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“You have the person who was the face of Spellworks in your custody,” Ramsay said. “He could repudiate them and admit that they were the source of all these negative spells that they’re now selling charms to fight.”
Before I thought about what I was saying, I blurted, “That’s insane! He’s insane. I wouldn’t put him in front of any audience. You never know what he’d say.” I turned to look at Merlin, sure he’d back me up, but if he thought the idea was crazy, he was showing a lot of self-control in not visibly freaking out.
“I’m sure he could be coached,” Ramsay said mildly. “And it is in his best interests to cooperate with us. I understand he’s terrified of his former masters.”
“He has been a little more cooperative lately,” Owen said, and I whipped my head around so fast to stare at him in shock that I felt something in my neck pop. “He even gave me the source for that barricade spell, and he’s interested in helping create a line of safe joke spells.”
While I was still goggling at Owen and wondering what alien entity had possessed him to make him want to put a wild card like Idris in front of an audience, Ramsay said, “You have to admit it’s bold, daring, and a definite stake in the ground.” He pounded his fist on the table in emphasis.
“But potentially dangerous,” Merlin murmured, as though he was speaking to himself. “Very, very dangerous.” Addressing us, he said, “It would certainly get everyone’s attention, wouldn’t it?”
“It would have the biggest impact as a surprise,” Ramsay said, “so we wouldn’t have to announce him as a speaker in advance. That way we can wait until the last second to decide if we want to trust him. And we can ensure there are consequences if he doesn’t cooperate. The terms of his surrender already mean he can’t magically harm this company or anyone who works for it. If he agrees to speak, we could make it part of the contract that he can’t profit from Spellworks, so he has an incentive to stay with us.”
Merlin nodded slowly, then said, “Miss Chandler, please prepare some brief remarks Mr. Idris might be encouraged to make on our behalf. I will make the final decision on the day of the event.”
Before he could adjourn the meeting, Ramsay stopped him with a gesture. “One more thing, Ambrose,” he said. I couldn’t recall anyone ever using Merlin’s English first name like that. Merlin gave Ramsay a “go ahead” nod. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to speak, as well. The continuity of leadership would make us look like we’re presenting a stronger united front.”
“We would be honored to have you participate,” Merlin said with a slight bow and a thin-lipped smile.
“Fantastic!” Ramsay said. “Well, it sounds like your event is thoroughly under way, and everything is going according to plan and schedule. It’s sure to be a huge success.”
I could barely wait to get away from the executive suite before I grabbed Owen’s arm and said, “I know illusions don’t work on me, so you can’t be someone else wearing an Owen disguise, but who are you, and what have you done with Owen Palmer?”
He looked at me like I’d grown a third arm. “What do you mean?”
“I mean thinking it’s a good idea to let Idris talk to anyone.”
“You were just trying to make him more cooperative.”
“Yeah, but to talk to us, not to talk to all our customers out in public where we can’t put a muzzle on him. I can’t believe you and Merlin agreed with Ramsay about that. It was like Attack of the Pod People in there.”
“You have to admit it makes sense,” he said with a shrug. “He’s the best evidence we have that Spellworks isn’t what they seem to be.” He resumed walking, so I had to walk with him if I wanted to continue the conversation.
“And you still trust Ramsay?” I asked.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Well, aside from the fact that he wants to give our rather squirrely enemy a microphone at our event, don’t you think it’s a little weird that he always shows up to gloat whenever you being involved with saving the day gets misinterpreted?”
“No, because he’s not gloating. He’s trying to help.”
“How did that back there help, in any way, shape, or form?” I glanced around to make sure there was no one else in earshot before continuing with my voice lowered. “Think about it, Owen, who else is better situated to be behind all this? He gets inside info from us and inside info from the Council. He’s got access to money. He’s got the magical skills.”
“But why? He was already the president of MSI and on the Council. He gave that up when we brought Merlin back—and bringing Merlin back was his idea. If he wanted to rule the magical world, he was already there. He’s famous enough that if he did want to start his own company, he wouldn’t have to go through all of this to do so. He’d have put his name on it instead of wasting time with Idris.”
“I know I’m missing some of the backstory,” I admitted, “but he just bugs me, and I think there’s something seriously wrong with his idea to let Idris speak.”
“Merlin thought letting Idris speak was a good idea.”
“Merlin has, quite literally, been living under a rock for hundreds of years.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Katie,” Owen snapped so forcefully that it took me aback.
“Come on, you’re not even the tiniest bit suspicious?”
“I deal in facts, not suspicions. And I need to get back to work.”
I was left blinking in his wake as he headed down a corridor to his office, wondering if we had just had our first real fight. The two of us weren’t exactly high-conflict people, and we’d generally agreed about most things other than his working habits and my safety. This, though, seemed like a fundamental disagreement, and I couldn’t understand why he was being so pigheaded. It was like he was under a spell.
