Modern Magick

The Heart of Hyndorin: 4

Following Alban's several shocking disclosures, an appalled silence fell. I wrestled with a growing sense of panic, and more or less succeeded in stuffing it back down. Worst time in the history of magick to panic, Ves.

Jay shook himself. 'Plan?' he said. 'We need a plan.'

'I suppose the plan's unchanged,' I said, watching Wyr with narrowed eyes. Something about him didn't seem quite right... 'I mean, we still need to get into Torvaston's secret mountain enclave.'

'Right,' said Jay.

'Just with a bit more urgency than before... you aren't actually deaf, are you?' I said, the latter directed at Wyr, who lay prone on the floor. His air of casual ease had seemed a bit studied.

He rolled his eyes and sat up. 'She's good,' he said, indicating Emellana with a nod of his head. 'But so am I.'

'So you heard all of that.'

'A fair bit of it, yes.'

'I've a theory,' I said. 'Let's test it.'

Wyr waited.

'Ancestria Magicka.'

Wyr sat like a stone, carefully failing to react.

'Last time I said that, you twitched.'

'Doubtful.'

'You did.'

'Did not.'

'Can't I just wring his neck?' I said plaintively, to no one in particular.

'No,' said Jay.

'Damnit.'

'But I might.'

Wyr held up his hands, and scooted back a bit. 'I deny everything.'

'He's heard of Ancestria Magicka, I'm sure of it,' I said, ignoring Wyr. 'How do you suppose that's possible?'

'He's met them before,' said Jay.

'Right. It's no coincidence that we ran into you, is it?' I nudged Wyr with my foot, a gesture not quite a kick. 'You were meant to intercept us.'

'Nope,' said Wyr.

With a sudden, swift movement, Emellana did exactly what I'd been dying to do. She swept the stupid hat off his head, and hurled it out over the peak. The wind caught it, and sent it sailing merrily away.

'Hey—' said Wyr.

He got no further, for Emellana picked him up, and stood poised to send him sailing straight after his hat. 'Still no?' she said in a pleasant tone.

Wyr swallowed. Good he might be, but I'd love to see the levitation charm that could contend with a precipitate fall down about a thousand feet. 'Er,' he said. 'Okay, I might have heard of them.'

'They hired you,' said Em.

'Maybe.'

'What were you supposed to do?'

Wyr sighed, hanging in Emellana's uncompromising grip like a sack of bricks. 'I was meant to help you.'

'Help us?' I said, frowning. 'Why? Oh.' I scrubbed at my face, frustrated with myself. 'They wanted the scroll-case.'

Wyr smiled nastily. 'It was good of you to make it so easy for me.'

'And Addie?'

'The unicorn? Anything else I could get off you I could keep. That was the deal.'