"Well, where is she?"

"Right in here," I said, tapping my head. "It's a long story involving a fairy G.o.dmother."

He laughed, long, loud, and hard. "You expect me to believe that?"

Reluctantly, I eased my tight control on my tongue and let the foreign thoughts that had been welling up in my brain spill out. "You moron! I bet you didn't even notice I was gone until they told you, did you? You were so busy with your precious business. I hate this! This wasn't what I signed up for!" It was weird to hear someone else's words coming out in my voice.

Idris wasn't convinced. "Anyone who's spent five minutes around Ari knows she'd say something like that." Before I knew what was happening, I'd put my hands on my hips. "Oh yeah? Well, how about this: I know you've got a mole shaped like Mickey Mouse on your-"

"Okay, I believe you!" he shouted at exactly the same time I bit down hard on my tongue. I didn't want any more details like that about him. "What do you want me to do? I can't do anything to get your friend back. I don't have that kind of pull with these people."

"You need do nothing more than you already have," Merlin said. "Your presence is enough.""So you're going to give Ari back, just because I'm here?""Not exactly," Owen said, his voice soft but still ringing through the cavern.I glanced over to Ethan and Philip and saw that Sylvia and Mr. Bones were there, with Marcia.

Marcia was blindfolded, much to my relief. I didn't want her seeing any of this. I couldn't begin to imagine the cover story I'd have to concoct.

"You see," Owen continued, "we just needed you as our prisoner. You're what we plan to exchange for Marcia." He signaled Rod, who made a waving motion with one hand. I a.s.sumed that meant Idris could then see the other side of the chamber.

"What if I don't want to stay and be your prisoner?""I wouldn't suggest you try running.""What are you going to do, stop me?""No. They are." Owen snapped his fingers, and dragons appeared, blocking every exit. One of the dragons obliged us by shooting a mighty burst of flame at Idris. Idris tried to act unimpressed, but there was fear in his eyes that he couldn't quite mask and he jumped as the flame got too close for comfort. "Illusion, right?" he said with a snort. "If you'd like to test it, be my guest. Your friends are free to leave, however." They didn't need much encouraging. Owen raised a hand, holding the dragons back, while the geek brigade took off, leaving Idris alone. He went pale, and his hands trembled, but he seemed to be trying to look brave, for which I had to give him the tiniest bit of respect. "So, you're trading me, huh?" he said. "I guess after I go over there, you'll let Ari go?"

"Whatever gave you that impression?" Merlin asked, his voice like ice. "You have no choice in the matter. You are our prisoner, and Ariel was our prisoner before she was illegally freed. We will merely be returning her to custody once we've removed her from Miss Chandler's head. Now, shall we make the exchange?"

He nodded at Rod, who did something complicated with his fingers. "Miss Meredith, I presume?" Merlin said. She whirled to face him. "You!" she shouted, as if she'd just met her old nemesis. "Yes, I am here, and I request that you release the young lady there. She has no part in this."

"Why should I do that?"

"Because I have two of your people in my custody, and I'm sure they could be persuaded to give us some interesting information on your operation."

Rod did something else with his fingers, and then Sylvia went white. "How did you get yourself involved in this?" she hissed at Idris. "You were told to refrain from contact."

For a split second he looked like a schoolboy being scolded, but then his posture relaxed and he said, "Don't worry, though, I've got it under control." He turned his head toward Owen. "You're not the only one who has a threat to make. I happen to have people placed all over the city. One word from me, and the illusions I have covering all of my ads are gone. The whole city will learn the truth about magic all at once. How do you like that?"

I couldn't help but laugh. The rest of them turned to look at me. "You have got to be kidding. Those ads won't convince anyone of anything. People will think it's a prank or publicity stunt, if they even see the ads. They once put a seventy-foot robot in Times Square to promote a movie, and not only did no one notice the robot, n.o.body saw the movie." I wasn't sure if the words were mine or Ari's. The tone was meaner than I'd like to think I ever sounded, but I agreed with the content.

I thought I saw a hint of worry cross his face, but then he put his usual sneer back on and said, "And my people are ready to demonstrate the magic to anyone who's there to see it. They'll act if they don't hear from me."

