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“Come to think of it, I didn’t get much lunch,” Rod put in.
“You got more than I did,” I said. “I didn’t have much appetite then.”
“Okay, we’ll talk over food,” Owen said with an exasperated sigh. We got off the train at Fiftieth Street and moved cautiously out of the station. Thor took the lead, moving one step at a time and glancing warily around before taking another step.
When he’d reached the sidewalk, a voice said, “It’s okay, you’re in the clear for now.” Startled, Thor jumped backward, lost his footing, and would have fallen if Earl hadn’t caught him. “Oh, sorry about that. Didn’t mean to scare you,” Sam said from his perch on a sign in front of the subway entrance.
Thor jerked himself out of Earl’s grasp and straightened his jacket. “I was not scared. I was merely startled. I don’t expect to see gargoyles at this level.”
“Were they able to follow us?” Owen asked.
“Hard to say,” Sam replied. “You know, in this city, wearing black doesn’t make anyone stand out. For now, though, there’s no one nearby that worries me. You’ve probably got a good half hour before anyone can track you down. What’s your next move?”
“We will discuss our fellowship over food and ale,” Thor said.
“Lunch,” I translated.
“There’s a diner just around the corner,” Sam said. “It’s probably safest if you split up and don’t go as one big group. Just in case, you know.”
The party left in twos. I was about to head out with Granny, but Sam caught my eye and shook his head, so I lingered with Owen. When the others were all gone, Sam said, “I figured that was the easiest way to get you two alone. I’d have kept Rod in, but someone we trust has gotta keep an eye on that bunch. And Katie, I thought your grandma was gonna go back to the office.”
“That was the plan,” I said with a sigh. “She refuses to go. She says she came here because something’s going to happen to me, and she wants to be there when it does.”
“She’s powerful, so that might not be a bad thing.” He escorted us to the diner, gliding as we walked. “So, you’ve picked up some new friends,” he said.
Owen gave him a quick recap on the new party members and what we’d learned about the various factions. “At the rate we’re going, I wouldn’t be surprised if a manhole cover popped open and the Mole People came out to say they wanted to join our group,” I added.
“It is reassuring that they have so much confidence in us,” Owen said with a wry smile. “Do you have any idea who the people in black were? I couldn’t tell what they wanted, and they weren’t that aggressive. It was more like they were trying to hamper us or delay us than hurt us.”
“We’re lookin’ into it. They aren’t with the Council, I can tell you that much. The boss hasn’t clued them in on all this yet.”
“They’re sure to find out sooner or later.”
“And then they’ll probably want to join our team,” I said. “I don’t suppose there are any other leads on the future Mrs. Martin?”
“None that I’ve heard.”
“Who came up with the Macy’s lead?” Owen asked, frowning. “Because we only got the tip a little while before we went there, and even though it was a false alarm, they were there in pretty significant numbers.”
“A mole at MSI?” Sam asked.
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” I reminded him.
“I’ll look into it. Now, you get something to eat and find out what the elves and the gnomes are up to. I’ll stay in touch.” He flew away, and we headed to join the others at the diner.
They’d pushed together two tables to seat our entire group in the nearly empty restaurant. Once we’d ordered, Owen asked, “Do any of you know who those people were in the store?”
“I thought you were running from security,” Earl said with a shrug.
“Security would have done more than just lurk and follow,” Rod said.
“No, they definitely weren’t just store security,” Owen said.
“Let’s see, how many factions does that make so far?” I asked. I ticked them off on my fingers. “There’s MSI. There are the Elf Lord’s elves. There’s whatever group Earl represents. There are the gnomes.”
“We’ve got a couple of factions, too,” Thor put in.
“And, of course, there’s this mysterious fiancée,” I continued. “Plus now maybe a group of wizards.”
