The obvious choice was to catch him at his motel room, but right now, it was Baldewin’s last choice. If the man was alone and had suffered a rough life already, he didn’t want him to feel trapped or in danger by approaching him in the one place supposed to be his safe haven. He also didn’t want to risk Tori spotting them near his motel unless they had no other choice.
Baldewin rolled his shoulders as they walked through Esplanadi Park. The large, open space cut through the center of the city and was filled with rich greenery, an explosion of colorful flowers, sculptures, and fountains. Even in the middle of the work week, people filled the main thoroughfare and lounged on the soft grass, enjoying the late-morning sun.
It was a peaceful place, a respite from the busy city that buzzed around them. The sidewalks outside the park were wide and peppered heavily with shops and restaurants for all the tourists. Helsinki was a popular stop for cruise ships, sending a steady stream of tourists into the city during the warm summer months.
The park was a pleasant spot to relax and take a break from wandering among the stone buildings, neoclassical columns, and white trim. Much of the architecture had a Russian feel, reminding him of long-ago trips to St. Petersburg. While he enjoyed the hustle and bustle, the green space was a wonderful escape.
And best of all, it was free.
If Nestori was struggling as much as Baldewin suspected, there was a chance he might be drawn to this area. It was a place that brought him close to potential jobs while not making demands on his wallet.
Frowning, Baldewin rolled his shoulders again. A knot from where he’d slept funny tightened next to his right shoulder blade.
The flight from Germany to Finland hadn’t taken too long, and his dragon had been happy to stretch its wings for such a length of time. They’d been lucky that most of the flight had been filled with cloudy skies to use as camouflage.
There had been too many whispers recently that dragons weren’t extinct, and Alric was in no hurry to prove those rumors correct. Their secrecy afforded them protection. Their numbers were too small, and it made Baldewin worry about the few mages that existed. If the world suddenly believed in dragons again, wouldn’t they believe in mages? Would the mages be at risk in a power-hungry world with no dragons to protect them?
Baldewin shuddered at the thought, turning his focus back to his hunt for Nestori Taavi. He would protect all mages, starting with this Nestori, whenever he managed to find him.
Warin ended the call and shoved his mobile phone into his pocket. “Well, Lisette and Cassie say we’re actually in the right area.”
“He’s in Esplanadi Park?”
The dragon nodded, his eyes dancing away from Baldewin to take in the hundred or so people who surrounded them, walking, sitting, and lounging on blankets in the grass. They could do this. The Dragon Festival had been far more crowded when they located Cameron. Of course, at the time, nearly every dragon had rushed out of Burkhard Castle to locate him. Right now, only he and Warin were searching for Nestori on the ground.
“They said they would call again if he leaves the park and give us a new direction to search in. It sounded like they were planning to take a small break and call in some fresh mages to initiate a new seeking spell.”
Baldewin grunted, not surprised in the least. Cassie and Lisette had been working on getting an exact location for Nestori since the sun had peeked above the horizon. They had to be exhausted, even with the help of dragon power to fuel their spells.
“Lisette also offered to come to Finland if we don’t find him within a day or two,” Warin continued.
That thought alone halted Baldewin’s feet, and he jerked around to glare at Warin as if the man beside him had suggested she make the trip, which he could not imagine him doing. “Alric could not have possibly agreed to that.”
A low snort left Warin’s throat, and he smirked. “I don’t believe Lisette has run that suggestion by Alric just yet. And no, I don’t believe for a second he’d allow it without an entire fleet of dragons to protect her.”
“And Dieter.”
Warin laughed. “That grumpy old dragon would never let her travel so far from the castle without him.”
With good reason. Lisette was both the mate to Dieter, a royal advisor to the king, as well as their head mage. She was most experienced in all things magical, and their clan couldn’t risk losing her under any circumstances. She was one of their brilliant, shining lights that brought greatness to the Burkhard Clan. One of its most precious treasures.
If dragons were good at anything, it was protecting those things and people they treasured.
“Then it is critical we find this Nestori Taavi before Lisette decides to lock horns with our king and demand a trip to Finland,” Baldewin murmured, continuing through the park.
“Do you think we will have trouble convincing him he’s a mage like we did Cameron?” Warin asked after a few minutes.
Cameron had known little of mages when he first met Alric and refused to believe that he might be one. Convincing him that dragons existed had been much easier, due to a certain blue dragon flying overhead when Cameron arrived at their castle for a tour. Not the best introduction, but it had been effective all the same.
When it came to Nestori, Baldewin was hoping for a lighter touch. Something about the wariness in the man’s grey eyes, the lines of strain in his handsome face, left Baldewin wanting to shield him from any new shocks and discomfort. He needed to be protected.
“How can we not smell him?” Warin complained.
It was something that worried Baldewin, as well. Mages smelled heavily of magic, the scent of charged air right before a lightning strike. It was the smell of heaven.
Mages had also become the scent of home. Burkhard Castle had always housed them within its walls, and now every carpet, tapestry, banner, wooden beam, and stone in the place was permeated with the scent of magic.
“Maybe the breeze is too strong today. It is blowing his scent out of the park and into the city,” Baldewin offered, not that he particularly believed it.
“I don’t—” Whatever Warin had been about to say was cut off sharply, and Baldewin realized why a heartbeat later.
Magic.
That sharp, beautiful scent of magic on the air.
Their mage. He was close.
“Which way? Which way?” Baldewin demanded, not caring that his usually deep voice might have just jumped a couple octaves higher in his excitement. He spun around where he’d stopped, trying to get a better gauge on which direction the scent had drifted from.
Warin was spinning, too. They were both catching the attention of other people in the park who were obviously wondering what the devil was wrong with them, since they looked around the immediate area as well. Baldewin did his best to ignore them, not caring if they were attracting attention.
“There!” Warin announced, pointing toward a path leading away from the main thoroughfare that cut down the center of the park. “It’s stronger in that direction.”
Warin started to take off at a jog, but Baldewin grabbed his arm, slowing his pace to a brisk walk. “We don’t want to startle him.”
His companion nodded and released a deep breath. “No, you’re right. We’re close. We will find him.”
They hurried down the park path while trying not to look like they were hurrying, scanning the immediate area for any sign of the man in the picture Cassie had provided. Trees crowded the path, stretching their limbs overhead and blocking out more of the sunlight, creating a slightly more private atmosphere.