No Quest For The Wicked

Eventually, we lost the zombie gargoyles. We stumbled down a hillside, then Owen stopped me while he stepped over a low fence before lifting me up and over it. Nearby was a bridge that spanned a footpath, creating a tunnel. We ran under the bridge and paused, holding our breath while we waited to see if anything came in after us.

When it seemed like the coast was clear, Owen sank back against the side of the tunnel and I leaned on him, gulping for air in great, shuddering breaths. He put his arms around me, lightly at first, as though for comfort or security, but after we’d both settled down a little and I no longer felt like I was going to collapse, he pulled me against himself in a big hug.

“You did it!” he whispered. Then he gave me a big kiss before adding, “You’re amazing! How did you pull that off?”

“It was incredibly difficult and dangerous. I should get a medal, or something.”

“What did you do?”

“I was—get this—nice to Mimi.”

“Really?” He looked skeptical.

“I helped her calm down after that freakout when the gargoyles attacked. I made her take off her jacket so she could wash her face, and while she was in the bathroom, I switched the brooches.”

“So you didn’t have to hit her or tranquilize her, or anything?”

“I know! I’m actually kind of disappointed. Maybe I should have tranquilized her. Then I’d have had time to find that protective box so we wouldn’t have everyone after us, and if she’d been unconscious for a while, it would have taken longer for her to realize she had the wrong brooch.”

“It’s better to have one more dart.”

“But if I’d had the box, we wouldn’t have evil zombie gargoyles and rich people and probably eventually elves and wizards chasing us.”

“Getting the brooch was the goal, and nobody else was able to manage even that much.”

“What do we do with it now? Last thing I heard, there weren’t any active volcanoes in the greater New York area.”

“I’m not sure that would work. That sounds like the sort of thing Merlin would have tried back in his day.” He got out his phone and added, “Speaking of whom, I’d probably better call this in.” He dialed the number, then held the phone so we could both hear the call. “We got it!” he said when Merlin answered. “Well, Katie got it. But we have it now. Should we bring it to the office?”

“No!” I couldn’t help but flinch away from the phone, I was so shocked by the vehemence of Merlin’s response. “That would be most unwise. A building full of powerful and ambitious wizards—including myself—would be the worst place for the Eye. I don’t suppose you also got the protective box?”

I leaned closer to the phone. “No, I tried, but I didn’t have much time to search.”

“Ah, pity. Are you safe now?”

“For the moment, yes,” Owen said. “I don’t know how long we can stay here, though. We tried to get as far away from people as possible, but I’m sure they’ll track us down before long.”

“Stay there as long as you can. I’m creating a new box, and once the protective spells are complete, I’ll have it delivered to you. When you have it encased, you’ll be able to bring it to your manuscript room, where you can lock it in the safe with the Ephemera. That room is so carefully warded that the Eye should be secure there until we can find a way to destroy it.”

“How much longer do we need to hold on?” Owen asked.

“I have at least an hour’s worth of work to do. These wards are tricky, and I need to ensure that even I can’t break them. It’s a shame I don’t have your assistance, as I recall you’re quite good with wards.”

“If I were able to help you with wards, you wouldn’t dare let me anywhere near the Eye or anything designed to protect the Eye,” Owen said. “Too many people would see that as suspicious.” He took a deep breath, then said, “Okay, then, we’ll try to hold on for an hour. Call me when you’re ready to deliver the box to us.”

When he ended the call and put the phone back in his pocket, I leaned against him again, and he settled his arm around me. “Do you think we can just hide out for an hour?” I asked.

“I doubt it. We may have about twenty minutes here, and then we’ll have to find another hiding place. If we stay on the move and stay away from people, we might be able to last until we can get that box.”

“Those are big ifs, considering that all we can do is run. We don’t have magic, and it probably wouldn’t be safe to let anyone with magic near the Eye. I’d rather fight our enemies than our friends.”