. . .” He stopped. Swallowed. “They’ve done this before. The Rhej can’t heal—it isn’t her Gift—but she can shape the power so Nettie can use it.”
Lily dragged in another breath, let it out slowly. “What the hell happened?”
“I wasn’t close enough to see. I heard Cynna cry out, so I came running. Cullen was down. I smelled blood. I didn’t see any, but I knew he’d been injured. I gave the alert for an attack.”
A middle-aged woman seated on the ground nearby spoke, her face incredulous. “But you were there, Rule. I saw you. You were standing right behind Cullen.”
“No, he wasn’t,” the man on her right said. “I was beside you, Sandra, and I didn’t see Rule until he came running up.”
“He was there,” she insisted.
Sandra was not going to make a good witness, but maybe someone with Rule’s height and coloring . . . ? Lily glanced at her watch. “We have to get the field cleared.”
“I’ll do that,” Isen said from behind her.
She turned and met his eyes.
Isen Turner wasn’t a short man, but neither was he as annoyingly tall as his sons. His eyes were the color of wet bark, topped by bushy brows that lacked the elegance of Rule’s. Those eyes blazed now in a face gone still.
He was furious. In complete control, but beneath that, the beast raged. Startled, she spoke formally. “Thank you. I need possible witnesses separated from the rest. Also from each other, as much as possible. I don’t want them discussing what they saw or thought they saw. I need to be sure no one leaves, too.”
“They won’t leave. They won’t discuss it if I tell them not to.”
She wondered at his cooperation. Lupi were not known for welcoming the authorities into their affairs, and Isen would see this as a Nokolai matter. “You’re accepting my authority in this?”
“I accept necessity. You’re Nokolai. You will handle this.”
“Uh . . . for now. The dispatcher will have notified the sheriff’s department.”
“So Benedict told me. He’s notified the guards at the gate to admit whoever they send, but you’ll be in charge.”
“I don’t know if this falls within my jurisdiction. By law, magical crimes are those—”
He made a chopping motion with one hand. “You’ll find a way to work it. I don’t care how. I haven’t asked for obedience from you because you weren’t raised to understand the need, but you are Nokolai. You’ll find a way.”
Prickles traveled up her arms. She wanted to agree. She was immune to whatever pull his mantle gave him, yet she wanted to agree. “And if I don’t?”
A glint of humor passed through his eyes. “Oh, I’m not fool enough to threaten you. No, you’ll find a way to make this your case because that’s best for Nokolai—as you’ll understand when you’ve thought on it. And you are Nokolai.”
He turned abruptly and raised his voice to that full-throated bellow. “Nokolai! This is an offense against the clan.” He paused, letting them absorb that. Calling a clan-offense was serious. “Our Chosen will act for me in this, along with my Lu Nuncio. Anyone with information that might help, come forward. Anyone who was close to Seabourne just before the attack—even if you don’t think you can help—come forward. You will not speak of it to each other. Come forward and wait. Children and tenders, go to the Center. Everyone else, go to the south end of the field. Quickly. We need room for the helicopter.”
He turned to Benedict, who’d come up as he was speaking. “Make sure our elders are comfortable.”
Benedict gave a single nod and moved away.
“Does he magically know when you need him?” Lily shook her head. “Never mind. Did you see what happened?”
“No. I was at least twenty yards away, talking with Sybil and Toby.”
Toby. God, she hadn’t thought—“Where is he?”
“With Sybil, of course. She was a tender for thirty years. She’ll take him to the Center with the other kids.”
Guilt washed
Lily dragged in another breath, let it out slowly. “What the hell happened?”
“I wasn’t close enough to see. I heard Cynna cry out, so I came running. Cullen was down. I smelled blood. I didn’t see any, but I knew he’d been injured. I gave the alert for an attack.”
A middle-aged woman seated on the ground nearby spoke, her face incredulous. “But you were there, Rule. I saw you. You were standing right behind Cullen.”
“No, he wasn’t,” the man on her right said. “I was beside you, Sandra, and I didn’t see Rule until he came running up.”
“He was there,” she insisted.
Sandra was not going to make a good witness, but maybe someone with Rule’s height and coloring . . . ? Lily glanced at her watch. “We have to get the field cleared.”
“I’ll do that,” Isen said from behind her.
She turned and met his eyes.
Isen Turner wasn’t a short man, but neither was he as annoyingly tall as his sons. His eyes were the color of wet bark, topped by bushy brows that lacked the elegance of Rule’s. Those eyes blazed now in a face gone still.
He was furious. In complete control, but beneath that, the beast raged. Startled, she spoke formally. “Thank you. I need possible witnesses separated from the rest. Also from each other, as much as possible. I don’t want them discussing what they saw or thought they saw. I need to be sure no one leaves, too.”
“They won’t leave. They won’t discuss it if I tell them not to.”
She wondered at his cooperation. Lupi were not known for welcoming the authorities into their affairs, and Isen would see this as a Nokolai matter. “You’re accepting my authority in this?”
“I accept necessity. You’re Nokolai. You will handle this.”
“Uh . . . for now. The dispatcher will have notified the sheriff’s department.”
“So Benedict told me. He’s notified the guards at the gate to admit whoever they send, but you’ll be in charge.”
“I don’t know if this falls within my jurisdiction. By law, magical crimes are those—”
He made a chopping motion with one hand. “You’ll find a way to work it. I don’t care how. I haven’t asked for obedience from you because you weren’t raised to understand the need, but you are Nokolai. You’ll find a way.”
Prickles traveled up her arms. She wanted to agree. She was immune to whatever pull his mantle gave him, yet she wanted to agree. “And if I don’t?”
A glint of humor passed through his eyes. “Oh, I’m not fool enough to threaten you. No, you’ll find a way to make this your case because that’s best for Nokolai—as you’ll understand when you’ve thought on it. And you are Nokolai.”
He turned abruptly and raised his voice to that full-throated bellow. “Nokolai! This is an offense against the clan.” He paused, letting them absorb that. Calling a clan-offense was serious. “Our Chosen will act for me in this, along with my Lu Nuncio. Anyone with information that might help, come forward. Anyone who was close to Seabourne just before the attack—even if you don’t think you can help—come forward. You will not speak of it to each other. Come forward and wait. Children and tenders, go to the Center. Everyone else, go to the south end of the field. Quickly. We need room for the helicopter.”
He turned to Benedict, who’d come up as he was speaking. “Make sure our elders are comfortable.”
Benedict gave a single nod and moved away.
“Does he magically know when you need him?” Lily shook her head. “Never mind. Did you see what happened?”
“No. I was at least twenty yards away, talking with Sybil and Toby.”
Toby. God, she hadn’t thought—“Where is he?”
“With Sybil, of course. She was a tender for thirty years. She’ll take him to the Center with the other kids.”
Guilt washed
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