Free Burning in a Memory by Constance Sharper Page B

out a grunt of defeat, but clarified. “Talk quickly, I’m very tired.”
                  He understood the unspoken point immediately. He lowered his voice with the next sentence, and explained his call without questions.
                  “I did more research into the mage. You have to get away from him. If you haven’t found him yet, stop looking. This guy is dangerous! I’ve never heard of anyone like it!”
                  She hummed quietly. He wasn’t telling her anything that she didn’t already know.
    “Yes, of course, I’ll call you back some other time. I’m fine, I swear,” she said out loud.
    Bradley grumped.
                  “I’m not kidding. Adelaide, this mage is notorious sixteen states over. And shades everywhere want him dead. You’re lucky you can’t talk, or you’d be filling me in on your dumb plan long enough for me to talk you out of it. Anyway, after looking him up, I found his location. But it wasn’t easy. He’s not exactly registered in a town, and I suspect that he hasn’t lived in a city in a few months. He’s in a hospital, outside of Denver, Colorado.”
                  “What?” she blurted before she could stop herself. She double checked the Nokia’s volume and clicked it down to the lowest setting. The walls might have been thin, but mages didn’t have super hearing either. She just had to control her own speech pattern and reaction, and she knew that. She needed to know more now.
                  “Yea, that’s the only thing I could find. And I don’t think he’s admitted there, just visiting on an outpatient basis. And I’m not sure what his diagnosis could be. It could be a cold, or something more serious.  And then I found his coven. Adam Colton being part of it, and they are residing in Denver, Colorado. I’m sure they have contact, and I’m sure Leon won’t go far without them.”
                  “I…okay…” Blood pounded too loudly in her ears to think of a better way to end it.
                  “Please call me back when you can, Adelaide. I’m scared for you. And I’m really, really scared of what this Leon Colton can do.”
                  “I’ll be okay. I love you, I’ll talk to you later,” she said and ended the call before he could say another word. She dropped the Nokia on the bed and leaned back onto the mattress with way too much to absorb.
                  If Bradley was right and Leon was in a hospital, it could mean anything. It would explain his absence from the house, but it didn’t explain why Adam hardly mentioned him. Her mind whirled with possibilities for the rest of the night.              

    Eight
                  Adelaide awoke from her twilight sleep feeling painfully sore. She sat upright and blinked furiously to clear her vision. Through the shrouds of darkness in the room, she still could make out enough distinctive details to recognize the place and remember the night before. She wasn’t sure if it was overconfidence with her plan that allowed her to sleep or sheer exhaustion, but she felt awake and uncomfortable now.
    She pushed the tangled comforter off of her and onto the ground, shook off the last of the sleep, and tuned into the sounds of the house. She could hear faint footsteps and soft voices. The front door opened and shut a few times. Crawling from the bed, she snuck toward the window. The faint hint of orange sun mixed with the streetlights, but did little to illuminate the driveway. When she saw nothing, she turned instead to the dresser mirror.
    If it was already around dawn, it wouldn’t be long until Adam came to awaken her. Her wet curls had turned to wavy locks overnight and she brushed through them with her fingers. She smeared her foundation and cleaned up any running eyeliner. Lastly, she hurried to change back into her old clothes. The mud had set