Extending Branches: A Nature Wizard Adventure (Magic of Nasci Book 9) by DM Fike

Author:DM Fike [Fike, DM]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Avalon Labs LLC
Published: 2023-10-03T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 13

THE TREK TO Vincent’s apartment required several wisp channel transfers, but fortunately, I didn’t run into any more snowstorms. I took that as a good sign when I finally arrived at Vincent’s apartment a half hour later.

I wasn’t, however, so thrilled to see that Vincent’s silver Subaru wasn’t in the parking lot.

I ran up the outside stairwell two steps at a time to Vincent’s door. I honestly didn’t expect anyone to answer when I knocked, which is why I’d already started walking away when the door swung open.

“Ina?” Oscar called after me.

I flipped back around. “You’re here?”

“Well, yeah. You told me to stay here.”

I pointed over the railing at the blacktop below. “I told both of you to stay here. Where’s Vincent?”

Oscar’s shoulders heaved, and he ducked back into the apartment. “It’s too cold out there. Come inside so I can explain.”

I trotted inside after him and was immediately hit with a wall of warmth. Oscar had cranked up the heat to an uncomfortable level. I pulled off my hoodie so I wouldn’t sweat to death.

“You still feeling like junk?”

“Yeah.” He plopped down on the futon, sniffling. “I’ve got bad chills like I have the flu. Can’t shake them.”

As bad as I felt for him, I wasn’t going to let him off the hook. “And what about Vincent? Isn’t he sick too?”

Oscar pulled a crocheted blanket over him. “He’s not 100%, but he’s a lot better off than me. That’s why he went by himself. I told him I wanted to go but—”

“Oscar,” I interrupted, exasperated. “Where did he go?”

Oscar glanced up at me as if I had asked the stupidest question imaginable. “To Sunday lunch at Tita’s, of course.”

I stifled the urge to release a string of curse words. Because I didn’t live by a normal calendar, I often forgot what day of the week it was. It shouldn’t have mattered, though. Vincent should have realized we had more important things to worry about than some family tradition.

The clock on the wall said it was almost 4 p.m. “Isn’t lunch over?”

“Some people will stay over until supper,” Oscar said. “And he went because the others kept bothering us to come. It’s unusual for one of us to be absent, let alone both of us.”

“Why not tell them you’re sick?”

“Because then they’d send someone to come check on us. Vincent figured it would be better not to have them traveling all over Florence with that freaky monster running around. Plus, Tita lives on the edge of the forest. Vincent felt someone should keep watch over his family, all things considered.”

Vincent wasn’t wrong, especially now that we knew that Skullhead had a thing for sucking innate pith.

Still, I couldn’t quash my irritation. “He could have called me before he decided all this.”

“He tried to, but it went straight to voicemail.”

“I haven’t received any—” A ping interrupted my indignation. I turned my hoodie over until I found my phone and saw a brand-new voice message from Vincent, timestamped a little over an hour ago.

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