Smoke and Mirrors - 45

“Jared knows what you chose to tell him Aidan,” Kenton growled angrily. “You are part of the lies, the machinations dreamt up by the court in their attempt to get the wand and use it to destroy the humans. I will not allow that to happen. I have my spies in the court still; I know what goes on there.”

Aidan jumped to his feet, striding over to stand angrily in front of Kenton. “Whoever your ‘spies’ are they are lying to you. If you don’t believe me use a truth spell.”

Kenton sneered. “It would have no effect and you know it. You can counteract one easily, as powerful as you are.” Kenton looked past him to Mor. “I’m sorry. If you were not aligned with him I might have trusted you and your intentions, but there is no way you can prove to me that it is safe for me to let you study the wand, even from a distance.” With another angry look at Aidan, Kenton pointed to the door. “Leave now, all of you.”

With Aidan in the lead they did. As soon as the door closed behind them Aidan turned to face his companions. “It not true.”

“Then prove it,” Mor said tersely.

“How can I? How do you fight lies when you don’t know who is perpetrating them or why?”

“By searching for the truth,” Jared told him in a quiet voice. “And we can’t do that standing here.”

“Do we trust Kenton enough to think he has secreted the wand in a safe place, safer than it was before?” Daniel asked.

“Do we have a choice?” Aidan replied. “He certainly seems concerned that it will fall into the elven court’s hands. What I don’t understand is…”

“Aidan, let’s discuss this at our place, not out here where anyone who might want to can hear us.”

“No, we’ll go to my home,” Mor told them in a voice that brooked no argument. “Between Aidan and myself we can set the wards so that no one can penetrate them while we talk.”

“You trust me to help with that after what Baesysti  said?” Aidan asked in surprise.

She chuckled. “About as far as I can throw you. However something about this whole thing stinks and I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt for the moment.” As she spoke she took his hand and Jared’s. Jared put his arm around Daniel’s waist and with a few murmured words from Mor they vanished.