asked herself. Her pencil hovered over the page without moving. “Think!” she admonished herself, but her mind stayed as blank as the page.
Thoughts of Eden and Malachi kept springing into her mind. She wondered if Sebastian had tortured them before he’d killed them. Had he drained them both before he’d ended their lives? She didn’t know for sure that the master vampire had eliminated Malachi, but her friend had been hunting him when he’d died.
Her stomach was churning and a headache was forming. Sorcha wasn’t going to be able to concentrate, so she put the notepad and pencil down, then headed to her den. The sorceress brewed a potion to help calm her mind. It tasted as horrible as always, but her whirling thoughts settled down so she could think clearly.
When Sorcha returned to her couch, a cup of tea was waiting for her. “Just what the doctor ordered,” she said and sank down onto the plush sofa. It would rid her of the horrible taste in her mouth. She picked up the teacup and gazed out through her window. It was raining, which came as no surprise. Droplets ran around the image of Kade Sinclair that she’d etched onto the glass. He was wearing his hood in the image. It sheltered his face from the rain like magic. “It is magic,” she realized when she probed the etching, but it hadn’t come from her. It seemed the magic of Nox had decided to shield the wizard from the elements of its own volition.
Tearing her gaze away from the window, she took a sip of tea, then put the cup down and picked up the notepad again. With her mind now clear, she started reviewing all the male magic users she’d come into contact with. Unfortunately, most of them had been her targets and they were now dead.
The assassin wondered if any of the friends or relatives of her targets might be the mystery man. Thinking about them, she had to discount them all, since she hadn’t actually met any of them. Sorcha rarely had contact with others, except to kill them. Kade was the exception, but he couldn’t be the man she was searching for. His magic was weak and she needed someone who was strong. She also needed someone who could use black magic, according to the dazed elf she’d slain. Few fae men had that capacity. Lord Dallinar was obviously one of them, since he’d been the one to cast the spell on her in the first place.
“Who do I know who has strong magic and has similar powers to Lord Dallinar?” she asked. A name came to her mind and she jotted it down, then frowned at it in distaste. “I haven’t even met him,” she said. Guild Master Onvier was the strongest male fae in Nox, second only to Lord Dallinar. She’d heard disturbing rumors about him that he was harsh, cruel and ambitious. “Surely, he can’t be the one I’m looking for,” she said, tapping her pencil on the notepad.
Madam Quilla had told her that the mystery man would be a hot, fae magic user. That pretty much included all male fairies and elves in the city. She’d also said that he would be the least likely man who she would think could assist her. Onvier certainly fit that description. She couldn’t imagine the haughty elf deigning to assist her. He’d deliberately disfigured his opponents that he’d defeated during the trials to determine who would be the next Magic Guild Master. Could she really trust a man like that?
Sorcha drank her tea as she mused about her problem. A letter arrived to order her out to kill, giving her a reprieve. She was almost glad to leave the notebook with its solitary name written down on the otherwise blank sheet of paper. The sorceress was already dressed for work. As the only assassin left, she knew she would be kept busy.
It seemed pointless to cover her tracks now that she was the only person living in the mansion. She teleported to the Shifter District directly from her apartment. With Eden and Malachi both dead, she didn’t need to worry about accidentally leading anyone to her home and potentially putting them in danger.
The spell in her head guided her to the apartment where her latest victim lived. A fire escape gave her access to the fourth floor where she could sense her target. The female shifter wasn’t alone when Sorcha peeked through the drapes into a bedroom. The assassin had cast the shielding spell and an illusion to hide her identity, so the naked couple didn’t know she was there. She averted her eyes as she always did when her victims were having sex. It was stupid, but it seemed disrespectful to peep at them during such a private moment.
When the pair finally finished what they were doing, they took a shower together. Sorcha waited patiently for them to emerge a good half an hour later. From their wide grins, they’d just had shower sex. The male shifter said something to his partner, then pulled on a pair of trousers and left the room. The target crossed to the closet and Sorcha called on her magic. She sent a thin sliver of fire through the window, then through the woman’s skull and she dropped to the floor. The assassin teleported away as the male shifter came running to investigate the noise.
Now that her mission was over, the sorceress could concentrate on her private task. It wasn’t going to be easy to speak to Onvier alone. The elf was a busy man. He was usually either having meetings with the Immortal Triumvirate and other Guild Masters, or he was in his office in the Magic Guildhall.
Sorcha decided some reconnaissance was in order and teleported to the City Square. She emerged from an alley and blended in with a group of witches who were heading for the Magic Guildhall. The assassin had never been inside the huge stone building before. She climbed the stairs and passed between the gigantic, robed statues, then stepped into a foyer. A grumpy looking witch was manning the reception desk. She glared at them, but didn’t say anything as one of the witches opened the door to the main chamber.
It wasn’t easy not to gape at the expanse of white marble floor and columns that stretched upwards to support the upper floors. Sorcha spied a doorway over to the left that led to some stairs and broke off from the witches. Doors led to offices where she assumed the important guildmembers worked. Their importance would grow the higher she went. Onvier’s office would no doubt be on the top floor.
The sorceress kept her head down. She acted like a subservient lackey whenever she encountered anyone during her ascent to the top level. The floor was almost deserted as she made her way down the hall to the door at the end. From the image of a handsome elf that was etched into the wood, she knew it was Guild Master Onvier’s office. She’d seen him from a distance and recognized his profile. None of the other offices had images on their doors. It was a sign of how vain the elf was that he’d etched his face on his door.
Pushing the door open, Sorcha scanned the room for any spells that might be in place, but she couldn’t detect any. She cautiously entered and looked around the spacious office. The floor was covered in deep, dark red carpet. Maroon wallpaper covered the walls. They matched the leather couch and armchairs that were arrayed in front of the fireplace over to the left. His desk faced the door. It was large, made of mahogany and was intricately carved with elven designs. His chair was covered in maroon fabric and was comfortably padded. The two guest chairs were hard, wooden and uncomfortable.
Sensing two people reach the top floor and head her way, she quickly closed the door. To her dismay, the pair continued down the hall. They were heading right for her, so she ducked behind a bookcase to the right of the fireplace. There was just enough room between it and the wall for her to squeeze into the gap. She figured she would be hidden in the dense shadows when she put her back against the wall.
She cast a camouflage spell out of habit a moment before the door opened. Her heart was thudding hard and fast, but she kept her breathing slow and even. It was going to be hard to explain why she was hiding in the Guild Master’s office when his meeting came to an end.
