Kiss and Spell (Enchanted, Inc.) (23 page)

“What do you mean by ‘get’?” Earl asked.

“Not killing, not unless you have to. But immobilize them, certainly, lock them up.”

“They have magic. How can we bind them so they can’t just free themselves?” Earl asked. “We don’t have your fancy silver chains here—unless they left them with you when they brought you here.”

“Don’t you have any binding or memory spells?” Mac asked. “Do to them what they’ve done to us.”

“Have you considered any alternatives?” Brad asked.

I thought Owen would explode. I was pretty sure he was actually twitching. But if he couldn’t talk, I sure could. “We think we’ve discovered the portal they’re using to bring people here. At the very least, we’ve found a way out of the neighborhood that doesn’t loop back on itself.”

All of Brad’s attention turned to me, and I felt I might swoon. “Where is this?” he asked. He knelt and drew on the floor. A map of the prison neighborhood appeared, made of softly glowing lines. It looked like we hadn’t been the only ones surveying our surroundings.

I circled the map, orienting myself, then pointed to the far end. “There. It’s the park on what should be the boundary. If you go up the sidewalk or the street, you’ll loop back, but if you go through that gate, you wind up in a big, park-like space. We couldn’t go too far because a lot of the guards were there, having some kind of meeting.”

“Do you mean the elves wearing gray?” Brad asked.

I glanced at Owen to see if he would speak up, but he remained resolutely silent, even as his jaw clenched so tightly that I thought I could hear his teeth grinding. “Yes, those guards,” I said. “They come and go through that gate at around eight thirty at night, about eighteen to twenty at a time.” I gave Owen another glance and then plunged forward. “We thought maybe we could infiltrate that group and find out what’s on the other side.”

“Unfortunately, it would require illusion for us to look like elves,” Brad said.

“But you
are
elves,” I protested.

“We’ve tried, but we can’t seem to shed this disguise they’ve given us, perhaps because the spell works on everyone’s perception and is therefore beyond our control. Our elf illusion, were we to don one, would likely be more effective than that of a human’s, but it would be just as much an illusion.”

“What would be the purpose of this little charade?” McClusky asked dismissively.

“We might learn where the portal is, how it’s guarded, perhaps even something of how they’re maintaining this prison,” Brad said with a smile that didn’t seem to have much of a charming effect on the Council wizards. “After all, that information would be necessary for us to take any advantage of the uprising you propose.”

“But this infiltration exposes us to risk,” Mac argued. “We don’t know how they’re identifying each other, but if they spot a plant, then they’ll know we’re on to them. We have to act quickly and decisively to have the advantage. What we need to do is revive every prisoner we can find, set a day and time, and then everyone takes over their guards at once. Then we take a few hostages and head straight for that gateway.”

Brad turned to me. “What do you think of this plan, Katie?”

I gulped. “Me? What does my opinion matter?”

Brad gave me a smile that I was certain had to be magically enhanced. “I nominate you as our leader.”

“I’m in charge here,” Mac insisted.

“We never agreed upon that,” Brad said, his voice silky smooth, the aural equivalent of melted chocolate. “I know you would never agree upon an elf as the leader, so we will compromise. A wizard may lead us, as long as Katie is that wizard.”

I opened my mouth to say that I wasn’t really a wizard, but Owen elbowed me in the side. When I turned to look at him, he shook his head almost imperceptively, and I could have sworn he was fighting back a smile.

Mac sputtered, too irate for words, and glared at Owen and me. Owen maintained an expression of pure innocence. Brad’s smile was even more innocent than that. “Shall we put it to a vote?” he asked with a glance over his shoulder to his people, as if to remind us that the elves had the wizards outnumbered, even if the vote split along those lines.

“Very well,” Mac grumbled. “But you’re making a mistake.”

“Katie’s been MSI’s secret weapon for a while now, so you may be surprised,” Owen said, speaking for the first time in the meeting.

“So, Katie, our fearless leader, what do you think about the prison break plan?” Brad asked.

