“What do you mean he’s missing?”

“I mean he’s—wait. This is going to be confusing if I don’t start at the beginning.” Jac grabs her cup and takes a long drink. Water from the smell, or rather the lack of one. Then she clears her throat. “It starts with those decrees, those stupid bans. I understand the king wanting to kick the Grim—the Masons while they’re down to make sure they don’t get back up but the insensitive way they handled it pissed off every summoner in the kingdom. Not that I have to tell you that.”

I scoff. “No, but you talk like it doesn’t include you. Last I checked, you carry the Tome name.”

“I’m not a summoning fanatic. Not like you and your father.”

“I wouldn’t call myself a fanatic.” I have a healthy respect for the art. It just happens it’s the only pursuit I have respect for, elevating it above all others. “My father is the fanatic. And apparently he's missing.” My tone makes it clear I want her to get back to the explanation.

“You’re the one who distracted me,” she grumbles before continuing. “Both of our fathers were offended and neither is good at taking an insults. In the past, the Gri—the Masons would have cowled them, prevented them from acting. Now…” She glances at Junior, who lowers his gaze, trying to hide his frown. Behind him, Fen smiles, tail slowly swishing in amusement.

“Seems your father worked together with a group of independent summoners. Lou…they were trying to summon a drakkon.”

Saints damn it all to the darkest depths of the Abyss. Months ago, just before the qualifiers, I received several letters. The first was from Marquis Guiness, informing me about the bans and offering to “support” me if I opened trade with the elven continent.

The second was from Junior and Fen, the patriarch of the Mason family airing his grievances while the succubus assured me she was handling the situation and provided useful information. Including a list of the elementals the king made it illegal to contract. Drakkons are on that list.

The third and final letter I received was from my uncle. It insinuated that he was planning to do something stupid. Between the three letters, I had a theory that they might try summoning something ridiculous, like say a drakkon since banning it proved that the elemental made the king nervous, and use it as a bargaining chip. I thought it and prepared for it, but I didn’t really believe it. I told myself they couldn’t possibly be so short-sighted and stupid. Well, maybe my uncle but not my father and he’s the only real summoner between the two of them.

Joke’s on me. Seems even the demure Luke Tome can be goaded into doing something reckless and stupid. Now he’s gotten himself into a mess I’m going to have to clean up.

Wait. “How do you know they were trying to summon a drakkon?”

Something tightens in my gut when she winces. “My father claims that he was approached to join their scheme but refused.”

“Horseshit.”

“My thoughts as well. I think, no, I know he was involved, though perhaps not in the summoning itself. Something must have spooked him and when he went to check on their progress, he couldn’t find your father. At that point, he decided to take his chances with the crown.”

“He sold them out?” I hiss, full of anger and disbelief. I know my uncle is a snake but I always thought he valued his family. Does the bastard not have a single redeeming quality?

“He did. He led the crown to the site and examined the circle, or what remained of it. Confirmed they were trying to summon a drakkon.”

“…that explains why Father is missing.”

“Hopefully. According to my father, there was a lot of damage to the area. He thinks something might have gone wrong with the summoning.”

“I doubt it.” My father may not have many admirable qualities either but he’s a great summoner. More importantly, I inherited my exaggerated sense of caution from him. The man who raised me wouldn’t look an aggressive puppy in the eyes without his elementals between him and the beast.

“Nothing’s impossible. It might not have been his fault. Remember, he was working with others. Possible saboteurs or maybe just amateurs who drew one line too many. There could have been someone in the group who lost faith in their scheme and did the same as my father.”

“So my father’s missing and could be in the royal dungeons right now.”

Again, Jac winces, lips turning down in a frown. One so severe, I straighten in my seat and lean forward, instinctively moving toward as I register the pain behind the expression. “I can confidently say that the king doesn’t have him. Or at least he didn’t before I left the capital.”

“…what happened?”

Junior, who has been doing his best to ignore our conversation, shifts about nervously. I note the strange behavior but never take my gaze off Jac as she drops her head onto the chair’s back and closes her eyes.

“I got off work one day and two guards grabbed me, threw me in a carriage, and ‘escorted’ me to the palace. They took me to a room where Matty was waiting. He didn’t know what was going on either and we were both surprised when my father walked into the room. He told us about the independent summoners and their scheme. Then he told us that the king wanted to interrogate us to be sure that he was telling the truth and we didn’t know anything about Uncle Luke’s whereabouts.”

