Frozen Desires (Asylums for Magical Threats 2)

Cam scanned the crowd and counted two male blond heads further down the aisle where she was standing. One was tall enough to be Richard, but as she caught a glimpse of his face, she dismissed him. She was about to check the time again when a familiar voice said behind her, “Follow my lead, and I’ll guide you to where we need to go. Don’t make a fuss.”

Richard Ekstrom had arrived.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Gio had put off calling his father for as long as possible. He knew if he waited any longer, James Sinclair would get suspicious.

So, even though he hadn’t been as successful with questioning Dr. Evans as he’d liked, Gio pressed the call button on his tablet screen in his room and waited for his father to answer.

After three rings, his father’s face appeared. “Hello, Giovanni.”

Gio nodded. “Father.”

“So tell me what you’ve discovered about the elemental earth user.”

“They keep her constantly sedated, so I can’t accurately gauge how her abilities have changed. They’re working on creating a safe room to test her limits, but it’s still weeks from completion.”

“Why does she require a safe room?”

“The researchers here think she can manipulate elemental earth without putting her hands to the north, and they’re concerned that the usual dampers won’t work.”

Sinclair leaned back in his chair. “And you mentioned another accidental discovery in your email?”

“Yes. You’ve been curious about how elemental magic is changing, but I think there’s more to it. A man here suddenly gained the ability to heal with a touch.”

“What did you find out from him?”

“It took some convincing, but the man with the healing ability—a researcher here named Evans—thinks the ability is related to genetics. Much like how we don’t test for certain diseases until the symptoms show up. Evans believes there are others, and they should be found and quarantined.”

“But the condition is genetic, which means it shouldn’t be contagious.”

“Yes, but while the man here has the ability to heal—which isn’t something to be overly bothered about—he reckons there are other abilities that could be dangerous.”

“Is there a way to test for these anomalies?”

“Evans was less than forthcoming, but I believe so.”

“Has the staff there released much information about this man with a healing touch?”

Gio shook his head. “No. The staff are loyal to Evans. I could barely get them to talk to me.”

His father paused a second before he said, “If I were to put this project into your charge, what would you do?”

Giovanni sat up a little straighter. He’d given this a lot of thought, in case he was asked this question. “I’d create a section in one of the AMT research facilities specifically for studying and pinpointing the cause of these changes. I’ve learned firsthand how the various AMT research facilities don’t communicate with each other. But if everyone’s together, they can easily exchange information.”

“Did you have a location in mind?”

“Yes. There’s a research facility not far from here, on mainland China. It’s not an AMT compound, but it’s pretty well isolated, and I’d like to check out the facilities to see if they could accommodate a new project.”

“Then do it. If you run into any complications with regard to access, let me know and I’ll sort it out.” Giovanni nodded and Sinclair continued. “I’m going to send Ramirez to oversee the elemental earth user and the new healer in your absence.”

“May I make a suggestion?” Sinclair waved his hand and Giovanni said, “I’d like to take Evans with me. He’s started to open up t

o me, and bringing in a new person like Ramirez would be counterproductive with him.”

He knew his father usually didn’t like being questioned, but Giovanni was careful to only question him when he had a good reason.

He resisted letting out a breath when his father finally replied. “Explain.”