"i see."

seph needed to find a way to talk to the wizard, to ask questions in private. this was likely to be someone who could lead him to the dragon. "are you going to be staying in trinity long, mr. hastings?" seph asked, hoping for a yes.

hastings shook his head. "only a few days, i'm afraid. and a few days in trinity is never enough." he paused. "where do you come from, seph?" the wizard had a trace of accent, as if he were british, or had learned english overseas.

"i was born in canada," seph replied. "but i moved around a lot."

becka looked at her watch. "oh my, i'm sorry, leander. i need to be down at school in half an hour. jack should be home soon, though, and i hope you'll stay for supper. will you and seph be okay for a little while?" she seemed flustered, her face rosier than could be accounted for by the heat.

"i'm fine on my own, becka, you know that. it's my fault for dropping in. i'll stay for supper, if you'll have me, but i'm sure seph has other things to do besides entertaining me. i can do some reading." he rested his hand on a stack of books on the table.

"oh, it's no problem, really," seph said hastily.

becka gathered up her laptop and papers, kissed seph on top of his head, and then she was gone, banging the screen door behind her.

hastings looked after her for a moment and then turned his attention to seph. he looked like someone who had forgotten something important and was trying to remember.

"so you came here with linda?"

seph set his tea on the table and settled into the chair across from hastings. he decided to answer the next three questions all at once, before they were asked. "she's my guardian. i'm told my parents are dead. and i don't know where i'm from. not really."

hastings looked surprised. "linda never-"

"i know, she never mentioned me," seph cut in. "i only met her a few weeks ago. but she's been ... great. so's everyone else here in trinity."

"who were your parents?" hastings asked, leaning back in his chair. an unusual ring on his right hand caught the light as he did so.

seph hesitated, unsure whether to pass along the lie. "i never really knew much about them. i was raised by a foster mother. a sorcerer," he added.

"perhaps your foster mother would tell you about them, if you asked." his meaning was clear. no sorcerer could resist a wizard asking questions.

"she's gone now, too," he said. there is something deadly about this man, seph thought. in the world of wizards, it was sometimes difficult to tell the good guys from the bad.

seph decided it was time to ask a few questions before they were interrupted. he leaned forward. "jack told me you taught him how to fight."

hastings nodded. "i did."

"can you teach me, too?"

"jack is a warrior. that's his gift. you're a wizard. you're not allowed to fight under the rules."

"but not everybody plays by the rules, do they?" seph said quietly.

hastings picked up his beer and drained it. "why do you want to learn to fight?" he asked, rolling the bottle between his hands.

"i have enemies."

"who?"

"gregory leicester," seph said, watching hastings for any reaction to the name. there was none, not even a flicker, though the wizard paused a moment before he spoke again.

"what do you have against gregory leicester?" he asked, as if they were talking about the weather.

"he murdered two of my friends."

hastings didn't seem surprised by this news. "i'm sorry to hear that," he said. "were they wizards?"

"one was a wizard. one was anaweir."

"can you prove that he killed them?"

seph thought about it. "probably not."

hastings sighed and ran a hand through his hair, leaving it more tumbled than before. "does dr. leicester know you are gunning for him?"

he's making fun of me, seph thought, although there was no trace of humor in hastings's voice or manner. "i told him i'd kill him," seph admitted.

hastings shook his head and leaned forward. "let me give you some advice, seph. if you really want to kill a man, don't tell him what you're about. and don't tell everyone else, either. it sounds too much like you are trying to convince yourself." he smiled, and it was not unkind. "for all you know, gregory leicester and i are old friends," he said.

"but you're not," seph said. "are you?"

"we're not," hastings agreed, without stopping to think about it. "but i know him well enough to suggest you reconsider tangling with him."

"it's not my choice." seph moved on to his primary question. "do you know where i can find the dragon?" he asked.

"the dragon?"

"the leader of the wizard faction opposing gregory leicester. leicester is in league with someone named claude d'orsay."

