Karl groaned as he got up from his chair. “Calm down, everyone,” he said. “None of us did anything immoral or illegal. In hindsight, perhaps it was foolhardy for us to go through without appropriate backup, but in our defense, we didn’t know who to trust.” He addressed the mayor directly. “My kind have faced endless discrimination over the years. We sprites have been chased out of many places.”
The mayor pursed her lips.
Xavier stopped holding his hands out to be handcuffed and tucked them behind his back.
Dawna looked right at Zinnia and asked, “Did you know the mayor was some kind of wizard?”
“I’m not a wizard,” the mayor said.
Xavier asked, “If you’re not a wizard, then how do you know about where we went?”
The mayor pursed her blood-red lips again.
Xavier wasn’t cowed at all. “If you knew about the third floor, you should have done something.” He puffed up his chest. “If you knew about those giant timewyrms, you should have done something to block off the access.” He made a fist with one hand and punched it into his palm. “I should get a lawyer and sue you. I should sue the whole city.”
Liza grabbed Xavier’s fist and held it at her side. “Easy now,” she said to him. “The floor was blocked off, and would have stayed that way if I hadn’t taken my grandmother’s key. You’re not going to sue me, are you?”
Xavier’s fight energy calmed down, thanks to Liza’s sweet stare.
Zinnia cleared her throat. “Mayor Paladini, you don’t have to tell us what you are, but you ought to give us some sort of explanation.”
Everyone turned to the mayor. The only sound was the hum of the air conditioner.
After a moment, the mayor plainly stated, “I come from a long line of time paladins.”
The words settled on the group.
Dawna said to her coworkers, “Is it just me who doesn’t know what that means?”
Zinnia exchanged looks with Karl and Gavin, who both shrugged.
The mayor said, “You wouldn’t know of my kind. There are few of us left.”
Dawna said, “I’ll bite. What’s a time paladin?”
The mayor seemed to relax a little. “Do any of you watch Dr. Who?”
The group was too stunned to answer.
“Well, we are nothing like Dr. Who,” the mayor said quickly. A genuine smile was curling her dark-red lips. “I do not have a Tardis, and I do not travel around with a companion having adventures. However, like Dr. Who, my people are concerned with preserving the timeline.”
Everyone nodded and pretended to understand.
She continued, “My superiors dispatched me here, to this town, after the rift formed in 1955. That was when many types of creatures came through from another world and terrorized the construction workers, as well as some townspeople.” She gestured for them to be seated again, and she walked around to the front of her desk, where she perched on the edge. Everyone settled back into their seats.
The mayor smiled at the memory. “A small group of us managed to repair the damage in 1955, but I must confess that I didn’t know how.” She shook her head and looked down at her swinging feet, which made her appear young, and not nearly as imposing. “I was much younger then, and inexperienced.”
Dawna waved her hand. “Excuse me, but wouldn’t you have been a baby in 1955?”
The others chortled.
“I’m older than I look,” Paladini answered, exactly as Zinnia knew she would.
“Back to the story,” Gavin said. “How did you fix a rift between worlds?”
“I can’t go into the technical details,” Paladini said. “Not because you don’t deserve to know, but because your minds couldn’t comprehend it. In layman’s terms, I tugged at a thread, and pulled through a fate line from the distant future. I created a loop and tied it with a knot. The repair seemed stable enough, but to be safe, I have remained stationed here to witness the other end of that thread I pulled.”
Karl said gruffly, “That’s perfectly understandable. It sounds to me like you took charge and did the best you could to keep control under the circumstances.”
“Lawdy, lawd,” Dawna said, shaking her head and waving both hands, broken nails and all. “That’s what my grandma would say if she was here right now. Lawdy, lawd, that’s a big ol’ whopper. Are you for real? You’re really a time wizard?”
“Time paladin,” the mayor said patiently.
Dawna asked, “Isn’t a paladin a type of soldier?”
“Actually, it’s a knight,” Gavin corrected. “Paladins were the twelve peers of Charlemagne’s court. The count palatine was their chief.”
