"They do look like Keelan," Anne said softly.
"Who is Keelan?" Ellie asked.
Kendrick turned to her. "My younger brother. He is also an unit warrior with the Alpha Unit."
"I heard he isn't well. Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.
Anne shook her head. "It's more magical in nature I'm afraid."
"Meryn calls us her Baby Keelans," Neil volunteered.
Kendrick's mouth twitched. "That woman never ceases to surprise me, and that is saying something." He ruffled Nigel's hair playfully. "These two would follow me around Storm Keep like ducklings. I was always afraid I'd turn too quickly and step on them."
Nigel soaked up the attention. It was clear to see the twins hero-worshiped Kendrick. "Thanks to you, we passed our warrior exams."
Kendrick shrugged. "You would have passed without my help; you're both very smart." Neil's chest puffed out, and he elbowed his twin.
Ellie smiled at Neil. "I wanted to thank you for all you've done to help the children. From making our stones to creating the hospital, I know it couldn't have been easy."
Both witches ducked their heads at her praise. "We just did what we could," Nigel responded.
"What stones?" Kendrick asked.
Ellie fished hers out and passed it to him. "These allow us to float up and down the tunnel without having to wait for an escort."
Kendrick's eyebrows rose, and he turned to the twins. "You two did this?"
They nodded. "The shifter warriors have a hard time getting around the city so we wanted to help. They are draining to make though," Neil answered.
"Very impressive, boys. Could you show me how to create these later? I would like to make some for Anne, Rheia, Colton, and Aiden."
Their eyes rounded. "Us show you something?" Nigel whispered.
Kendrick passed the stone back to Ellie. "Contrary to rumors, I don't know everything about magic...yet." He winked.
"We could show you after we visit the lab," Neil suggested.
Kendrick nodded. "Sounds good."
After an extremely satisfying breakfast, they made their way back down to Level One and headed to the lab. To her surprise, Kendrick used his hand to open the door. He looked over his shoulder and smiled. "I had Broderick add me last night."
Ellie pulled out the samples she had of Clara's blood and stepped back as Rheia slowly began going through the samples. Ellie waited patiently for her to examine them all. Ellie had seen something on the slides she couldn't explain. Every time she returned for a second or even third look, she felt like she was trying to convince herself something was there.
Chewing on her thumb, she watched Rheia for any type of reaction. When the other doctor started to frown, Ellie felt a surge of excitement. Rheia turned to Kendrick. "Can you take a look?" she asked.
Kendrick looked between her and Ellie. Quietly, he made his way to the stool Rheia had been using. Being tall enough to simply look down into the eyepiece, he pushed it aside. He looked for a solid minute, then raised his head. "Nigel, Neil come here." The twins practically snapped to attention and rushed to his side.
"Nigel stand on my left, Neil on my right. Place your dominant hand on my arm and release your power slowly." Kendrick waited until the twins had placed a hand on either arm before peering into the microscope once more.
This time, he only needed a few seconds before he stepped back, cursing furiously under his breath. The twins moved as the older witch began to pace the floor between them. He stopped suddenly and spun on his heel to look at her. "You knew?"
Ellie shook her head. "I guessed. Before I heard you talking about shadows last night, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, the virus wasn't behaving normally. It's why I wanted Rheia, then you to come down and look. I wasn't sure of what I was seeing."
Grant wrapped and arm around her waist. "What? What did you see?"
Kendrick growled fierce enough to make any shifter proud. He waved his hand, and the entire room seemed to shrink for a moment before her ears popped. He had soundproofed the room. "There's magic in the virus. It's so faint, barely a glimmer, but it's there. Even I almost missed it. If I hadn't had the twins running equal amounts of earth magic through me to magnify my own gift, I might have second-guessed my eyes as well." The look he gave Ellie was one of admiration. "Very well done, doctor."
Anne gasped and collapsed into an empty chair. "It was deliberate?"
Ellie clutched at her chest. "Gods why?"
Grant snarled. "When I find out who did this, I will rip out their throat!"
Kendrick held up his hand. "We don't know for sure, so let's remain calm." He turned to the twins. "I will need your help." He reached for his pouch and began pulling out equipment.