Dime Store Magic (39 page)
"Oh, come on. We've all seen
The Godfather
. We all know how this turns out."
"Take your gossip and go," I said. "I'm not interested."
"No? What if I make you an offer you can't refuse?" She grinned and winked at me. "Gotta talk to these Cabal guys in language they understand."
There was something so disarming, so childlike about Leah that it was hard to stand before her and remember how dangerous she was. As she mugged and teased, I had to keep repeating to myself, "This is the woman who killed your mother."
"I'm going inside now," I said.
"We both are," Cortez said, putting his hand against my back.
She rolled her eyes. "Geez, you guys are no fun at all. Fine. I'll get serious then. I want to talk."
I walked away. Cortez followed. When we were inside, I made the mistake of looking out the kitchen window. Leah stood there, waving a cell phone. I turned and saw the ringer light flickering on my phone. I picked up the receiver.
"Is this better?" she asked. "A Volo's range is about fifty feet, which I'm sure you already know, being the genius you are. How about I just start walking backward and you tell me when you feel safe?"
I slammed down the phone and stood there, struggling for composure.
"I can't do this," I whispered. "She—she killed my mother."
"I know." Cortez laid his hand against my back. "Let me handle it."
A shout rang out from the front lawn. Steeling myself, I walked into the living room and peeked out the curtain. A video camera wheeled across the lawn like a tumble-weed, the teenage owner stumbling after it.
The dozen or so onlookers watched and laughed. Then a woman's hat flew off.
"That bi—" I bit off the epithet, wheeled around and strode into the kitchen. "She wants to talk? Fine. We'll talk. I'll go out there and show her that she doesn't frighten me."
"No," said Savannah's quiet voice behind us. "Let her come in. Show her that she really doesn't frighten us."
We let Leah in. As Cortez said, she could do no worse damage in here than she could out there. Sad but true. If Leah wanted to kill us, she had a fifty-foot radius from which to act. No walls could stop her. All we could do was be on alert.
"She has a tell," I said to Cortez. "Whenever she's about to move something, she'll give herself away. Watch for tics, jerks, sudden movements, anything."
He nodded, then went out back to escort Leah inside.
A minute later, the rear door opened. Leah walked in, looked around, and smiled. Then her eyes lit on Savannah.
"Savannah," she said. "My God, you've gotten big, kiddo. You're almost as tall as me."
Savannah looked at her for ten long seconds, then turned on her heel and marched off to her room. Leah stared after her, frowning as if perplexed by her welcome.
"What have you done to her?" she asked.
"Me? You're the one who—"
Cortez lifted his hands. "As Leah pointed out, we sorcerers are very fond of rules. The cardinal rule of mediation, as I'm sure Leah is well aware, is that neither party is permitted to mention past wrongs or disparage the other. Is that understood?"
"Why are you looking at me?" Leah said. "She started it."
"No, I believe you did. Paige is, without question, the injured party in this matter. Upset her and the mediation is over."
"What makes you think I'm here to negotiate?"
"If you aren't, you may leave now."
She rolled her eyes. "God, he's so much fun, isn't he?" She walked into the living room and plunked herself down on my sofa. "Nice little place you have here, Paige. Must have been a tidy inheritance."
"Out," Cortez said. "Get out now, Leah."
"What did I do? I was only complimenting Paige on her house and commenting that—whoops—" She grinned.
"Guess I can see how that last remark might be, uh, 'inappropriate.' "
"Let her talk," I said, clenching my fists so tight I felt blood well up where my nails dug into my palms. "What did you come here for?"
"I don't like the way this is going," she said, lounging back against the cushions. "These Cabals, they're as bad as Isaac said. All their rules and codes of conduct. And the paperwork. Honest to God. You would not believe it, Paige. Kill some dumb-ass human and they make you fill out a zillion forms in triplicate. Once I accidentally shot a perp and even Internal Affairs didn't make me fill out so many forms. Would you believe Kristof reprimanded us for that great gag in the funeral home? We
'exceeded authority' and 'exercised questionable judgment,' and now he's fuming because there's going to be some kind of joint-Cabal disciplinary hearing over it. God, I'm telling you, those Cabal watchdogs have about as much of a sense of humor as baby Cortez here."
"What do you want, Leah?" I said.
