Much Ado About Magic

by Shanna Swendson

  It was a couple of long blocks to the fire station, and I slowed to a walk for the last block when I was sure I wasn’t being followed so I wouldn’t be too out of breath when I got there. Corelli was out in front again, and he waved as I approached. “Hey, Katie, couldn’t get enough of us, huh?” he called out.

  “You know it. Is Vinnie in?”

  “Yeah, come on. He’s been wondering what happened to you.”

  “It’s not me. It’s my boyfriend getting all weird now that we seem to be closing in on where he came from.”

  “I can see that,” he said with a nod. “To be honest, there’re days when I wouldn’t mind not knowin’ the rest of my family.”

  “I know what you mean.”

  Vinnie was in the kitchen again, and he grinned when he saw me. “So, you got my boy with you?”

  “Sorry, Vinnie, no. I can’t seem to talk him into coming down here. But I think I have an idea for making him curious. I know you can’t give me that envelope, but I thought maybe if I showed him a picture of it with those instructions on it and a picture of you, then he’d want to know more.”

  He wiped his hands on his apron. “Sure thing, doll. Right this way.” He led me to an office, where he pulled open a file cabinet and shuffled through some folders, finally coming up with one, from which he took a somewhat yellowed business-size security envelope.

  I took Owen’s cell phone out of my purse, making sure I got some powder on my fingers as I did so. “Okay, first a picture of you with the envelope. Smile!” I took the picture, then I reached forward to adjust the envelope in Vinnie’s hand so that the handwriting on it was visible—and so that I got a good dusting of magical powder on it. I felt the tingle of magic when I touched it and knew that getting it out of Vinnie’s hand really would be impossible.

  I tried to read the note on the outside in the quick glance I got. Owen certainly hadn’t inherited his mother’s penmanship, but then again, the woman had just given birth and was in a hurry, so I cut her some slack. I took the picture, then said, “That’ll do it. Thanks, Vinnie. Now, if this doesn’t work, I’ll have to just club him over the head and drag him down here.”

  Hoping I’d done enough to make this work, I hurried back to the place where I’d left Perdita. With either her natural charm or magic, she’d managed to soothe the shopkeeper and had roped in a few bystanders to help clean up. I slipped in among the helpers as though I’d been there all along. Perdita bought a couple of watches, a handbag, and a scarf, and then after exchanging several bows with the shopkeeper, we headed back to the office.

  I’d wanted to go straight to Owen as soon as I’d rigged the envelope, but Sam convinced me that wasn’t the best idea. I needed to convince my followers that this had been nothing more than a lunchtime shopping trip, which meant going back to the office for the rest of the workday. Once we were safely back in our office, Perdita burst into giggles. “That was so much fun!” she said. “I like using my clumsiness as a power for good. And, you know, it’s hard to be deliberately clumsy.”

  “You were brilliant,” I said.

  “Did you get your mission done?”

  “I think so.”

  Sam joined us a moment later. “My guys say you made a clean getaway. Your shadows never left that area.”

  The next trip was even riskier because I didn’t dare lead them to Owen. I left the office a little early and walked up Broadway, stopping to window-shop my way through SoHo. I bought a new blouse at one store and hoped I was thoroughly boring my followers. I went into the subway at Prince Street and caught a train to Union Square. While I was in the maze of the station, I put the new blouse on over the top I was wearing and twisted my hair up into a bun before catching another train toward Grand Central. Meanwhile, Trix, wearing a Katie illusion, left the station and headed to my apartment building.

  I left the subway at the station nearest the hotel and put on one of my new pairs of sunglasses before going up the stairs to the street level. The glasses were only lightly tinted, so I kept them on as I went through the hotel lobby to the elevators. It was a relief to be the only person on the elevator. I hit buttons for the floors above mine before I got off, just to muddy the waters.

  I knocked on the door before using the key card to let myself into Owen’s room. He was lying on the sofa, reading the book I’d left him. “I think I may have something,” I said, by way of greeting.

  He sat up, and I sat next to him. I got out the vial of powder and the spell booklet. “I got some powder on the envelope. Do you think you could use the moving spell to get it here?”

  He pondered it for a moment. “It’s worth a shot. The specifics might be a little different, but I can adjust.” He sprinkled the outline of a square on the coffee table using the powder, then read through the booklet before putting it aside. He held his hands out palm-down over the square, said a few words in a foreign language, and then snapped his fingers. There was a flare of light and the square of powder vanished, but the envelope lay in the middle of where it had been.

  I couldn’t resist a fist pump. “Yes! It worked.”

  He blinked. “It did. Wow.” His voice quavered. “So, I guess I have to open it now, huh?”

  “If you don’t, I will have wasted my day and Perdita will have terrorized a Chinatown shopkeeper for nothing.” At his confused expression, I said, “I’ll explain some other time. It’s a good story.” He studied the envelope lying on the table in silence, and when at least a minute had gone by without him doing anything, I said, “I noticed there’s magic around it.”

  “Yeah, there’s an enchantment, but it feels benign enough. Just a mild compulsion that’s not aimed at me.” He frowned and chewed on his lower lip. “There’s something else, but I think it protects the contents. I don’t feel anything beyond that.”