Everyone began talking at once about paladins and time travel.
The mayor waited patiently before clearing her throat to get their attention. “I’m glad everything’s been cleared up,” she said. “I hope I can count on your discretion. You are forbidden to mention any of this to any person not currently present.” She glanced over at Margaret. “The other witch can know, once we revive her, but nobody else.”
Dawna laughed. “Who’d believe us?”
The mayor leaned back from her perch on her desk, picked up the phone handset, and hovered her hand over the buttons. “If you’re not in agreement about secrecy, I shall have your memory wiped as a group. I’m afraid this is an all-or-nothing deal.”
“We’re in agreement,” Karl said vehemently. “All of us. Right?” He looked around at the group. Everyone nodded, except Margaret, who was still a statue.
“Good.” The mayor set down the phone handset with a resounding clunk. “By the way, why is Margaret Mills a statue?”
“She started yelling at the lava king,” Zinnia said.
The mayor raised an eyebrow. “And he turned her to stone?”
“That was the work of a snake-goddess,” Zinnia said. “I believe she did it to protect Margaret.”
“Why didn’t she change her back before you left?”
Dawna said, in a tattle-tale voice, “Because Zinnia sucked all her magic powers out of her by saying her name.”
The mayor gave Zinnia a look of surprised reverence. “Nicely done,” she said. “Your mentor would be very proud.” She gave Margaret another look. “We shouldn’t leave her like this for long. Do you have a way to change her back, or do I need to make some calls?”
“I know a couple of gorgons,” Zinnia said.
Dawna gasped. “Gorgons are real?”
* * *
The group discussed a few more details with the mayor before she had to leave on other important business. Zinnia couldn’t imagine what sort of business might be more important than the resolution of the current situation, but it was probably for the best she didn’t find out.
Paladini allowed Zinnia to stay behind in the mayor’s private office with the statue until one of the gorgons could come by to restore Margaret. The others—Karl, Gavin, Dawna, Xavier, and Liza, returned to the Permits Department office on the ground floor.
Zinnia got comfortable on the mayor’s sofa, but found herself unable to doze off. It was hard to relax with Margaret Mills doing a permanent cheer in the corner.
Eventually, there was a knock on the door.
It was Chloe Taub who had come to the witches’ rescue. She was dressed in faded jeans and a white T-shirt, carrying her newborn baby in a sling. Since the last time Zinnia had seen Chloe, Zinnia and her niece had learned the secret about Jordan Junior. It was Chloe’s desire for a baby that had set in motion so many events, both good and bad.
Zinnia stared at Chloe, amazed at her resemblance to her grandmother, Diablo. Zinnia wished she could tell the blonde gorgon about meeting her goddess ancestor in the other world, but she couldn’t. She was sworn to secrecy.
Instead, Zinnia asked, “How is your grandmother these days? I must admit I became intrigued with her after seeing her name mentioned in the City Hall construction logs.”
“She’s dead,” Chloe said.
That w
as fast. From Zinnia’s perspective, Diablo had been young and vital, crossing into her new Earth life only hours ago.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Zinnia said.
“Thanks. Please tell your coworker, Liza Gilbert, that I’m sorry for her loss. I heard about her grandmother passing away last night. I know she was a special woman. My own grandmother spoke very highly of her best friend.”
“I’ll pass that along,” Zinnia said. Queenie Gilbert had technically been kidnapped from the hospital, so the news about her passing must have been a cover story arranged by the mayor.
Chloe sniffed Zinnia. “You smell like you’ve been camping.”
“That’s because we were camping.” Sort of.
The gorgon narrowed her eyes at the statue of Margaret, her arms still raised in a Y. “You didn’t say over the phone how this happened.”
“It’s classified,” Zinnia said with a shrug. “Let’s just chalk it up to the worst camping trip ever.” She made a hopeful face. “You can turn Margaret back, right?”
“I’ll try,” Chloe said, taking a moment to adjust her baby in the sling that was attached to her.