"First, immunity. If I back out of this deal, the Nast Cabal will be all over my ass. I want Lucas here to promise me his daddy's protection."
"I play no role in the Cortez Cabal—" Lucas began.
"Oh, stuff it. You're a Cortez. If you say I'm protected, I am. For my second demand, I want joint custody of Savannah."
"Is that all?" I said. "Whew. I thought you wanted something big. How about weekends?"
Leah wagged a finger at Cortez. "I don't think she's taking this seriously."
"Imagine that," Cortez murmured.
"Dare I ask why you want joint custody of Savannah?" I asked.
"Because I like the kid. Because I think you'll ruin her. And because she could prove useful."
"So in return for granting these two demands, you'll do what? Take on the whole Nast Cabal for us?"
She laughed. "I'm not suicidal, Paige. If you give me what I want, I'll back out of the fight."
"That's it?"
"It should be enough. I'm the best damned weapon they have. You'd do well to get on my good side now, Paige. Something even you should consider, Lucas."
"Truly an offer we can't refuse," he said. "I believe I speak for Paige in saying get the hell out, Leah. You're wasting our time."
She sat upright and leaned forward. All humor drained from her eyes.
"I'm making you a serious offer, sorcerer. You don't want me in this fight."
"No? If your position is so strong, surely you wouldn't be here right now. The Cabals always reward talent. Shall I hazard a guess as to why you've had this sudden change of heart?"
"Wait," I said. "Let me give it a shot. I'm a newbie at this Cabal stuff, so I want to be sure I'm getting it right. You say you're here because you don't like the choice you made, teaming up with the Cabal. I think you're telling the truth. But not because they have too many rules. Because, suddenly, you're not in charge anymore. Sure, you have one incredible power, but that's it. A one-trick pony. Put you in a room full of magical races and you're a nobody, a grunt worker. Am I getting close?"
Her eyes blazed.
I continued, "This all started because you went to the Nast Cabal and offered them a deal. Maybe you found out about Savannah's father or maybe you just picked them out of a hat and they invented the paternity story. They took you up on the offer, and then took over. All you'll probably get is a nice year-end bonus and an office with a window. Worst of all, you lose Savannah. You sold out for an office with a view."
A brass urn flew from the bookshelf, sailed across the room, and smashed into the wall. Leah flung herself from the sofa, skewering me with a glare before turning that glare on the urn.
"Whoops," I said. "Did you miss? Maybe you aren't as good as you think you are."
This time, the whole bookshelf jerked free from its moorings. It shuddered, rocked once and came to rest, still upright. I cast a binding spell before she could try again.
"When I let go, you leave," I said. "Don't think I've forgotten what you did to my mother. And don't think for one second that I can't kill you where you stand, or that I'm not considering it at this very moment."
When I released the binding spell, Leah glared at me once, then stormed from the house, slamming the door in her wake.
"So her power decreases as her emotions escalate," Cortez said. "Very interesting."
"And handy. Did you figure out her tell?"
Cortez shook his head.
"Damn. Well, I can't worry about that now. I need to discuss something with Savannah." I started to leave, then turned to him. "Should I be worried? About retaliation?"
"From Leah?" He shook his head. "The Cabals have clipped her claws.
She knows the penalty for acting without their assent, particularly if those actions jeopardize a current project. It's considered treason. Punishable by death. A very unpleasant death."
"Good."
Cortez adjusted his glasses. "I have, uh, finished my work. Once you've spoken with Savannah, perhaps we could… that is, if you feel up to it—"
"The spell swap," I said with a smile. "Don't worry. I haven't forgotten.
It's next on my list. Just let me finish with Savannah."
The Key
"TELL ME ABOUT THE SORCERER SPELLS AGAIN."
We were sitting cross-legged on Savannah's bed.
"Almost any strong spell a witch casts is sorcerer magic," Savannah said. "Like the knock-back spell I used on that paranormal guy? Same thing Lucas used on those people out front. You know some sorcerer spells, right?"
"A few."
"I can teach you more. Or Lucas can. They're pretty good, but witch magic would be better. You know, that whole thing about us each being better at our own spells. Except witches don't have a choice. I mean, we have all the primary spells and some of those are good, like the binding spell. Sorcerers can't beat us at the protection and healing stuff. That's why the Cabals recruit witches. If we had our own spells, though, we'd be way stronger."