"and how do you know all this?" seph realized suddenly that he was still the one who was answering most of the questions. and despite spending the day at the beach, he was already sticky with sweat again, while hastings appeared cool and relaxed. how does he do that?

"i was at a school called the havens all last year, up until june," seph said, irritated. "the friends he killed were students there. leicester was the headmaster. so do you know the dragon or not?"

now hastings studied him with more interest than before. "i've heard of the dragon, of course, although i'm new to the wizard council. the dragon's not actually on the council. he keeps his identity hidden, but has considerable influence. why do you ask?"

"i want to find him. i have some information that could help him." seph meant to make jason's mission his own. only, he was even younger than jason, as hastings immediately pointed out.

"you're too young to get involved in wizard politics. it's not a game for children. i already have the reputation of being careless with the lives of children," hastings added, rubbing his chin.

"i'm not a child," seph said hotly.

"i'm sure you are not. not after a year at the havens." hastings was about to say more, when there was a choking sound, like a gasp, from the doorway, and seph realized they were no longer alone. they both looked up to see linda downey standing there.

"lee! what are you doing here?" she demanded. she was looking from seph to hastings and back again.

hastings rose easily to his feet. "it's good to see you too, linda." he stepped forward, extending both hands, but she stepped back, so he let them drop after a moment. he towered over the enchanter, and the air shimmered between them like two weather fronts meeting. seph filed the information away.

"i hadn't heard you were coming," linda said finally. "what a surprise." her voice was flat.

hastings nodded. "i didn't know you would be here, either. i showed up unannounced, but becka was kind enough to invite me to dinner. i was just getting to know seph, here."

"i thought you were at the beach," she said to seph, in a tone that made him wish he were.

"i came back early," he explained hastily. "jack should be home pretty soon." as he spoke, they heard someone at the back door.

"seph? you hiding out in here? i have five messages for you." jack was laughing as he came onto the porch. he stopped short when he saw hastings. "mr. hastings! i didn't realize you were here. i would have come home sooner." this was one wizard he seemed pleased to see. "does mom know you're here?"

"i already saw her," hastings said. "i brought her some old books from the uk that i thought she might enjoy."

seph looked from jack to hastings to linda downey. he was already sure that dinner would be interesting.

dinner was interesting. becka put salmon into the smoker and there were grilled vegetables, warm bread from the bakery, and fresh sweet corn. she had bought raspberries and whipping cream, so seph made crepes for dessert.

aside from the food, dinner was a feast of secrets. and all of them revolved around leander hastings. linda was brooding about something and had little to say to anyone. seph realized quickly that jack and hastings had a history becka knew nothing about. she and hastings got into a spirited discussion about celtic archaeology that lasted through most of the meal. yet becka seemed tentative, unsure of herself where the wizard was concerned. and seph noticed hastings looking at him intently several times.

if he was hoping for more private time with hastings after dinner, he was disappointed. the adults sat on the porch, talking and drinking wine until late. finally, hastings thanked becka for hosting him and said goodbye to jack and seph. when he came to linda, he took both her hands firmly and lifted her to her feet. "can you walk me out, linda?" it was more a command than a request. seph wondered what the wizard was up to. maybe he was going to tell linda about seph's plans to find the dragon.

he felt disappointed. he was convinced that hastings knew where to find the dragon, but obviously he wasn't going to share that information with seph.

the air outside was soft with the exhalation of the lake. when linda and hastings reached hastings's car, he opened the passenger-side door. "get in," he said, and walked around to the other side without waiting for a response.

fine, she thought. it would give her a chance to speak her mind to hastings. she got in.

hastings climbed in the driver's side, but he didn't put the key into the ignition. "i want to talk to you about the boy," he said.

"if you mean seph, i have something to say to you, too." she looked him in the eyes. "stay away from him, leander. don't get him involved in any of your schemes. even if he wants to be. he's already been hurt, and i don't want to see him hurt any more."