Sentinel: A Light Mage Wars Novella (The Light Mage Wars) Read Free Page B

goodness Jerald knew Will was an old friend and didn't see him, too, as competition.
    Stuart Dare asked, "Any news at work, Will?"
    As the assistant loremaster at the southeastern Collegium, known to its Mundane neighbors as the Georgia Institute for Paranormal Research, Will would hear anything that mattered. Like, oh, any leads the mages might have for finding and arresting Griffin.
    " That's man code for hot gossip." Caro's mom spoke cheerfully, but the same concern had to be in her mind, too.
    " There's been some ghoul activity on the outskirts of Macon," Will replied softly, so his voice didn't carry beyond their little group. The Burning Times, the witch hunts that had swept Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, proved it was far better that Mundanes not know about the mageborn among them.
    " Enough that Shire Reeve Banning is stationing a detachment here," he added. "If you're out at night, don't go alone, and be sure your doors are locked."
    " Right," Caro's dad said.
    Will 's news sent a ripple of dismay through the group. Ghouls were dark magic users, the mages' deadly enemies. Their retractable talons could inject poisonous venom or siphon life energy or magic. Unable to eat anything but fresh kill or breed among themselves, they preyed on mages and Mundanes for breeding stock and sometimes for food.
    " Nothing else is worth mentioning," Will replied in a light tone that had to be deliberate, probably to lift the pall his news had dropped over the group. "Except, y'know, I'm wearing this suit."
    As her dad chuckled, Caro realized there was no feminine silhouette hovering at Will 's side. She raised her eyebrows. "Will, you haven't introduced us to your date."
    " I didn't bring one."
    Jerald excused himself to speak to a client. Caro's magic didn't pick up a sense of anyone nearby, but she lowered her voice anyway. "What, no flavor of the week?"
    " Last week's flavor is a tough act to follow. I'm resting my palate."
    " Oh, Will." Fond exasperation rang in Lara Dare's voice. "Seriously. You're almost twenty-nine years old. Isn't it time you thought about settling on someone, at least for a while?"
    " I have." Cheerfully, Will added, "I'm having tutti-frutti, a little of this, a little of that."
    As everyone groaned, he gave Caro 's shoulders a quick, affectionate squeeze. "Besides," he continued, "the best flavor is off limits. Around the time Caro turned thirteen, Griff assured me he'd break both my arms if he ever caught me looking her way."
    Calling out the elephant in the room was so typically Will. "I wish he could be here," Caro murmured.
    " Me, too, Shrimp. Me, too." His body tensed, and Caro caught an odd vibe, as though he might say something else. But he didn't. The silence turned awkward.
    " Lara, darling, champagne?" her dad asked. "Will, Caro?"
    " Yes, sir," Will replied, "thanks."
    " I'm good," Caro told him.
    Her mom said, "I'll come with you."
    As their footsteps moved away, Will s ighed. "Guess I'll need surgery now to remove my foot from my mouth."
    " No." Caro shifted so their shoulders touched. "We're all thinking about him. It's best to admit it."
    " Maybe." Will still seemed tense. "About this ghoul activity, Shrimp–I know you and Griff worked on your fighting skills, and I assume you've been keeping up. But if you need a refresher, I'd be happy to help."
    Caro shook her head. "Thanks, but my friend Mindy and I work out every week." Most mages went through their entire lives without encountering a ghoul, but her family preferred being prepared for the worst. "My ability to sense silhouettes is even sharper when I spar, maybe from adrenaline."
    " That's good," Will said. "Glad you're keeping up your skills."
    He was one of the few people she could talk to about her brother, and she had him to herself. At least until someone else wanted to meet her.
    Caro blew out a shaky breath. "Sometimes I'm afraid he's dead. It's been three years, and no word."
    " He'd be a tough guy to kill."
    "