Page 232 of Scales ’N’ Spells: Volume One

“But Tanja hasn’t contacted anyone this morning. None of them have. Tanja is responsible. She wouldn’t have forgotten to call, especially if there was some kind of problem.” Kirisi’s voice shook, and Tori could easily guess that Tanja was her daughter.

“We’ll find them,” Alric declared, and Tori believed the dragon. “I need you to return to your clan and work with your seekers to locate any sign of them.” He turned his gaze, which was now deep blue rather than gold, over to Rodrigo. “Will you and your clan accompany the mages back to Nuorgam? Be prepared to take to the air, should they get the slightest hint of their location.”

“Of course,” Rodrigo agreed.

“Cameron and Tori will work here, trying some different spells with guidance from Lisette and our clan’s mages. Ravi, Gunter, and Baldewin will be ready to fly on a moment’s notice. Tori, Cameron, and I will travel by ground as needed. I will call you if we discover anything.”

“My kings,” Evora spoke up. “May I remain with Cameron and Tori? There’s much I can learn from the Burkhard mages that could greatly benefit the Valerii.”

Thiago grasped her hand in both of his, worry filling his eyes. “Are you sure, my love?”

Smiling, she pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “I trust the Burkhard Clan with my life. I will be perfectly safe.”

“Evora would be a welcome help,” Cameron said.

“We’ll protect her as one of our own,” Alric added.

Rodrigo nodded, but there was still worry etched on his face. Tori didn’t know how many mages the Valerii had, but if it was anything like the Burkhard Clan, this was not an easy decision for the ice dragon king. They couldn’t afford to lose a single mage.

Tori took a deep breath, eager to start working magic with Cameron and Evora. Old fears and doubts had evaporated since finding his place among the Burkhard Clan. While the Taavi mages would focus on trying to find the three missing mages, he had an advantage that would help his work with Cameron and Evora—he knew exactly what the Jaeggi magic signature looked like.

While the Jaeggi might be able to mask the magic signature of the Taavi mages, he didn’t think they’d be able to completely mask their own signature because of its distorted, broken quality.

His blood ran cold at the thought of the three missing mages. He’d already witnessed how the Jaeggi had drained Cassie of her power. That same fate waited for these young mages, and Tori was not going to allow it.

Rodrigo and his dragons quickly gathered up Mathilda and the other Taavi mages, ushering them out the door so they could return to Nuorgam. The Taavi Clan might not be big, but there were at least a hundred strong, experienced mages on hand. They had the best shot at locating the missing kids, assuming they had simply run off.

Tori, Cameron, and Evora were focused on the darker side—locating the Jaeggi, as they worked under the assumption the mages had been kidnapped.

Baldewin’s hand squeezed his shoulder, his larger-than-life support helping to calm his worries while Tori turned his attention to Cameron, who was speaking briskly to someone on the phone.

“You have fought these Jaeggi?” Evora asked, causing Tori to face her.

Tori nodded. “I used captured sunlight to make the engine of their van explode. I punched, kicked, and ran the second I could get free. When Cassie was grabbed, I had only sunlight on hand to set them on fire.”

Evora flashed him a sly smile. “And you both survived. That counts for more than you give yourself credit.”

Tori allowed a small smile in return. “Well, I did end up having a dragon for back-up, even if he tossed me into the air and made me fly with Warin.”

“You are never going to forgive me for that,” Baldewin said with a sigh. “I didn’t know you had an issue with heights. My only concern was making sure you were safely away from the Jaeggi.”

“You are forgiven,” Tori murmured.

“Danke, Lisette.” Tori looked up to see Cameron end the call and turn his attention to Tori. “I have a plan, and I need your help.”

“Anything I can do,” Tori quickly agreed.

“Lisette thinks we can target the differentness of their magic to find them. When I fought them, I wasn’t experienced enough to see the difference between them and Burkhard mages, but you’d still recognize it, right?”

Tori nodded. “Definitely. But we need supplies⁠—”

“Got it!” Alric called out as he rushed toward the bedroom. He returned less than a minute later carrying a large leather satchel. “Lisette made sure we had a variety of supplies, should we run into trouble.”

“Do we have a map?” Tori asked. “I could use a mirror for some scrying, but I might not immediately recognize what we’re seeing. Particularly if there isn’t a road sign nearby.”

“There are some at the front desk. I’ll grab one,” Ravi volunteered and was off like a shot through the door before anyone could even draw a breath to argue.

“I can run a tracking spell linked to your seeking spell that moves along the map in tandem,” Evora offered.