There we may have remained until the end of time, except some inconsiderate jerk had the audacity to clear his throat, breaking the moment.
We pulled apart, he straightening his tie and me desperately aware of the chilly hospital air filling in around my shirt where he had been. And then I did a double-take. Though Mueller had been the one to break us apart, he wasn’t the cause. Standing about three paces behind Wolverine, his hands clasped behind his back, his face as stony as I had ever seen it, stood the Chisel.
“They’re here,” Mueller growled. “So we need to not be.” He grabbed my arm and dragged me away before my brain turned back on.
“Wha—?”
“Our friends. From the con?”
Nicky looked intrigued. “You went to Comic Con? Did your costume match his?” No, ‘intrigued’ didn’t cover the extent of his look.
I blushed. “Yes. I was—”
“Just leaving,” Mueller finished for me. “We need to get back to the factory. You know, before all hell breaks loose?”
Nicky suddenly realized Mueller’s tone was a lot more serious than he must have expected. “What’s the problem?”
“Nothing for you to worry about,” I said with a smile, trying to reassure him even though all my good feelings were gone again. Short-lived, but oh, they had been good. “I will be back for more of…you know.” I bit my lip.
“This weekend. Picnic?” he asked as Mueller guided me farther down the hall.
“Absolutely!” I called back.
“Not if those wand-stealing bastards have their way,” Mueller growled. On my other side, having fallen into seamless step with us, the Chisel grunted his agreement.
We were halfway across the emergency lane when light flared like oncoming headlights—in the middle of the afternoon. Twenty feet away, Egeus and his squadron of unsmiling, magical Nerd Herders appeared and stood there, blocking traffic.
“Pursuant to the laws of the Folk in general and the Wand, Haberdashery, and Implement Regulation Agency in particular, we are here to remit you into custody, Miss Hargitay. You may relinquish the magical implement that does not belong to you now, but you will still be set before a judge, as laid out in Article 4 of—”
Into my ear, the Chisel whispered, “They have to catch you first.”
“Won’t they be able to just appear wherever I go? They’ve done it so far.” Remit me into custody? The nice way of saying they were here to arrest me. To toss me in the slammer. To incarcerate me in whatever way the magical world preferred.
“Not at high speeds. As good as the Folk are with magic, there are some Mundane inventions we have yet to best.”
I glanced at Mueller. Mueller nodded. As if we had counted, the three of us sprinted as one, a squadron of our own. Mueller unlocked the car remotely so that all we had to do was open the doors and hop in. Since the parking space in front of us was empty, he threw it in gear and roared away before the Chisel and I finished closing our doors.
“Oh, elements,” the Chisel swore. I glanced around the seat as I clicked my belt into place. He was sitting with his elbows lifted high above the sea of junk on the backseat, paralyzed. His face was contorted into such mortified disgust, it was all I could do not to laugh.
“Just shove it aside,” Mueller advised, his eyes locked on the road. To me, he muttered, “For a guy called the Chisel, he sure is prissy.”
“If one believes it is prissy to dislike living in filth and squalor, I am unashamed to say that such a description fits me to a tee.” He used his magic to clear the space around him of debris.
“Hey, don’t go vanishing my stuff.”
The Chisel froze mid-hand-wave, trying to dislodge a beef jerky wrapper from his pant leg. “The refuse?”
“I put it there for a reason.”
“To ward off women and people of good character?”
Mueller two-wheeled it around a corner, throwing both me and the Chisel, who was sitting directly behind me, against our respective doors. When we were back on four solid points of contact with the ground, he growled, “Tessa’s still here, so that can’t be it.”
“Don’t put me in the middle of your measuring war,” I said as I gripped the overhead handle with a white-knuckled hand.
Both men fell silent for about five minutes. After that, Mueller had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a long-haired teenager in a mustang driving like…well, like Mueller. He laid on the horn, but instead of blaring angrily, it gave off a sweet trill of notes that sounded suspiciously like—
“Is that the song from Frozen?” he growled, shooting me a menacing sideways glance.
