Free The Inquisitor's Mark by Dianne K. Salerni

hand. Melinda, his tutor in all things magical, had listed names of Transitioners and Kin when he was having trouble keeping them straight.
    Mrs. Crandall surveyed the list and sniffed. “Melinda left out a few important people.” Jax wondered if she was talking about herself.
    Then he grunted “Huh,” as he spotted Llyr listed under Kin adversaries. He hadn’t realized how that namewas pronounced. Melinda had told him those people were imprisoned in the eighth day—and also imprisoned inside the eighth day.
    â€œWhat did this Kin woman say about the Llyrs?” Mrs. Crandall asked.
    â€œSomething about an oath,” Jax said. “Her eyes went all funny when she talked to me, and afterward I don’t think she remembered what she said.”
    That seemed to disturb Mrs. Crandall. She picked up a cell phone from an end table. “I’ll text Deidre to see if she’s heard of any unusual activity at the Oeth-Anoeth fortress. Thank heavens she’s still willing to be our eyes and ears.”
    â€œI guess it’s a good thing Deidre didn’t really care about marrying Riley.”
    Mrs. Crandall looked up from the phone, startled. “Oh, Jax,” she said. “I think she cared very much.” Then she took her basket and headed for the laundry machine while Jax wondered why Deidre was still helping them if Riley had hurt her feelings.
    Girls don’t make any sense, he decided, turning back to the computer to read the descriptions of the so-called Welsh gods who apparently represented specific and very real Kin families. Like Transitioner families, each seemed to have a specialized talent for magic. Emrys was called a wizard, although Jax knew Evangeline preferred the term spell caster. Merlin Emrys was named as if he’d been theonly one, but Jax had been told that Merlin was one of many Emrys leaders. Taliesin was a bard, and that matched what Evangeline said about their family. Wylit was a prophet, although it didn’t mention him also being a complete whack job. Maybe that only applied to the Wylit Jax had had the misfortune to meet.
    Arawen was supposed to be lord of the dead, and Llyr was the name of a weather god.
    Then Jax froze, information buzzing in his head. Imprisoned inside the eighth day. Under lock and key very far away. Unusual activity at the Oeth-Anoeth fortress. The words of the Kin woman fell into his brain like a puzzle piece finally snapping into its correct spot. The phrase she’d whispered to Jax had been: Oeth-Anoeth falls to Llyr today.
    â€œWhatcha looking at?”
    Jax jumped out of his chair. Thomas Donovan stepped backward, hanging on to a bowl of cereal.
    â€œWhere’d you come from?” Jax yelped.
    â€œThe kitchen,” said Thomas around a mouthful of Cap’n Crunch. “Duh.”
    â€œThere’s no outside door to the kitchen! What’d you do, climb in a window?”
    Thomas shrugged unapologetically, as if that was a perfectly normal way to enter someone’s house. Probably for him, it was.
    Jax had begun to hope he wasn’t going to see the Donovans at all. After Mr. Crandall’s phone call onThursday, they’d gone straight to Vermont and the Carroways’ to start their search for Addie. But apparently they’d decided to come in person to deliver a report. Jax heard the front door open, and Michael Donovan and Mr. Crandall walked into the living room with Tegan and A.J. trailing behind.
    â€œYou didn’t tell me the trail was six weeks old, Crandall. And now you say she’s warded ? What’re we supposed to do with that? From outside the house, I can’t even smell the Emrys you’ve got living here , thanks to those things.” Michael pointed to the wards.
    â€œAre you telling me you’ve come up with nothing?” Mr. Crandall asked.
    â€œThere’s the scent of Emrys at that house and on the Carroways themselves, but otherwise, nothing,”