Origin (Scales N' Spells #1) - A.J. Sherwood Page 0,90

mage group. He and Dieter had been speaking for the past several minutes about the typical events and needs for the clan, waiting for the others to arrive.

Ravi walked in first, his usual smile in place as he gave a little wave to Alric. The dragon was pure trouble, but he was dedicated to his adopted clan.

Gunter followed, already in deep conversation with a mage by the name of Melissande. Her long blonde hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and her hands were animatedly moving around in front of her as she spoke. The mage had been mated to Karl for nearly as long as Dieter and Lisette had been together. She possessed a similar love of books and helped Gunter on some research projects on occasion, particularly when it involved magic lore.

It was Alric’s understanding that she, Gunter, and another dragon guard had gone down to Sonthofen to investigate the spell Lisette had spotted while on the date that had yet to actually happen.

A smile tugged at Alric’s lips as Cameron stepped into the room with Lisette. He couldn’t stop it. Whenever he saw Cameron, he couldn’t help but smile. Joy spread through his chest as he watched Cameron’s eyes grow wide as they swept over the large room filled with artifacts of war. He looked at the massive table that still bore the dents and gouges from a long history of angry, frustrated dragons and their mages.

It was a few seconds before Cameron’s dark eyes finally landed on Alric seated at the end of the table. He smiled broadly and nudged his glasses as if adjusting them on his face. It was a nervous gesture Alric had come to love.

Lisette closed the door behind them and ushered Cameron around the table to join Dieter on his right. If Cameron were Alric’s mate, the seating arrangement would change slightly. Cameron would be seated on Alric’s immediate right, moving Dieter and Baldewin down one. He was surprised by how much he liked that idea. So easily he’d be able to reach across and take Cameron’s hand as it rested on the tabletop. But now was not the time for silly daydreams.

The only one missing from the gathering was Baldewin, but his old friend was still returning with Cameron’s family. There had been some delays due to weather in the States, forcing them to remain where they were another day. The last text he’d received—after getting more than a few threatening his life and his manhood—reported that they’d just landed at a small airstrip not too far from Sonthofen. It wouldn’t be long until Cameron was reunited with his family, and his clan would have two new mages within their midst.

“Thank you everyone for meeting with me today. I will keep this brief, as I have a meeting with King Rodrigo this afternoon to pass along what we’ve learned to the Ice Clan.” He paused, taking a moment to look over at all the people gathered around the table. Cameron gave a little wiggle in his seat as if he were struggling to hold in his excitement at the mention of another clan. For now, he’d leave it to Lisette to explain the magnitude of Alric’s meeting.

Turning his attention to Gunter, Alric gave a small nod before settling back in his chair.

Gunter shifted to the edge of his seat and cleared his throat. “As you may or may not know, Melissande and I traveled down to Sonthofen to investigate the spell Lady Lisette noticed on her last trip to the town. Melissande was able to confirm that it was a type of stealth cloaking spell, but there was something odd about it.”

“Odd how?” Lisette inquired.

“For lack of a better word, the magic felt tainted,” Melissande said. She frowned and threaded a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ve never felt anything quite like it. The spell itself isn’t particularly complicated to pull together, but the power behind it felt off.”

“Like an anti-spell?” Cameron inquired, and a feeling of pride rose up in Alric that Cameron was learning magic so quickly that he could already follow the mage’s train of thought.

“Almost, but that’s just it. I was able to track down the ingredients for the spell, and they don’t equate to an anti-spell.”

“So that means it’s something to do with the mage,” Lisette murmured, and Melissande nodded.

“You mentioned you were able to trace the ingredients. Can you use that to locate the mage or group of mages who have