“You havenotgone backpacking with a sasquatch,” I said after five or six hours of this nonsense.
“Well, I told you, he doesn’t carry a backpack. He’s got this pouch, and all that’s in it is a comb and a carving knife. I gave him my toothbrush, and he was pleased as punch with it. I need to get back up there, get him another toothbrush.…”
“How could you even havetimefor all these adventures? You’re no older than us. Don’t you have university?”
“I’m twenty-two. How old are you?”
“None of your business.”
“Right, well, I put off school for a while. I’m going to go back when I know what I want to study. In the meantime, the road is my teacher.”
“The road. The road is your distraction, I’d wager. You’d learn morefromthe world if you knew moreaboutthe world.”
“Ha, that’s what my mom says.”
“Your mum is clearly cleverer than you.”
“No argument here. What’s your mom like?”
“Pfft.”
We’re in Arizona, I think, on a dark road. We’ve been staying off the main motorway, but we’re never far from towns and people.
“What we’re about to attempt,” the Normal says, “isn’t exactly legal.”
“I thought you were Mr. Law and Order.”
“I’m Mr. Don’t Steal Cars, Counterfeit Money, or Commit Other Acts of Grand Larceny. But this won’t hurt anybody. We need to get in to see my friend, but it’s sorta after visiting hours—”
“Just tell us what you need,” Baz cuts in.
“A few ‘Open Sesame’s should do it.”
“Aghh,” I groan. “Don’t name spells. You shouldn’tknowany spells.”
“I heard you use it back at the motel! And besides, everyone knows ‘Open Sesame’ is a spell. It’s probably a spellbecauseeveryone knows it. Have you ever thought about that?”
I’m hiding my face. I want to cover my ears. “Whoexplained the nature of our magic to you? Please tell me, so I can make sure they face an international tribunal.” There’s no such thingas an international tribunal, but I like the idea of muddying Shepard up with false information.
“Fine,” Baz says. “Just get on with it. We don’t have time to argue.”
We turn onto a larger road, following signs towards something called the Hoover Dam. I think I’ve heard of it.
I glance out the back window. Simon is sitting up, leaning eagerly on the wall of the truck bed. There doesn’t seem to be any part of this trip that he doesn’t relish. (Aside from the times when we’ve almost died.) (And, honestly, he seemed to enjoy those, too.)
“Maybe you could make us harder to see,” Shepard says. “There are cameras.”
Baz casts,“Through a glass, darkly!”on the truck.
Shepard nods. “Cool. Now those gates…”
“Open Sesame!”I say. It comes out flat and sarcastic, so I have to cast it again.
“There might be guards,” Shepard says, squinting into the darkness ahead of us.
“I’ll take care of it.” Baz is all business. “Should I put them to sleep?”
“Whoa.” Shepard holds out his arm. “I don’t want anyone to accidentally fall asleep on their control panel and blow up the whole dam.…”
