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They watched a little more of the film as a question settled onto Adam’s shoulders.

“Do elves have religion? I’ve never heard any of you mention it.”

Dautre cocked his head to the side.

“I do not know if the concept is the same for us. We do not have gods, but we have powers, forces we respect and revere. Our last king was one such being.”

“You worshipped him?”

“I did not, but many did, or they at least revered him with something close to deification.”

“I don’t get it.”

Silver’s father had been terrible to his son, commanding him to deny what he wanted. When the old king threatened to destroy the world, to wipe out humanity, his only son had been forced to gun him down.

“While I do not share it, I can understand the inclination,” Dautre said. “He was one of the primordial powers, ancient, even among immortals. His shadow loomed across our realms.”

“What about Silver?” Adam asked quietly, almost too low for even Dautre to hear him over the movie they were now completely ignoring. “How is he doing?”

The idea that someone was lighting candles to the young king or asking him for some kind of blessing was more than a little disconcerting, and not just because Adam had seen the guy naked.

But it didn’t matter who it was, he didn’t like cult figures or hero worship. His last dealing with a cult had left him scarred and jumping at shadows. No good could come from trying to elevate someone to godhood.

Another lengthy pause. On the screen, the con man main character who’d had stolen a woman’s act was rising to heights of success, which meant he was likely headed for a tragic fall, at least if this film followed the usual pattern.

“The current king does not command the same respect,” Dautre said. “Perhaps because he is a generation removed from that time.”

The elves were traditionalists by nature. Adam hadn’t considered that there might be a religious component to their attitude. If they believed that Silver’s father had been some kind of a god, then his death at the hands of his son would be a crime they’d never forgive. The Guardians had been busy, dealing with more threats than usual. How many of them were coming from within Silver’s own house?

“Is he safe?” Adam almost didn’t want to know.

“I cannot say.”

Silver was his ex, but also his friend. Adam had a stake in his survival, and not just for personal reasons. Silver was trying to bridge their worlds, to foster better relationships between the mortals and immortals, who too often treated human practitioners as pawns in their schemes. If he went down, it would destabilize everything. It could lead to open war among the immortals, a scramble for power the kind of which hadn’t been seen in Adam’s lifetime.

A conflict like that would spill over to the mortal world, and if not there, then at least the spirit realm. Rogue Community College was there, and Adam had friends at the school. There were also the Lost Ones, the unsheltered mortals unmoored from their place in time who’d chosen Cheesman Park as their campground. And there was North, the half-human son of the Knight of Swords. That gentle boy would not fare well if war came to his door.

Adam had been warned to sit out whatever was coming. He strongly suspected Silver had put him on probation to protect him from a looming threat, but it was hard to feel safe when he had to constantly look over his shoulder and worry about the innocents who might get caught in the crossfire.

“What about you?” Adam asked. “Do you worship Silver?”

“My family is not given to such beliefs, so no,” Dautre scoffed. “But I doubt you wished to speak with me about matters of theology.”

“You’re right. I need your help.”

“May I assume you’re going to insert yourself into the matter at the concert regardless of your current status in the court?”

“You may.”

“Good.”

Dautre didn’t smile when Adam looked at him.

“My brother is the doctor for the people hurt by whatever it was. I want to help them.”

“What do you need?”

“Information, mostly. Some of the people it attacked are alive, but their spirits are missing.”