"You idiot!" Sylvia screeched. "You'll ruin everything if you reveal it all right now. We're not ready."

That deflated Idris. His shoulders slumping, he said, "Oh. Well. Never mind."

Owen and Merlin exchanged a worried look, then Sam nodded at them and took off, flying past the dragon in one of the doorways. The dragon made as though to try to play with Sam, but Owen called it back to attention.

"Very well, then," Sylvia said. "You can have the girl. But this isn't over." She addressed Philip. "You can't imagine I'll give up easily."

"I've waited a hundred years. I can be patient, but I will have what's mine," he said.

Sylvia nodded at Mr. Bones, who shoved Marcia forward. Rod moved to steady her. "What's going on?" she asked in a voice more frantic than anything I'd ever heard from her.

"It's okay, you're safe," Rod said. He removed her blindfold and started moving her toward the exit, Rocky and Rollo flanking them. I hoped for Marcia's sake that he was using illusion to hide the rest of the madness from her.

But before they were clear of the room, Sylvia launched a magical attack at Philip. All the good guys rushed in to help. Owen managed to deflect most of whatever she'd sent toward Philip, but Philip still froze, then slumped to the floor. Ethan put himself between her and Philip's motionless form. "He's alive, but out cold," he reported.

A scream rang out, echoing painfully in the chamber. I spun to see Marcia looking horrified. Rod must have dropped his illusions when he went to help Philip. "Marcia, it's okay, I'll explain later," I said, then I told Rod, "Get her away from here."

"I'm not leaving until I get some answers. Katie, what the h.e.l.l is going on here?"

I knew her well enough to know that she'd dig in her heels and refuse to go until she was satisfied. "Okay, short version: Magic is real, the guys are all wizards. I'm not, but I work for a magical company. Those are the bad guys. We'll do the Q and A later. Now, Rod, get her out of here."

While I was talking to Marcia, Sylvia and Mr. Bones made a run for it, only to find themselves facing a roaring dragon. Owen brought it into view just before it got to roast Sylvia. Marcia screamed again.

"Oh yeah, there are dragons, too," I told her. "But these are good guys. They love Owen." I had to give her credit for not fainting. Marcia was made of pretty stern stuff.

"I demand you let me leave," Sylvia said to Merlin. "I gave you what you wanted."

"And with you here, I've gained even more of what I wanted. With you in our custody, we might even be able to find out who's directing you," Merlin said. His voice and bearing made him seem like he'd look a lot more appropriate in old-fashioned wizard's robes and a pointy hat than he did in his modern business suit. This was definitely the guy who'd put King Arthur on the throne.

"You may not allow me to leave, but I dare you to put your hands on me."

"Yeah, or me," Idris said, broadening his stance defiantly.

A magical battle of wills ensued. Enough power flew around to practically make my hair stand on end. Ari added to the uproar by throwing a few zaps of her own inside my head. I'd need a bottle of Advil when this was over. Apparently, though, Sylvia was right. We were at a standoff. I knew Owen could take out Idris, but Sylvia seemed to know her stuff. With Sam gone, Philip out, and Rod looking after Marcia, the two sides were evenly matched. I supposed we could leave them with the dragons until they begged for mercy, but that wasn't an ideal solution.

Then I remembered that I temporarily had Ari's power. I had to fight her to use it, but the next time Idris sent a burst of magic in Owen's direction, I focused as hard as I could on deflecting it, raising my hands as I'd seen wizards do. I was surprised to see sparks shooting from my fingertips and turning back Idris's magic. That gave Owen an opening, and he caught Idris in a spell that immobilized him. "Nice work," Owen said to me.

"I thought you said you weren't magical," Marcia said.

"It's temporary," I said before returning my attention to the standoff. The odds had moved in our favor. Keeping Idris was the goal, and Sylvia was a bonus.

A loud pop echoed in the chamber, and Ethelinda appeared in a burst of silver sparkles. She wore a Viking maiden's costume out of a low-budget production of a Wagner opera, complete with bra.s.s breastplate and horned helmet. The outfit looked funny with bits of ruffles, lace, tulle, taffeta, and velvet peeking out from under the bra.s.s. "My senses tell me you're ready for me," she said. "I'm here to relieve you of your burden."

