“Why Swedish?” Cameron questioned, head cocked.
“Second major language in Finland,” Baldewin explained, shrugging a shoulder. “My Finnish is rusty, but either way, I should be able to communicate with him.”
“You’re probably the best to go.” Alric gave a firm nod, pleased with his own decision. “Alright, request granted. But not alone. I don’t want to send anyone out alone right now. Who do you wish to go with you? Sasha?”
Cassie squawked in protest and dismay. “Nooooo! Alric, favorite brother-in-law, I thought we were friends! Why would you try to take my snuggle bunny away from me like that?”
Alric rolled his eyes at her.
Lifting a hand, Warin volunteered, “Why don’t I go? I know enough Swedish to get by, and I wouldn’t mind the chance to stretch my wings some.”
Baldewin nodded in support. Back in the war, Warin had been one of their more intelligent, accomplished fighters, and the man’s usually polite manner often charmed people. On a short list of people to take with him on a meet-and-greet in possibly dangerous territory, Warin definitely featured.
Alric looked between the two of them, gauging this. “Fine. Can the two of you leave today? The expense reports can wait. I don’t want the mage to disappear on us now that we know his location. It seems he’s in a transitory state.”
Baldewin spoke while looking at Warin’s face to see what the man thought of the idea. “I think we can get all of the information from Cassie, pack, and be out by this afternoon. It’ll mean a night landing, but that’ll make it easier for us to shift and walk into the city.”
Warin nodded in support. “I can finish my meeting here quickly and be ready to go soon.”
Cassie patted Baldewin on the arm. “Then follow me, big guy. I can show you his picture, send stuff over to your phone so you’ve got an address for him.”
He followed her out of the room with Cameron calling after him, “Keep us updated!”
“Of course!” Baldewin assured him.
Cassie, never meeting a silence she couldn’t cheerfully destroy, chattered as the ears on her bunny slippers flopped with each step. “Just an FYI, he’s a hottie. Not that I would know what to do with a guy, but still, he’s really cute. He also looks as if life fucked him over several times and forgot to use lube.”
He didn’t doubt her, but this description did worry him. “Why do you say that?”
“It was more his work history. And his smile looked a little strained in the picture, like he was trying to put a good face on things and couldn’t quite manage it. But mainly the work history.” She took a right at the next hallway, going up to the set of rooms she shared with her wife Sasha or, as Cassie liked to refer to it, her evil lair. “He’s worked a lot of odd jobs, temporary things that never seemed to last more than six months. And all in this small town that’s waaaaay north in Finland. Like, right smack on the border.”
“Just how much did you look into his history before coming to see us?”
“Probably dug around for a good hour,” she admitted frankly. “I expected more questions than I got, really. And I wanted to see where he was from, if he had a clan. I saw no sign of a clan. There’s likely a lot I’m missing, but the gist I get is that he’s thirty-five, single, has no formal education past high school, and his work history is all dead-end jobs. He moved to Helsinki, like, three days ago, hence why my seeking spell picked up on him.”
Because he was within range of it. But probably just barely, as the seeking spells didn’t have much distance to them. Having lived in northern Finland, he would have been undetectable to them for most of his life.
“God, why couldn’t I have been casting a seeking spell three days ago? We would have found him that much sooner!” she continued, her hands balled into fists at her sides.
“I’m amazed you could put a name to him.”
“Yeah, that took some ingenuity. Turns out my computer skills come in handy, even as a mage.” A cheeky grin lifted the corners of her mouth. With a spring in her step, she opened the door and led him inside.
All castle suites had a sitting room attached to a bedroom at the very least. The more established suites had four rooms, including bathroom, bedroom, sitting room and an extra room for the hoards.
Cassie had taken the sitting room and turned it partially into a computer room. She had a three-monitor array over a glass desk and a massive chair in front of it that she promptly curled up in, her legs crossed. Despite the obvious dedication to technology, there were still hints of Sasha in the room, like the giant pile of oversized cushions covered in satiny cloth, as well as a couple of books. It looked as if the dragon had created a place to relax while also keeping an eye on her precious mage as she worked.
Baldewin leaned over her shoulder as she brought up different screens, flipping through tabs. “So, here’s our guy.”
The screens displayed a basic profile of picture, name, address, and a brief work history. It was a job application site, one unfamiliar to him and he assumed popular in Finland.
Nestori Taavi did indeed look handsome. His skin was pale, barely a hint of color, and he had dark hair that was long on top with buzzed sides. Chiseled features, strong jaw, and eyes so lightly grey they looked haunting. He was sure he’d never forget those eyes; it was as if they could see right through him.
Cassie’s assessment of him was right. He did look hot. His dragon clanmates would take one look at him and gravitate like magnets to steel.
“You likey,” Cassie crooned and then laughed.
“He is handsome,” Baldewin admitted. “Can you send his picture to my phone, too?”
“So you can stare at it some more?”
Incorrigible, this woman. Baldewin shook his head and rolled his eyes. “No, so I can find him. You mentioned he wasn’t staying in a good motel?”
“I mean, Google Earth didn’t give me a good impression of it.” Cassie switched tabs again and showed it to him with a gesture toward the screen.
Baldewin took it in with a growing frown. The building looked barely acceptable—white on white with a grey roof in a style from many decades ago, with trim that seemed warped by sun and time. There was a vacancy light in the window, as well as rates listed off on a white sign below it, a clear indication that this was a cheaper motel. Frankly, it looked more like a converted barracks building than a motel to him.
“Not a great place to stay for long. He’s got a room there. You see why I think he’s not doing so well.”
“Yeah, it doesn’t look it,” Baldewin agreed slowly. He straightened, already forming a game plan in his mind. “I’ll need to go pack a few things. This might take some days to do.”
“Go for it. I’ll start sending you and Warin all the information I’ve got.”
“Danke, Cassie.” He left, putting together a mental list of what to pack. Thinking of it, he texted Warin to ask if they got travel expenses. The reply quickly came back yes, and Warin was on it. Not that Baldewin was surprised. Alric would spare no expense to bring a new mage into the clan, to make sure every single precious mage was safe.
News spread quickly around the castle that another mage had been found. Baldewin was stopped several times on the way to his room by various people asking for confirmation and whether he knew anything. He patiently repeated the news that they’d found a mage, a man in Helsinki. He was going with Warin to meet him. Yes, today.