Dark Heart of Magic (Black Blade #2)(62)

I frowned. Something about Oscar’s words tugged at a corner of my mind. Something about Grant and the horrible things he’d done to Devon and me. Something about ripping out a person’s magic.

And just like that, part of the puzzle clicked together in my mind.

“No blood,” I whispered. “No blood.”

Oscar frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Vance,” I said. “He was cut to pieces, but there wasn’t a lot of blood on him or even around his body.”

“So. . . . ”

I drew in a breath. “So there wasn’t any blood because somebody ripped his magic out of him. That’s why they cut him so much. They wanted his blood, his power, his magic.”

I thought back, picturing that dagger I’d seen cutting into Vance again and again. I hadn’t been able to see any scrollwork on the hilt, but the blade itself had been dark—pulsing with a midnight-black glow. I could have smacked myself for not remembering it sooner.

“The person who killed Vance had a black blade,” I said. “And they used it to soak up all his blood, all his magic.”

“But why take Vance’s magic?” Oscar asked, his wings twitching in thought. “I mean, yeah, he had Talents for speed and strength, but Vance wasn’t the most powerful guy around. If you were going to take someone’s magic, wouldn’t you try to get the strongest person with the most power?”

“I don’t know,” I said, throwing back the covers and getting out of bed. “But I’m going to find out.”



I took a shower, put on my ren-faire getup, and went to the dining hall. Practically everyone in the Family was crowded inside, but the room was quiet, and the mood was somber. Everyone knew what had happened to Vance, and it had shaken up all of us.

I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I piled a plate full of food, heavy on the bacon strips, and headed over to the table where Devon, Felix, and Mo were sitting. All of them looked tired, and they’d barely touched their breakfasts.

“Hey, kid,” Mo said, his voice flat and lifeless as he picked at the pancakes on his plate. “I hope you got more sleep than the rest of us did.”

“I think I know why Vance was killed.”

That got their attention, and their heads snapped up. I leaned forward and told them what I thought had happened to Vance.

When I finished, Devon frowned. “But why Vance? Oscar’s right. If you were going to rip out someone’s magic, wouldn’t you do it to someone more powerful? Or someone who had a more unique Talent?”

“Like soulsight, compulsion, or transference magic?” I asked in a wry tone.

Devon winced, but he still nodded. “Yeah. Like those.”

“I don’t know. Maybe Vance was already out in the woods. Maybe he’d been making out with a girl, like you said. Maybe he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“But you thought Vance was a bad guy,” Felix said. “That he was the one who cut the rope ladder.”

I shrugged. “Maybe he did. Maybe he didn’t. I don’t know anymore. And I don’t know how Vance’s murder fits in with what happened to all those tree trolls.”

“I asked around about your murdered monsters,” Mo said. “It’s probably some idiot in town for the tournament, trying to prove what a tough guy he is by trapping and killing a bunch of monsters. Some folks like to show off like that. It happened last year.”

“What happened last year?”

“A couple of tree trolls were found all cut up,” Mo said. “I heard about it from one of the Volkov pixies when I was making my rounds at the tournament yesterday. Their guards found the trolls on the edge of the Volkov property around this time last year. It wasn’t a pretty sight, and it sounds just like what you, Devon, and Felix saw the other night.”

I frowned. “Did the Volkovs ever figure out who had killed the trolls? Or why?”

Mo shrugged. “Not that the pixie had heard.”

I started to ask another question, but Claudia strode into the dining hall, a sword dangling from her hand. Everyone stopped eating and talking and turned to face her. She was wearing another black pantsuit and heels, with her silver cuff flashing on her right wrist. Her makeup was flawless, but tired lines grooved around her mouth and eyes. No doubt she’d been up all night, dealing with the Vance situation.

Claudia looked out over her Family, her gaze moving from one face to the next. “By now, you have all heard what happened to Vance,” she said. “That his body was found cut up in the woods along the lake. With the tournament and all the tourists in town right now, the other Families have declared it a tragic accident. They’re saying that Vance wandered too far into the woods and was attacked and killed by a monster. As a result of their declaration, the Tournament of Blades will proceed as scheduled today.”

Mutters of shock and surprise rang out, with the loudest and angriest ones coming from the table where Vance’s friends were sitting, including Henry, who’d made a full recovery from his broken leg.

“But we all know that it wasn’t an accident,” Claudia continued in a hard voice. “That Vance was an experienced guard, too experienced to be taken down by some mysterious monster without fighting back for everything he was worth.”