Page 34 of Bound By Fire
“A tall order.”
“An impossible order. Which I’ve been told to carry out.”
I push out a breath.
“Who are the eight, Councilor?”
Her jaw tightens. “I’m authorized to give you two of the names. That’s it. Head Councilor Vector has been very clear on this point. Each investigator gets the names they need to do their piece of the work. No one person holds the whole list. That way, if this leaks, we can narrow down where it leaked from.”
“I don’t like it.”
“I didn’t think you would. I don’t like it either.”
“Give me the names you’re authorized to give.”
She looks me in the eye.
“Magma.”
The forest gets louder for a second or two before being drowned out by the beating of my heart.
“No. Can’t be! Not Magma. Not him!” I growl.
“Ridge—”
“No, Councilor. Absolutely not. Magma? I mean, come on!” My voice has deepened.
“Look, I know?—”
“Magma has been on the frontline since before I got my first posting. He lost his rider in the second Mistveil incursion. Hewould do anything for Draig, even give his own life, which has almost happened more than once. You want to tell me a male who did that is taking money from the Mainland? That he is sabotaging us? No damned way. Your list is bogus.”
“His name is on that list, which means that he gets investigated just like everyone else.”
“I refuse to believe it. I won’t!”
“You could be right.” She shrugs.
“Iam right.” I turn away from her. I walk three paces, turn, and walk three paces back. My dragon is up now, pressing against the inside of my ribs. “You can’t mean it. You’re actually taking this seriously?”
“In light of recent events, we have to.”
“He didn’t do this. I refuse to investigate him. I won’t! I’m telling you now. I won’t be part of a witch hunt against Magma. If you put him under investigation and the team finds nothing, which they won’t, I want it on record that?—”
“Wait a second, Ridge.”
“—that I said from the start?—”
“Ridge, stop. Listen to me!”
I do as she asks, but it isn’t easy.
“You’renotgoing to be part of anything that concerns Magma. You are too close to him. That is why you are being removed from the situation one way or the other.”
“Removed. What do you mean?” I frown.
“You’re being removed from Security Central, at least until we know for sure. You’re being reassigned. Somewhere useful, where you are not sitting across a desk from him every day and feeling like you are lying to him.”
“I would be lying to him regardless. Where are you reassigning me?”
