No one said anything.
“Does anyone recognize any of the wizards?” I asked. “They are identifiable as House Tellier wizards by their colors, but that’s all I could pick out.”
“The big guy—the one built like a gorilla? That’s Gideon Tellier, Heir of House Tellier,” April said.
Heir was the title given to the child of the main family in a wizarding House—the family the House was named after—who would eventually inherit and lead the House as the Adept.
I studied the wizard April had pointed out and recognized him despite the orange haze cast by the firelight.
Brody whistled. “The Heir? That’s convenient.”
“Yeah…” April narrowed her eyes as she studied Gideon Tellier—who, if I had to guess, was probably in his mid to late twenties.
The team fell silent.
I glanced from member to member waiting for someone to take the lead.
To my horror, all of them were staring at me.
“What’s the gameplan, Blood?” Tetiana asked.
“I’m not familiar with wizard magic,” I said. “I don’t think I should be the one to make the decision.
“Your orders, Blood,” Binx growled, her expression unrelenting.
Brody nodded, while Grove fussed with his satchel, so it looked like nobody was going to argue against me.
I guess this is undeniable proof that Sunshine is right. They respect me, which is why I get stuck making decisions in situations like this. But why does respect mean they won’t talk to me?!
“April, would you go help the firemen with the House Tellier wizards and use water on the flames?” I finally asked. “And…would you check for any foreign sparks of magic? I didn’t have time before House Tellier arrived.”
April’s expression tightened. “Understood.” She eyed House Tellier like a hungry tiger, then sauntered off in their direction.
Binx watched her with a thoughtful expression. “Was it just two years ago that there was a clash between House Medeis and House Tellier, or three?”
Shoot. I forgot about that—that was before my time.
“Doesn’t matter,” Brody said. “April can outmaneuver any of those dolts. If they pick a fight, she’ll handle it.”
“No fights,” I said. “Not in front of the humans.”
Grove gave me a thumbs up. “So, you’re saying we should drag them downtown and let Ruin beat them up for us. Got it.”
I’m not going to touch that.
“Brody, Binx, could you sniff around the library?” I asked. “I know it’s going to mostly smell like smoke and wizard magic now, but if you can find anything odd that would be helpful.”
“You think there’s something more to this fire?” Tetiana pushed her blonde hair—which was more of a golden color from the orange light cast by the fire—up into a ponytail. “Maybe a magical aspect?”
“I don’t know enough about the fire to know for certain,” I said honestly. “The fact that the blaze didn’t subside until the wizards helped with less water and manpower than the fire department has is… odd. Regardless, we’ll need to write a report up on what we witnessed, and Sarge will want us to look into it using all our available resources.”
“Excellent! So, I should test for poison!” Grove declared.
“No,” I said. “You need to see if you can sense any other kind of magic, too.”
Grove made a face. “Can’t you do that?”
“I’m not good enough,” I said plainly. “My senses are more homed in on vampires. You’re a better choice.”
Grove pressed his lips together, then nodded. “You’ll come with me?”
“Yes,” I said. “Tetiana, I want you with April so we’re all in pairs despite being scattered.”
Brody frowned. “Why? You think someone might attack us?”
“No.” I shifted uncomfortably. “It’s just a standard operation within my family.”
I thought this revelation would make Tetiana grimace or make everyone uncomfortable, but my teammates just nodded.
“We’re off,” Binx announced before she sauntered towards the edge of the parking lot, probably planning to walk the perimeter.
“Hey, Binx, wait up!” Brody called as he hurried after her.
“I’ll hang with April and scare those House Tellier wizards if any of them say anything to her.” Tetiana smiled extra wide, flashing her pointed fang teeth.