Kiss and Spell

“Everyone knows or knows of Perdita,” Brad said with a fond smile.

“She works at a café near here. I’ll talk to her; she may be able to pass on messages, since she does know everyone, and her position is pretty public. Don’t try to talk to me at the store, though. I suspect the other person working at the coffee shop with me is a guard.” I looked around at the others and said, “So, does it sound like we’ve got a plan to start with?”

Mac was still scowling, but he nodded, and the others all nodded in agreement. Before everyone started to disperse, Owen glanced out the window to check for guards. He returned to us, his expression tense. “No one can leave yet,” he said. “There are gray guards outside, watching the building.”

Chapter Fifteen

Of course, all the others had to verify for themselves that the building was being watched. Once that was certain, the accusations started flying. “Who let them follow you?” Mac asked.

“We were here before you were and you didn’t even notice us,” Brad said. “Do you think they’d have been able to follow us?”

“You’re a bigger group,” McClusky said. “In here, you were being still, but you’d attract attention traveling together.”

“Do you think we’re that stupid?” Earl said. He hesitated and glanced around like he was waiting for someone to tell him to shut up. I wondered if he’d ever get over that.

Doris said, “You two were probably easiest to follow, and you were the last ones to arrive.”

“We know they’ve already been tracking Katie and Owen,” McClusky argued.

“How do we know someone in your group didn’t tip them off?” Mac asked the elves. “After all, these are your people.”

Listening to all the arguing was frustrating, but then I remembered that I was theoretically in charge. I clapped my hands together once, then hissed, “Hey!” When they all turned to look at me, I whispered, “If they don’t already know we’re in here, we’re sure tipping them off with all this racket.” They looked like contrite schoolkids. “Now, it seems we’re stuck here for the time being. Does anyone want a cookie?”

I passed around the refreshment bag, and all the magical people conjured their own beverages. Owen handed me a cup of coffee, then went back to check out the window. “They’re still out there,” he reported.

“But they haven’t come in here, which is probably a good sign,” I said. “Maybe they’re just trying to see if something is going on or who’s here.” I figured that part of my job as resistance leader was keeping up morale.

“Why should we trust her?” McClusky muttered into his coffee cup. “She’s probably as bad as he is, since she’s dating him.”

Without thinking, I snapped, “Maybe I’m smart enough to rate people based on the way I’ve seen them act rather than on the deeds of parents they never even knew. How would you like to be judged strictly by your parents?” I hoped his parents weren’t saints who were pillars of the community, or that would kill my argument. He winced ever so slightly, so I must have hit close to home.

“I trust Katie,” Earl said. “She listened to me when no one else would, and she destroyed the Eye of the Moon when she could have used it to gain great power.”

“She did gain power from it,” Mac pointed out.

“Yeah, and it’s already fizzling,” I said. I turned to the elves and added, “I probably should have told you that before you elected me leader. I don’t really count as a wizard. I have a finite amount of power that’s almost gone.”

“Even better,” Brad said. “If you’re neither wizard nor elf, you’re neutral.”

“Do you think I’m bad?” Owen abruptly asked Mac. “I know the Council’s watching me out of caution, but you’ve known me since I was five. Have you ever seen any sign that I had the potential to be evil? If you’ve decided it’s there now, maybe you should resign because you missed it all those years and your judgment is in question.”

“Ah, you’ll never get a wizard to trust,” Doris said with a delicate snort. “It’s because they know they’re so untrustworthy, themselves.”

“And you people are so good that we’re in this mess because of your leader’s power grab,” McClusky shot back.

“If the wizards hadn’t been interfering in our internal matters, and if you trusted your own people, you wouldn’t be here,” Brad said, his tone going icy.