“Where are the other musicians?” Maggie scanned the hall for the hidden band.
“No others. More magic.” The braid against his head waved slightly as he nodded, looking exceptionally self-satisfied. “This song in my head comes alive. Magic.”
Maggie nodded. “Are you… new to here?”
“New witch?Ja.” He opened his arms. “Met a few other witches. I am Axell.”
“Maggie.”
“Come, Maggie.” Axell walked away; his clomping combat boots seemed out of place in the castle’s old-world elegance. “We are having grog in the village soon.”
She looked around and saw Sondre leaning on a wall, watching them. She could swear he hadn’t been there before this.
“Go make friends, Margaret.” He smiled at her, seeming far friendlier than she knew what to do with, and gestured her onward. “Axell has been truthful with you, as have I.”
Then, as she watched, he vanished like some over-muscled Cheshire cat.
“We’ll learn how to do that soon, too,” said another man, this one looking like he might topple from lack of muscle. He had a wiry look, as if he’d existed without ever seeing a gym or possibly the sunlight. “I’m Dan. Same witch class as you and Axell and the others. Are you okay?”
Maggie looked at Dan. “Doesn’t this all just seem impossible?”
Dan shrugged. “Man, I hadcancerand was dying so… I’ll take impossible over death.”
As Dan smiled, he still looked wan, like he had recently escaped a hospital bed, thin and pale. Mid-thirties at best. Hapless.
“Come,” Axell called, poking his head around a corner that housed a suit of armor; it looked like the Norwegian’s head appeared from within the metallic suit’s ribcage.
Maggie said nothing as she walked toward him, taking in the stone walls and massive windows. A few had stained glass that cast bright jewel-toned light on the dark walls and floor.
Dan loped along at her side.
Axell smiled extra-wide as he saw them, but Maggie was fairly sure his smile was solely for Dan. Feeling like a third wheel, she asked, “How many others?”
“At least five we know of,” Dan said. “There’s a couple still in their cloisters.”
“Cloisters?” Maggie echoed.
“Rooms.” Axell shot a fond look at the sickly pale guy even as he corrected him.
“The main door is this way,” Dan said. “Want to go grab a drink with us?”
The sound of her own heartbeat was enough to block out everything. Freedom? That easy? “We can just leave?”
“No, but he is friendly with the hobs,” Axell said softly, his accent making his voice somehow more melodic.
“Thehobs?”
“Ja,” Axell said, and she realized he could choose to have his words stay untranslated, too.
Admit it, Mags, this is pretty cool,she thought.
Not without my son,she reminded herself. That was the crux of it: maybe magic towns were pretty amazing, but Maggie had passed on many things that were amazing. She made a vow to her son that he would always come first to her.I will get back to him.
Dan flashed them a grin and walked toward the massive door of the castle, what appeared to be the main door. It was a towering thing, stretching easily twelve feet tall, and the door handle looked like ivy vines had been dipped in iron. Sharp leaves jutted out.
As Dan reached for the handle, the iron leaves extended to hold fast around his wrist.
“Dan!” Maggie stepped up, maternal instinct rising like a sudden fire for this stranger.
