Chapter Twenty-Four

Become Found

“You rang?”

Apollo turned in his chair at his desk in his office at Karsvall.

He’d been looking out the window at the woods that led to the dower house. His thoughts so engrossed with Madeleine, as well as Christophe, he not only was not seeing the woods, he had not sensed her arrival.

But there she was, the witch Valentine, wearing a green dress, sitting in a chair opposite his desk, studying him like he was mildly interesting but she had better things to do.

Instead of greeting her, he stated, “May I remind you that you’ve been paid handsomely to assist our efforts at quelling whatever evil threatens our land. Yet you’ve disappeared for weeks. Repeated messages sent from witches of this world have gone unanswered. Things have happened that have put Madeleine and my children in danger. You finally arrive and you’re flippant?” He shook his head. “I’ll warn you my patience is spent, witch, so there is none to test.”

“You must know I’ve been keeping an eye and noted you’ve had matters in hand, mon loup.” She smiled a sly smile. “Well in hand.”

He knew precisely to what she was referring. It was annoying but he couldn’t think on it or it would spur him to action. They needed to speak, not argue.

Therefore, he informed her, “You have not been called here to discuss how things progress with Maddie.”

Her smile stayed firm in place when she told him, “We don’t need to discuss how things are progressing with Madeleine.” Her smile grew slier. “You have done well in the time I’ve been away, chéri.”

He had.

Absolutely.

Perhaps too well.

Something was amiss with his Madeleine. Something troubling. Something Apollo could not put his finger on.

But not something he’d discuss with the witch.

Consequently, he moved their dialogue to what he would discuss.

“You’ve received the message from Lavinia,” he said, but it was a question.

They had arrived back at Karsvall two days earlier. Lavinia was there, as planned. And upon their arrival, Frey and Apollo had asked her to contact her fellow witch as a matter of urgency.

Since the two were friends, he deduced that Lavinia’s call was the one that was finally answered.

“I have indeed,” she confirmed. “Although I will admit that I received other missives from your witches, another matter has been taking my time.”

Apollo raised one brow. “And this other matter has priority over what’s happening in this world? And by that, witch, I’m asking if your fee was higher considering we’ve paid you extortionately for your aid, something which we are not getting much of, but we’ve paid enough we should be your priority.”

Her gaze was steady on his when she replied, “Perhaps the fee wasn’t higher, although the Sjofn diamonds I received for the job I’m completing made an extraordinary necklace that I quite cherish.”

He felt his shredded patience fray further for he again knew to what she was referring.

He had given her a bag of Sjofn ice diamonds to find Maddie and bring her to him. He also knew the only other job she had on this world was his, something they assessed before paying her in order to be certain that they would have her undivided attention on this world.

Something they were not getting.

“I’ll remind you, that job is complete. Maddie is here. She is safe. She is with me. We’re building our life together and we’re content.”

Or, he was.

Maddie also was, on the outside.

But there was new darkness in her eyes. Something she wasn’t sharing with him during their whispered conversations after lovemaking. Something that was eating deeper into her soul.

Christophe had remained distant. He took his meals and had his times with Madeleine, Apollo, his sister, but he made it clear in quiet, rebellious ways that were not his nature that he didn’t like it.

This could be what was concerning Madeleine.

But Apollo sensed it was more.

These thoughts were troubling but he came alert as he watched the normally unperturbed witch shift with what appeared to be agitation in her seat.

Seeing her do it, he did not get a good feeling and therefore commanded, “Speak.”

She drew in a delicate breath before she stated, “I have some concerns.”

“About?”

Again, she steadily held his gaze when she told him, “I cannot see the you of my world.”

Apollo knew by her behavior this was not good news.

“This means?” he prompted when she spoke no further.

“He cannot hide himself from me,” she explained. “In finding Madeleine for you, I found him first. As he was seeking her, I cast on him so I could watch him should he find her and lead me to her. For obvious reasons, I continued to watch him even after I found her. Since I discovered him, I have never had any trouble seeing him.”

“And now you can’t see him.”

She shook her head but continued to hold his eyes. “No. And to explain why this is a concern, he cannot hide himself from me. Even if he were to somehow understand that there are magical forces at work in our world, he could not do it himself. He’d need a witch.” She paused. “A powerful one.” Another pause on a deep intake of breath. “A very powerful one.”

Apollo did not like where this was leading.

“He’s here,” he guessed quietly, his gut tightening, his skin prickling.

“I’ve no idea,” she replied. “But I’ve spent some time searching for him. There has never been a spell cast to hide someone that I could not break. It is a certainty this cannot be done by any witch in my world. This would lead me to believe that there is a possibility that our foes have discovered his existence and recruited him.”

“For what purpose?” Apollo asked, his words curt.

“What purpose do they have for anything they do, chéri?”

A valid question.

One with no answer.

The witch knew it for she continued speaking.

“However, he is vile. He is evil. He wishes Madeleine harm, and I daresay since you took his hand, he wishes you the same. He may not have magic. He may not be of this world. But he has motivation to do ill, he is skilled at it, and they can promise him great riches for this talent.”

Apollo looked beyond her, muttering, “We do not need this.”

“We do not, indeed,” she agreed and he looked back to her. “In my absence, I can assure you that I have not been dawdling, mon loup. I’ve been spending a good deal of time searching for the you of my world. I have also been in constant touch with Lavinia. I know what became of Madeleine in Brunskar. I know that it’s the women they’re targeting. I also know that they have not cast an enchantment on your comrade. The handsome Derrik acts out of his fondness for Madeleine and his absurd, but definitely masculine need to compete against another male, in this instance, you in the competition for her heart. His pride was injured when he was so swiftly replaced, and the way that came about, and he set about doing something to heal it. I further know that he has breached Specter Isle. I have since lost sight of him. However, your other man wisely decided not to follow him to that Isle and is on his return.”