No Quest For The Wicked

“I was thinking more about those magical enforcers. They might not be happy about you being on this quest.”

“I know most of them by now, and I don’t recognize these people.”

“Maybe they’re wizards watching us so they can swoop in and grab the Eye as soon as we find it for them.”

“It is reassuring that everyone seems to think we’re the horse to bet on.”

“Yeah, but I’d rather do this without an entourage,” I said. “Teamwork is one thing, but it’s hard to be stealthy with a crowd.”

“I guess we’ll have to lose them.”

“How?”

“Like you said, teamwork. Come on.” He took my hand again, and we went back to the main part of the sales floor, among all the fragrance counters. Rod and Earl were still lurking, and Owen caught Rod’s eye as we went past. Rod’s eyes then tracked the black-suited people following us, and he nodded, then wandered casually over to where Granny and Thor were arguing over a cologne that he liked but that she was loudly proclaiming that she thought smelled like a cheap whorehouse.

Owen then tugged my hand to lead me toward them. We walked past Granny. A moment later, I heard a startled cry followed by a thud. I couldn’t resist looking back—since I figured that even an innocent person would have—and saw one of the black-suited men on the floor. Granny stood nearby, casually moving her cane to her other hand. A crowd formed around the fallen man, making it impossible for him to follow us. A nearby store staffer’s reaction confirmed he wasn’t an employee. This was a whole new party following us.

“One down,” I remarked to Owen.

Now I spotted a couple of others coming after us, and they were being more obvious about it, elbowing people out of their way to get closer. “Head for the exit,” Owen said through gritted teeth. “Let Rod and the others deal with them.” He’d gone pale, and I could tell from the muscle jumping in his jaw that this was killing him. He was used to being the one to defend others magically.

One of the followers got so close that I could practically feel him breathing down my neck. We were next to the men’s fragrance counter, so I whirled, grabbed a sampler bottle and said, “Have you tried our new scent?” as I gave him a thorough spraying, right in the eyes. I dropped the bottle back on the counter and ran after Owen, a smell like a spice factory explosion in a pine forest trailing me as relentlessly as the human pursuer, who stumbled blindly after me.

Rod rejoined us near the exit. “They’re persistent. Who are they and what do they want?”

“They haven’t tried to grab us, but they’re following us,” Owen said. “If we can’t lose them in here, I’m not sure what we’ll do outside.”

“Head out,” Rod said. “We’ll cover you and waylay them.”

We hurried toward the Broadway exit, but there was another man in black blocking the door. He could easily follow us when we left—or keep us from leaving. We turned to head for another exit, but yet another black-suited man appeared. As he approached Rod, a thin, blond figure flew at him, shouting, “Stay away from him!”

It was Natalie. She threw herself between them, then turned to Rod and said, “Go on, I’ll hold him.” With a smile, she added, “And I promise to wear blue.”

“I thought you broke that spell,” I said to Rod as we ran toward Thor and Granny, who’d been easily taking out their pursuers while maintaining the facade of being helpless elderly people.

“I did! I guess I’m just irresistible on my own.”

I elbowed him in the ribs. “Remember, you’re dating my roommate.”

“Now what?” Owen asked. “They’re covering the exits.”

A pure, high, plaintive sound swelled through the air, and everyone in the store stopped to listen. It was as though the best Irish tenor ever had launched into a mournful folk melody in front of a bar full of Saint Patrick’s Day drinkers, leaving them all crying into their green beer. Earl the elf was singing, that hauntingly beautiful voice disconcertingly at odds with his appearance.

“Ah, elfsong,” Rod said with a nod, a tear trickling down his cheek.

“An interesting use for it,” Owen said. “Let’s go before it loses its effect.”

Even the black suits stood entranced, their eyes welling with tears. Granny and Thor joined us, holding on to each other like a couple of drunks. Owen and I had to herd the group through the revolving door because the others didn’t want to leave. Earl let the last note linger, then joined us. “I don’t know how long the effects will last, so we’d better lose them before it wears off,” he said.