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“And the drunks and druggies aren’t known for their ambition,” I added.
Sam, who’d been keeping watch, said, “Okay, kids, time to go. I think some of our friends have made it past my guys.”
With a groan of dismay, I forced myself away from the wall that had been holding me up. We ran down the stairs and into the parking garage. Sam had magically sealed the doors behind us, but the zombie gargoyles just burst through. Sam and his security gargoyles hampered our enemies while we ran up the driveway to the sidewalk and then aimed for the nearest park entrance.
There were still a few of the zombie gargoyles pursuing us as we raced down Fifth Avenue, but once we plunged into the park, we had some cover among the trees. We got off the paths and ran an indirect route, keeping to the tree cover and away from the lights. I hoped Owen knew where he was going because all I could tell in the darkness was that we had crossed Seventy-ninth Street.
I’d developed a stitch in my side, and I was gasping for each breath, but I kept running as well as I could, with Owen practically dragging me along. This was more intense exercise than I was used to, but Owen sounded like he was barely breathing hard. I could still hear gargoyles overhead, and I figured if they were ours, they’d give us the all-clear and guide us to safety, so I didn’t have any choice but to keep running.
At least no late-evening joggers had yet tried to mug me to get at the brooch, and none of the brooch-crazy museum gala power brokers seemed to have followed us. Our situation wasn’t ideal, but it could have been much worse.
Eventually, we lost the zombie gargoyles. We stumbled down a hillside, then Owen stopped me while he stepped over a low fence before lifting me up and over it. Nearby was a bridge that spanned a footpath, creating a tunnel. We ran under the bridge and paused, holding our breath while we waited to see if anything came in after us.
When it seemed like the coast was clear, Owen sank back against the side of the tunnel and I leaned on him, gulping for air in great, shuddering breaths. He put his arms around me, lightly at first, as though for comfort or security, but after we’d both settled down a little and I no longer felt like I was going to collapse, he pulled me against himself in a big hug.
“You did it!” he whispered. Then he gave me a big kiss before adding, “You’re amazing! How did you pull that off?”
“It was incredibly difficult and dangerous. I should get a medal, or something.”
“What did you do?”
“I was—get this—nice to Mimi.”
“Really?” He looked skeptical.
“I helped her calm down after that freakout when the gargoyles attacked. I made her take off her jacket so she could wash her face, and while she was in the bathroom, I switched the brooches.”
“So you didn’t have to hit her or tranquilize her, or anything?”
“I know! I’m actually kind of disappointed. Maybe I should have tranquilized her. Then I’d have had time to find that protective box so we wouldn’t have everyone after us, and if she’d been unconscious for a while, it would have taken longer for her to realize she had the wrong brooch.”
“It’s better to have one more dart.”
“But if I’d had the box, we wouldn’t have evil zombie gargoyles and rich people and probably eventually elves and wizards chasing us.”
“Getting the brooch was the goal, and nobody else was able to manage even that much.”
“What do we do with it now? Last thing I heard, there weren’t any active volcanoes in the greater New York area.”
“I’m not sure that would work. That sounds like the sort of thing Merlin would have tried back in his day.” He got out his phone and added, “Speaking of whom, I’d probably better call this in.” He dialed the number, then held the phone so we could both hear the call. “We got it!” he said when Merlin answered. “Well, Katie got it. But we have it now. Should we bring it to the office?”
“No!” I couldn’t help but flinch away from the phone, I was so shocked by the vehemence of Merlin’s response. “That would be most unwise. A building full of powerful and ambitious wizards—including myself—would be the worst place for the Eye. I don’t suppose you also got the protective box?”
I leaned closer to the phone. “No, I tried, but I didn’t have much time to search.”
“Ah, pity. Are you safe now?”
“For the moment, yes,” Owen said. “I don’t know how long we can stay here, though. We tried to get as far away from people as possible, but I’m sure they’ll track us down before long.”
“Stay there as long as you can. I’m creating a new box, and once the protective spells are complete, I’ll have it delivered to you. When you have it encased, you’ll be able to bring it to your manuscript room, where you can lock it in the safe with the Ephemera. That room is so carefully warded that the Eye should be secure there until we can find a way to destroy it.”
“How much longer do we need to hold on?” Owen asked.
“I have at least an hour’s worth of work to do. These wards are tricky, and I need to ensure that even I can’t break them. It’s a shame I don’t have your assistance, as I recall you’re quite good with wards.”
“If I were able to help you with wards, you wouldn’t dare let me anywhere near the Eye or anything designed to protect the Eye,” Owen said. “Too many people would see that as suspicious.” He took a deep breath, then said, “Okay, then, we’ll try to hold on for an hour. Call me when you’re ready to deliver the box to us.”
When he ended the call and put the phone back in his pocket, I leaned against him again, and he settled his arm around me. “Do you think we can just hide out for an hour?” I asked.
