“Ah—Adept Medeis’s handiwork, no doubt!” the Adept thrust a pointer finger into the air and waggled it at us. “This is just another attempt at bullying those who do not share House Medeis’s ridiculous ideals! I will not suffer this!”
April—wielding a halberd which she rested, butt down, on the sidewalk—twitched at the insult on her House, but her professional expression held.
“What’s going on?” Gideon shoved his hands into the pockets of his House Tellier Jacket, briefly turning around and looking back when the front door opened again and a couple more wizards shuffled out.
“We’re being unrightfully attacked,” Adept Tellier snarled. “Because Hazel Medeis is a tyrant who will never stop abusing her power!”
Brody turned up the street, his eyes nearly glowing in the sputtering streetlights. “We’ve got incoming—humans, regular humans. No magic.” His nostrils flared as he scented the breeze.
I leaned back so I could look up our line in the direction he was pointed. Sure enough, I could see a trio of humans strolling down the sidewalk and slowing when they noticed our standoff.
“You aren’t being formally charged yet. This is just for questioning. The Adepts of House Tellier, along with the Heir and the top five wizards, are to present themselves for questioning over the illegal use of magic and endangering humans.” Sarge’s voice echoed across the front lawn.
“Impossible! We’ve never messed with humans!” Gideon Tellier declared, his face turning red like his father’s.
Adept Tellier elbowed him and not so subtly nodded to the humans, who were now close enough that they could hear some of the shouted conversation.
“We, we love humans!” Gideon belatedly added.
“You have endangered humans, actually, on four separate occasions.” Captain Reese’s eyes gleamed in the dimness of the streetlights. “The fireworks at the fall festival, the storm in October, the fire at the library, and most recently the black ice on the bridge in a human neighborhood.”
“We helped on those occasions!” Adept Tellier said. “You’re hauling us into the Cloisters for using our magic to save humans?” His voice was so loud it bounced off the surrounding houses.
I was pretty sure that was done by design and not just from raw emotions based on the way he glanced at the cluster of humans.
“You used your magic to design those dangerous situations,” Captain Reese said. “Recklessly endangering humans and destroying public property so you could swoop in as the hero of the day.”
“You’ve no proof!” A woman, her bleach blonde hair so perfectly coiffed it didn’t move when she stalked down the pathway, howled. She shared a few facial features with Gideon, so I was willing to bet she was Mrs. Tellier, the other Adept of House Tellier.
The Adept turned around and hissed at the woman “Careful!” he tipped his head towards the humans.
The woman darkly glared at the humans, then pointedly looked away from them. “Regardless, we will not be coming to the Cloisters.”
“If you resist, we’ll be forced to enter House Tellier,” Captain Reese warned.
Interestingly, that threat made Adept Tellier turn sheet white.
“Just you try!” Gideon puffed up, his anger twisting his face. “House Tellier will protect us!”
“Gideon,” the Adept warned his son before he turned back to my boss. “You do not have permission to enter our domain.”
“We don’t need your permission,” Captain Reese gave a throaty chuckle. “We’re not the human police force, Adept. We’re the Magical Response Task Force.”
A sheen of sweat covered Adept Tellier’s forehead as he glanced from Captain Reese to the small crowd of humans, before he turned to look back at his House.
He really doesn’t want us to enter House Tellier, but why?
There was a panicked energy to him that reeked of desperation. Was it just because House Tellier’s abuse of magic was on the cusp of being revealed or was there something more?
My hand strayed to the pouch that contained the crowd control potion Grove had handed me.
“Make up your mind, Adepts,” Captain Reese said. “This is your final chance to submit willingly.”
“We will not,” Mrs. Tellier snarled.
“We will wait until the Wizard Council has been informed of this vicious attack before we agree to go to the Cloisters,” Adept Tellier butted in.
Of course, they’ll try to hide behind the Wizard Council.