Page 44 of Dragon My Crazy

I’dmuchratherberelaxing with my mate or helping everyone rebuild the castle, but instead, I was at an emergency meeting with Leroy. Out of sheer habit, I’d contacted him the moment I realized magic was involved with the attack. He’d portaled back from his city home today, which he rarely spent time in, directly back to the courtyard just ten minutes ago.

It was only when I saw Cassian helping rebuild the broken drawbridge that I remembered his and the ifrits’ warning about the wizard and the cameras inside the playroom. Oh well, keep your enemies closer, I guess. Besides, if I hadn’t immediately called him, it would’ve been suspicious. He’d probably known the moment the wards malfunctioned since it was feeding from his magic, even if the original spell had been Sena’s.

I told him about the attack, or at least enough to get my point across, and watched his face for signs of disloyalty. He kept a perfect mask of neutrality.

“Our magical grid went down long enough for the goblin wizard to portal in,” I finally finished.

The exact location where the portal had opened up had been suspicious as well. Right in front of the secret passageway to our safe room. Only the people living here knew of it. But I didn’t say this out loud to Leroy. He could have very well been the person who had given up the location.

“That grid keeping this whole castle safe is still based in witchcraft,” he reminded me. “It’s Sena’s, remember. I just maintain it with my magic. Witchcraft and wizardry don’t mix well, and with my wife injured, I cannot sustain such a power drain. The system is old. Sena is long gone, and her residual magic will not hold.”

That I could not refute. I’d already used up too many of the premade spells Sena had left for me. But I didn’t tell him that. No one knew just how many, or rather, how few, I had left.

“I told you we need to transfer the system fully to me and find us a new source of magic. What about that witch who has been staying with us? Her magical aura looks weak, but she has some. And you said before that she could be hiding her magic.”

I brushed his question away, not liking his interest in my Elana. I didn’t like the way his eyes all but glowed at the thought of accessing her magic. It wasn’t his to use. I let him believe that the charred hallway had been the result of the two fire ifrits, which Leroy didn’t question.

“Don’t concern yourself with her.” I kept my voice quiet and my tone neutral, trying to sound dismissive. Instincts told me that until I had proof that he was loyal or otherwise, I had to keep the fact that Elana was my mate a secret, lest he use it against me. Then a little louder, “I’m working on it.” I thought of themagical artifact hidden inside my hoard. “I’m looking elsewhere to acquire a new source of magic. In the meantime, did you get anything out of those goblins? Kai said they couldn’t speak, even if they wanted to. Every time they open their mouths, only gibberish comes out.”

Leroy’s face looked grim. “I will see what I can do.”

“What about that portal? Do you think you can figure out where it went?”

“There wouldn’t be enough residual magic for me to see anything. The ifrits did a very thorough job of burning all the evidence. Was there anything else the goblins left behind that could give us a clue?” He looked at me like he was trying to see through my brain. I didn’t like it.

I wondered if he meant the magic wand, but couldn’t say it out loud, because why else would he know of such a thing if he wasn’t involved?

“What kind of thing are you thinking of? Don’t you think leaving behind three live members of the tribe is enough?”

“I need something… magical, so I can latch on and scry.”

I shrugged. “You can check the portal location to see if there’s anything else left behind.”

I knew for a fact that the wand-shaped mark on the stone tile was gone. It had first turned into a giant black smudge, courtesy of ifrit fire. Then, the cleaners had come and scrubbed it clean.And finally, Cassian had gone by and nearly emptied a whole-ass bottle of lemon Pledge around it. Not a mark remained.

No residue of its magic could be detected by either Cassian or me. No hint of Elana’s magic either. The wand itself had cooled and was hidden somewhere safe, wrapped in a special fabric that diffused its magic.

I really did feel bad for hiding it from Leroy. After all, he was supposed to be one of my most loyal attendants. But until I could either ascertain or refute Cassian’s assertions, I had to keep it hidden.

I’d already confirmed with Cassian that the ifrits had been telling the truth. Afraid that simply asking him outright would alert Leroy if he was complicit, I’d simply looked at him and asked if everything the ifrits said was true. Anyone listening would simply think I was asking about the attack. Cassian had looked at me, head tilted in thought, then said, “Yes, all of it. Every last word.” And I’d known that he knew exactly what I was really asking.

“I will check the portal location now.” Leroy stood to go.

“I’ll come with you and see what you can see that I’ve missed.”

Chapter 20

Elana

Themoatwasagraveyard of debris.

I stood at the edge, the damp stone cool beneath my boots, and dragged the long-handled net through the murky water. The goblins had turned Kai’s sacred domain into a dumping ground—shattered barrels, splintered furniture, even a few rusted crossbows floated just beneath the surface.

The asshole goblins had catapulted anything and everything they could find at the castle. Broken chairs, shattered pottery, even a few half-rotted vegetables. It was as if they’d raided a garbage heap for their ammo.

The water itself was thick with silt and a dark, stinky sludge that made my stomach twist. It would take days for the filter to make a dent.

Poor Kai.