I gulped and took a couple of deep breaths. I’d never led much of anything in my life, despite Owen’s vote of confidence. I’d never even been an officer in a club when I was in school. I was more likely to be the person who got things done behind the scenes. “I think the uprising should be a last resort,” I said when I trusted myself to speak and sound authoritative instead of like a scared little girl. “There haven’t been that many uprisings that were actually successful. They’ve been more symbolic than anything, something to rally around without doing any practical good. Has any inmate prison uprising ever resulted in the inmates going free for good?” I directed that question at Mac. To be honest, I wasn’t sure of the answer, but it didn’t seem like the kind of thing that was likely to happen.

Mac shrugged grudgingly, but he didn’t speak, so I continued, gaining confidence as I went on. “We’re at even more of a disadvantage because we don’t yet know how to get back home. Information gathering should be our first priority, and we need to know about both sides of the portal. We need to find any fellow prisoners who were taken after we were and see if they know anything more about what Sylvester’s doing. Since people are being sent here for knowing too much, someone’s bound to know something important. For instance, I know there’s an MSI security operative here who was taken after we were, and if I find him again, he may have information.”

“I will spread the word through my people,” Brad said with a nod.

“But be careful about that. Mac was right that we should keep this in separate cells. If they’re smart, they’ll have had at least one plant in among the prisoners, someone we’re likely to trust. If we don’t all know each other, they won’t be able to track all of us down, no matter who they catch. You have warned everyone you’ve awakened about writing down possible memory triggers, right?”

Everyone in the room pulled pieces of paper out of their pockets. “Good,” I said with a nod, suddenly feeling very official. “Then we’ll need to learn about this side of the portal. If you’ve got someone who could infiltrate the gray guards, that would be good. You may need to observe them a while to fit in. Check for magic use to make sure your illusions don’t give you away. We shouldn’t meet too frequently. Earl at the bookstore makes a good information drop point. Do any of you know an elf named Perdita?”

“Everyone knows or knows of Perdita,” Brad said with a fond smile.

“She works at a café near here. I’ll talk to her; she may be able to pass on messages, since she does know everyone, and her position is pretty public. Don’t try to talk to me at the store, though. I suspect the other person working at the coffee shop with me is a guard.” I looked around at the others and said, “So, does it sound like we’ve got a plan to start with?”

Mac was still scowling, but he nodded, and the others all nodded in agreement. Before everyone started to disperse, Owen glanced out the window to check for guards. He returned to us, his expression tense. “No one can leave yet,” he said. “There are gray guards outside, watching the building.”

Chapter Fifteen

Of course, all the others had to verify for themselves that the building was being watched. Once that was certain, the accusations started flying. “Who let them follow you?” Mac asked.

“We were here before you were and you didn’t even notice us,” Brad said. “Do you think they’d have been able to follow us?”

“You’re a bigger group,” McClusky said. “In here, you were being still, but you’d attract attention traveling together.”

“Do you think we’re that stupid?” Earl said. He hesitated and glanced around like he was waiting for someone to tell him to shut up. I wondered if he’d ever get over that.

Doris said, “You two were probably easiest to follow, and you were the last ones to arrive.”

“We know they’ve already been tracking Katie and Owen,” McClusky argued.

“How do we know someone in your group didn’t tip them off?” Mac asked the elves. “After all, these are your people.”

Listening to all the arguing was frustrating, but then I remembered that I was theoretically in charge. I clapped my hands together once, then hissed, “Hey!” When they all turned to look at me, I whispered, “If they don’t already know we’re in here, we’re sure tipping them off with all this racket.” They looked like contrite schoolkids. “Now, it seems we’re stuck here for the time being. Does anyone want a cookie?”

I passed around the refreshment bag, and all the magical people conjured their own beverages. Owen handed me a cup of coffee, then went back to check out the window. “They’re still out there,” he reported.

“But they haven’t come in here, which is probably a good sign,” I said. “Maybe they’re just trying to see if something is going on or who’s here.” I figured that part of my job as resistance leader was keeping up morale.

“Why should we trust her?” McClusky muttered into his coffee cup. “She’s probably as bad as he is, since she’s dating him.”