My eyes widened. “I didn’t do it! I swear.” Unless it happened when I unlocked the doors at the convention… “At least, not on purpose.”
As Mueller threw us around an old yellow convertible, the Chisel said, “You do have a license for the operation of this vehicle, yes?”
Mueller glanced three times in the rearview mirror and said, “More importantly, do they?”
I spun around to look out the back window. Through the haze of mud specks and the glow of the afternoon sun, there was no mistaking the black van tailing us at a speed that shouldn’t be possible with so many people shoved into the back. “That can’t be safe,” I said, as the bronze-glowing guy moved them in and out of traffic lanes with scary precision.
“Anything to do with the Magical Implement Retrieval Squad is generally considered unsafe,” the Chisel replied. “MIRS are notoriously dedicated to their goals. Even for nymphs.”
“Nymphs? Those guys are nature spirits?” They were pretty enough, I supposed, but somehow I didn’t ever picture dryads in sunglasses and black slacks.
“This particular squad, yes. Warm air nymphs, if I’m not mistaken.”
As we left behind the majority of the traffic and broke out onto the less traveled portion of the highway, Mueller gunned the engine. For such an aged piece of equipment, the SUV responded pretty darn well. “So how do we get rid of nymphs?”
“Or just evade them,” I suggested. Violence wasn’t high on my agenda.
“Generally? You don’t. Especially air spirits. They can go anywhere air is, which is something of a requirement for us, as well.”
“So what do I do?” I had lots of other questions for him. Like why he was at the hospital. Why he was helping me. Or maybe just those two. But they would have to wait until we were all stuck in the file room with nowhere to go.
“We’re doing it. Your companion tells me you have something of a safehouse at the factory.”
“Yes, but then what? We can’t all live in there forever.”
He didn’t crack a smile. Hadn’t yet. He merely affixed his stony gaze on my face and said, “You run out the clock.”
“Shit. Everybody hang on!” Mueller spun the wheel.
I turned around just in time to see the unmoving figure of Egeus standing in the middle of the highway, flanked by one of his squad members on either side. They blocked enough of the road that unless Mueller wanted to be guilty of manslaughter, he had to swerve. Which he did with a flail of fingers. Across the other side of the highway, in front of a semi transporting pigs. I had just enough time to smell the animals as we zipped by and to shove my foot into the windshield seam to brace myself, and then we were off the road as the semi blared its mighty horn. The SUV lurched painfully down the recessed shoulder and up the embankment on the other side, carrying us into the trees beyond before Mueller brought us to a halt. There was nowhere else to go. The trees were too dense, the scrub too thick.
“Thanks for not killing us,” I said.
Mueller breathed out, long and steady. “Now what?”
“The factory is east of us.” The Chisel hadn’t even broken a sweat. He did look considerably more pissed off than usual, though. “I suggest we run.”
“Have I mentioned how glad I am that I changed out of my costume?” I sighed at my own attempt at humor. “You two don’t have to come along.”
&n
bsp; Mueller growled. “Don’t be stupid. I’m not leaving you alone.”
The Chisel shook his head. “She has a point.”
“There’s the sharp, hard bastard behind the name.” Mueller glared at the other man with a more significant intensity than usual.
The Chisel ignored him, focusing on me. “There are seven of them and only three of us. I suggest we separate. Even the odds a little.”
“But how will that help? They can sense my magic, or however that works.” I didn’t want to say that the idea of putting them in danger for my sake wasn’t going to happen. The two of them might gang up on me, and then where would I be?
The man in the perfectly tailored suit leaned across the grungy seat to run his thumb over my cheek, much as Nicky had done earlier. He then pressed his thumb into the back of Mueller’s hand before doing the same to his own. A faint gold-purple glow enveloped their hands, just barely visible against the Chisel’s own green aura. “Now they won’t be able to tell the difference. That’s the thing about air—it needs to move and doesn’t much care which way it blows. Now hurry, before they catch up.”
