“What security did I miss in Merlin’s office? I’m sure he’s got some kind of measures in place.”
“He’s probably got it warded,” I said. I didn’t mention the gargoyle who’d been watching every moment of that meeting, but then he wasn’t part of the standard security of the office. “I don’t know what wards he uses because they don’t work on me. There are key card kind of locks on most of the departments, like you have here. Those do work on me, because they’re physical locks that just happen to be magically activated. They get updated frequently.”
“What about bodyguards?”
“I don’t think Merlin needs bodyguards. I’ve watched him take out armed robbers without breaking a sweat, and he doesn’t lose magical battles.”
“But he’s usually alone?”
“I guess so. I don’t know what he does away from the office.”
“What about Palmer?”
“Well, to start with, he’d have to actually leave the office sometime. But, yeah, he’s usually alone, and he lives alone.” Except for a very protective cat.
Roger’s smile was predatory, and his eyes were cold and hard. “Good. Good. Thank you. You’ve been very helpful.”
Now I really wished I could call to warn them, but if they weren’t on high alert after today, then another warning wasn’t likely to help. I tried to focus on work, but it was hard when I was wondering what, exactly, Roger had planned. Was he going to swoop in and turn them into frogs when their guard was down?
About an hour later, I heard a furious scream. I jumped up and ran to see what was the matter. Had Roger touched a guarded book again?
When I got to his office, he was standing in the middle of a glowing circle on the floor, his fists clenched at his sides. “What happened to my spell?” he growled.
Fifteen
“What happened? Are you okay?” I asked, keeping well away from Roger. I’d never seen him look that outraged before. His evil had always been so cold and casual, but right now, he looked like he wanted to hit someone, and I had no desire for that someone to be me.
He got himself under control very quickly. “That spell should have taken me there. I left the beacon. I did everything right. Are you sure you transcribed it correctly?
Fortunately, that was one of the spells I’d given him before I got the idea to alter or hide them. “It worked for you before, didn’t it?”
He calmed down even more, pausing to think. “You’re right. it did.”
“It is a hundred-year-old spell,” I reminded him. “And MSI does like to stay on the cutting edge of magic while also researching old stuff. They’re bound to have updated their security wards, or it’s possible that Owen found the spell in the same source that writer did and incorporated it into the security measures.”
Roger waved his hand, obliterating the glowing circle around himself. “I’ll find another way in,” he said with a shrug. “Or I’ll catch Merlin some other time.”
“My, but you’ve been busy,” a deep male voice behind me said. I turned to see a hefty silver-haired man in a silvery gray suit. This man oozed power—both magical and personal. I thought I recognized him from the company meeting. He hadn’t been at the central table, but he’d been on the first tier. I glanced back at Roger, expecting him to show deference to a man who was obviously higher on the food chain, but he hadn’t changed his bearing at all. You’d never guess he’d been caught doing anything.
“I’m always busy,” he said. “That’s why I’m effective.”
The visitor entered the office and seated himself in front of Roger’s desk, crossing his legs and leaning back in the chair like he was planning to stay for a while. Roger hesitated only a fraction of a second before strolling casually over to his throne-like desk chair and taking a seat. I remained perfectly still, imagining myself to be a fly on the wall, in hopes that they’d both forget I was there.
“Funny thing is, Roger, I’m not seeing any results,” the superior said. Everything about him radiated “expensive” to me, from his hand-tailored suit to a haircut so sharp that I suspected he got a trim every day. I got the sense of the kind of person who enjoyed fine food, fine wine, and fine art, and who had no taste for messes of any kind. “As busy as you seem to be, I’d expect to see big things from you. You’re not freelancing, are you?”
“Let’s just say that I’m in a research phase. I’ve recently come into some valuable information that I can use to our advantage, but deciphering it is taking some time. That’s what I’m working with my assistant on.” He gestured toward me, and the boss turned to notice me. I gave a meek wave. “She’s a magical immune, so she can safely touch and transcribe a heavily warded document. Once I’m done, we’ll have avenues into the rest of the magical world.”
“Or you could do it the way we’ve handled things for centuries: Get our people on the inside and slowly take over without anyone noticing.”
“That hasn’t been particularly successful lately, has it?” Roger asked, his eyes taking on that predatory gleam that sent chills down my spine. “How many of the key companies have we lost in the past year or so? We lost Vandermeer, and we took a huge gamble on MSI that didn’t pay off.” I was glad neither of them was looking at me now because I wasn’t sure I was able to keep all expression off my face. What would they have thought if they knew that the person who had a lot to do with both of those losses was in the same room with them? I had to wonder if Roger really knew all about my role at MSI. I’d thought I’d become famous among magical people, but maybe not so much.
And then I realized that Roger hadn’t given himself credit for getting Vandermeer back. He was definitely working behind the back of the Collegium. If he’d wanted to move up, that would have been the first thing to mention.
“We’ll get MSI,” the boss said. “It’s only a matter of time. Merlin is a problem, given who he is, but we’ll get to him.”
“I don’t think Merlin’s your real problem there,” Roger said, his smile smug. “He’s a figurehead.”
“Exactly. We simply need a new figurehead, one who belongs to us, but whom they’ll all trust. They’ll never know they’re working for us.”