“I have something in the works. At least, I just got a brilliant idea.”
“Well, it better happen soon because I think the idiots are losing interest. We lost most of the group yesterday because they were easily talked out of it.” That’s where I knew him! He was the guy I’d dubbed “puppy” on the bus, who’d been part of the anti-magic group. I still couldn’t see his face, but I was pretty sure the voice matched. Or was that wishful thinking, since I hoped he’d be the key that linked Matilda to the anti-magic/magic exposure efforts? But would he associate me with Owen? If he knew that the person who’d splintered his group was the person marrying Owen, then both Owen’s and my operations were shot. But he didn’t say anything more.
“It wouldn’t hurt to let all our friends languish,” she said. “If they aren’t reporting things in a crackpot frenzy, then our big demonstration will have more impact.”
“I don’t know, I think we need to keep them interested or we might lose them.”
“But no one takes them seriously. They’ve served their purpose in getting some attention. I do want to keep that reporter on the hook, though. I think by now she’s seriously questioning.”
“Maybe we should set up a few less-public experiences just for her—no news releases or tips, just follow her in her daily life and make things happen. By the time we’re done with her, she’ll jump at the explanation the big event offers.”
“Oh, that’s good. Yes, do that. And I may see about a few events where our new friend is present, so he’ll remain under suspicion.”
I figured I’d heard enough. If they hadn’t spotted me and had that entire conversation for my benefit, I had a good idea what they had planned. No useful evidence, though. Even if I’d had a recording of the entire conversation, it would have done me no good. They hadn’t even needed the magical shield to keep anyone from eavesdropping. Nothing they’d said sounded all that suspicious.
I pretended to finish my crossword, put my newspaper in my bag, put on a pair of sunglasses, and stood. As I walked past their bench, I glanced in their general direction, as though I was looking at something behind them. It was just enough for me to tell that he was the guy I thought he was. Fortunately, they were still too busy talking to look at me. At least, they gave no sign of recognizing me.
Once I was away from the park, I caught the subway and headed back to my part of town, going straight to Owen’s place. He was already home, so as soon as I got inside, I said, “She’s definitely the one.”
At the same time, he said, “I think we’re on the wrong track.”
I recoiled. “Huh? What?”
“I don’t think she’s up to anything. I think she’s just feeling a bit down, with all her family’s gone through, and she reached out to someone who might understand.”
I tried to keep any animosity or bitterness out of my voice when I spoke, because I had a feeling it wouldn’t go over very well. “That’s funny, because when I followed her after your meeting, she got together with a guy who’s part of one of those anti-magic groups, and they talked about what their next steps would be. They’re definitely using you, counting on you being earnest and wanting to prove yourself.”
He shook his head forcefully. “No, I don’t believe it.”
“That’s what I heard.”
“All we talked about was what’s going on in our lives. She wanted to hear all about our wedding and what’s going on at work.”
“The work was what she wanted to know about. She said she was bored about the wedding. They’re planning their big final push, some showy thing that will make it obvious that magic is real, and then they’re going public. They don’t need you to actually do anything.” I collapsed onto the sofa. “They also talked about stopping the smaller demonstrations so the big one will be taken more seriously, except for specific people they’re targeting, like Carmen, the reporter. I think we need to bring her in on this. If she knows the truth, maybe she won’t fall for what they’re planning.”
“It’ll be tough to get clearance for that unless she figures it out for herself and starts asking questions. That’s even over Merlin’s head. The Council has to agree.”
“But what if the Council’s compromised?”
“You think someone that high is in on it?”
“I think these people are good at buying what they want.”
He joined me on the sofa. “Are you sure you really heard all that? Or were they talking vaguely and you interpreted it that way because of what you wanted to hear or expected to hear?”
“Are you doubting me?” My voice went a little more shrill than I liked, but it was hard to stay calm when I felt like my worst paranoid fears were playing out.
“No! I just think you’ve been working very hard on all this, and I know you want to protect me, so you’re jumping at any suspicion. But I think that’s blinding you to other possibilities. Are you sure you’re not just jealous of Matilda?”
Up to that point, I could almost believe what I was hearing. It had all been plausible, the kind of thing I might expect him to say, based on what he’d heard. But that was a step too far. It was beyond anything I could imagine Owen Palmer saying. Instead of being angry, I became concerned. “Okay, who are you and what did you do with Owen Palmer?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You just accused me of mishearing an entire conversation because I was jealous about you reuniting with someone you didn’t even like when you were in school. That’s not like you.”
“Well, you did sound kind of jealous.”
“Because I accurately reported what I heard our two top suspects discussing in a clandestine meeting?” I reached over and put a hand on his forehead. “Seriously, are you feeling okay?”
What I felt wasn’t a fever. I felt traces of magic, as though someone had done a spell on him. It was just like what I’d felt from the people at the meeting, only much stronger.
“I’m fine. Why?” he said, apparently not noticing my reaction.
“You’re just being a bit weird, is all. Oops, I forgot to check in with Sam after tailing Matilda. Hang on a sec.” I got up and went into the hall, where I called Sam.