They gave me a head start. I figured the squad would expect me to make a beeline for the factory and the safety of my file room. At least, that’s what I would expect of a fugitive so close to a potential haven. Maybe they didn’t know about the file room, but I didn’t want to risk it. I left behind the car and the two men risking their safety for me, losing myself in the trees.
It took me a whole six minutes to realize I was in the same stretch of forest as the last time I saw the Chisel. When he had saved me from the dragon. Hopefully, the beast was nocturnal. As for whatever lived in these woods, the man-thing that had chased me…
A twig snapped behind me.
I whirled. It wasn’t an animal or a man shaped like a beast. It was one of the female nymphs. “There is no point in resisting, Godmother,” she said, her voice expressionless but still melodic. “Remit peaceably and you will be treated peaceably.”
If only I had better control of my magic. If only I knew how to use it correctly. One way or the other, I would be better off. But I didn’t. So all I had was mundane little me. Besides, I had a feeling if I used Maysie’s wand now, I’d be totally screwed. Goodbye, plausible deniability; hello, eternal dungeon.
Another twig snap. The nymph’s head snapped to the side as she sought the source. I didn’t need magic to tell me she was as jumpy as I was. Unlike her, I didn’t have the advantage of being able to blink in and out of existence. As panic gained momentum in my chest, I put my feet into action. Maybe I could get out in front of what had her spooked. Because that had worked so well the first time… But what other option did I have?
I crashed through the forest like a bulldozer, unheedful of the noise I made as I went. Unlike the first time, I was wearing shoes. Leaves and needles flew out from under my sneakers as I shoved myself up a small rise, evidence of an old creek that had long since faded far underground. The summer heat, already lessened in the shadows of towering pines and close-clustered aspens, seemed to frost over. I thought I could hear wood cracking at the sudden drop in temperature, but that might have been my imagination.
A gust of cold air blasted across my face, bringing with it a low voice with a laugh like a cough. “Come here, little girl…”
I didn’t know if it was talking to me or to the nymph. I didn’t stick around to find out. Five steps was all the farther I got before the guilt hit, slowing my steps. Logically, I knew the nymph could save herself easily. My conscience, on the other hand, didn’t cave so easily.
When I turned to look behind me, Egeus was there, at the top of the rise. “We do not like hurting bystanders, Miss Hargitay,” he called, apparently unaware of nearby danger. “Even those who are clearly in the wrong and allied to more serious wrong-doers. Come quietly and—”
A woman’s scream ripped through the woods and cut deep into my soul. Egeus lost some color. “Astera?”
“She was over there.” I pointed to where I had last seen her. “There’s something in these woods—something big.”
Egeus hesitated, but only for two heartbeats. Then he turned back to me, shaking his head. “I have my orders.”
“Ms. Zent was right,” I said with a combination of mock sadness and true anger. “You are just a minion.”
Electricity sizzled through the air. “I am a being with free will. No master commands me.”
“Then you are a minion of your agency. So devoted to your precious rules you won’t even save your squad member. Don’t you care about your team?” He wasn’t relenting so I tried a new tactic. “And let’s be honest here. Where am I going to go?” I threw my arms out, gesturing at the woods around me. “There’s nothing here for miles. You can find me no matter where I go, right?”
He shifted his weight from foot to foot, his attention drifting to where the scream had originated.
“Help her, Egeus. I’d do it, but I’m just an apprentice who can barely unlock a car door with her magic without screwing it up. Actually, I can’t even do that.” I swallowed. No matter how often I tried, my throat wouldn’t stay clear. “Don’t be a minion. Be your own man—er, nymph.”
Three more heartbeats, and he finally said, “Do not go anywhere, Miss Hargitay. I will return.” And then his golden glow winked him out.
“Yeah, like that’s gonna happen,” I said, and took off as fast as I could. I might not make it to the factory before they caught me, but there was no way in hell I was going to stick around in this forest of nightmares waiting to happen, either.