“Do you want me to hold Jordan Junior?”
“No need,” Chloe said casually. She looked up at Margaret, who was a few inches taller than the gorgon, thanks to being on the dolly. Chloe placed her hands on Margaret’s cheeks, and then pressed her mouth to Margaret’s. She appeared to be breathing life into the statue, blowing it from her mouth into Margaret’s.
There was a creaking sound, the air electrified, and then Margaret was flesh and blood again, her arms windmilling as she struggled to catch her balance.
“Susan,” Margaret said. “Let me talk! I have to finish telling that stupid man how stupid he is or he’ll never know! I have a...” She looked around the mayor’s clean, modern office. She spotted Zinnia and made a choking sound.
“Take it slowly,” Chloe said. “You were a statue, Margaret. Solid granite. It will take a few minutes for all of your cellular function to return to normal.”
Margaret jumped back, falling off the dolly. Zinnia had anticipated that particular move, and was there to catch her friend.
“Easy now,” Zinnia said softly. “Do you remember what happened?”
“Of course I do,” Margaret said indignantly. “The timewyrms wrecked the portal home, and then the big idiot made of lava showed up, and...” She frowned. “We’re back on Earth again? That was fast.”
Chloe was watching quietly.
Zinnia clamped a hand over Margaret’s mouth and mentally implored her to be quiet, lest she spill any more classified secrets.
Chloe said, “She called me Susan.”
“She’s confused,” Zinnia said.
Chloe frowned. “That’s the name Queenie Gilbert used to call my grandmother sometimes.” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “She’s still alive,” Chloe said wistfully. “I knew it.”
Zinnia kept her hand clamped over Margaret’s mouth.
“Thanks so much for your help,” Zinnia said to the gorgon. “We are in your debt. Please don’t hesitate to call on us, Chloe.”
Margaret mumbled something similarly positive, albeit muffled, through Zinnia’s hand.
Chloe picked up her diaper bag. “You’re welcome,” she said dreamily, and headed for the door. She was smiling.
* * *
The two witches returned to their office, expecting to find Carrot in a panic, or at the very least confused by whatever cover story the mayor’s office had sent down.
Instead, they found her desk empty, and a resignation letter on her keyboard. It was dated Thursday morning. The group had gone through the elevator portal on Wednesday night. Carrot had only stopped in briefly to drop off the note, so she hadn’t even realized they were missing.
Karl read the personal part of the note aloud to the two witches. “I’m sorry for the short notice, but my great-uncle came through with the loan, and I have to meet the landlord this morning for the building before he rents it to someone else. I will keep you posted, and of course you’ll all be invited to the grand opening.” He looked up. “And there are three exclamation points.”
“I’m happy for her,” said Dawna, who had read the note an hour earlier. “This is a good change for her.”
Gavin rubbed his chin and glanced over at the customer service counter. “It won’t be the same around here without Carrot.”
Dawna rolled her eyes. “You mean it won’t be the same without Carrot handling all the walk-ins. You’ll have to pitch in until we get a replacement.”
“A replacement?” Gavin looked around at the group. “You mean someone we don’t know? I don’t like the sound of that.”
Everyone looked at Karl.
Karl rubbed the stubble on his jaw. “You know, it would be easier for all of us if we could be ourselves around each other.”
Margaret, who’d been clutching an ice pack to her head and looking wan, suddenly perked up. “I could do spells!”
Zinnia said, “You already do spells.”
Margaret stuck her tongue out like a brat. “I could do them out in the open.”
Xavier said, “If I hang out with all of you magical people, do you think some of the magic will rub off on me?”
Liza chimed in. “Does magic work that way?”
“Careful what you wish for,” Zinnia said. “You two are in the enviable position of being in the know of a huge secret, yet because you don’t have any powers yourselves, you don’t have any responsibilities.”
Xavier puffed up his chest. “I’m responsible.”
Margaret studied Xavier. “You sure are willing to fight. Maybe you have some kind of talent you haven’t discovered yet.”