Without thinking, I snapped, “Maybe I’m smart enough to rate people based on the way I’ve seen them act rather than on the deeds of parents they never even knew. How would you like to be judged strictly by your parents?” I hoped his parents weren’t saints who were pillars of the community, or that would kill my argument. He winced ever so slightly, so I must have hit close to home.

“I trust Katie,” Earl said. “She listened to me when no one else would, and she destroyed the Eye of the Moon when she could have used it to gain great power.”

“She did gain power from it,” Mac pointed out.

“Yeah, and it’s already fizzling,” I said. I turned to the elves and added, “I probably should have told you that before you elected me leader. I don’t really count as a wizard. I have a finite amount of power that’s almost gone.”

“Even better,” Brad said. “If you’re neither wizard nor elf, you’re neutral.”

“Do
you
think I’m bad?” Owen abruptly asked Mac. “I know the Council’s watching me out of caution, but you’ve known me since I was five. Have you ever seen any sign that I had the potential to be evil? If you’ve decided it’s there now, maybe you should resign because you missed it all those years and your judgment is in question.”

“Ah, you’ll never get a wizard to trust,” Doris said with a delicate snort. “It’s because they know they’re so untrustworthy, themselves.”

“And you people are so good that we’re in this mess because of your leader’s power grab,” McClusky shot back.

“If the wizards hadn’t been interfering in our internal matters, and if you trusted your own people, you wouldn’t be here,” Brad said, his tone going icy.

“Um, well, actually, I called Owen for help, and that’s why he and Katie are here,” Earl said. “I don’t consider that interfering.”

“But you’re working for the wizards now,” Doris said to him.

“Only because my cover got blown.”

“Because you were helping the wizards.”

Things were getting out of control, and a second round of cookies wasn’t going to stop it. I reached over and grabbed Earl’s arm before he and his friend could escalate their argument, and then I hissed a “Ssshhhhh!” in the tiny moment of quiet that came before anyone else could jump in. When I had their attention, I whispered, “In case you’ve forgotten, the bad guys are right outside, and while these buildings look like sturdy brownstones, I have a feeling they’re a lot flimsier than that. This is a time for using our inside voices, and maybe not even that much. Unless you
want
to get caught plotting against them.”

They all glanced at the floor and looked properly ashamed of themselves. “Okay, then,” I continued. “Since you’ve been making such a ruckus, it’s probably best if we clear out of here right away. There’s plenty of blank space in this block—pretty much the whole second floor, all the way across. Scatter and wait. Look out where you step, though. The unfinished space is
really
unfinished. When the coast looks clear, leave by ones and twos through the same exit where you entered. We don’t want them to know we can move around like this. Then, to play it safe, stick to your normal routine tomorrow and don’t do anything even remotely unusual or suspicious. We’ll start on the plan the next day. Got it?”

There were silent, if slightly sullen, nods all around, and then the group dispersed, each faction heading off in a different direction. Owen and I went upstairs to an attic room he said he’d found when he arrived early for the meeting. It seemed to be used for storing props for this elaborate stage set, so it not only had an actual floor, it also had a small sofa wedged into a corner.

I settled onto one end of the sofa with a sigh. “There are worse places to wait things out.”

His grin was borderline wicked. “Yeah, and that’s where the others are.” He sat on the other end of the sofa and leaned his head back against the cushions.

I scooted over to lean on him. He put his arm around me and rubbed my shoulder. “That’s what they get for not scoping things out ahead of time,” I said.

“Preparation is key. So is information gathering.”

“Does that mean you approve of my first plan as a resistance leader?”

“You’re doing a great job.”

I lifted my head to look up at him. “You really think so? I mean, isn’t it kind of a joke that
I’m
a resistance leader? That was just the elves messing with Mac.”

“Actually, I think it was a wise choice. You are more or less neutral since you don’t have a particular axe to grind here. You just want to get home, and you don’t care whether that makes anyone look good or bad. Since that’s what I want, too, that’s the leader I want. And you’ve always come up with plans and solved problems. Now you’ve been elected to do it officially.”