Twenty-One.

B efore any of us could stop her, Ethelinda pulled back her wand and pointed it at me while saying some nonsensical-sounding words. If I'd thought I had a headache before, that was nothing compared to what I felt next. I couldn't stop myself from screaming, and I would have hit the ground if Owen hadn't caught me. Through the blinding red haze of pain I thought I saw a tiny spark floating in front of me. That spark grew until it was a human-sized fairy.

"There you go," Ethelinda said with satisfaction.

"Get her!" I shouted. Owen was closest, so he left my side and got a grip on Ari's arm before she could reach Idris. I moaned, and not just because of the headache. Ethelinda, bless her well-intentioned but incompetent heart, had really complicated matters. Ari had been our one sure bet in this whole situation, and now she was loose.

I had just got back to my feet when something grabbed me. "Hey, what is this?" I shouted. I couldn't see anything. An invisible force held me in place. With my immunity gone so I could be rid of Ari, and without access to Ari's magical powers, I was in real danger.

Idris leered at Owen. "Okay, then," he said, his tone full of smug superiority. "You've got my girlfriend hostage. I've got your girlfriend hostage. And I'd be willing to bet that you like yours better than I like mine, so I think I have the advantage."

"Hey!" Ari yelled. "Maybe I want to stay with them. I'll tell them everything. So, there."

Idris ignored her. "Either you call off your dragons and let Ari, Sylvia, and me leave, or I'll take care of your girlfriend. You might be able to protect her, but that would mean dropping your attention to me, even for a split second."

I struggled but couldn't move a muscle. For a moment, everyone else seemed stuck in the spell I was. They just stared at me. Then I noticed what they were staring at. A blue magical flame pooled around my feet, moving toward me. In moments, it would be on me, and I could already feel the heat. Meanwhile, Sylvia and her goons were taking off toward the exit that led deeper into the tunnels. Ethan tried to catch her in a tackle, but Mr. Bones shoved him aside, sending him sprawling. The dragons roared, but Sylvia did something with her hands, and I feared for the dragons' safety. "She's getting away!" I yelled. When the others still focused on me, I insisted, "It's just a little blue flame. No big deal. Go!"

When Idris grabbed Ari and made to follow Sylvia, the others finally jolted out of their shock and took action. Owen did something to counter whatever it was that Sylvia was doing to his dragons while Merlin took on Sylvia and Rod tried to stop Idris and Ari, with some dive-bombing from Rocky and Rollo.

Marcia ran to my side. "What's going on, Katie? Are you okay?"

"I don't think it's serious," I said. "I just can't move. Trust me, this guy doesn't ever do anything really serious, and he'll lose interest before long." The blue flame was coming closer to me, and growing in intensity. I had a feeling it wouldn't have done anything to me in my magical immune state. Now, there was no telling what might happen, and it didn't look like the kind of fire a fire extinguisher could put out. Marcia tried stomping on it, then she blew on it, like she was trying to blow out a candle.

"No!" I said to stop her. "It's not a candle. If you blow on a fire, it gets more intense."

The magical battle continued to rage. Marcia yelped as Rod was tossed aside and hit a wall, and I winced when Idris sent a chunk of rock flying toward Owen. Owen got out of the way in time to avoid all but a glancing blow, but it seemed to me he staggered a little.

The flame came closer and closer to me. I was sweating, and not just from the fear. It was getting awfully hot. I was all for saving the world from bad magic, but that didn't mean I wanted to pull a Joan of Arc. I'd like to think I'd be willing to sacrifice myself to save the world, but when you're staring at flames coming very close to making that a reality, it has a way of changing your perspective.

"You're awfully calm about this," Marcia said.

"All in a day's work, I'm afraid."

"I guess this is why you've been acting weird, huh?"

"Yeah. It was kind of hard to talk about, and I wasn't allowed to tell you about magic."

