"Actually," I said, rubbing my aching head wearily and wishing they'd both just leave me alone, "what I believe is that neither of you is telling me the entire truth when it comes to what you really want. That said, why do you both believe dark magic can null this thing inside me? Why not regular magic?"
"Because the tracker isn't of this time or place," Lucian said. "And regular magic would not combat it. Only dark magic has that chance."
I frowned. "But white magic is strong enough to combat dark, so why wouldn't it work against this?"
"Because what lies inside you is very different from the magic of this world," Azriel said. He stood on the other side of the table, his arms crossed and his face unreadable. But Valdis flickered with blue-black energy and the air around him seemed to shimmer with heat. "But that does not mean we should not explore the option."
Lucian snorted. "My wings may be clipped, reaper, but I am still Aedh. Believe me when I say that the magic of this world will not be strong enough to counter what lies within her."
"Which does not negate the fact that we should at least try it first," Azriel snapped. "Dark magic has a way of staining its users."
"Does that mean this thing inside me is dangerous?" I asked hesitantly.
Azriel glanced at me. "I do not know." Silently, he added, Has Amaya reacted to it?
I frowned. She seems no worse now when it comes to background chatter than she was before the tracer was attached.
If the tracer in your body does anything more than inform the Raziq of your father's presence, she will react to it. Until she does, you are probably safe.
It was the "probably" bit of that sentence that was worrying. I glanced at Lucian again. "If anyone can counter this tracer, it'll be the witches at the Brindle."
Lucian snorted and crossed his arms. "I do not have your faith in their teachings or their power."
"Why? The Brindle may not, in itself, be old, but it still contains eons of witch history and teachings. If there is any way to combat this tracer, then it'll be found there."
"Perhaps."
My annoyance flared brighter. "Why are you so damn sure that dark magic is the only way to go? You're Aedh, not Raziq. What experience have you even had with dark magics?"