Life was hard and I felt like whining, so I kept my mouth shut and glared.
The problem was that I never kept anything from Gary and Tiggy. And Morgan. Mostly. But Gary and Tiggy? Never. And the fact that the one time I did was something as huge as finding my magical anchor was only going to lead to a shitstorm when it all inevitably came out. Which, it would. Of course it would. That’s just how my life went.
And yet, I said nothing.
I felt it justified, though. We had a quest to complete. Justin needed to be saved, the dragon defeated, and then we’d head to Castle Freeze Your Ass Off. I could worry about the cornerstone later. And the whole doing-magic-with-my-mind thing. There were more pressing concerns.
I wasn’t in the mood, then, when the crystal started pinging.
“Motherfucker,” I muttered.
“Are you going to get that?” Gary asked. “Maybe it will help you come out of your I’m-trying-to-be-a-martyr-but-am-really-acting-like-an-asshole phase. The gods only know how much more I can take before I give serious consideration to ending our friendship and your life.”
“No killing,” Tiggy said. “Even if Sam being a jerk.”
“Tiggy! You’re supposed to be on my side!”
Tiggy rolled his eyes. “Always am. Except for right now.”
I dug through my pack and pulled out the crystal. It warmed as soon as it hit my hands. “Hello.”
Silence.
“Morgan?”
A low curse.
“Not Morgan.”
“Hello!” a voice blared loudly.
I sighed because I’d recognize that voice anywhere. After all, I’d once turned his nose into a penis. It’s hard to forget someone like that. “Randall.”
“Hello!” he shouted again. “Can. You. Hear. Me?”
“Very well,” Gary said. “Too well. Like, you’re shrieking.”
Tiggy covered his ears.
“Be nice,” I whispered. “He’s old. He probably doesn’t know any better.”
“Damn things never work right,” Ra
ndall muttered to no one in particular. “Hello!”
“Randall, we can hear you just fine.”
“I’m trying to reach Sam of Wilds!”
“It’s me, Randall. You’ve got to speak into the—”
The crystal went dark. We all stared down at it.
“Did he just hang up on you?” Ryan asked.
“I don’t even know,” I said.
“Shouldn’t he know how these things work?” Gary asked. “Didn’t he invent them? Or something?”