“I could read your cards,” Dawna said to the young man.
Liza jumped up and down, clapping her hands excitedly. “Dawna! Dawna! Do mine first!”
Karl shut down the conversation with a mighty HARUMPH. “It’s only two o’clock,” he said. “This office has been closed for a full day and a half. We probably have a million voicemail messages. Everyone needs to get to work.” He gave them his most serious, authoritative scowl. “Now.”
Nobody moved.
“We must maintain the status quo,” Karl said. “That’s lesson one of being a supernatural.” He stared at Dawna in particular.
“I need to visit the nail salon,” Dawna said. “It’s a status quo for me, personally.”
Gavin said, “Our boss has a good point. We should keep up our routine. Between the monster infestations and the cleaning crew’s strike, there’s a good chance nobody noticed we were closed, but we can’t slack off forever. Let’s power through our voicemail and email, then everyone can come over to my place for beer.”
“It’s Friday,” Karl said. “We have to go bowling. We must maintain the status quo!”
“No bowling tonight,” Xavier said. “I just got an alert on my phone. They’re fumigating Shady Lanes.” Xavier grinned. “Someone found some extra-large termites under the lanes.”
Everyone chuckled. There would be a few more fumigations around town before all the strange creatures had been dealt with.
“Beer at my place,” Gavin said.
The others murmured uncertainly. Wouldn’t it be better to return home and shower off the campfire and cave grime?
Gavin waggled his eyebrows. “I’ve got a naked-lady painting of Zinnia.” He beamed, very proud of himself for having figured out why Zinnia had been curious about the date on the back of his painting.
Zinnia felt her cheeks flush. “That’s not a painting of me,” she said. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s vintage.”
Margaret gasped. “Zinnia! When we were in the past, we met that guy, Piero! Wasn’t he an artist? A painter?”
Gavin snickered.
Zinnia said nothing, but the rest of the office erupted in hysterics. It only settled down after Karl took off his shoe and banged it on one of the desks.
“Get to wor
k, people!” His face reddened, and he released a smell that could have wilted a house plant.
Everyone ran for cover and got to work.
* * *
Later that night, they all gathered at Gavin’s apartment in the Candy Factory. They prepared a feast that was nearly as good as the banquet some of them had enjoyed at the palace. They fought off exhaustion to stay awake and talk about everything that had happened.
At some point, Margaret turned on the television and started playing the classic Disney animated movie, 101 Dalmatians. Everyone agreed that Mayor Paladini did resemble Cruella De Vil, even though her hair wasn’t half black and half white. There were other differences, too. The mayor was a secret time paladin who valiantly kept order in the universe, whereas Cruella De Vil tried to murder Dalmatian puppies to make a fur coat.
They didn’t get to see the end of the movie, because everyone fell asleep sprawled around Gavin’s apartment, like kids at a sleepover.
Nobody saw the apartment door open and the mayor enter the apartment, use an instrument with flashing lights to take readings of the air above each of them, and then leave quietly, like a mixed-up version of Santa Claus.
Nobody saw except Zinnia Riddle, who watched the whole procedure through the fringe of her eyelashes.
Chapter 41
FOURTEEN DAYS LATER
Zinnia spent over an hour picking out the right outfit to wear to brunch at her niece’s house.
She’d fully recovered from the trip through time and the other world. Her new front teeth seemed brighter than the others, but she couldn’t complain about that. The pain in her shoulder was completely gone now, and the ache in her thumb rarely flared up—only when she thought about Jesse. It was an emotional ache, not a physical one, so it was probably there permanently. And she was okay with that. Gone were the days she froze her feelings, sealing them in with magic. These days, Zinnia let herself feel everything. Good. Bad. Whatever.
That morning, she was feeling two things.
For one, she was concerned about her longtime associate, Tansy Wick. The woman was a recluse, preferring the company of her plants and her two dogs, so her absence hadn’t been noticed immediately, but lately people had become concerned. Zinnia planned to drive out to the woman’s property at the outskirts of town to check on her later that day, after brunch.
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