  “So it’s not going to suddenly possess you or unleash terrible evil on the world?”

  “I don’t think so.” He took a long, shaky breath. “Well, here goes,” he said. I put my hand on his back in support as he bent forward and picked up the envelope. He read the writing on the outside first, then took another couple of breaths before sliding his finger under the envelope flap.

  The envelope remained sealed, and Owen’s soft “ouch” told me he’d got a paper cut. There was a tiny flicker of light as a drop of his blood hit the envelope, and the envelope opened by itself. I didn’t know how he stood the suspense because I was about to die of anticipation and it wasn’t even about me.

  He slid out a folded piece of paper, then he shook the envelope, and a key fell into his palm. He placed the envelope and key on the table, then unfolded the paper.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  I would have expected Owen to consider this a personal moment, something he’d want to absorb on his own before sharing it with me, but he cleared his throat and began to read aloud, “‘My dear son, I hope you never read this. I hope you grow up healthy and happy and far away from the troubles we brought on ourselves. I don’t want to think that your parents’ actions will go on to harm you, but that’s the way the world works, isn’t it? He isn’t getting what he wants this time, so he’ll try again, and I’m afraid he’ll try to use you. If he does and you find yourself in trouble because of who you might be, I hope you’ll think to research your origins and come across this note.

  “‘I probably don’t have to tell you this, if you’ve reached a place in your life where you needed to find this note, but the one who led us isn’t what he appears to be. Your father won’t listen to reason, but ever since I realized the path we were on and that there was no way out for us, I’ve been gathering evidence and documenting his actions. I hid everything in a monument in the park by the office. I hope you know what I mean. I will do everything I can to secure this note, but I’m afraid to take chances. If you need this, you’ll know what the office is. This key will lead you to what I’ve hidden. Only you will be able to open it.’”

  Owen read silently for a few minutes,
then he read out loud, his voice rough, “‘I am so sorry I won’t see you grow up. But my last hope is that you will be able to undo the evil your parents did. You’ve already saved me, no matter what happens to us tonight. It was because of you that I started thinking and asking questions. I couldn’t be selfish anymore when I had a baby depending on me. Perhaps it was your power that gave me the strength I needed to pull away.’” Owen’s voice broke, and I rubbed his back as he finished. “‘Know that you were wanted and loved, and if I thought I could take you and run away somewhere safe, I would, but I have to see this through.’” He turned to look at me. “It’s signed ‘Your mother, Mina Morgan.’”

  He was silent for a while after that, and I put my arm around him and rested my head on his shoulder. He put his arm around my waist, and we sat, hugging each other. After a while, he said, “Well, now I know. Idris was right. And you were right. It’s the smoking gun.”

  “Not entirely. It just tells us how to find the smoking gun. The letter on its own isn’t much good, since she doesn’t actually mention Ramsay’s name. I assume she’s talking about the park by the MSI building. It’s going to be tricky getting to it, with the protesters and with people from both sides following me and ready to arrest you the moment they find you.”

  “But I have to go. I’m the only one who can find her stash and get into it. Since my blood from the paper cut opened the envelope, I’m guessing she used blood magic.”

  “Blood magic? That sounds dark.”

  “Some kinds are. This is more accurately DNA magic, but that doesn’t sound nearly as dramatic. It’s the best way to tie something directly to a specific person. Think of it as magical biometrics.”

  “So, now we need a plan for getting you out of the hotel and all the way downtown without getting caught.” I thought for a moment, then said, “That close to the office, maybe we could get Sam to set up a security perimeter around the park. You could get the stash without an audience.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t get Sam involved. I’m a fugitive. If he knows I’m there, he’s duty-bound to hold me.”

  “That makes things more challenging.”

  “It’s easier to hide among a crowd, so we should do this during rush hour, when all the city employees will be in that area.” He checked his watch. “It’s almost five, so I suppose it’s now or never.”

  I got out my purchases from the lunchtime shopping trip. “I don’t know how good a disguise these will be, but I do have hats and funny glasses. And ‘I Heart NY’ obnoxious tourist T-shirts.”

  “This would be a lot easier in winter, when we could really bundle up and hide ourselves,” he said, taking a shirt from me.

  I went into the bathroom to change shirts. I wished I’d thought to pick up some hair rinse at a drugstore to darken my hair, but I settled for stuffing it up under a “Big Apple” baseball cap. When I came back out, Owen had also changed. He hadn’t shaved that day, and with a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a touristy T-shirt a size too large so that it looked sloppier than he usually did, he was almost unrecognizable. Someone who knew him well would spot him if they knew to look for him, but in a crowd, he might not obviously be Owen. I was naturally invisible in crowds, which made ditching followers in a busy city easier. Utterly average blends in nicely.

  “Okay, let’s do this,” I said, trying to talk myself into courage.

  He picked up the key, then folded the letter, slipped it back into its envelope, and then slid that into the book he’d been reading. “You’ve got a key to the room?” he asked. “I think it’s probably safest if I don’t have one on me.” I didn’t like the way he made that sound. It reminded me of the note of fatalism in his mother’s letter.

