Wicked As You Wish (A Hundred Names for Magic #1) - Rin Chupeco Page 0,26

Bander too. Unfortunately. But he’s not part of my team, and I have no idea what he’s doing here on his own.” She took a deep breath, realized she was still keeping a firm grip on Tala’s arm, and let go.

“Sorry. Forget about Nottingham. He’s an ass, but I know him enough not to screw this mission up just for kicks. What’s important is that you’re safe, and that we’ve found you. The others should be waiting at the school cafeteria. Hopefully one of them’s discovered where Alex has gone off to.” She paused. “That really was the firebird, wasn’t it?”

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen it.”

“Really? Damn. I was hoping you’d know how to attract its attention long enough to lead us to His Highness. Pretty good sign that Alexei’s somewhere nearby, though.”

“Hey! New girl!”

It was one of the baseball guys, Tom McClance. He was leaning on his locker and grinning at Zoe like a fool, as if Tala weren’t even there.

Zoe rolled her eyes and started stepping around him, but he blocked her path. “Listen. I know I didn’t make such a good impression earlier today—”

“You called me sweetcheeks,” Zoe reminded him. “You called me a bitch after about the eleventh time I said no.”

The boy shrugged like this was a perfectly normal thing to have done. “Sure, whatever. Look, lemme make it up to you. Classes are out for the day, so how about I show you around?”

“That sounds nice,” Zoe said politely but uninterestedly as she reached into her shoulder bag, “but Tala and I have other business to attend to.”

The guy frowned. “Hey. You’re not both dykes, are you? I mean, come on. You’re way too pretty to be one. I can understand Warnock here, but heck, I bet five minutes with me will help you change your mind, even if—”

“Tala,” Zoe said. “What would you say is the maximum range of your agimat? If I had a spell in my pocket, hypothetically speaking, how far away do you need to be for it to still work?”

“Um,” Tala floundered. “Maybe a couple of feet, at most? But if I concentrate well enough, you won’t have to move.”

“Good. Can you do that right now for about, say, five seconds?”

“What are you...?” McClance broke off in surprise. Zoe had taken a large silver needle out from her bag and, without hesitation, jabbed it firmly into his arm.

“Hey!” The boy leaped back, staring at the small wound, where a drop of blood had formed. He opened his mouth to speak, but that was as far as he got.

He stiffened once, then toppled forward, eyes rolling back into his head. He landed in a noisy heap on the floor.

“You can stop now,” Zoe said cheerfully.

“Did you kill him?” Tala risked nudging at the fallen jock with a foot, and quelled the urge to panic when the boy didn’t move. “Not that I’d be grieving or anything. But that would not be good at all.”

Zoe slid the needle back into her bag, the move so practiced and swift that the group of students now crowding over McClance’s inert form didn’t notice. “Of course not. The needle’s enchanted with a sleeping spell. He’ll be up before the day’s out. Eventually.”

“How did you do that?”

“Spelltech isn’t just for mobile phones and cars. You’ve heard of Talia Briar-Rose, right? The Sleeping Beauty? Pricked by the needle of a spinning wheel and all…except there’s not really much point in making someone sleep for a hundred years anymore. Legend says she took the weapon for her own, that she kept a long needle in her boot just in case she didn’t have her sword on hand, and that it was equipped with spells a lot deadlier than just knocking you out like this one does.”

“Isn’t that illegal, though?” Tala stared at Zoe’s bag like she expected a horrible monster to climb out of it.

“It helps to know some very good spellforgers,” Zoe said with a grin. “And I’m about at my limit with guys today. Besides, I’m not the one with the firebird. I know you’re a Makiling and that this town is not the best place to learn more about what we’ve got at our disposal, but you’ll get used to it, sooner or later. Everyone does. Shall we go find the others? They’re really excited to meet you.”

Behind them, McClance began to snore.

7

In Which These Dorks Are Also Avalon’s Last Line of Defense

Afternoon classes had been canceled, but the Elsmore cafeteria