Southwest Days (Semiautomatic Sorceress Book 2), Kal Aaron [book recommendations based on other books .txt] 📗

“I can’t because I don’t know myself,” Lyssa replied. “If I tell you much more, you’ll be at risk. So will Fred. I don’t want you getting hurt because I have to keep poking my nose into things.”

“We both want to help you.” Tricia gave her a stern look. “And I might not be a Torch, but I can defend myself, especially at my home.” She glanced at the front window. “Not all my plants are as nice as the flowers.”

Lyssa thought that over. Her theory presupposed a high-level enemy in the Society, someone powerful enough to manipulate things on Last Remnant.

There was no way she could take the Society on by herself. It was time to start trusting others. She didn’t want Tricia to accompany her when she went after a rogue, but she could at least be a sounding board.

“Elder Theodora was included in the pictures.” Lyssa leaned forward and instinctively lowered her voice. “And I’m already suspicious of her because of some weirdness about my last case. Tristan St. James was in the pictures, too.”

“Well, now, you’ve certainly accumulated a powerful and dangerous rogues’ gallery,” Tricia said. “I’m not naïve enough to never question an Elder, let alone a suspicious character like Tristan St. James, but I still don’t understand what Chris might have to do with those pictures and your case.”

She kept her tone calm and supportive, but Lyssa could sense the doubt. It wouldn’t have hurt so much if she didn’t still harbor her own insecurities, despite her earlier protests.

“He must have stumbled onto a conspiracy,” Lyssa said, “and I don’t mean the fact the Illuminated Society is nothing but a giant conspiracy anyway.” She snorted. “Think about it. We hid from the Shadows for thousands of years. We’re a bunch of people who are great at lying and misdirection for our own purposes. I parade around with a false identity, and it’s not like you’re going around screaming at the top of your lungs that you’re a Sorceress.”

“Keeping a low profile for safety isn’t the same thing as a conspiracy,” Tricia replied. “That applies to the entire world, Shadow and Illuminated alike.”

“I know, and I’m not saying we’re the same as the people I think are involved in this,” Lyssa said. “But I’m feeling a conspiracy here. I know it.”

Tricia shook her head. “Listen to yourself, honey. You suspect. That’s not the same thing as knowing.”

“I’m trusting my gut. As a Torch, I’ve spent a lot of time hunting down people who are screwing over other people.”

Tricia looked disappointed. “And that’s biased you to look for conspiracy and duplicity where there may be none.” She held up a hand. “I believe you about the picture, and I don’t know what to make of it, but that one picture from three years ago doesn’t justify everything else you’ve said.”

“There was no reason for Allard to have those pictures,” Lyssa said. “He was dying, and I think he wanted to take down some other people with him.” She shrugged. “He was a piece of garbage, so I have to think the people he’s trying to take down with him are worse.”

“It’s not impossible.” Tricia looked down. “But there’s one thing I question in all of this.”

“I refuse to believe Chris is dead now,” Lyssa snapped. “Nothing you can say will change my mind.”

Tricia said, “I won’t try to persuade you, other than to note that even if everything else you’ve said is true, three years is a long time.”

Lyssa looked away. “I need to look anyway. On the off-chance I’m wrong, I at least need to find out what happened.”

“Okay.” Tricia nodded. “That makes sense, but there’s something else bothering me that relates to Chris.”

“What?”

Tricia took a deep breath and looked up at Lyssa. “Theodora could be scheming. She probably is. I’ve rarely met an Elder who isn’t scheming on some level. And yes, Tristan St. James might be hunting someone or involved himself in a conspiracy. None of that is impossible or difficult to imagine, but your brother adored you.”

“Huh?” Lyssa’s face scrunched in confusion. “Sure, but what’s that have to do with anything? If he was an asshole, I probably wouldn’t have spent so much time looking for him.”

“It goes back to the same thing, honey. Why wouldn’t he contact you? Why wouldn’t he let you know he was still alive all those years? I know I’ve said this before, but it’s more important than ever with what you’re saying about his regalia.”

Lyssa licked her lips. Tricia was right. That dangerous thought had tormented her for fifteen years, but the recent evidence had intensified her pain. Stubbornness wasn’t a substitute for evidence.

“He has to have a good reason,” she insisted. “I know he has a good reason.”

Lyssa told herself that her experience pointed that way, but she knew Tricia was right. She was jumping to the conclusion she wanted and ignoring the other possibilities. She didn’t know what else to do.

“What reason could be so important that he’d leave you in such pain?” Tricia asked. “Half the Society knows you’re still looking for him, which means he would know. It might not have been him in the picture. It could have been an illusion or someone who changed their face. Have you ever considered that possibility?”

“Why would they change their face to match Chris’?” Lyssa asked, rather than acknowledging she’d barely considered it. “And say you’re right. Say there’s some Sorcerer out there trying to look like my brother. If that’s true, I need to look into that and find out why. They’re idiots if they think they can hide by pretending to be him. And if they’ve got my hopes up after all these years, I’m going to show them why they shouldn’t have dared do that.”

“But you don’t believe it was a spell.” Tricia shook her head. “You’re convinced it’s him.”

“That makes more sense than someone pretending to be a dead man twelve years after