hands with all of them."
The touch startled him enough to break through his urgency. Lily didn't touch often or easily. "And… ?"
"They're all of the Blood, but only the gnome is Gifted. It isn't a Gift I've encountered before, but his magic isn't…" She waved a hand. "I don't know how to describe it, but his magic felt like it's bound up in itself. Or in something. He doesn't have much juice for other things."
"Of the Blood" meant they were innately magical beings. This was true of most of the nonhuman races, from gnomes to lupi to any number of less common beings and creatures. What Lily meant was that those of the Blood were seldom able to work spells—their magic simply wasn't available that way.
Excepting the Fae, of course. And Cullen, who was both of the Blood and Gifted. As was this gnome, apparently. "Maybe he's using most of his magic for something else right now. I'd very much like to know what, wouldn't you? That doesn't make Cynna safe."
"She's doing her job. And she's pretty good with spell-work herself."
Okay. Okay, he knew that, but… Cullen ran a hand over his hair. "You'll know if something's been done to her. You'll check."
"Of course."
"What's the problem?" demanded the Deputy Under whatever.
Cullen decided it would be easier to keep a grip on his temper if he ignored the man, so he did.
Fagin blinked sleepily, looking like an aging refugee from the sixties. "Why, if those three come from a high-magic realm—and they do—we have no idea what they might be able to do, magically."
"Why do you believe they come from a high-magic realm?"
Stupidity was so hard to ignore. Cullen managed not to roll his eyes. "They got here, didn't they?"
On the screen, Cynna had moved closer to the gnome. Gan was saying something. Then the councilor spoke.
Damn, but he hated watching remotely this way. He couldn't smell them, couldn't see any of the energies involved. Bet he could hear them, though, if he moved closer to the tech guy with the headphones.
"Exactly." Fagin beamed at him. "Assuming their arrival was purposeful—"
One of the other men broke in. "What do you mean?"
"We've recently seen many examples of creatures crossing accidentally, haven't we? Fairies, brownies, gremlins, even banshees were blown in on the power winds during the Turning. But these visitors arrived without that impetus, and Gan was expecting them. This argues that they did come here intentionally, using a gate, as the councilor claims. This means we're dealing with a culture that's quite sophisticated magically."
"And has plenty of power available," Lily added. "Gates gobble power."
"Very true. There's also the shield spell itself, of course."
"Break that conclusion down for the rest of us, please," Brooks said.
Or just shut up. That would be better. Even with his hearing, Cullen was hard-pressed to listen in on the tech guy's headphones with all the chatter in the room. Couldn't any of them think for themselves long enough to see the obvious?
"Our knowledge of other realms is largely theoretical," Fagin began, "since inter-realm travel has been impossible since before the Purge—impossible for humans, that is. Some of the Fae have always been able to cross, though they chose not to. And imps or demons have crossed from time to time, although—"
Brooks spoke dryly. "Fagin, we aren't in class. I believe everyone here is aware of conditions prior to the Turning."
"Of course. The point I was wandering toward is that desert dwellers do not develop shipbuilding capabilities. Due to our relative dearth of magic, we've had no need for shields and haven't hung on to that knowledge. Their realm, apparently, does have a need."
"That makes sense," said one of the men Cullen didn't know. He looked at Cullen. "I understand you know something about gates, Mr. Seabourne."
Cullen twitched one shoulder in an impatient shrug. "Something. Theoretical knowledge, of course," he added in his first lie of the day. Three months ago he'd
The touch startled him enough to break through his urgency. Lily didn't touch often or easily. "And… ?"
"They're all of the Blood, but only the gnome is Gifted. It isn't a Gift I've encountered before, but his magic isn't…" She waved a hand. "I don't know how to describe it, but his magic felt like it's bound up in itself. Or in something. He doesn't have much juice for other things."
"Of the Blood" meant they were innately magical beings. This was true of most of the nonhuman races, from gnomes to lupi to any number of less common beings and creatures. What Lily meant was that those of the Blood were seldom able to work spells—their magic simply wasn't available that way.
Excepting the Fae, of course. And Cullen, who was both of the Blood and Gifted. As was this gnome, apparently. "Maybe he's using most of his magic for something else right now. I'd very much like to know what, wouldn't you? That doesn't make Cynna safe."
"She's doing her job. And she's pretty good with spell-work herself."
Okay. Okay, he knew that, but… Cullen ran a hand over his hair. "You'll know if something's been done to her. You'll check."
"Of course."
"What's the problem?" demanded the Deputy Under whatever.
Cullen decided it would be easier to keep a grip on his temper if he ignored the man, so he did.
Fagin blinked sleepily, looking like an aging refugee from the sixties. "Why, if those three come from a high-magic realm—and they do—we have no idea what they might be able to do, magically."
"Why do you believe they come from a high-magic realm?"
Stupidity was so hard to ignore. Cullen managed not to roll his eyes. "They got here, didn't they?"
On the screen, Cynna had moved closer to the gnome. Gan was saying something. Then the councilor spoke.
Damn, but he hated watching remotely this way. He couldn't smell them, couldn't see any of the energies involved. Bet he could hear them, though, if he moved closer to the tech guy with the headphones.
"Exactly." Fagin beamed at him. "Assuming their arrival was purposeful—"
One of the other men broke in. "What do you mean?"
"We've recently seen many examples of creatures crossing accidentally, haven't we? Fairies, brownies, gremlins, even banshees were blown in on the power winds during the Turning. But these visitors arrived without that impetus, and Gan was expecting them. This argues that they did come here intentionally, using a gate, as the councilor claims. This means we're dealing with a culture that's quite sophisticated magically."
"And has plenty of power available," Lily added. "Gates gobble power."
"Very true. There's also the shield spell itself, of course."
"Break that conclusion down for the rest of us, please," Brooks said.
Or just shut up. That would be better. Even with his hearing, Cullen was hard-pressed to listen in on the tech guy's headphones with all the chatter in the room. Couldn't any of them think for themselves long enough to see the obvious?
"Our knowledge of other realms is largely theoretical," Fagin began, "since inter-realm travel has been impossible since before the Purge—impossible for humans, that is. Some of the Fae have always been able to cross, though they chose not to. And imps or demons have crossed from time to time, although—"
Brooks spoke dryly. "Fagin, we aren't in class. I believe everyone here is aware of conditions prior to the Turning."
"Of course. The point I was wandering toward is that desert dwellers do not develop shipbuilding capabilities. Due to our relative dearth of magic, we've had no need for shields and haven't hung on to that knowledge. Their realm, apparently, does have a need."
"That makes sense," said one of the men Cullen didn't know. He looked at Cullen. "I understand you know something about gates, Mr. Seabourne."
Cullen twitched one shoulder in an impatient shrug. "Something. Theoretical knowledge, of course," he added in his first lie of the day. Three months ago he'd
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