“And if it doesn’t work, we’re left stranded.” Snow shook his head. “We must look for anotherway.”
“Itwillwork,” sheinsisted.
“You have doneenough.”
“Let me help you,” Jo pleaded, looking between Snow and Eslar. “I can do this, I promise, believeme.”
“We shall continue thinking of a way without you,” Snow spoke with a heavy note of finality. “As we were doing before you decided to arrive. Therefore, you are no longer needed for thisdiscussion.”
“Are you kicking me out?” Jobalked.
“I was giving you the opportunity to leave yourself, before I had to say itoutright.”
Jo opened her mouth to protest, but Wayne cut her off. “Let’s make tracks,doll.”
Before she could say anything further, Wayne had already pushed her from the room. Jo seethed silently halfway down the hall to the Four-Way, but burst when she could take it nolonger.
“Who does he think heis?”
Wayne made a hushing noise ather.
“Oh let them hear, I don’t care.” She threw a rude gesture back at thedoors.
“We messed up.” He buried his hands in his pockets, looking like a freshly scoldedchild.
“I know we did!” Jo sighed, lowering her voice. “I’m sorry. I’m not angry at you. I can’t be. All you did was help me and got in trouble forit.”
He didn’t contest thefact.
“I get it, we made an error. . . But I can still help. You’ve seen me work, Wayne. You know an hour and three days is plenty oftime.”
“I’mnot—”
“Do you or don’t you?” She stopped him by grabbing his wrist and they both hovered in the Four-Way.
“Ido.”
A smile cracked through her anger. At the very least, he seemed to believe in her. “Thankyou.”
“You’rewel—”
“Now, tell Eslar.” She didn’t want him accepting her thanks; she wantedaction.
“What?” He seemed startled by her suddendemand.
“Tell Eslar about my magic, what I can do. Tell him what you saw and tell him I can do this. Snow is. . . how did you put it? Abastard?”
“I don’t think I ever saidthat.”
“You’re right, I just did.” Jo grinned conspiratorially. Even if Snow was right in reprimanding her, that didn’t make it feel good, and anger made Jo petty—even if her anger was mostly inward facing. “Talk to Eslar, tell him, make him let mehelp.”
Wayne’s brow furrowed and he squinted slightly. Jo braced herself for an outright refusal. He shook his head and her heart sank with his eyes as they turned to the floor. But like a phoenix, they rose again. “Okay, dollface, cheer up. I’ll do what Ican.”
“Thank you!” Jo threw her arms around his neck. “I can never pay you back for all of this, but thankyou.”
He gave her a friendly squeeze and then pulled away, starting toward the rooms. “No promisesthough.”
“I know,” Jo assured him. But she wasn’t worried. Once Eslar knew of her magic, there wasn’t any way he’d still choose to go it alone. “Thanksagain.”
