“He was still too much in shock to heal himself, so I did it,” said Dal.

“Then we stayed with him until his extra security came,” added Callum.

In other words, they’d acted professional and competent. Blackbrooke had no reason to be pissed off with Kai. Except the look on his face said he was exactly that. He stepped into their path and marched up to Kai.

“We need to talk,” he said to Kai but looked at Sera.

They followed him to the side. He led them to a large potted plant, then spun around and glared at them, his eyes screaming murder.

“What game are you playing at?” he demanded, fuming and red-faced.

Kai stared back at him, his face unreadable. “I don’t know what you mean,” he said calmly.

“This woman,” he growled, pushing his finger in Sera’s face. “She is not what she seems to be.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Fighting Magic with Magic

THE FIRST THOUGHT that rushed through Sera’s head was that Blackbrooke had figured out she was Dragon Born and had come to sentence her to death. The second thing that hit her wasn’t so much a thought as it was a feeling of complete panic coupled with the intense urge to flee. Before she could succumb to this urge, he spoke again.

“I saw the magic she did to those vampires last night.” He was talking to Kai, like she didn’t even matter here. “She’s a Magic Breaker, a Sniffer, an Elemental, and a few dozen other things. That’s not magic you can just hide under the rug, Kai. Mages aren’t born like that every day, especially not mages from an unknown dynasty. What family are you from and why are you hiding it?” he demanded of Sera. Oh, so apparently she existed after all. “Did they kick you out? Disown you?” His eyes narrowed to tiny slits. “Are you a criminal?”

Kai stepped forward, cutting him off. Even though he’d probably done it to protect Blackbrooke from getting a well-deserved thump on the head, there was something incredibly romantic about the way he put himself between them.

“Say nothing,” he whispered to her, then turned his icy glare on Blackbrooke. “As stated by Article 1, Section 22 of the Supernatural Decree of 1993, a mage may at any time sever ties with his or her dynasty without fear of persecution from said dynasty or the Magic Council. Also,” he added, a growl buzzing on his lips. “It’s really poor taste for the mage representing the esteemed position of Game Architect to engage in idle gossip. Enough with the baseless accusations, Duncan. If she were a criminal, we’d know about it. Leave the gossiping to your sister. She, at least, doesn’t muck it up.”

Blackbrooke let out an indignant huff. He looked like he’d just swallowed a swarm of his magic wasps.

“Sera is here, going through the Games as ordered,” Kai continued, ignoring Blackbrooke’s huffing and puffing. “She isn’t doing anything wrong. And she saved your life, Duncan,” Kai cut in quickly, before Blackbrooke could even open his mouth.

Blackbrooke pressed his lips together, even more sour-faced than before.

“Now,” Kai said. “Let us pass. Sera needs to prepare for her first match of the day. It starts in half an hour.”

Like oil over asphalt, a sick grin slid across Blackbrooke’s face. “There’s been a change of plans. Her match starts in ten minutes.” He turned that oily smile on Sera. “Congratulations, you’ve been upgraded.”

The front pouch of Sera’s bag buzzed. She tried to ignore it.

“Aren’t you going to check that?” Blackbrooke asked.

“I’d rather not. I haven’t had the best luck with SMSs lately.”

His eyes hardened. “Ms. Dering, check your phone.”

With a heavy sigh, she dug into her bag and pulled out her phone. “It’s from the ‘Magic Games’. Sounds like a pleasant fellow,” she added with a smirk she didn’t feel.

“You really should be taking this more seriously, Ms. Dering. The Magic Games are a long and glorious tradition.”

When she didn’t respond, he frowned. Maybe he’d been expecting a few oohhs and aahhs. Or a parade of elves to march through the lobby, their voices raised in song.

“In other words,” he said, standing poised and pretentious. “More magic, less sarcasm. Your smart mouth won’t help you in the pit. Especially not now.” He didn’t cackle maniacally, but he sure looked like he wanted to. Maybe maniacal cackling wasn’t posh enough for him.

“Kai,” she said, showing him her new fight schedule. “It’s completely different. My opponents aren’t even the same as before.”

Kai glanced across the screen, his magic crackling like shifting ice. “What’s the meaning of this, Duncan?”

“Honestly, Kai, I don’t see why you’re surprised,” Blackbrooke said. “After the magic she demonstrated last night, surely you don’t expect us to let her just waltz through the lower tiers of the Magic Games.” His delighted gaze shifted to Sera. “She’s special. And special mages need special challenges. To figure out her magic, we need to push her. We need to crack her,” he added with a wistful smile. He looked like his birthday had come early. And Christmas. And a few dozen other holidays too.

“This isn’t a challenge,” Kai said, scanning the timetable. His head snapped up. “It’s a full-scale assault. These are some of the top-rated mages in the world.”

“Not all. You are missing from the lineup, Kai,” replied Blackbrooke, looking like he’d love nothing better than to remedy that.