Magic Undying (Dragon's Gift: The Seeker #1)(36)

“Um, it’s Del Hally.” But that wasn’t even true, was it? I was Del Bellator, according to Roarke. Who I still had to grill for info about myself. After I convinced him to let me stay out of the Underworld. But that was a problem for another day. “I’m friends with Cass Clereaux. I have some questions.”

“Don’t they all,” the voice muttered.

But the door creaked open, thank fates. On the other side stood an old man with a long white beard that he’d tucked into the pants of his blue velour tracksuit.

I smiled. “Hi.”

“Harumph.” He stared at me through shining spectacles. “So you’re friends with Cass. And you have questions. Important ones, too, if you’re coming before dawn.”

“Yeah, important.”

He scowled. “I don’t work for free, missy.”

I winced. He was a seer, so he probably knew I was broke. Sure, I had a trove full of treasure, but that didn’t leave a lot in the old bank account to pay off seers.

“I could, ah, ask Connor to make you any kind of pasty you want. For a week.”

“Hmmm….” He considered it as I writhed inside with guilt. Connor was not going to be happy. In fact, I’d probably be the one making the pasties just to make it up to him.

Oh man, maybe this had been a bad idea. Aethelred would not like my pasties, then he’d be pissed at me. He was the only seer I knew, and I didn’t want to lose his help.

“All right,” Aethelred said. “Pasties for a month.”

My shoulders sagged in relief. I could deal with the pasty dilemma later.

“Great! Thanks.”

He stepped back and let me into the dimly-lit foyer, then led me toward a living room crowded with shelves of books and trinkets. A tiny iron hearth crouched at the side of the room with its fire burning low.

Aethelred gestured to a couch as he took the old armchair near the fire. I sat, but just as I opened my mouth, he waved a hand, cutting me off.

“Give me a moment.” He closed his eyes. “I’d like to see what I can get from you before you speak.”

I snapped my mouth shut and waited. His magic swelled on the air as he accessed his power. I got a hint of allspice and whiskey before he spoke.

“You are part of the Triumvirate. Three women who represent life, death, and magic. The three legs upon which the world stands. You were prophesied to do great things.”

“Me specifically?” I asked. A seer had once told Cass that we’d been prophesied to do something great, but me specifically?

I didn’t really feel qualified.

“Yes. You.”

“Not just the Triumvirate?” Triumvirate was Latin for three of power. I represented death, Nix life, and Cass magic. Together, we could accomplish a lot. On my own? Not so much.

“No. You have a role to play. Though I cannot see what, exactly. Not at this moment.” His brow creased as he searched for more answers in the mist of his mind. Seers could not see all, but what they did see was true. “But your power is growing. I can feel that. And you must use it to fulfill your role in the prophecy.”

“How? What does it even mean that I represent death?”

“That your powers come from the Underworld.”

Great. That sounded fantastic.

“Is that why I turned into a Phantom when they touched me three months ago?”

He nodded. “They were a trigger. And there may be more triggers. More power, possibly. You must be ready.”

Oh, that didn’t sound ominous at all. “Is that why I can see ghosts?”

“Yes. And it won’t be the last new power you develop.”

“But Phantoms are evil. They feed on misery and despair.”

“Do you?”

I shook my head. “I don’t think so. But I don’t want to be like that. They’re awful creatures.”

He shrugged. “You do have a dark past.”

My heart raced. “Do you know anything about it? I learned that my true last name is Bellator.”

He shook his head. “No, my dear. I do not know about that.”

Dang. “The other day, a blue cloud that may have been shaped like a dragon swept me up and spit me out on Dartmoor.”

Aethelred’s brows rose, climbing all the way up to his hairline. “Dragons are dead.”

“I know.”

He frowned, then closed his eyes. His magic welled, but he continued to scowl. His eyes popped open. “I do not know. That is strange.”

“Yeah. You’re telling me.”

“Your questions are finished?”

My shoulders slumped. I had some info, but not all that I had come for. “Yeah.”

“Then a word of warning. Be wary. This is a dangerous gift. The Order of the Magica would not like you to wield it. There is too much unknown.”

“I know.”

“That is the best I can do for you, my dear.”

“Thank you. It helps. And if you think of anything else… anything at all, I’d love to know.”

“I will tell you. But be alert. Things are changing for you now. The way is unclear. It is up to you to determine your path.”





Chapter Eight





When I stepped out onto the street, Roarke was pulling up in his fancy sports car.