Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 57143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
“Is the ability to mimic scents an illusion skill?” she asked.
“Did the killer mimic her victim’s scent?”
“She did. She passed by multiple guard dogs, and Celeste didn’t sense an intruder. If her scent wasn’t familiar, she would’ve never allowed a strange human near her den.”
Augustine smiled. “That’s very fortunate.”
“Why?”
“Because the ability to duplicate a scent via illusion is extremely rare. That considerably narrows our suspect pool.”
“Narrows it by how much?”
“There are only two families in East Texas with hypersensitivity to scents and the ability to duplicate them.” He picked up his phone. “And I am going to eliminate one of them from our list.”
He tapped the phone, putting the call on speaker.
“Yes, Prime Montgomery?” Marwan’s voice echoed through the room.
“Where were you last night between 7:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.?”
“I’m still in St. Louis following the Guera case. Marina and I tailed him to RYSE and sat on him until he left at eight minutes past midnight.”
“And your brother?”
“He is testifying in Boston on behalf of House Talvert. He was up half of the night doing trial prep with the ADA.”
“Thank you.” Augustine hung up and looked at Diana. “As you can see, it wasn’t any of mine. That leaves us with one local option. Are you sure you wish to participate?”
“Yes.”
It wasn’t his habit to involve the clients in the investigation. He tried his best to discourage that. However, it wouldn’t be the first time the head of a House chose to attend to their problem personally. He would just have to work her presence into his plans. Besides, he had a feeling that spending time with Diana Harrison promised the kind of insight into animal mages no amount of background research could provide. Of all the magic specialties, the metamorphosis and the animal mages presented the greatest threat to his brand of power. No matter how meticulously he crafted his illusions, he couldn’t alter his scent. They could identify him by smell alone. The more he knew about them, the better he could minimize that risk.
This intel would be priceless.
“Very well.” Augustine pulled the keyboard to him, tapped the keys, routing the call through a series of scramblers, and typed in the number.
A dial tone sounded from the speaker. One, two…
“Yes?” The voice had a deep rasp to it.
He dialed up his magic and spoke in a bright soprano. “I have a client who wishes to meet. Two women, standard split, double rate.”
“When?”
“In an hour.”
“Fine.”
Augustine hung up.
“Where are we going?” Diana asked.
“To visit the underbelly of Houston.” He pushed the chair back and got to his feet.
“Oh. How exciting.”
Diana stood up, her lips curved in a soft smile. Next to her, the Doberman rose, too, her mouth opened in an identical excited grin.
[ 3 ]
Augustine changed lanes, avoiding a slow-moving truck with landscaping equipment in the back. He’d selected a black Mercedes GLC for this trip. It was a reliable car that handled well and looked like every other crossover SUV on the road.
Diana sat in the passenger seat, calmly watching Houston roll past the window. She was carrying a small purse with her, containing her wallet and a pouch of the tigrionex milk. The dog, whose name was Lila, lay on the back seat, her head resting on her big paws. He requested to put one of their rune collars on her, and Diana agreed. The collars were the latest gadget to come out of the MII’s Research and Development. The sigils inscribed on them retained a small magic charge, allowing him to affix an illusion to it. It only lasted for six minutes, but that would be long enough.
Three minutes into the drive, it occurred to him that he had talked way too much during their conversation in the office. He had told her about his sister. He had explained the particulars of illusion magic, which was the kind of proprietary knowledge any sane mage would have kept to himself. He had even disclosed the identities of his agents. She had watched him and listened, and he had just kept talking and talking.
Blah-blah-blah. Why am I chattering?
No distractions, he reminded himself. This was a job, and he was bringing a client along, a client whom he would have to protect. While Lila was a biological weapon, she was still only a dog.
The traffic on 288 was surprisingly light. Their destination lay in Pearland, about fifteen miles south of Downtown, a large suburban city within the metro. Safe, convenient, lots of restaurants, schools, and box stores.
His car chimed, announcing an incoming call. He glanced at the number and sighed.
“Yes?”
Arabella’s light voice came out of the speakers. “Finished the Dunwoody thing. It’s in your inbox.”
“Did you find Phillip?”
“I did.”
That was quick. “Where was he?”
“Stuffed into a cistern in a barn.”
What? “Is he alive?”
“Yes. He had a fight with his girlfriend, was a total ass about it, and when she broke up with him, he decided to use his ice magic to keep her from leaving. She yeeted him into a cistern and then bounced. I’m surprised she was that chill about it. She showed a lot of restraint.”