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“I’m sorry about that,” the voice announced. “I fear the proverbialjig is up, as the saying goes… And that stupid girl, Brandy Tanderall, I killed her because she wouldn’t let me have my way with her… But that’s neither here nor there, because now that I’ve outed myself I’m afraid we have to leave ahead of schedule. The downside is that your friends will wonder whatever happened to you. The upside is, you will actually get to see yourrealbrother again!”
The thing that had pretended to be Sam turned so that Moni could at last look up into its face. TheSampart of its features appeared to be melting away, revealing reptilian skin and yellowish parietal eyes.
Moni felt as though she were two people, one that was shocked shitless and immobilized, but one who was thinking fast. She decided that the best thing to do was to play along, even if going with the creature meant that she would be placing herself beyond the reach of all help.
Shady had shown her a few new magic tricks but would they be enough to save both herself and, hopefully, her twin Sam? She had no answers but said, “Take me to my brother. You owe me that much, whoever,whatever, you are!”
“I thought you’d see it my way,” the thing said, hissing slightly after each word it delivered. I believe I can open a portal right here, using the mirror in your wardrobe! Next stop…Ingolstadt Bavaria!”
The swift journey through the portal took Moni’s breath away, but to be fair, it was the first time she had traveled in a portal. Just as she thought she would black out from lack of air, she found herself in a corridor not dissimilar to the corridors at Pitchfork Prep, with high arched ceilings and lit dimly with arched windows letting in the pale grayish light of an overcast day. There were also torches lit along the walls, electric ones.
“I thought I’d stop just outside his chambers so that you could gather yourself,” the creature remarked. By that time, it bore no resemblance to her brother other than a few fronds of blond hair that were stubbornly still attached to its lizard-like head. It was also at least eight feet tall. And as she followed it, she noticed it had a tail that whipped along behind it.
The creature knocked once and then stuck its head inside.
“I have a surprise for you,” it announced, hissing over its words and sounding happy. “You’d never guess it!”
Moni heard the sound of someone jumping up from behind a desk and striding over to the door that was only cracked open a few inches. As soon as the door swung all the way open, she knew that she was, at long last, looking into the eyes of her own twin, Sam.
Nothing had ever felt as good as his embrace. It was like the first time she thought she had been reunited with him, only better because it was the real thing.
“They said they were going to bring you here, but I didn’t believe it,” Sam said smiling the crooked and adorable smile that Moni remembered from their childhood. Stand back and letme look at you! Why are you so short? Are you sure you’re mytwin?”
“Why are you sotall, Dude?” Moni countered. Then, remembering where she was, she nodded over at the creature that was still standing by the door.
“Oh, that’s Boris,” Sam told her. “He’s been around for a while. He works for the Rebels and, for what it’s worth, he never wanted the assignment they just gave him. He used to be human but he disobeyed an order and they turned him into a lizard. He still likes girls though…”
Turning to Boris, Sam asked, “You weren’t inappropriate with my sister, were you?”
As Boris shook his head, Moni piped up, “Well, he had a date last night and I don’t think it went well because he murdered her!”
Sam looked aghast. “Bad, Boris!” he said to the creature, as the creature managed to look contrite and hung its head.
“Sam, you have a lot of explaining to do,” Moni told Sam in a serious tone, “We thought you weredead. Wemourned you! Especially me, although I always felt you might be somewhere far away. And you are! Why didn’t you try to escape?”
“I actually tried—what was the count, Boris? One hundred and eleven times,” Sam replied. “Fortunately, my captors are patient. And because I had abilities they could capitalize on, I’ve pretty much been given the royal treatment. I’ve been treated like a Prince here. The only thing missing has beenyou, Antimony!”
Moni let his declaration sink in for a few moments. In all her wildest imaginings, she never thought Sam would have been treated well by his captors, but what he was saying made sense. Why would they harm him and damage the very potent magical energy they wanted to harvest from him?
As if to answer her next question before she asked it, Sam continued, “And now that we are together, everything I have been able to do on my own, all the Spells and Conjures, will have exponentially more power when combined withyourenergy, because we are twins!”
Seeing her look of puzzlement, he continued, “We have a special Energy of Intention, Moni. Whatever we agree onhasto happen, and nothing can prevent it! It’s like we are living batteries, chock full of magical energy. Having you close to me can double it. Here, Moni, give me your hand and I’ll show you!”
Feeling slight trepidation, Moni took Sam’s hand. It felt smooth and cool in hers, and she remembered that he’d always had cooler hands. Of the two of them, she was the hothead, the one with sweaty palms.
“Cold hands and a warm heart,” he’d always joked, teasing her that maybe it meantshehad acoldheart. But that was then, this was now.
A soon as their hands joined, she felt the current that they were spontaneously creating. While she watched, Sam pointed over to an ornately carved desk that Moni surmised must belong to him.
“Think about elevating the desk now,” he told her in a hushed voice.
As she concentrated, she saw that the desk rose immediately from its position on the flagstone flooring, rising upward rapidly until Sam called out
“Whoa, that’s enough!” at which point it floated down as easily as it had risen.
Moni was impressed. Even though she was one of the best at telekinesis in her classes, transporting material objects had never gone that smoothly and effortlessly, especially objects as heavy as that desk had been.
“The Rebel Elders will be so very pleased,” Sam said, sighing happily.
