Good. For what he had in mind, he’d need it.

~ 20 ~

They returned to the overlook where Gabriel had first seen House Sammael. Everyone but Selly watched Gabriel askance as they unsaddled the horses and made themselves comfortable, staying within the cover of the ancient forest as he’d ordered. No one was outright questioning him, but they clearly found his behavior odd. For his part, it took no effort to sink into the role of brooding and arrogant Lord Phel. The need to get to Nic clawed like a wild beast inside him, his magic resisting that they’d gone away from her. He wouldn’t be able to fake calm.

That resistance in his magic at least confirmed the hunter’s information and his own instincts: Nic was in House Sammael. Now to extract her.

“I know you don’t want to hear my advice, but—” Jadren began.

“But nothing,” Gabriel interrupted, removing Vale’s saddle. “I don’t want to hear it.”

Jadren palpably fumed, his indefinable magic curling in frustration. “You can’t do anything from here, Gabriel,” he nearly shouted, obviously determined to be heard. “Delaying like this only gives them more time to prepare and more time to hurt her.”

“What do you care?” Gabriel snarled.

“I care, all right?” Jadren threw up his hands in the air. “I know you don’t trust me, and I have no good argument for why you should, but you and Lady Phel are about the only decent people I’ve ever met—though you can be a real asshole—and I don’t want to see you suffer.”

Gabriel wanted to believe him—his too-soft heart at play, no doubt. “What about your mother?”

“What about her?” Jadren retorted. “I don’t see Nic and Alise giving first loyalty to their father. My mother isn’t like yours. You’re fortunate to have the charming Daisy as your mother. Be happy, but maybe leave some room to believe that not everyone’s family is like yours.”

Gabriel finished brushing the sweaty hide under Vale’s saddle pad, the gelding blowing out contented whuffles. “Make your point,” he finally conceded.

Jadren paused, clearly taken aback by Gabriel’s capitulation when he’d been ready to gon another round. “I don’t understand what you think you can do from this distance. You’re powerful, no doubt of that, but even with Han and Selly feeding you magic, you’re no Sylus destroying his enemies like a raging storm. You can’t stand here and raze House Sammael.”

“I don’t plan to.”

“Never mind that it’s illegal, since Sammael had a legitimate warrant and likely dispensation to take Lady Phel there instead of Convocation Center,” Jadren continued, undaunted, “there’s no way to destroy the house and the people in it without harming her.”

“I don’t plan to,” Gabriel repeated, more slowly, moving to groom Salve.

“And nobody, not even you, can perform a feat like that from this distance!” Jadren finished. “If anyone could, wizards would’ve been long-distance attacking each other’s houses for centuries, and there would be no Convocation. Why do you think the houses are so far apart?”