Unsurprisingly, there was no book marked ‘Evidence’ set out in clear sight for me to find, but there were inventory and restocking reports tucked away in the office that stood at the nexus of the labs. I scanned the pages for any mention of Sunset Pollen or Snapdragon Venom, the two substances we’d found in the residue at the Brick Palace. To avoid being seen, I kept the room’s lights off, but that also made it harder to read. It was a good thing I had supernaturally-enhanced vision—and that I’d deactivated the surveillance in the area. The latest Magitech cameras, which I had to assume the witches had, didn’t need much light to see.
I’d made it through most of the reports in the cabinet when blinding white light flooded the office. The sharp clicks of high heels against the tiled floor sent me scrambling for cover inside the nearest lab. Officially, the witches couldn’t do anything to me if they found me here, but that wouldn’t stop them from unofficially blowing me up and burning my remains. Plus, if they figured out what we were doing before I had a chance to collect evidence, we might never learn who was behind the poisoning.
The footsteps were still headed my way. I drew my gun and waited behind the door. My weapon was loaded with magic-made tranquilizers. Nero had told me to neutralize anyone who discovered me. I chose to believe he meant stun them. I was not going to kill a person simply because they’d had the misfortune to walk in on me while I was snooping. The lab lights flashed to life now, and I aimed the gun at the door…
I froze when I saw the person who’d just stepped into the lab. “Bella,” I said, coming out of hiding.
My sister turned toward me, her eyes flickering from my face to the gun still in my hands. “Leda, I hope you’re not here to shoot me.”
“That depends. Are you an evil witch planning to kill everyone in the city?”
The horrified expression on her face was answer enough, not that I’d ever doubted her. Bella was too gentle to hurt anyone. She simply didn’t have the temperament for world domination. She was a sweet person but a horrible liar. Back at home, I’d always known when she was hiding something. Every twitch, every glance, every step had been a dead giveaway, and that had been before I’d drunk the Nectar of the gods and added supernatural senses to my arsenal of lie-detection skills.
I holstered my gun and shot her a grin. “How could I shoot my favorite sister?”
A smile slowly spread across her lips. “Don’t tell Gin or Tessa.”
I laughed. “They’re seventeen, not stupid. I’m sure they know you’re my favorite. And besides, they’re each other’s favorite sister. You can’t break a bond formed from a mutual love of shopping.”
“I’ve missed your irreverent commentary, Leda.” Bella rushed forward, embracing me. She hugged me so hard that she pushed the air right out of me. “It’s been too long.” She gave me a final squeeze before letting go.
“Just two months,” I told her, stepping back to get a better look at her. She was wearing a pale blue blouse that brought out her eyes, and a hip-hugging knee-length skirt that brought out her curves. “You are a powerful witch now.”
“I’m still working on it,” she replied, blushing.
“I’ve read your letters, Bella. You might be too modest to boast, but I could read between the lines well enough. You’re at the top of your class.”
“This is a marvelous place,” she said, her eyes going dreamy. “I’m learning so much.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I’m glad. You’ve wanted to study here since we were kids, and now you’re finally here.”
“Because of you. I was only able to study here because of you. For two years, you worked extra jobs to pay for my first semester’s tuition, and now…” A tear rolled down her cheek. “Leda, Calli told me what you did.”
“Whatever it was, it wasn’t me.”
“A few days ago, you paid my tuition bill for the entire two years.”
I shrugged. “I got my first paycheck and had nothing to spend it on. The Legion already provides my food and board. And I figured you needed the money more than I needed a dragon-skin purse.”
More tears poured from her eyes. “I love you, Leda.”
“And I love you. I’ve missed you so much.”
“I take it that is not the reason for your visit?”
“No.”
“You’re here with the Legion contingent led by Colonel Windstriker.”
“Yes.”
A smirk touched her red lips. “Aha.”
“Aha what?”
“Calli told me about the Colonel. I see that she’s right.”
“Right about what?”
Her smile grew wider. “That you’re into him.” I rolled my eyes, but that only made her laugh. “I saw him. He’s cute.”
“You wouldn’t be saying that if you’d had to survive his training sessions for the past two months.”
“You survived it, and you are saying it,” she countered.
“I haven’t said any such thing.”
“Not with your lips perhaps, but your eyes tell all.” She reached out to squeeze my hand. “So, why are you here when the rest of the Legion contingent and everyone else is in the assembly hall?”
“Not everyone,” I said. “You’re here.”
“We were just dismissed for lunch.”