  “You think they’re going to catch you?”

  “Let’s just say I’d rather plan for the worst-case scenario and then be pleasantly surprised. And I do think the odds of me making it there and back are slim.” He took both my hands in his and faced me. “Listen to me now. Our priority—our only priority—is getting those documents. If we get ambushed or caught or chased, get the documents and don’t worry about me. Go straight into the building and give them to Merlin. Once we have those, I’ll be okay eventually, whatever happens, even if they catch me. Do you understand?”

  I nodded and tried to swallow the lump in my throat. “Yes, I understand.”

  “Now promise me.”

  “Owen,” I whimpered.

  He squeezed my hands tighter and looked me square in the eye. “Promise me,” he repeated, his voice firmer.

  “Your magic doesn’t work on me, you know. This isn’t binding. But, yes, I promise. I know what the priority is.”

  He held my hands a moment longer, then said, “Are you ready?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be.” On impulse, I stood on my toes and threw my arms around his neck to give him a tight hug. “You will be careful,” I whispered into his ear, making it an order.

  He hugged me in response. “I will. Trust me, I have no desire to end up back in one of those cells.”

  “I’d better go down first and scope out the situation,” I said. “I’m pretty sure I wasn’t followed, but they saw me come here yesterday and may be on the lookout. You sit tight, and I’ll call the room when the coast is clear.”

  I was glad I’d thought of checking out the situation because there were black-clad men at every exit in the lobby, and I didn’t think they were doormen. Before I could sneak out of the lobby, one looked directly at me. Oh, crap, I thought. We were trapped. I couldn’t even act like this was just another visit to Nita because they’d seen me leaving the elevators. They had to know Owen was hiding somewhere in the hotel.

  Nita was my only hope. Maybe she knew another way out of the hotel. Pasting on a carefree smile, I went up to Nita’s station at the registration desk and said, “Surprise!”

  “Hey, you!” she said with a grin, then she looked at me and frowned. “What’s with the look? Surely you know better than to go out in public looking like that. We have got to go shopping. I’m off Saturday afternoon. Put it in your calendar, in ink. Don’t argue with me, Katie. This is an intervention for your own good.”

  I glanced down at my tourist gear. “This is actually for that event I was telling you about.”

  “Oh, the secret celebrity thing?” She made a face like she was smelling something nasty. “You poor thing, having to dress like that around a big star.”

  “He’s dressed like this, too. Speaking of which, he’s got a thing about crowded hotel lobbies, and I have to get him to this event, but he doesn’t want to come down with all these people here, and the event’s going to start soon, so I’m desperate.” I dropped my voice to just above a whisper and leaned forward. “Plus, there are a couple of people in this lobby who are on my list of people to look out for. One’s a tabloid reporter and the other is a known industrial spy who works for our competition. Can you think of a way to get us out of here without being seen?”

  You’d have thought I’d offered her an audience with Sarah Jessica Parker from the way she reacted. “You need me to help sneak a celebrity out of the hotel?” she gasped. “Oh, wow! I’ve always dreamed of something like this. I started coming up with plans as soon as I came to work here. Just go back up to the room and leave this to me.”

  I glanced over my shoulder and noticed that the men were still watching me. “Can you think of a way I could get up there without them following me?”

  “Which guys are you worried about?” I pointed them out by location, since I didn’t know what they might be doing magically to change their appearance. She nodded. “Okay, got it.” Then she picked up the phone and punched a button. “Hi, Javier, it’s Nita at the front desk. We’ve got an Operation Smile in progress. Phase one, you know what to do.”

  It was like watching a room full of undercover CIA operatives spring into action. An overburdened bellboy hurrying across the lobby tripped and dropped several suitcases—including one that fell open and spil
led a cascade of lacy lingerie—right at the feet of one of the men. Meanwhile, one of the front desk clerks coming back from a coffee break bumped into the other guy and spilled his drink. I took advantage of the diversions and ran for the elevators.

  I found an anxious Owen pacing in the room. “What took you so long?” he asked.

  “They’re here in the lobby. Nita’s coming up with a way to sneak us out.”

  “You got Nita into this?”

  “Remember, she thinks you’re a celebrity traveling incognito.” I chewed on my lower lip and looked at him. “I don’t suppose you could do a Bruce Springsteen illusion.”

  “I’m not sure what he looks like.”

  “You don’t know what Bruce Springsteen looks like?”

  “I’m not really into music. I could probably pick him out of a lineup if you showed me pictures, but I couldn’t begin to describe him, and I can’t do an illusion without having a specific mental picture of what I want to look like.”

  Now that I thought about it, I wasn’t sure I could describe Bruce Springsteen well enough to create an illusion. “Well, then, just do something that makes you not obviously Owen, in case Nita gets involved personally. You don’t need to fool the enforcers, just Nita.”

  “What is she doing?”

  “I have no idea, but apparently she had contingency plans.”

  There was a knock at the door, then a voice called, “Housekeeping. Nita at the front desk sent me.” I opened the door to find a hotel maid and a large laundry cart. She gestured at the cart. “Hop in and cover yourselves.”