“So, what’d you get? I couldn’t hear a thing,” he said when he answered.
“A lot, but that’s not my real problem right now. Get Rod and get over to Owen’s place.”
“Is something wrong?”
“That’s what I need you guys to tell me. Do you have anything that detects whether someone’s been whammied?”
“Ohhhh,” he said, getting it. “Yeah, we’ll be right over.”
Although Owen had acted out of character, I didn’t think he would do anything as unusual as hurting me, but I was still wary about being alone with him if he was compromised. Depending on the spell he was under, it was even possible that our previous conversation might have been relayed to our enemies. I kept my distance, as casually as I could, when I returned to the living room. “Sam read me the riot act for forgetting to check in,” I said with a laugh that sounded way too nervous. “He was worried after he lost me when I went into the subway.”
He leaned back on the sofa, stretching his legs out in front of him. “I guess you’ll have to get used to following procedure now that you’re doing this for real instead of just as a hobby.” Even knowing that this might not have really been Owen talking, that stung.
“Yeah, I guess I was used to going rogue,” I said.
I was surprised by how soon the doorbell rang. Rod must have magically teleported over because there was no other way he could have arrived so quickly unless he’d already been lurking outside.
I started to rush for the door, but barely checked myself when Owen got up and went to the intercom, muttering, “I wonder who that is.”
“Hey!” Rod’s voice came over the intercom. “I thought I’d pop by so we could talk about the bachelor party.”
“Oh, okay, I guess,” Owen said and buzzed him up.
Rod was
still a bit out of breath when Owen opened the front door for him, so either he’d sprinted or he’d used up a lot of energy to get here. He clapped Owen on the shoulder in greeting, but kept a firm grip for longer than was normal.
A soft glow began to spread around Owen, and it gradually solidified into a shining, multicolored web. “You’re right,” Rod said to me, “he’s covered in spells.”
17
“Spells? What are you talking about?” Owen said.
Rod gestured to the shining web around him. “Someone’s whammied you but good.” He groaned. “And I bet it started right under my nose.”
“Are we safe talking about it?” I asked.
“I think his wards will keep this private,” Rod said.
“Yeah, but what about him? I think it’s safe to say he’s compromised.”
“But he won’t get anything out past the wards, and we’re not letting him leave until we’ve got this cleaned up.”
I thought for a second that Owen would attack Rod. He raised his hand, and the spell Rod had used to make the magic visible made Owen’s hand flash with a bright white light. I moved in between him and Rod, hoping that either he would hesitate to attack me, in spite of the whammy, or my immunity would save me. But then Owen closed his eyes, clenched his jaw, and made an obvious effort to get himself under control. “Can you do something about it?” he asked, his voice strained.
“Sam’s on his way over, and he may be able to help,” Rod said. “These are pretty well woven, so it could be tricky.”
“Would it help if I were unconscious, so I’m not fighting you?” Owen asked.
“Maybe, but I don’t think I can get past all this to knock you out safely.”
“I was thinking more in terms of a potion. Katie, the blue bottle in the liquor cabinet.”
I followed his instruction and found the bottle. “You keep a knockout potion in your liquor cabinet?” I asked as I brought it to where Owen had sat on the sofa.
“Doesn’t everyone?” Rod quipped. “Liquor is basically a knockout potion. It just varies on how much it takes and how quickly it kicks in.”
“You never know when a knockout potion will come in handy,” Owen said. “It takes forever to brew, so I do it in batches. Three drops should do it. There should be some soda in the refrigerator that will mask the taste a little bit.”
It was somewhat reassuring that it apparently had a bad enough taste that it had to be masked. That meant no one could easily sneak it on anyone. I found the soda, poured a glass, and uncapped the blue bottle. The smell was horrible and intense enough that I thought it might knock someone out without them having to drink it. I was getting a bit woozy just from smelling it. I added three drops to the soda and hurried to recap the bottle before I passed out. I brought it back to the living room and handed it to Owen. “Here you go.”
“You may have to make me drink it,” he said. His arm was rigid, and beads of sweat broke out on his forehead as he tried to force the glass to his lips. His hand moved as though to throw the glass, but Rod intercepted it.
“Okay, that’s making things interesting,” Rod said. He held the glass against Owen’s lips. “Open wide.” Owen instantly closed his mouth, then sweat dripped down his face as he slowly forced his mouth open. Rod quickly poured the drink into Owen’s mouth. A little trickled out the corners of his mouth, but he managed to swallow most of it. His eyelids fluttered, then he slumped to the side. Rod caught him and lowered him until his head rested on the arm of the sofa. “That should make this easier,” he said.
For him, maybe, and for Owen, but looking at him lying there, the web of spells still surrounding him, was hard on me. I felt terrible for my bursts of jealousy about the way he’d been acting. It hadn’t been his fault at all. On the other hand, would I have noticed that something was wrong sooner if I hadn’t dismissed my own qualms as nothing more than jealousy? I’d known they were doing something to target Owen, and it hadn’t occurred to me to make sure he was truly okay.
