"What an asshole," I said before I realized I'd said it out loud.
"That's putting it mildly," Ethan chimed in. "He's even worse than some of the lawyers I know, and that's really saying something."
"Do you really think he'll come up with something else?" I asked nervously.
"I'm sure of it," Merlin said. "That type doesn't give up easily. And worst of all, I believe he's out more for a sense of power than for material riches. He'd thoroughly enjoy being the one to trigger a magical war."
"Then we'll have to find a way to stop him."
"It'll take him a while to develop something on his own," Owen said. "He was never the most original thinker. That should buy us some time to prepare."
"We'll have to rally our people once more. We've grown complacent, from what I can tell," Merlin said. "The last challenge of this magnitude was about thirty years ago, according to the archives I've seen. I'll have to study how, exactly, that challenge was met."
"So this sort of thing happens often?" I asked.
"About once a generation seems standard. There's always someone willing to try to cause widespread trouble, and then the good people have to find the will to fight it."
"Things seem to work that way in the real world, too," Ethan remarked. "Shall we hit the road?"
"Do you have a towel or something?" I asked. "He's going to bleed all over your leather seats."
In addition to the first-aid kit, Ethan did have a towel, along with a spare blanket. My mother would love him. She never left the house without being prepared for a weeklong expedition into the wilderness. We got Owen settled in the backseat with a towel under his wounded shoulder and a blanket draped around him. "We'll get you to the healer as soon as we get back to the office," Merlin assured him with a gentle pat on his good shoulder. "It's a pity I didn't bring any of my potions with me. I wasn't anticipating physical injuries."
"I knew he'd cheat, but he took it further than I expected," Owen said with a weak smile.
I passed around more coffee and cinnamon rolls, then we headed off, back to the city. I couldn't wait to get back, or at least get out of that ghost town. I was sure it was a cheery place in the summertime, but now it was full of empty motels and skeletons of plastic palm tree trunks, their artificial fronds in storage for the winter.
Before we were out of town, Owen was already asleep. I tucked the blanket more securely around him, then settled back in my seat for the ride to New York.
I don't think I'd ever been so glad to see that skyline looming ahead of me. We went into the depths of the Holland Tunnel, then emerged on Canal Street in the refreshing combination of weirdness and normality that was Manhattan. It was good to be home. Then I realized that was the first time I'd truly thought of New York as home.
Ethan took us straight to the office and said he'd be back in a little while, after he got the car parked. By this time it took both Merlin and me to get Owen up to Merlin's office. The initial shock had worn off enough that he was really feeling the pain now, and that, combined with the morning's exertions, had left him weak and shaky. We got him onto Merlin's couch, then I had Trix call for the company healer while Merlin got a painkilling potion into him.
While the healer tended to Owen, Merlin pulled me aside. "You did very good work today, Katie."
"Thank my brother Frank, who really wanted me to go out for softball."
"Not just that, but you kept a clear head in a frightening situation that would have scared many people."
"It scared me," I admitted. "But I thought if anyone could handle it, you two could. I mean, come on, you're Merlin. How can they beat that? And Owen's not so bad, either."
"He is a truly remarkable young man." Merlin's face grew thoughtful and his eyes were solemn as he watched the healer working on Owen's shoulder. "Quite remarkable." A shiver went down my spine at his tone of voice.
Ethan came in then. "Is he going to be okay?" He gestured with his head toward Owen.
"It appears so," Merlin said. "And now, I would like a word with you. I have a proposition to make." The three of us moved over to Merlin's conference table and sat down. "I'm not sure if we can fight the rest of our battles in the legal arena, but I'm coming to see where the law is a great power in this place and time, and it's a power we need to harness. We also have great need for people with immunity to magic. We can only hope that we find both in the same person.