“What do you read, Castor?” Marcus asked softly.
“An ancient text, I found it in the Pure Cast’s library.” Cord’s eyes flicked up to the Lycan, the look between them communicating more than words.
“You should not have been in my library.” Rorik’s words were already heavy with resignation.
“I’ll put it back,” Cord assured him, looking up after a long moment had passed. “As soon as I find what I am looking for.”
“And what are you looking for?” Salem’s patience was already thin. The young Castor was oblivious to his frayed temper.
“Something that has been hidden from me,” Cord muttered as he read.
Salem looked to Garrick for an explanation, and the Prime of the Crimson Cast shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine,” he said defeatedly.
“Cord, now is not the time,” Lucas warned quietly.
Cord’s head snapped up in anger at the words. “Nowis exactly the time. The call was blocked.Howdid the Drakhyn know how to block it? Did you even know itcouldbe blocked?” Cord looked back to the book. “They have power. Could the one who comes for Tegan have the Flare inside him? He told me he hadeverything—what does that even mean?” Cord shook his head in frustration. “I need to know, I need to know how they blocked it, how they are organising, andwhichone of them is coming for her.”
“But Tegan is not the female,” Salem protested.
“I believe nothing they say,” Cord grumbled.
“Principal Elder,” Balrack, one of the three Elders under the northern territory, spoke softly. He was a Lycan and had come from one of the northernmost packs. His surprise at being chosen an Elder by the Great Council far outweighed the surprise of others. “I am new to the role, as you know, so I do not understand how a call is put out? There are no mages in your Headquarters.”
Cord snorted in amusement. “A large lantern is lit, and a symbol is shone into the sky,” he answered as his finger traced down a page.
Salem shot him a look of contempt as Cornelius failed to smother a splutter of amusement. “All Elders and Principals have the ability to call for the Prime Casts. Like a pack link, we have the ability to call to a Prime for aid should we need it.”
“Can you talk?” Balrack asked inquisitively.
“No, it is a call only.” Salem frowned as he thought about it. “I do not think I can actually describe it.” He looked around in amusement. “No one has ever asked me before.” He saw the flush on the young Lycan’s face. “I do not mean to belittle you, Elder, I mean no offence. I never thought about it. I knew about it as my father was Principal before me. When I became Principal, it was something I knew would be bestowed on me, so I never asked why or how it worked.”
“It is like a pulse,” Prime Castor Rorik explained. “The one to make the call thinks about the Prime Castor he requires. For example, Salem may call for me, he would thinkRorik, and in return, I receive a pulsing in my head. The Flare identifies who is calling, and I make my way to the Principal.”
“How do you know where he is?” Balrack was intrigued.
“The Flare,” Lucas answered. “The Flare pinpoints the call and takes us to them.”
“Who bestows the power?” Balrack asked.
“When we are granted our seat by the Great Council, the Sisters bless us afterwards, it is then the connection is made,” Salem told him.
Balrack nodded in understanding. “Thank you for your patience, Principal.”
“You need not thank me for explaining how we operate. You are new, and we all had to learn.”
“While this basic teaching lesson was enlightening,” Cornelius ridiculed, “can we continue?”
“In times of trouble,” Marcus spoke, ignoring Cornelius completely, “a Prime or strong Castor can detect a disturbance. The Flare is sensitive to the balance. The fact that so many Akrhyn were here, given the disappearance of Elite Sentinel Tegan…” All eyes turned to Cord, who ignored them all as he continued through the text. “When the Drakhyn attacked, the Prime Castors should have heard.”
“So you think it was not just you who was blocked?” Balrack asked Salem. “You think it was the building?”
“Yes.”
“And what of you, Cord?” Cornelius asked his son. “Did Sloane not call for you?”
Cord’s finger paused on the parchment. He looked up, his hair falling in his eyes as he scowled at Cornelius. “I heard nothing.” His eyes flicked to Marcus before they fell back to the book.
Salem turned his head to look at Marcus in question, but his Second shook his head slightly. Turning back, Salem stared at the Crimson Castor. “Where were you?” he asked him softly.