Hell, was it that obvious that I had something to hide?
“And we’d still like to fix that,” David said as he joined us. “Get you into the Aurora Aureum. Fight the good fight together.”
She gave him a serene smile. “On the day I’m sure my idea of ‘the good fight’ matches the Aureum’s idea of the same, I’ll happily join. Until then, you know I’m not a fan of policing magic.” Then she turned back to me and whispered. “You can close your eyes. This might make you a little dizzy. I’m not used to working on living subjects.”
That gave me a bit of a chill, but for some reason, I trusted her. Since I knew she wasn’t a social mage, I figured it was because she kept saying the right things. It wasn’t something I’d considered before a few weeks ago, but it turned out I wasn’t a fan of policing magic either.
A chill went through my whole body, making me shiver, and Fluke hunkered down on my thighs.
“That’s it,” Dr. Almasi said, and when I opened my eyes she was standing at the end of the bed, making notes on my chart. “And it’s the same. His brain was forced to process an amount of magic it wasn’t used to, and it got overwhelmed.” Looking back at me, she added, “You’re very lucky to be alive.”
And who would know that better than a mage of the dead?
“I’m sorry I didn’t get to the shop this week, by the way.” She said as she pulled out a paper and held it out toward David, who took it and signed it. “The murders have added to my workload, since the Aureum can call me in whenever they want to.”
“This is the price we pay for being strong,” David said, as though quoting something or someone. “We have to protect the innocent who can’t protect themselves.”
She pursed her lips. “I’m all for protecting the innocent. It’s the have to I take issue with.”
I was unfamiliar with the idea of the Aurora Aureum conscripting anyone, but generally, a high position in the organization was considered the pinnacle of what a mage could be. I didn’t imagine there were many powerful mages who turned them down. Though . . . now I might be one of those mages, and I was pretty sure I didn’t want to be in the Aureum. I sure as hell didn’t want to be forced into it.
“I’ll drop by as soon as I can. And I can handle your little issue if you’d like. I know family matters aren’t always simple, but—”
“Please,” I broke in. “I’d like that. Whatever it costs.”
She winked. “You keep stocking my books, and it’s on the house.”
With that, she swept out of the enclosure, ignoring David entirely. He sighed and shook his head but didn’t say anything to her either. Instead, he turned to me. “Are you feeling better?”
“Yeah. I’d nod, but that would make it worse.” I took a deep breath, squeezing Fluke’s front paw where it sat on my stomach. “Do you think I can go home soon?”
“Dr. Almasi gave me the information I needed. The regular doctor will be by to check the rest, and as soon as they clear you, you’re free to go whenever you want to. I’ll come by the shop tomorrow to get statements.”
“Thursday,” Beez corrected. “Sage is taking tomorrow off and sleeping. You can talk to him Thursday. I’ll be in the shop tomorrow, and I can give a statement then if you want.”
He didn’t argue, just nodded as he backed out of the enclosure. “Of course. I’ll see you Thursday, Sage. Tomorrow, ma’am. I’ll just make sure the doctor is on her way.”
Beez and Fluke glared after him, and he didn’t come back.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Gideon wasn’t back when I got home.
Gideon wasn’t there when I woke up.
A full day, he was just gone.
Was that it, then? Was he gone for good? Or was this how he dealt with arguments, by disappearing for entire days?
I wanted to be mad at him, but there was no point. Besides, I’d probably do the same, since it wasn’t like he had a lot of other ways to burn off stress as a ghost. He couldn’t jog or hit anything or go on a cheese snack-fueled research binge until four in the morning to make sure he knew every single thing there was to know about baseball so that the next time his