to move.
“Ma’am,” he said, nodding.
“Good day, sir,” I replied, then couldn’t help making a face like I’d just sucked on a lemon. “Good day, sir?” I muttered after we’d passed and were beyond his hearing. Hopefully. You never knew with shifters. “I held his gaze, won my place, and my celebratory salutation was good day, sir? What am I, Charles Dickens?”
“Technically, that is a who,” Ulric said. “That must be one of the new guys. He was the right amount of intense for the town at present.”
“I thought you did very well,” Mr. Tom said, and although he was behind me and thus out of sight, I knew his chin was raised in snobby disdain. “You showed the shifter that the mistress of Ivy House does not cower within a dominating stare.”
“Sure, but now he’s probably wondering why I didn’t stop and extend a lacy, gloved hand so he could kiss it before I walked on with my parasol,” I muttered. “I told Austin I’d show off my power and my people. Hard to look awesome when I say things like that.”
“People are wary of the unpredictable,” Sebastian said, hands still in his pockets, turning to look behind us. “You’re good. Keep being weird.”
“You say that as though you think she has a choice in the matter,” Mr. Tom said, and I got the feeling he was trying to help in some way.
“Okay everyone, disperse.” I waved them away, pushing back against the wall.
An older man and woman walked along the sidewalk on the other side of the street. They glanced over, and I gave a little wave before pulling my power around me and sinking into the elements. They waved back, and if I’d just rendered myself invisible, they would’ve given a sign.
“Dang it.”
I watched Mr. Tom don a bowler hat and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses before wrapping a yellow and maroon striped scarf around his neck. He rolled up the sleeves a little on his tux jacket and then hoisted one of the pant legs to his shin. That done, he drifted back to the wall.
“Become the stone.” Mr. Tom’s voice was soft and hollow, as though lending credence to his efforts. “Soak into your surroundings. Wrap the magic around you like a cloak.”
“Huh,” Sebastian said as Mr. Tom disappeared. I could still see him, of course, with my magic, but when they were in this element, there was a sheen to their appearance. It helped me identify when they were hiding and not. “That’s pretty slick. I can’t make him out at all.”
“But you can make me out?” I asked as Ulric crossed the street and then blended in on the opposite side.
I felt Jasper on the main drag, probably halfway between Sasquatch and me. He always made my opponents start at the other end of the downtown area so I had a chance to figure things out. Hadn’t happened yet, but today was the day!
“Yes. Why does Mr. Tom put on all that garb?”
“I have no idea.”
“And why did he roll up his coat sleeves and one pant leg?”
“Look, when it comes to Mr. Tom, or Edgar, or Niamh, you really just need to roll with it. They don’t make any sense at the best of times.”
Sebastian’s crooked smile was back. “You might have the most eccentric organization of them all.”
“That’s a very nice way to put it. Okay, you gotta scram. I can’t have you hanging around, chatting to me. You’ll get me caught.”
Sebastian took a step away, but he paused and pulled a small vial from his back pocket. “I don’t have magic to blend into stone, but when you get good at potions, you can use magic to make you disappear. I won’t get you caught. Give me a sec.”
He pulled out the cork stopper, tilted the vial up, and dribbled the contents into his mouth before he swished twice, sucked air in through his lips, and then swallowed it down, all without letting any liquid dribble from his lips.
He saw me watching. “Sometimes it’s not just the potion, it’s how you take it. Aerating that one right before swallowing keeps it working for twice as long. Don’t tell anyone, but I found out accidentally. It’s a secret.”
His body shimmered and then the image of his face went hazy. A moment later, his physical being bled away, out of sight. He’d become invisible through other means.
“Does that mask your scent, too?” I asked, remembering when spells like that had been used against