“When you say interrogate—”

“I mean by royal interrogators who’ve taken a page from the Grimoires. I…refused. I didn’t want them getting a glimpse of our meeting on a lonely road.” Her eyes briefly open to glance at Junior. I feel a wave of respect and affection for my cousin knowing she refused to hide my “cooperation” with Junior. We may not be close, but she still put herself at risk to protect me.

“Refusing an interrogation means being imprisoned indefinitely,” I recall from my childhood lessons. I didn’t pay attention to much, but I made sure to remember the laws of the kingdom and their punishments.

“I figured indefinitely couldn’t be too long, given I really knew nothing, and the conditions wouldn’t be that bad. I was half right. Dungeons…aren’t nice places.”

“Jac—”

“I didn’t have to stay there long. The king decided that my refusal wasn’t worth shit and an interrogator ripped the answers they wanted from my mind.”

I freeze. Even my heart stops beating for a moment.

An interrogator used the mental affinity without her permission. Her mind had been violated. Against the king’s law, the same law the lord of Quest and the crown was using to brand me a criminal. They had committed the worst crime of the Grimoire family, the one that made them the monsters the rest of the kingdom despised.

Why? It certainly wasn’t the only avenue available to them. The summoning failed, so there was no drakkon on the loose, threatening the lives of the citizens the king is sworn to protect. Did they do it because they could?

Before, the Grimoires would have been quick to crack down on that behavior, having an interest in monopolizing manipulation through the mental affinity. Has their destruction and subsequent reformation emboldened the crown?

Did the king shit on his own laws because he believes no one will hold him accountable?

Some disgusting bastard stuck his fingers in my cousin’s brain because she wanted to protect me.

Swallowing my mounting anger, I slowly rise from my chair and move behind her, an arm hugging her around the shoulders. She flinches at first but relaxes after a moment, bowing her head.

“I’m sorry that happened to you.”

“Not your fault and it is what it is,” she whispers. She taps my arm softly and I let go, returning to my seat. She clears her throat, trying and failing to dispel the tension in her air. “I don’t know what he pulled from my mind, but it was enough to prove my innocence. I was given a bag of hush money and ousted from the capital with a warning to keep my mouth shut. By my father, no less. Said in much nicer words, of course,” she finishes bitterly.

I’m going to have words with that man.

“And since you are the only one I know outside the capital, I decided to impose on you.”

“It’s not an imposition.” I chuckle. “Don’t think it’s going to be the vacation you were hoping for.”

“Hah! I was worried about bringing trouble to your door. Little did I know, you were already hosting a whole cohort of them.” To my astonishment, she looks at me with worry. After everything she’s been through. “Are you going to be alright?”

“I’ll be fine,” I reassure her quickly. I even mean it. There are a lot of troubles on my plate but nothing amongst them that I can’t handle. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to involve yourself in any of this.”

“I’m not—”

“They’re not your problems Jac,” I insist before she can spout some selfless nonsense. I appreciate her desire to help, now and before, but the last thing I need is for a disgruntled hunter to put a knife in her back if negotiations break down. “In the meantime, I’m going to ensure you enjoy your stay. Relax. You deserve it.”

“Mm.” Jac’s shoulders come down as she accepts my reassurance.

“You look exhausted,” I continue. “You should sleep in. We won’t be heading out for a few more hours, at the earliest.”

“No, no. I’m sure you have questions and it would be rude not to sleep the day away when you’re in the middle of a move.”

“Look at you. A few months working for a living and now you’re trying to take on the servants’ work. Sit or sleep. Have another drink. Take the carriage and go shopping. Junior will answer my questions.”

My childhood bully turned minion looks up after hearing his name, scowls, and looks away.

“Okay. I’ll…leave you two to it.” Jac stands and stretches. “You’re right. I do need a break. Let me know if you need anything or if anything changes.”

I wave her off as she walks toward the house, forcing a smile to my face. The moment she disappears, the smile collapses, a hint of the anger roiling in my gut escaping. Across the table, Junior flinches and Fen smiles.

“Get up,” I snap as I stand up for a second time and stomp away. “Let’s take a walk.”