“Can't I just stop in for a visit?”
“You're a vampire spymaster. You don't do 'just visits’”
“Fair point.” Jason's expression turned serious. “Actually, I came because there have been disturbing rumblings on the magical grapevine and I wanted to get your take on them.”
Brandon’s attention sharpened. Anything that Jason found disturbing was cause for concern. “What kind of rumblings?”
Jason hesitated, then said, “Acquisitional operatives.”
Brandon’s blood ran cold. Acquisitional operatives, commonly known as Collectors, were the equivalent of black ops forces in the magical world. They were the bloodhounds of the Magisterial Consilium’s Venatori Division, operating under the guise of protecting the magical community. Their true purpose was eliminating potential threats to the Magisterial Consilium’s powerstructure—primarily through illegally acquiring priceless objects and siphoning magical ability from natural-born witches.
Brandon leaned back against the table of unopened boxes and unshelved books. “Are you sure?”
“They’re keeping a low profile,” Jason agreed, “but they’re still lurking around. The last known report was close to three decades ago. Now it seems they’re crawling out from beneath their rocks.”
Brandon's jaw tightened. He didn’t ask for proof. If Jason said the Collectors were resurfacing, then he’d already verified. “What are they after?”
“That's what I’m trying to figure out.” Jason mimicked Brandon’s stance, leaning against the counter, arms crossed. “The chatter suggests they believe an important item has resurfaced.”
“How important?”
“As important as it gets. TheCodexAnimarum.”
Brandon whistled. “The Book of Souls?”
“I take it you've heard of it.”
“Every magical scholar has heard of it, including you.” Brandon was already moving, pulling reference books from various shelves with the ease of familiarity.
“Refresh my memory.”
There was nothing wrong with Jason’s memory, which meant he was looking for confirmation and inside information.
“It's one of the most powerful texts on natural magic ever written.” Brandon pulled a leather-bound volume,its pages yellowed with age. “Some references suggest it might actually predate Merlin's era.”
Jason's eyebrows rose. “How much older are we talking?”
“Ancient. Like, pre-Iron Age ancient.” Brandon opened the book carefully, finding a passage he'd studied countless times. “The Druids were the original natural witches—practitioners whose magic came from their connection to the land itself, bolstered by the cycles of nature. According to legend, their abilities emerged organically over generations, with the earth itself choosing certain bloodlines to act as conduits for its power, although some say the original Druids were half-Fae, half-human.”
He traced a finger over faded text. “TheCodexwas supposedly created by a Druidic circle as a way to preserve their knowledge. If that's true, we're talking about magic that's been practiced for thousands of years.”
“Is Brandon Emrys, descended from Merlin himself, telling me that the magic contained in theCodexpredates written history?”
Whether he knew Brandon was a blood descendant of Merlin or just suspected was unclear. It was quite possible he did know. In addition to having apprenticed under one of the greatest mages of Eastern Europe, Jason collected secrets like Brandon collected priceless magical artifacts. Still, he wasn’t about to confirm or deny.
“Didn’t know you were such an avid fisherman.”
Jason laughed, pointed to himself, and said, “Spymaster.”
“Right,” Brandon muttered. “But essentially, yes. Merlin’s surviving journals credit much of his knowledge to the Druids, claiming he learned from natural witches who'd been practicing for centuries before he was born.” He looked up from the book. “Learned magic is powerful. But natural magic? That's primal. Pure. Direct from the source.”
“Which explains why the Collectors are so anxious to possess theCodex. But wasn’t the original destroyed during the witch trials?”
“That’s what the Magisterial Consilium wants us to believe. There have always been rumors it survived. That it was hidden, passed down secretly through the bloodlines of the most powerful elemental witches.”
Brandon put the book down and picked up another, flipping it open and scanning the text. “TheCodexisn’t just a book of spells—it’stheguide on how to access and wield natural magic. It holds the kind of information that could make a witch incredibly powerful.”
“Or incredibly dangerous?”