Just as I'd expected from my a.s.sociation with Idris, the flame started to die. I could move my fingers and toes, which wasn't very useful, but it was a good sign. He wasn't great at mult.i.tasking, so when he got sidetracked by fighting Owen, he couldn't sustain what he was doing to me.

Then suddenly the flame flared up again, and I couldn't help but scream. Marcia jumped back, yelling, "It's going to kill her!"

"Yes, it is," Sylvia said. "If you don't call off your dragons, she will die." Now, I was worried. Idris was a flake, but Sylvia was focused, powerful, and kind of a b.i.t.c.h. I had no doubt that she'd kill me to secure her own escape.

Owen whistled, and the dragons left the doorways to come to his side. "You're free to go," he said, his voice even softer than usual. It still carried clearly and echoed in the cavern. "Release Katie."

And then a lot of things happened very quickly. Sylvia shouted, "Release her yourself," and ran for the exit. Idris grabbed Ari's hand and ran after her. Ari pulled back at him, slowing his escape. Mr. Bones got ahead of them and took off down the tunnel while they struggled with one another. The fire singed the edges of my shoes, but then Owen whirled to do something to it. For the first time since I'd known him, there was real fear-panic, even-in his eyes.

Merlin went after Sylvia, Ari, Idris, and the henchmen, shooting spells to restrain them, but Owen called to him, "It's a layered spell, I can't stop it alone." Merlin hesitated only for a second, then spun to join Owen.

I'd barely felt the flames lick at my feet when they vanished entirely and I could move again. I swayed and for a moment thought my legs might buckle under me, but I caught myself, got my legs under me, and took off running. "Don't let them get away!" I shouted as I ran.

The dragons had tried to go after the bad guys but could only go so far before they were too large to get into the pa.s.sages. I didn't have that problem. I could see Ari and Idris ahead of me, him dragging her behind him. Sylvia must have been ahead of them. Ari finally broke free, and that gave me the chance to catch up with her and tackle her. Owen caught up with me and sidestepped Ari and me on the ground as he ran after Idris and Sylvia.

I felt the tingle of magic while I tried to get a better hold on Ari. Merlin then reached Ari and me and said, "I have her. You may get up now, Miss Chandler." I stood shakily. Ari still lay on the ground, but she looked up at me in an odd way, with some of her usual hostility gone. That was more than a bit unnerving as I remembered that she'd had access to the inside of my head. How much did she know about me? Merlin waved at her, and she shrank back down to a point of light, like the way they depict Tinkerbell in stage productions of Peter Pan. Another wave of his hand sent the point of light to rest inside his vest pocket. "She should be safe there," he said, lightly patting the pocket. He then held out his arm to me and escorted me back into the main chamber, where the dragons hovered anxiously near the exit where Owen had disappeared.

Marcia was at Rod's side, helping him sit up. On the other side of the room, Ethan was stirring. Philip was still out cold. I opened my mouth to ask Merlin if he'd be okay, but a shock wave shook the whole underground chamber. I ducked instinctively as dust showered us from the ceiling. The dragons twitched and whimpered. Ethelinda-who'd stayed out of the fighting-took to the air, and Merlin looked alarmed.

A moment later, Owen returned. "I couldn't catch them," he said with a weary sigh. He had a red spot on one cheekbone that would probably develop into a bruise, and there was a bleeding cut on his temple. There was also a wildness in his eyes.

"You certainly tried," Merlin said, and there was an unusual degree of sternness to his voice. "That use of power was unnecessary and could have been dangerous. I expect you to have more control than that."

Owen ignored him, grabbing me in a fierce hug. He then shoved me out in front of him at arm's length. "Are you okay?" he asked. Before I could answer, he pulled me against him again and held me like he would never let go.

"I just love a happy ending." I looked over to see Ethelinda dabbing at her eyes with a yellowed lace handkerchief.

"Yeah, you really helped here tonight," I said, unable to hide my sarcasm. I figured I deserved a little snottiness, considering I'd practically been burned at the stake, thanks to her interference.

