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Sam, who’d been flying surveillance loops, returned to us and hissed, “Psst, don’t look back. Keep walkin’ casual-like.”
“What is it, Sam?” Owen asked.
“I may be gettin’ as paranoid as Katie-bug here, but I do believe you’ve picked up a tail. I mean, another one. This one’s not a bird, and it’s definitely magical.”
Earl reacted first, leaping to flatten himself into a nearby doorway as he glanced anxiously from side to side. “Relax, kid,” Sam told him. “I don’t think it’s an elf. And if it is, he’s already seen you.”
“But you’re sure it’s a wizard?” Owen asked.
“Keep walkin’. It’s harder to shake a tail who knows you’re onto him,” Sam ordered. When we’d complied, aside from Earl, who refused to move from his doorway, Sam continued. “He’s veiling himself, keeps changin’ his appearance, but I noticed the steady wave of magic comin’ after you. I don’t know which person he is in all these crowds, but there’s definitely someone there.”
“Just one?” I asked. “And he’s there now?”
“He’s good. He’s hanging back a bit—and don’t look over your shoulder.” He added this last part for Thor. Granny followed it up with a slap to the back of the gnome’s head.
“How long has he been there?” Owen asked.
“I think he picked you up at the apartment building, but it’s hard to say. He’d have to have been really good to follow you when you were flying.”
“I wonder which faction he’s with, or if we’ve got a new one,” I said. “We practically need a chart to keep track of them all. This would be easier if everyone had uniforms or matching T-shirts.”
“At least he hasn’t offered to join us,” Rod joked. “I guess we should go on with business as usual.”
“I’ve got carpets waiting for us about a block away,” Sam said.
“Should we try to lose this guy first?” I asked.
“Nah, it’ll be easier to lose him in the air.”
The back of my neck itched with the sensation that I was being watched, but I reminded myself that we weren’t doing anything particularly important at the moment. Anyone who followed us would only get a tour of some of the top salons in the city. I glanced at Owen to see what he was thinking, and his eyes had taken on an unfocused look that was far too familiar. He was deep in thought, miles away. I hooked my arm through his because when he got like that, he sometimes needed someone to keep him from walking into lampposts.
He came to a sudden halt, nearly creating a minor pile-up on the sidewalk. I didn’t stop in time and staggered backward, my arm still caught in his. “That’s it!” he said.
“You’ve finally solved that global warming problem?” Rod joked.
Owen shook his head. “No, I know where I’ve seen those spells the doorman used. They’re from the Ephemera.”
Chapter Eight
“You recognized those spells?” Rod asked.
“There was something familiar about them, but I wasn’t sure why, and it’s been bugging me ever since,” Owen said.
“If they’re from the Ephemera, does that mean they’re evil spells?” I asked, shivering as my skin crawled.
“Not necessarily,” Owen said. “The book itself is contaminated with evil enchantments, and a lot of the contents have spells embedded, but a good portion of the book merely records spells that were in use at that time. Those spells the doorman used were ancient, and he used the archaic forms.”
“Does that mean someone else has access to the Ephemera, or is there another copy?” Rod asked.
“I don’t know. Surely those spells were recorded somewhere else. We’ve moved so far beyond the magic from that time that even our historians don’t generally go back that far in researching spells. But it would explain why we had so much trouble fighting him. It’s like the way sometimes a really outdated computer can be more secure because the current viruses won’t even run on that operating system.”
“Keep walking,” Sam interrupted. “You don’t want our friend to overhear you or think you’ve made him.”
We began moving again, Owen having to work to walk, talk, and think all at the same time. I held onto him to steer him around obstacles. Rod asked him, “Now that you know the source, do you know how to fight those spells?”
Owen shook his head with a groan of frustration. “No. Normally, I would have internalized the spells as I translated them, but since I can’t work them right now, I only remember bits and pieces, and it’s too risky not to go word-for-word. One variation and you might blow something up or fry yourself.”
“And you can’t carry the book around because it’s too dangerous,” Rod said with a nod.
