I almost miss a step. Shit, thatisuseful. Being an intelligent person who knows magic, he’ll have guessed I’m heading fora reserve of power, which are most likely to be found deep in nature—which is to say, not in the middle of downtown Seattle. The streets around the convention center will be packed with Comic Con traffic, and I need to get across the bridge to the east side of Seattle as quickly as possible. It’s not like I can rely on a rideshare to speed for me, let alone drive to an unmarked place somewhere in the forest.
Damn. Given my timeline, I really can’t pass that up, no matter what his interest is. Still, I have to ask, “What do you want in return?”
He gazes down at me. “You asked for my reasons. Let us say I have no love for the grand magus and wish to see what a mage of this world can do against him.”
My hand tightens on my wand, the only outward reaction that I allow.
I wish more wizards in this world had been willing to wonder that.
But it doesn’t matter now, does it? I need the speed he can offer, desperately. Whatever he’s really here for, I’ll have to deal with it.
I nod sharply. “You’re welcome to observe, then, as long as you don’t interfere.”
“Done,” he says, too easily.
Is observing to report to someone really all he wants then? I don’t buy it; I’ll have to be on my guard for when he attempts to use his in and make a move. As if I didn’t have enough to think about.
The speed is worth it, I remind myself.You can handle this. Him. Whoever he is.
“Shall I drive, then?” Nathaniel asks, a pair of car keys appearing in his hand as if by magic.
I narrow my eyes. I didn’t see that happen, and even walking right next to him I barely felt it. That’s interesting.
Alarming, but interesting.
“Yes, as fast as you can,” I tell him. “Thank you.”
As long as he’s driving, my concentration will be free to watch him, and my hand can be on my wand if he—or anyone else—tries anything.
He flashes another sharp grin at me that makes me think he suspects exactly what I just thought.
As soon as we’re on the freeway, my cellphone rings. So much for the freedom to watch him, but maybe it’s best I don’t get caught up in what he looks like.
Nathaniel has so far been as good as his word, getting us out of Seattle in record time without any tricks—except from my end, a tiny amount of magic to nudge traffic so we can merge faster—or even further questions. He’s even managed to look like he doesn’t still have them. Playing cooperative—for now.
I still keep Evram’s wand firmly in hand—the hand farthest away from Nathaniel, so he can’t suddenly reach out and snatch it easily—while I dig in my pocket for my phone.
I don’t even bother to look at the caller ID before answering, because there is exactly one person in the world who calls me out of the blue—frankly I’m just surprised she isn’t texting, which probably means she’s mad. I can’t blame her. “Hey, Brook.”
“What the fuck are these videos going around on social media?” my teenage sister snaps. “Where are you?”
I open my mouth to answer and abruptly think better of it. Not because of Nathaniel, but because Evram knows where Brook and my parents live—they haven’t moved since I left for High Earth or was returned. It’s never occurred to me before what a security risk that is, but then, I never really expected to have thechance to move against High Earth. Evram will definitely try to track his wand first, but it’s not impossible he will try to use my family against me.
Not likely—since I spent my formative years in High Earth, he won’t assume I have a strong relationship with my parents, and he would be correct. But if he can’t get the wand easily, which I aim to ensure, then he may look for other low-hanging fruit.
All of which is to say, the less Brook knows right now, the better.
Finally I tell her, “I’m going to be busy for a while. Sorry to vanish on you suddenly, but we both know you don’t need a chaperone.”
A pause on the other end. “Sierra. The last time you gave me a runaround answer I was seven and had just told you I didn’t believe in magic.”
I wince. I really didn’t lay any groundwork for this with my sister. I’ve been bluntly honest with her since I returned from High Earth and discovered my parents had decided to have another child in my absence.
When a Low Earth child is taken for High Earth, a spell makes them believe their child qualified for a prestigious foreign boarding school. Kids aren’t usually gone for long, so it doesn’t impact their education much long-term. But in my case, I was completely out of touch for so long that my parents missed having a child and vowed they’d never again give up the chance to be real parents. So I got to leave for magic school for ten years, while my sister has lived with their helicopter parenting since. I try to help her whenever I can—whether that’s taking her places without their supervision or never lying to her.
But this is different.
I honestly had no idea she’d remember that conversation when she was seven—how many people remember conversations at that age with any nuance?—but while we don’thave magical ability in common, my sister’s mind is as much of a steel trap as mine.
