Dacian dragged his gaze from Cinn to look at Holgarth’s last victim of the day. The man met his gaze, almost as though he’d been waiting for Dacian to notice him.

This guy was different. Dacian had spent six hundred years observing people. All kinds. This one was dangerous. No evidence to back up his gut feeling, but he knew he was right.

Dacian glanced at Holgarth. The wizard frowned. But Dacian couldn’t tell whether it was because he sensed the wrongness in his last applicant or because he was just being his usual obnoxious self.

“Those who came before you were woefully inadequate. I hope you’ve learned from their failures. And if perchance you also are doomed to fail, please don’t waste any more of my time.” Holgarth’s gaze sharpened as he studied the man.

Middle aged. Not a kid. But kept in shape. Good quality suit and shoes. Didn’t advertise that he was a wizard. Short neat haircut. Ordinary face. Asked to describe this man ten minutes after seeing him, most people wouldn’t remember what he looked like.

“Perhaps you would care to demonstrate what you can do.” Holgarth held up his hand to signal he wasn’t finished. “A controlled demonstration, of course.”

“Of course.” The man smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. Cold eyes.

He didn’t whip out a staff or a wand. He didn’t mutter incantations. He didn’t move; he didn’t speak. But suddenly the castle rose off its foundation and hovered in the air. Even if Dacian hadn’t felt the liftoff, he couldn’t miss the movement because Edge had just opened the door and stepped in from the courtyard. It wasn’t fully dark yet, so Dacian could easily see the courtyard falling away.

Screams rent the air, and people scattered. Holgarth raised his staff and shouted in a language Dacian had never heard. Nothing happened.

Then the stranger simply nodded, and the castle settled back onto its foundation. And more amazing than that, the humans who’d just been screaming and running went calmly back to what they’d been doing.

“What the hell just happened?” Dacian knew he spoke for everyone. At least for the ones who still seemed to remember the castle lifting off. He glanced at Cinn. “You saw and felt it, didn’t you?”

She nodded. Her eyes were wide in her pale face. “Holy hell, who is that guy?”

Dacian turned to look at the man. Only the wizard wasn’t who he’d been a minute ago. In the ordinary, forgettable man’s place stood someone quite different.