Because I don’t want to hear him say no.
We do see actual pixies an hour later. Spinning in a tall field, a dozen in a circle, with clouds of fireflies in their hair. “Thoseare magic,” I say.
All Simon can see are the lights.
25
SIMON
I notice the silver truck about an hour before I reallynoticeit.
The same pair of headlights lingering in the rearview mirror. The same smiling silver grille. Never passing us, never getting off the motorway. I suppose there’s not much to get off for out here, is there?
The truck should have passed us when we stopped to catch fireflies. Or when we stopped to watch the pixie circle. (I couldn’t quite see the pixies. Because I’m Normal again, obviously, though no one will just say so.)
But it’s still behind us.
I suppose it could be adifferentsilver truck. Or maybe it’s the same truck, and they made a stop, too, and they’re just now, coincidentally, catching up with us.
Maybe.
I get off at the next exit. Baz raises an eyebrow at me, but doesn’t say anything.
“We’re not stopping for any more pixies!” Penny shouts.“Unless they’re running a hotel. I’m tired, and my bladder is bursting!”
I watch the mirror. After a minute, I see the same pair of wide-set lights. I turn down the radio. “We’re being followed.”
“What?” Penny shouts back. “By who?!”
“Don’t look!” I say.
She turns to look. Baz looks at the mirror instead. “For how long?” he asks.
“At least an hour, closer to two. Before the fireflies.”
He pulls out his wand.
I’ve been followed before. Ambushed. By goblins. By werewolves. By down-on-their-luck magicians with a grudge against the Mage. But I was armed then. I had a legendary sword and a belly full of magic. I was never good with a wand, but my magic would annihilate anything that came too close to killing me.
I’ve got nothing now.
But two very powerful friends.
Penny unbuckles and leans between us. “I’ll spell them!”
Baz puts his hand on her ring arm. “Don’t hurt anyone!”
“I’m more worried aboutthemhurtingus!” I shout. We’re all shouting over the wind.
Baz is still holding Penny’s arm. “We can’t spell every Normal who looks at us wrong!”
She shrugs him off. “It’s not like we can get into anymoretrouble!”
“That isn’t the point, Bonnie and Clyde!”
Penny has already turned away from us. She’s kneeling against the back seat, her short skirt flying up in the wind. She holds her right hand out and shouts,“Get lost!”
The headlights don’t waver.