I expected her to deny messing up anything, but instead, she burst into sobs. "It was supposed to be an easy a.s.signment. You can only go so long based on reputation, and Cinderella was centuries ago. They weren't even all that happy ever after, you know. They had nothing in common. Sure, the first few years were fine, but then he started going on more hunting trips and she got caught up with the children, and they were like strangers living in that enormous castle." She gave a big sniff, then blew her nose so loudly that it startled the dragons. "But now I can't seem to do anything right." With that, she dissolved into shuddering tears.

She'd just about ruined my life, and had come pretty close to ending it, but I couldn't stand to watch her cry. "Wait," I called out, tearing myself from Owen's embrace. "You know, those two-" I gestured toward Merlin's pocket and down the pa.s.sage where Idris had disappeared "-seem like they could use some help. He doesn't appreciate her properly."

Her face lit up and her tears dried immediately. "Oh, yes, that young man does need to learn a lesson or two, and she would have better luck if she were more ladylike. Very good suggestion. I'm on the case!"

Merlin bowed to her. "Thank you for your a.s.sistance, but I would appreciate it if you'd leave my people alone in the future."

"Oh, I have no need to meddle further here. Things seem to be perfectly peachy. And now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." She vanished in her usual burst of silver sparkles, and I hoped that was the last I saw of her.

Owen squeezed my shoulder. "You never did tell me. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I want to sleep for a week, but I seem to be mostly unsinged, except maybe the soles of my shoes. But why did you let them go in the first place? You had them."

He looked at me like I was crazy. "Because they were going to kill you!" he shouted. It was the first time I'd ever heard Owen Palmer really and truly yell at someone, and he was yelling at me.

"But you let them go. Now what're they going to do?"

He shook his head. "I don't know, but we've always managed to stop them before. We can stop them again."

"What about the whole saving the world from bad magic thing?"

"It's not like my choice was you or the fate of the free world."

I sighed and rubbed my still-aching head. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm glad you saved me. I really wasn't enjoying the idea of being a human torch, but I hate the idea of them getting away. They're still in business, and we haven't learned anything about who's really in control."

"We might be somewhat better off," Merlin said. "They seem to have acquired a major hindrance, due to your efforts. And we once again have our original prisoner. I honestly believe that Ari will be willing to cooperate now, even if it's only enough to make him suffer for insulting her. In addition, we have freed your friend and preserved Mr. Vandermeer's claim on his business, which may ultimately cut their funding."

Owen smiled then as he put an arm around my shoulder. "If that fairy G.o.dmother works with them the way she did with us, then they won't get anything done for weeks. We said we needed to distract Idris."

"And Ethelinda is the ultimate distraction," I said.

"Not such a bad day, after all, then," Owen said, giving my shoulder an extra squeeze.

"Speak for yourself," I groaned. "Can I take a break from being a victim for a while? I don't enjoy playing damsel in distress."

"Next time I'm in terrible danger, you're welcome to come to my rescue," Owen said with a teasing grin. He sounded almost giddy with relief. I guessed he wasn't mad at me anymore. All it took to make him get over his hurt feelings and restore our relationship was me nearly getting killed. It wasn't a relationship counseling technique I'd recommend.

"Count on it," I a.s.sured him. "But I wouldn't mind if we avoided terrible danger for a while. I'm looking forward to some typing and filing, maybe updating our marketing campaign. Just as long as I'm not being chased by anything or put under any spells. And in case anyone is wondering, I'd be happy to help train some other immunes to cope with immunity loss, but I am not going through that again."

"No, you're not," Owen said firmly.

"Now, I believe all of us need to rest and tend our wounds," Merlin said. Marcia helped Rod up, and I thought he looked steady enough to walk on his own, but he kept his arm tight around her. Ethan managed to get back on his feet, and then Merlin did something magical over Philip, who soon sat up, blinking. The weary lot of us headed out of the caverns, much to the dragons' dismay, and ran into Sam before we reached the train station.

"It turns out he was only bluffing partway," the gargoyle said. "He did have someone set up in Times Square to demonstrate magic, but we apprehended him under the code provision against public use of magic with intent to expose magic to outsiders. We also caught a few minor incidents around town that weren't too difficult to deal with. The secret still seems to be safe, and there's no buzz about the word being out."