Ed ran up and was the first to come into the house from the outside. He was grinning in a way that made the whole, “ear to ear” phrase make sense. He kind of ignored Sylvia for a moment, and just grabbed my arm and shook my hand. <\/p>\n
“That,” he said.<\/p>\n
I knew what he meant. <\/p>\n
He struggled for a moment. “That was the most… I mean, I don’t… I have… What just…” He nodded a few moments. “That,” he said again. I squeezed his hand and we let go.<\/p>\n
“What happened?” Sylvie asked again.<\/p>\n
He turned towards her. “It was… Do you…? I am…” <\/p>\n
“This wordy fellow is Ed,” I said. “He’s a friend of mine. A good friend,” I emphasized. <\/p>\n
“Brevity is the soul of wit,” she said. “Or so I’ve heard.”<\/p>\n
“I thought you liked me because I was funny,” I mock-complained.<\/p>\n
She pointed at me. “Funny and witty aren’t the same thing. Right now I’m not laughing. I’m confused. Drop the code and tell me what’s gone horribly wrong?”<\/p>\n
“It was amazing,” Ed said.<\/p>\n
“You’re in danger,” Maggie said, coming in then. “All of us are,” she amended. <\/p>\n
Matana, followed, smiling. “Not all of us,” she corrected.<\/p>\n
I looked confused. “Who is in danger and does that group of not in danger include me?” I asked. “Not to sound self-serving, except totally.”<\/p>\n
Maggie rolled her eyes. “What’s my first principle, E?”<\/p>\n
“What, you have principles now?” I asked.<\/p>\n
She punched me lightly in the shoulder. I deserved it, but I made a noise anyway. And then a yawn.<\/p>\n
It had been a long night, and adrenaline can only pump you up so many times before it gets kind of soft, I guess. Um. The innuendo was fading, but I had had a decent dose of it.<\/p>\n
“Oh,” I said aloud. “Don’t get involved.”<\/p>\n
Mags rolled her eyes. “Close enough,” she explained. “I don’t take sides. I don’t do politics. I don’t join clubs or secret societies.”<\/p>\n
“You had a membership to Blockbuster,” I countered.<\/p>\n
“That was back when it was practical,” she sighed.<\/p>\n
“So, someone inducting you into some hall of infamy?” I asked. <\/p>\n
“Wait, wait, I can play!” Ed said. “She has to start a girl band to defeat the evil queen of hair metal.”<\/p>\n
“She and her uncanny team of superheroes have to protect humanity from a threat from beyond the stars,” I offered.<\/p>\n
“Ooh, good one,” Ed said, nodding. Sylvia just kind of stared, her mouth slightly open in dismay. “Okaay,” he let the word drag out for a moment, and then offered, “She and her pack of alpha witches have to bring down the hunt of a lifetime.”<\/p>\n
Maggie cleared her throat. “Are you calling me a–”<\/p>\n
I broke into, “Her cohort of companions have to protect a cabal of the occult. She has to cozen a dozen men of coveting her coven?”<\/p>\n
“That’s word play. I don’t know if it counts. She has to flock to a cluster of fatuous poppycock at the bait of a master clock?”<\/p>\n
“Clever,” I gave him the point. “Her posse of…”<\/p>\n
“Not funny,” the Magster interrupted. “Now that you’ve had your fun, can we be serious for a moment?”<\/p>\n
“I was still having my fun. I’ve had too much serious. Something about a witch war, I presume?”<\/p>\n
“You and your fondness for alliteration,” she sighed.<\/p>\n
“Aptitude. Aptitude for alliteration.”<\/p>\n
I deserved the slap, I guess. I was a little surprised, but it woke me up a little. It was interesting watching Ed and Sylvie bristle, choosing sides, and Matana just watch us, cool and neutral like Switzerland.<\/p>\n
“Oh, E, I’m so…” Maggie actually looked away as if there were tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”<\/p>\n
“Yeah, well, I’m probably incapable of seeing what boundaries I’m pushing right now. Call us both tired. What’s going on?” I sounded, I don’t know, kind of gentle, really. I was tired, true.<\/p>\n
“You didn’t hear the challenge?”<\/p>\n
“I…” I tried to remember. “No, I guess not. Can’t you just ignore it? You’re not some kind of honour society type.”<\/p>\n
“This is why you’re not a wizard, dear.” She still wouldn’t look at me.<\/p>\n
“Why do people keep bringing that up? It’s the last thing any sane man would want. Too many secrets, too many favours,” I said. That patronizing, “dear” at the end kind of got me riled, too.<\/p>\n
“There is a balance owed,” Matana explained. “A witch is apprenticed, and owes her teachers.”<\/p>\n
“What, the magic has some kind of self-destruct sequence built into it?” I asked. Ed was trying to keep up with us, but he was looking a lot more tired than I had been. He had a job – I started thinking I needed to get him home.<\/p>\n
Matana nodded after a moment, like it needed to be translated and she was sure of the answer. “You are correct that it is no gift,” she said, simply. I felt a faint hint of cold over the hairs of my arm.<\/p>\n
“Does it have anything to do with whatever deal Lady Light and King Dark struck?” Ed asked, yawning.<\/p>\n
“You think they struck a deal?” Maggie rounded on him.<\/p>\n
“Yeah, or why wouldn’t they still be duking it out or something in the yard?” he asked. I kept my opinions to myself, but he had come to the same conclusion I had.<\/p>\n
“That’s…not good,” Maggie said. She gnashed her teeth for a moment.<\/p>\n
“Which one gave the challenge?” I asked, trying to sound supportive. “And was it just against you or?”<\/p>\n
“The coven as a whole. Sylvie, you were named. Matana’s not invested so she’s free and clear.” Maggie gave Sylvia a very clear, “We’re talking later when E’s not around,” look. I ignored it.<\/p>\n
“I bound myself by word of oath to obey appropriately,” Matana shook her head. “I could claim exemption for many reasons, but I believe the spirit is more appropriate than the letter of the law in this case.”<\/p>\n
“I’m still confused about what happened. Lady Light? King Dark? Challenges?” Sylvia shook her head. “And Mrs. Nurmbie shouldn’t be up so late. She’ll never get any sleep. I need to look after my roommates,” she said. “The other world can wait.” She got up and went to speak with her neighbors. <\/p>\n
“You still have a choice,” I said to Maggie. “You could give up the magic.”<\/p>\n
I don’t think I deserved that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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