Magic in various shades of gold erupted in the distance, glimmering between the trees in indistinct patterns. Again, my conscience slowed my steps. This time, a hand closed around my upper arm and stopped my breath.
“No slowing down, Ms. Hargitay,” the Chisel said, drawing me onward. “Your friend has distracted two of the ladies. That leaves five more to find us.”
“Three,” I corrected. “Egeus and the third woman are off fighting…something. That thing from last time.”
He drew us to a stop in spite of his admonishment. Just long enough for him to stare at the trees for a moment. Then we were off again, crashing through the woods together. Me in my ratty jeans, he in his tailored suit.
“We have to stop meeting like this,” I said, breathing hard.
He leapt over a patch of cacti half-hidden beneath the deadfall. “I tried to see you at the hospital.” He was just as winded. That made me feel better. Not perfect, after all. “To congratulate you on your first godmother success.”
“That was nice of you.” I caught my sleeve on a branch but the end of it snapped off with the force of my momentum. It scratched the hell out of my arm without slowing me down.
“Professional interest only. I keep telling Grandfather the Family needs to be more personable with the free agents, even if we cannot abide the union.”
Look at us, having a civil conversation like we weren’t running for life and freedom. “Your grandfather?”
He caught my hand and pulled me aside before I could leap into another patch of cacti. How he saw them so easily, I had no idea. “The Fairy Godfather. You didn’t know?”
I looked up into his deep blue eyes, suddenly understanding better why people were afraid of him. “You mentioned a godfather, I just didn’t know you were related.”
He released me, stepping back to right his tie and tug on the sleeves of his jacket. “The Godfather oversees all of my family’s business interests. He—”
A roar shuddered through the trees. Human, and yet…not quite.
“That’s our cue,” I said, grabbing his arm and pulling him onward with me.
We broke into the open together. Only then did I take a minute to rest, catch my breath, and regroup. I didn’t see movement anywhere in the forest, but that didn’t mean much.
“They won’t hurt him,” the Chisel said, recovering faster than I did. “The nymphs. They don’t want your friend
. Or me.”
“Just me,” I said, panting.
“Mostly, I imagine they would prefer the wand. Do you have it?” He held my gaze long and hard, unblinking.
I looked away first, bending at the waist like I couldn’t get enough air. “No.” Technically it wasn’t a lie. I didn’t have it…on me. I left it back under the floorboards in the file room, just in case. Though I knew very little about magic - or anything that was currently happening - I was pretty sure I would be able to summon it if I needed it.
Still, my feet slowed with guilt as we started the long trot across the empty prairie. I could see the factory on the horizon, a tiny dot of safety at the edge of a field of deep blue sky. Lying to the people who helped me wasn’t high on my list of good decisions.
In fact, I felt so badly about it that we hadn’t made it more than half a football field when I slowed again. I had to tell him the truth. Maysie might have told me not to trust any of the Folk, but this man had done nothing but help me. Okay, so he kind of insulted me and yelled at me, too, but that wasn’t a crime. It just didn’t make him very nice. Except…I couldn’t say that was really true of him, either. Mostly, though, I wanted to trust him. I had Mueller, yes, and I appreciated his help, but I needed an ally on the magical side of things.
Then again, I had wanted to trust Ms. Zent, too, and she had apparently been trying to put all of Denver in a coma. Why else would she have been handing out poisoned cosmetics at the convention? Clearly, my interpersonal barometer was royally screwed.
“I thought I told you not to go anywhere?” Egeus demanded. There must be some magical rule that said they couldn’t pop into existence closer than five paces. Unlike Sabine, who had popped in right beside me in the bathroom. Where was she when I needed her?
“Didn’t stop you from catching me, did it?” I asked, nursing a sudden stitch in my side.
“I will be taking you into custody now. Do not fight me, and I will see that your sentencing is light.” He advanced on me, apparently all out of patience.
One Good Wand Page 38
