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"For the disappearances?" he said in confusion.
"For burdening Max with that sulking, smirking, uncommunicative cellar-dweller
who's never around when you need him."
"Am I to understand that you're criticizing a junior member of the Collegium?"
His tone could have frosted glass.
"I'm also criticizing you, Lysander," I said, feeling all the crankiness of
the day return in full force.
His posture became even more rigid. "I realize, from the reports of his
apprenticeship, that the poor boy's unfortunate affliction prevents him from
uttering certain incantations accurately, causing some unpredictable results.
But I don't see how that is any of your affair, young woman. Moreover, I would
have thought that compassion rather than contempt would be the civilized
response to his predicament, even in a savage outpost like New York City."
"'Savage outpost'? Oh, for God's sake! This is the greatest Wait, no, never
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mind." I controlled myself and focused on the most relevant part of his
comments. "Look, if Hieronymus's speech impediment makes him a danger "
"I didn't say that. Besides there was only that one mishap."
"Only that one
?" I repeated.
"I think only a petty personality would count the others," he said, eyeing me
coldly.
I thought of the orange explosion in Max's cellar the other day. "How many
have there been?"
"Ah. I begin to understand," Singh said in a snide tone. "You're hoping to
replace Hieronymus. You have ambitions to follow in Max's footsteps."
"Of course not," I snapped. "I'm hoping to go back onstage as Virtue and move
the show to Broadway."
"What?"
"I'm involved with these people because of the disappearances," I said, "and
my objection to Hieronymus is that he's mde
, and also the worst team player I've ever met."
"Fighting Evil is not a team sport, young woman!"
"My name is Esther!"
"And it's not entirely surprising that Hieronymus's manners might be a bit
strained, considering that Max is evidently giving mundanes free access to his
work, his lab and the secrets of the Collegium! This is most irregular!"
"Yeah, I guessed that," I said. "But we've got a huge problem on our hands
here, and Max can't handle it all alone! By now, half a dozen of us have been
on the job for forty-eight hours though, frankly, it feels like much, much
longer than that and we're still a long way from solving these disappear-ances
or finding the victims. And I don't see that Max's 'assistant' is helping him
much."
"You are no judge of his assistant's contributions. Or of the challenges
facing us in our sacred work!"
Few things spark my temper more effectively than pomposity. "Well, at least
the Collegium knew what it was doing when it sent Max here, where there's real
work to be done," I said, "and sent you to Altoona, where you can enjoy your
sacred status in peace and quiet."
He rose to his feet in offended fury, and I didn't tell him to sit back down.
I was half hoping he'd just storm out the door. "I'll have you know, young
woman, Altoona was a seething cauldron of riotous demonic Evil when I went
there. Twenty years ago, if you wanted to frighten small children at bedtime "
"What kind of twisted person would want to do that?"
" or make experienced sorcerers shudder with dread, all you had to do was
mention the doomed name of Altoona."
I blinked. "You're kidding me."
"It was thought to be a place beyond redemption, beyond retrieval, beyond all
hope!"
"Altoona?"
"You have no idea of the challenges I faced there. All alone, a young mage
with no help, against overwhelming odds."
"Altoona, PA?" I said.
"It was a horrific battle, and at times there seemed to be no end in sight.
But with talent, grit and determination& " He took a breath and nodded. "Yes, I
succeeded in the end."
"The same Altoona where I had a grilled-cheese sandwich at some diner when I
was eight?
That
Altoona?"
"And so Altoona is the peaceful hamlet we know today. But make no mistake,
young woman." He raised a warning finger. "Evil still lurks at the edges of
Altoona, searching for a weakness, awaiting its opportunity to regain a
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foothold there and once again grow in strength to dominate the entire town!"
"You're sure we're talking about the same Altoona?"
"Positive. So I know whereof I speak when I say that Max should perform his
duties here without involving or endangering mundanes. Ours is a solitary
vocation of individuals specifically gifted and equipped to deal with the
perils we face." He sat back down, apparently past his pique now.
"Not to minimize your achievements, Lysander," I said slowly, "but Altoona is
not exactly the Big Apple, after all."
"Oh?" Lysander gave me a worldly wise smirk and gestured to the display board
covered in my notes about the four mystical disappearances. "And when was the
last time you heard of anything like this happening in Altoona?"
Chapter 10
"You were questioned by the police
?" was the first thing Lysander said when Max and Barclay entered the
bookshop.
"Lysander?" Max made a vague gesture. "What a pleasant surprise! What brings
you to Manhattan?"
"You were questioned by the police
?" Lysander repeated.
"Since he's here," I said to Max, "I've explained our problem to him." I had
just finished summarizing everything, including most of today's events, when
Max and Barclay arrived.
"The police are involved in this matter?" Lysander said.
"Oh, are you a colleague of Dr. Zadok's?" Barclay extended his hand. "How do
you do?"
Lysander ignored him. "These events are being reported in the press
?" He waved our smudged copy of
The Expose at Max. "And online
?"
"As you can see," I said to Max, "he's rather alarmed."
"Max!" Lysander cried. "I demand an explanation. How do the press and the
police know of these affairs?"
"Skip that part," I advised Max. "I've already explained everything to him.
This is just a touch of hysterics."
"Are things very bad in Altoona these days?" Max asked, studying Lysander with
some concern.
"A murky quagmire of festering Evil," I said.
"Altoona?" Barclay said.
"A shocking place," Max told him.
"Altoona, PA?" Barclay said. "
That
Altoona?"
"Yes!" Lysander exclaimed. "That Altoona! But things are fine there."
"And we're all relieved to hear that," I said.
"We brought food." Barclay set a big paper bag on the table, then took another
one from Max. While unpacking both bags, he said, "We're starved after that
interrogation! We figured you'd be hungry, too, Esther. And when we talked to
Dixie, Duke and Satsy they said you were all smeared with tabloid ink and
probably wouldn't want to eat out when you woke up. I hope Thai is okay?"
Opening a container of food that smelled delicious, I said sincerely, "I think
I love you both." I set out the paper plates and plastic utensils Barclay
handed to me. "There's enough for four, Lysander, so you must join us."
"Thank you, but I couldn't eat a thing," he said stiffly. "Max, I demand you
explain what's going on here!"
"I'm setting a place for you, Lysander," I said. "Perhaps food will improve
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