A rapping on the front window shook me out of my self-recrimination, and I hurried over to open it for Sam. “Sorry it took me so long. I was still uptown,” he said as he hopped inside. “Too bad I can’t do that fancy teleport thing you guys do.”
“Yeah, well maybe I shouldn’t have done it because I may be too drained to handle this properly,” Rod said. Now that Owen was out and Rod didn’t have to play it cool in front of his friend, he looked really concerned. “They’ve got him all tangled up. I don’t know how she could have done it while I was right there, watching. I didn’t notice any magic.”
“When she met with her contact, they used some kind of bubble spell,” I said. “Maybe they did that, but blocking you from sensing the magic rather than blocking the sound.”
“And because I could see them, I assumed everything was aboveboard,” Rod said, shaking his head. “But the fact remains that we’ll have to be careful untangling all this.”
“Do these spells explain why he was so determined to meet with her again, and why he wouldn’t listen to me?” I asked.
“Probably,” Rod replied, and I tried not to sigh out loud in relief. “They were definitely making him compliant. There might also be a surveillance component here.” He squinted at the web of spells. “They wouldn’t have been able to monitor him live from warded spaces like his house or office, but they might have been able to download information when they were around him. I still don’t see how I could have missed this.”
“A lot of us missed it,” Sam said. “How did you notice it, Katie?”
“He just seemed weird, not like himself. He wouldn’t listen to my suspicions about Matilda, not even when I told him what I overheard. I checked him for fever, and I felt something. One thing Abigail Williams did when she kidnapped me for that cult meeting was teach me to detect when magic had been used on someone, and that’s what this felt like.”
“Good work,” Sam said.
“At least something worthwhile came out of that freaky cult meeting.”
“Okay, let’s start dismantling this,” Rod said, rubbing his hands together. He picked up one of the shining strands and gently unwound it, like he was picking out stitches. “That’s the protective one that holds the rest together. Good thing he was out, or he’d have fought me. Next we’d better go after the surveillance.”
“I’ve got a counterspell for that,” Sam said. He perched on the sofa arm near Owen’s head, raised his wings as though to wrap Owen up in them, gave them one good flap, then stepped back. Another of the shining threads disappeared, and the web looked a lot less complex.
“Okay, okay,” Rod muttered to himself. “That’s good. Which one next?”
“That one on top, the red one, should be easy to get,” Sam said, pointing.
Rod reached out to touch it, but jerked his hand back. “Ow! It’s got a protective spell on it.”
“Maybe I could try,” I said. “Does it take magic to undo?”
“It’s hard to say. This visualization is magic, but that particular thread seems to be energy,” Rod said. “Let’s see what happens.”
I moved closer and grabbed for what looked like the end of the red thread. I couldn’t feel anything to know if I had it, but when I moved my hand, the red thread moved. It was wound around several of the other threads, and I gently worked it through the tangle, like I was unsnarling a hank of yarn. When I’d separated it from the other spells, I held the red thread in my hands and asked, “Now what?”
“Throw it in the air,” Sam instructed. I did so, and he hit it with a blast that made it disintegrate. “Good work, doll. It should be easier from here.”
Working together, Sam and Rod managed to either physically remove or do counterspells on the remaining spells. A couple of times, Owen stirred, as though what they were doing was painful to him, even when he was unconscious. “Yeah, he’d have been forced to fight us on that one,” Sam muttered when that happened.
“You’re not hurting him, are y
ou?” I asked. “I mean, there’s no chance that any of these are in tight enough to do actual harm, is there?”
“I don’t think so,” Rod said.
“We’d have noticed by now if they were,” Sam added. That wasn’t reassuring.
Finally, there was no sign of spells left. Rod and Sam did a few more bits of magic, trying to uncover any other spells they might have missed. “I think that’s it,” Rod said. “But we’ll need to figure out what to do now. They’ll notice that all their spells are gone next time Matilda sees him, so they’ll know we’re on to them.”
“Should she see him again?” I asked. “He was only insisting on that because of the spells.”
“They’ll also know we’re on to them if he doesn’t see her again,” Sam said.
“Unless we move fast. As busy as he is, it can be hard to schedule the next get-together. There’s the bachelor party this weekend, and we’re on the final stretch to the wedding. We can buy time that way,” I said. “I’d just as soon he stayed well away from her. I doubt he’d learn anything useful, and he might get into huge trouble.” Now that we knew what she’d done to him, I figured I had every right to suggest that he avoid her, and insecurity had nothing to do with it.
“Him being busy might be a clue that the whammy’s gone,” Sam pointed out. “Some of those spells might have made him drop everything to do her bidding.”
“I think we’d have known something was up if he’d skipped his own bachelor party or wedding,” I said. “I doubt she’d take it that far.” But I was really glad we’d eliminated the surveillance spell before the wedding.
“What to do next is a decision for him to make,” Rod said, “and he can make it for himself now that he can think straight again. Well, when he’s conscious.”
“How long’s he going to be out?” I asked. He looked peaceful sleeping now, and I was sure he was exhausted, but I was a little worried by the fact that he hadn’t stirred since we’d cleared the spells. “Is there some way to undo the sleeping potion?”
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