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He shrugged. "I am. I've gone up against him before, though never in so formal or so serious a fight, and he's never given me any problems. But if we are clearly beaten, we'll surrender so he doesn't have to kill us."
"And what then?"
"Depending on the outcome of the fight, I'm sure we'll work out an agreement regarding what spells he's allowed to produce," Merlin said. "We win, he stops using these spells. He wins, we have to let him."
"Maybe we should bring back dueling," Ethan mused. "It would really unclog the court system, and thin out the ranks of lawyers."
"We'll all need our rest, so everyone should go home and prepare," Merlin said.
"I can pick everyone up, depending on where everyone is," Ethan said. "I live in Battery Park City."
"My home is in this building," Merlin said.
"Katie and I live near each other," Owen put in. "She's off Fourteenth, and I'm in Gramercy."
Ethan fed all our information into his Palm Pilot, then we arranged pickup times and places and headed out. The thought crossed my mind that we could have tried to find hotel rooms in the area so we wouldn't have to drive all night, but by the time we all got home and packed for an overnight stay, it would be rush hour, so it would take us about as much time to get out of the general metro area as it would to make the whole drive in the middle of the night, and in the off season, finding a hotel room late at night might be a challenge.
I ran into Owen at the subway station. He looked tense but excited. "Are you really up for this?" I asked him while we waited for a train.
"I think so. I know what to do, but I've never had the chance to try it."
"And you're really more—" I searched for a word I could use safely in public.
"—capable than he is?"
"Apparently so. People are gifted in a lot of areas. This happens to be mine." He shrugged. "Maybe it's genetic."
"Were your parents like that?"
"I don't know. I never knew them. They died when I was a baby. At least, I think they did. I don't even know who they were."
As usual, a train showed up just as things were getting interesting, and a crowded subway train wasn't the place to get into a conversation about someone's mysterious origins. If Owen was an orphan, that could explain some of his awkwardness around people.
He walked me home from the subway station, saying he didn't want to take any chances, then we said we'd see each other very soon. I went upstairs and laid out an outfit for the morning. I wasn't sure what one should wear to a magical battle—not even Gemma the fashion maven would have an answer to that—so I went with warm, comfortable clothes that were still businesslike—a black wool pantsuit with a gray sweater underneath and low-heeled short boots.
I knew I should go to bed early, but I was too wired to sleep. Instead, I baked cinnamon rolls. Cooking always relaxes me, and I had a feeling all of us could use some sugar in the morning. The rolls were rising when my roommates got home.
"What are you up to?" Marcia asked when she saw the flour-spattered kitchen.
"I have to go on a very early road trip for work in the morning."
"Ah, sucking up to the boss with some goodies, huh?"
"Or impressing the cute guy?" Gemma teased.
"Mostly just sorting out my thoughts," I said, although they were both partially right.
"I can switch beds with you for the night, Marcia, so I don't disturb you when I have to get up and go. It's going to be god-awful early."
"What kind of business trip is it?" Marcia asked.
"Just a meeting my boss is going to."
"And he's too cheap to spring for a hotel room. Typical. He is driving with you, though, isn't he? He's not putting himself up in luxury for the night?"
"No, he's driving with us. It was a last minute thing, so we couldn't get rooms."
"Is that cute guy, the one you were talking about, going to be on this trip?" Gemma asked. She has a one-track mind.
