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Had that startling display of elemental wrath really only happened last night? Wow. It took me a second to process that before moving on.
“The liaisons are the strongest magic users because they use their powers regularly,” I surmised.
“Yes, that’s right,” Greta encouraged.
“Okay, so then why are we all so afraid of this Melony chick? She’s only—what?—eighteen?” I shuddered at the realization that I could practically be her mother. Thank goodness, I wasn’t.
Everyone watched and waited for me to push forward with my train of thought, and so I did.
“She’s not a liaison, which means she is not a regular magic practitioner. We know she has some, because of the confrontation Greta and I had with her, but—can someone please explain this next part—why is a room full of the region’s most powerful magic folk hiding from a little girl?”
21
Nobody spoke until at last Fluffikins took a deep breath and said, “That’s not a bad question. We could easily overpower Melony, but just because we can doesn’t mean we should.”
I threw my hands up in the air—something I was doing a lot of lately, quite frankly. “Seriously, guys? One second you present yourselves as these noble defenders of the balance, and the next you talk yourselves out of easily solving a very simple problem. You do realize it’s only going to turn into a much bigger problem, right? I mean, what happened to that whole noble balance spiel you just gave me like three minutes ago?”
Greta placed both hands flat on the table in front of her. The whitish eyebrows framing bright blue eyes gave her an almost lupine appearance. “I understand there’s much about our world you can’t yet grasp, but there are nuances, which however small and seemingly inconsistent are important to uphold, especially for those in positions of power.”
“So you’re not dealing with Melony because—what?—it would look bad? Greta, you’re the one who told me magic always comes to a violent end. Melony’s the instigator here, so why aren’t you taking action?” Whether or not I’d ended up with the PTA by some stupid fluke, I was here now and I would make my opinions known. Namely that their attempt at an explanation made little to no sense.
When Greta shook her head, one of her tight blonde curls fell out of place. “It’s not our place to end a life.”
“Are you kidding me?” I exploded. I couldn’t help it. “You’re the one who ended Mrs. Haberdash’s!”
“At her request, yes. She made a sacrifice to protect this town, but also to protect her next of kin.” Greta looked tired but not any less steadfast in her explanation. Even though their supposed logic wasn’t making much sense to me, it clearly held up with her.
I softened my voice. Greta wasn’t the enemy here. Flawed thinking aside, nobody in this room presented a threat to me or this town. Melony on the other hand… “Why would she want to save somebody who wanted to kill her? And what exactly do you plan to do when Melony shows up with the goal of offing Parker? And for the last time where’s Parker? Because he certainly isn’t here, and it seems plain old stupid to sit around waiting for whatever happens next when we can get out there and control the future!”
Fluffikins tsked. “Spoken like a true normie. Have you been listening to anything Greta or I have tried to explain?”
I turned all my frustration on the small black cat. “Yes, I’m listening, but all I hear is words and excuses. You have the power to end this, but instead you’re sitting here helpless. You’re not helpless, and you should be out there helping Parker!”
Fluffikins flexed his paws and the claws shout out menacingly. “I’ve never been so—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down.” Parker’s familiar voice floated down from above as he drifted toward his seat. “I’m right here.”
The pink magic in the air shimmered briefly, then whooshed back to the ceiling. Now that everyone was accounted for, the glass ceiling closed in on itself, shutting out the larger world.
Greta placed a hand on my side and leaned toward me like she wanted to say something to me in private, but I didn’t care to find out what that was.
Parker was here! He was okay!
I leaped out of my chair and ran over to hug him. It didn’t matter that I hardly knew him—he was alive and quite possibly a hero. The fact that he’d been in uncertain danger made me realize just how much I instinctively liked him, right from the beginning.
He stood to meet me and winced as I wrapped both arms around him, but then settled into the embrace.
“Are you okay?” I whispered, pulling back to look into his eyes.
The sharp gray appeared dulled, but his smile appeared genuine. “I’m okay,” he confirmed with a relieved sigh.
Fresh cuts and scrapes covered his face, neck, and arms, but none of them appeared too serious. What had held
him back? Had he gone ahead and acted while the rest of the board sat here twiddling their thumbs?
I wouldn’t put that past him.
Parker was one of them, but he was also different.
