“Michael?” Salem looked to his son for confirmation.
“I was not aware of this, but grandmother has been more vocal about her…hobby?” Michael floundered slightly.
“Her hobby?” Jasper asked curiously.
“She believes she is a Priestess of Arflyn,” Salem told him brusquely. He pretended not to see the Elite Sentinel’s raised eyebrows or quick look to his Commander.
“I was not aware,” Jasper said diplomatically instead. “How...how do you become a Priestess of Arflyn?”
“Looking for a new occupation?” Dark Prime Lucas asked from the corner of the room where he had just portalled into.
“Ha, no.” Jasper reddened slightly.
“I did not think it would suit you somehow,” Lucas replied with a smirk. “You called?” he asked Salem.
“I called you and Garrick.”
“I was not aware I was a package deal,” Lucas answered dryly. “What has he done now?”
“Who?” Michael asked as he glanced between the Prime Castor and his father.
“Cord Ivanov? I assume that is why I am here?” Lucas looked around the room. “Where is he?”
“I would like to know that too,” Salem muttered.
“Tell me he has not taken her again?” Garrick asked with a groan moments after appearing.
“No, this time he has vanished with his brother,” Commander Bryce informed them.
“Explain,” Lucas directed, and the Commander did. After several minutes of being caught up to speed, Lucas looked to Jameis. “You did not detect the spell?”
“I did not, Prime.” Jameis was looking more and more uncomfortable. “I am sorry.”
“We all fell under it.” Michael twisted his knife between his fingers. “How? Was it on the building itself?”
“No.” Garrick shook his head. “It would be ineffective. A spell on the building would not guarantee every inhabitant would be affected.”
“It would have to be on each individual,” Lucas agreed. “Which would mean each person needed to come into contact with the spell maker.”
“Spell maker?” Jasper asked. “Not a Castor?”
“It may be.” Garrick frowned. “But a spell like that can be carried out by anyone. Michael was asleep. Salem, you say you were in the room with Sloane?”
“Yes,” Salem confirmed.
“So, the ones sleeping or fatigued were spelled first. Whilst you and Sloane were ‘absent’ let’s say, the spell was weakening. You would have snapped out of it, Cord just hurried the process along.” Garrick turned to Jameis. “I do not understand how you did not detect it.”
“Unless you were wearing it.” Lucas strode forward and pulled at the Pure Castor’s robes.
“I was in a shower when Cord got here!” Jameis said excitedly. “He was in the Castor’s room, and I was in a shower.”
“So you probably washed it off your skin, and when you put the robes back on, you put the spell on yourself.” Lucas withdrew his hand from the robes. As he muttered under his breath, his hand darted out with a shimmering powder. A puff of black seemed to appear and then vanish from the Pure Castor’s robes.
“Crude.” Garrick and Lucas exchanged a look.
“I need my Headquarters cleansed,” Salem told them as his foot tapped under his desk. “Can you order your Castors here?”
“Of course.” Garrick nodded, and his eyes closed briefly. “Now, where is my protégé?”