The Frozen Prince (The Beast Charmer #2) - Maxym M. Martineau Page 0,15

back to Noc. “You see, you’re not the only one who finds it mildly unsettling that my people haven’t turned up information on the person who contracted Leena’s bounty.”

My pulse jumped. Gaige folded his arms across his chest, and the jeweled citrine glow of his Charmer’s symbol glimmered in the morning sun. He met Noc’s hard stare head on.

Noc remained impassive. “Oh?”

“I make it my business to deal in information. Someone is holding their cards very close to the chest. So, I took the liberty of sussing out a mage and setting up a meeting for tomorrow.”

“A mage? Here?” Calem’s eyes went wide. Oz’s hands slackened by his sides, and his brows crept toward his hairline. But Noc and Kost… An electric current surged between them. It was so minute that, if I weren’t connected by Noc’s grip on my waist, I’m not sure I would’ve felt the jolt in his fingers. A tendon feathered along his jaw, but he kept his gaze steady.

Unease settled low in my gut. Sure, Kost and Noc had had decades together. A life and secrets and experiences I couldn’t begin to hold a candle to. It bothered me to no end that we still hadn’t openly discussed his past, and their unspoken words only fueled my frustration.

Kost removed his spectacles and began to polish them with a cloth from his breast pocket. “There are very few mages on our small island continent. They have enough discord to keep them focused on their own lands. How did you manage to find one?”

Gaige narrowed his eyes, seemingly tracking the invisible thread of tension between Kost and Noc. “I have my sources.” After a beat of silence, he cleared his throat. “My point is, I secured the meeting for you. The mage wants something of me, and in return, he’s offered his magic to secure what I want…within reason. Perhaps the mage can sever the oath, and we can put this whole mess behind us.”

“What does the mage want from you?” Noc asked.

Gaige lifted a shoulder. “That is between me and him. I try to form relationships with a number of powerful players. You never know when their skills might come in handy.”

“You did this on your own? Why?” Kost got to the heart of my concern before I could voice it.

“Because it seemed like the right thing to do.” Gaige paused, running a hand along his jaw. “Though I could always keep the meeting for myself if you’re not interested. Mages are powerful. There’s no telling what I could gain from his favor.”

“So much for the right thing to do.” The low note in Noc’s voice hinted at danger and unexpected anger. He was usually more collected than this. “What do you want from me in exchange?”

Gaige hummed. “As I said, I trade in information. Because I’d be giving up the chance to secure rare and valuable insight, I’d be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to gather precious secrets elsewhere.”

Kost’s fingers were bone-white against the metal frame of his spectacles. “We have nothing to give you.”

Noc placed a firm hand on his shoulder. After a moment, he turned his gaze to Gaige. Obsidian eyes as hard as metal betrayed nothing. “If you take us to see the mage, then I will give you full access to our library.”

“I’ve been to many libraries in my lifetime.” Gaige ran an errant hand down his sleeve, feigning indifference. But there was an unmistakable glint of intrigue in his stare. “I’m not sure your tomes will yield anything of interest to me.”

Noc lifted a shoulder, but the tension in his body remained. “You’d be surprised. Tell me, what kind of secrets are you looking for?”

“They wouldn’t be secrets if I told you.” A grin tugged at his lips. “I’m merely a collector of information. You never know what could be useful in the long run. One day, I hope to find myself in the royal library in Wilheim.”

Noc offered a cool smile. “I see. My guess is that whenever you visit Wilheim, you’re escorted every step by Sentinels and not permitted to linger. But some of my assassins were nobles before they turned. Historians, poets, philosophers—they brought their knowledge with them. If you really want to learn about Wilheimians, we’ve got plenty of books to get you started. Information like that seems like it would be valuable to the Charmers’ emissary.”

Gaige grinned. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

“Good.” Noc slipped his hands into the pockets of his trousers, and