A small orange flame lit the tip of a cigarette and I watched as the small light moved. He didn’t come forward, though, he only moved left until he stood under the moonlight. But that was enough for me to see him. I didn’t want him coming closer. I just wanted to see who it was I was talking to. His decision to move only into the light and not toward me could be a considerate choice on his part. I wasn’t sure just yet.

The man was older. With a caster, age was a difficult thing to measure. If he were a normal human, he looked to be in his mid-fifties. If he was a caster, however, especially if he was a warlock, he could be nearing eighty years old. Magic was better than Botox or face lifts. He had allowed his hair to silver some, but most of it was still a dark brown or black. I couldn’t be sure in the limited lighting. His eyes were bright blue, and his tall lean body was not dressed for a formal wedding. Instead he wore ripped skinny jeans, black combat boots and a leather biker jacket. The cigarette hanging out of his mouth added to the older rock star appearance. I wondered if that was what he was going for, a Kurt Cobain look possibly.

“Is this better, Catalina?” he asked, without taking the cigarette from his mouth.

He knew my name. He knew who I was. I knew nothing about him. I kept my distance and studied him carefully before saying more.

“You’re not here for the wedding,” I stated the obvious.

He laughed then, after taking his cigarette from his mouth with his left hand. A loud rich cackle that sounded truly amused. “Another Kamlock witch getting married? Fuck no, I’m not here to see that shit,” he replied then shifted his weight to his right leg.

“Who are you?” I asked again. I was beginning to think I should be more concerned about this man’s identity. I was almost certain this was a warlock and an old one at that. They could be very powerful. This one especially appeared to dislike my family as much as I did. His reason for being here could not be for a friendly visit.

He glanced at the house behind me briefly, before turning his attention back to me. “I was here to… assess someone, but it appears this is as far as I can go… interestingly enough.” It looked like he grinned, but I couldn’t be sure. The moonlight was being hindered by a cloud. Lifting my face, I locked my gaze on the bothersome cloud and moved it with a small whisper sure he could hear my words anyway.