Magical Midlife Invasion (Leveling Up 3)

I grabbed both edges of the windowsill, my phone on the ground, wondering what to do next. Ivy House couldn’t take care of the problem for me, not when she didn’t know there was one. This was up to me and my team.

I could use the defenses, but I hadn’t practiced with them as I should’ve. I’d probably kill instead of trap or maim, and I didn’t feel comfortable doing that. Not until I was sure the creature posed more of a threat than eating Edgar’s flowers. The right thing to do would be to trap it with my magic so I could question it. For that, I’d need to get closer. I wasn’t totally set on magical nets.

What if I spooked it before I could do a magical net, though? Deer could hear crazy well, regardless of whether they were shifters, and I was the world’s worst sneak. If I spooked it, it would know the jig was up. If its intent was dangerous, that would mean it would change its plan of attack. Knowing about the intrusion meant we had the upper hand right now—if it knew we were onto it, it would regain the advantage. I couldn’t risk it.

Flight!

I could head up to the third floor, jump off the roof on the other side of the house, get high into the sky, and follow it when it inevitably moved on. I could find out where it went, and if it changed into its human form, I’d know who we were looking for.

But I had smaller wings than a male gargoyle, and I had to beat them more often, which could be loud, especially if I thought I was falling out of the sky and panicked. It would be smarter to recruit Ulric, small and swift, or Jasper, a great glider.

I chewed my lip, feeling Austin on the move, but he was still too far away. That deer didn’t eat much at a time. It wouldn’t be here for long. I had to get a flyer in the sky right now, or I needed to attack the intruder, hopefully stunning it so I had a chance to get a net or magical binding around it.

I turned around with purpose and immediately screamed. Mr. Tom was standing just a few feet behind me in his house sweats, staring out the window. I hadn’t felt or heard him enter the room. I ignored him so often that it had become commonplace.

“Edgar was wrong—clearly it is a deer eating his flowers,” he said, sneaking toward the window.

“Damn it, Mr. Tom, announce yourself, will you?”

“Sorry, miss. I felt your distress. Is it my eyes, or is that creature glowing?”

“It is. It’s almost certainly a shifter, and it must have a thick layer of magic on it to shield it from Ivy House.”

Mr. Tom knelt next to me. “These are bad tidings. Someone has figured out how to make themselves invisible while on this property.”

“Yeah, and we need to find out who that someone is, not to mention how to prevent it from happening again. If magic can get them in here, there has to be some kind of reverse spell to strip it away.”

“Now you’re thinking like a sorceress.”

“Too bad I can’t do magic like a sorceress.”

“Yet.”

I backed away from the window. “Let’s get Ulric. He can follow it—”

“No time. Look!” Mr. Tom pointed.

The deer, still munching, lifted its head, looking over the gardens. It paused as if in contemplation before walking a few steps, every bit as graceful as a natural deer. It didn’t bow back to the flowers, though its hesitation said it was thinking about it.

“It’s not eating as much as it wants to,” I whispered, watching in fascination, not sure if I was studying it or I was just too torn to act. Go get Ulric, or go down there and try to blast it with magic?

“It’s holding back. Why, I wonder?” I paused for another moment, considering, then forced myself into action. I wouldn’t get any answers sitting here. “I’ll get Jasper, actually. If anyone is good at silence, it’s that guy. Keep watching it, Mr. Tom. Try to figure out what it’s after.”

Jasper opened the door after the second soft rap, his room two doors down from my parents’. Even though I was in a hurry, I didn’t want them coming out and asking questions. They’d just slow everything down.

The door swung open, Jasper’s eyes puffy with sleep and his unruly light brown hair in a halo around his head. He didn’t respond, just waited for me to speak.

“I need your help. Hurry!” I waved him down the hall after me, breaking into a jog. Back at my room, easing in beside Mr. Tom, still crouched at the window, I pointed to the deer. It was working away from Edgar’s position, staring at the house all the while. “Can you get into the air and follow it without being detected?” I whispered.