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I dropped knives at Starling and Blackbird’s feet too. “Can’t hurt.”
“Make mine a sword, dearie.” Blackbird flexed her fingers. “It’s been some time, but I used to be quite handy with a rapier.”
Starling gaped at her. “You never told me that.”
“It never came up.”
Darling demanded some body armor and I quickly gave him a plain set, telling him I didn’t have time to give him anything more elaborate, so he could suck up the grumbles.
A door in the wall bordering the roof opened and a train of mossy-green gremlin-type creatures marched out, carrying spears three times their height and arranging themselves in a loose circle around the tower roof. “Okay, look sharp. I think we’re better off out of the carriage. Stick close to me, okay? Starling, would you carry this?” Box or no, I didn’t want to leave the grimoire behind.
“Can’t you just wish us back to where we were?” Thumbelina grumbled.
“I’m not good at the poofing thing—sorry.”
We climbed out, Darling bristling his fur irritably against the sea mist. He stayed right by my ankle, promising to defend me to the death. Unfortunately he imagined himself twice the size of the gremlins and I worried he’d get himself into trouble. Starling and Blackbird gathered behind me and Thumbelina arranged herself square in front of me, hair tied back in a tight ponytail, her petite figure in an attack crouch, dagger held out with surprisingly effective menace. I appreciated the thought but still invoked a kind of force field around us. I should have practiced with this concept—making something impervious to attack that would still be permeable to oxygen and carbon dioxide. Note to self.
A pudgy figure waddled out of the doorway, draped in misty rainbow robes that appeared to have food stains on them. He carried a staff with a crystal globe topping it. He paused, planting the staff so he could lean against it, and beamed at me, a fatuous smile puffing out his chubby cheeks.
“Gwynn!” He opened arms wide. “Come give us a hug! I’m so excited you’re finally visiting.”
“And you are?” I stayed right where I was, not trusting this for a moment—even if I had been able to get past my dainty blue-haired warrior.Please don’t say Gandalf. Or Merlin.
“I’m Walter, Wizard of the Western Keep.”
“Walter?” I repeated, like an idiot. But really—Walter?
He thumped his staff on the stone. “You can call me Walt. Come on inside. We have so much to discuss.”
“Actually we’d prefer to go back to what we were doing before you kidnapped us.”
“Would you?” He gestured to his gremlin guards. “Unfortunately being captives means you don’t get to make decisions like that. You leave if and when I decide you do.”
I’d had enough. I reached out to his mind, fully ready to twist his thoughts until he let us go.
And hit a blank wall of gray.
“Uh-uh-uh.” He beamed at me with jovial indulgence and bounced the crystal staff a little more. “No fair starting a magic duel without setting up the rules first.”
“What are the rules?”
“Come inside and we’ll discuss. Hot cocoa for everyone!”
The gremlin guards closed ranks around us. Darling hissed and Thumbelina stabbed her little dagger at one. It danced back, making the sound of an agitated beetle. Another ran at Darling, but bounced off the force field like a rubber ball.
“Now, now. We don’t need any of that!” Walt called over his shoulder, turning a little sideways to wedge himself through the doorway and pointing the staff at me. My force field collapsed in a puff of pink sparks. Just like that. Even Rogue hadn’t dissolved my spells that easily. Or hadn’t tried.
The fear I’d been holding at arm’s length tried to rush in. I pulled on the center of quiet. If we were as screwed as it appeared, I’d need all my wits.
“Thoughts?” I asked Blackbird as they escorted us inside.
“Not many,” she answered. “I’ve never met him before. We’ve been at war for so long, you know.”
“War? This is one of Falcon’s opponents? Is that what this is about?”
Blackbird twirled the tip of her rapier thoughtfully, staring hard at Walter’s back. “Hard to say.”
“I doubt it,” Starling added darkly, then looked abashed at my questioning glance. “I just think that if this was about the war, Falcon would have called you in. This isn’t the way the war is conducted.”
