Kiss and Spell (Enchanted, Inc. 7)

“Yeah, something like that.”

At the end of the block where the park was, we made sure no one was following us, then tried the door at the top of the first set of steps. Owen unlocked it magically, and we found that the entry lobby appeared fully furnished. When we squinted at the upper landing, it seemed less detailed. We headed up there and found that it looked a lot like the backdrop of a stage set. Even the small table on the landing was just an image painted onto the wall. The door on that landing was unlocked.

Past the doorway was blank space like I’d found above my apartment, open through to the end of the building, without interior walls. We picked our way across, walking on the floor beams. When we were across the street from the park, we settled down to watch.

We were about half an hour earlier than we’d been the day before, but soon the gray elves began arriving at the park. They came in ones and twos, but never more than that. I kept a running count. When the flow had trickled off and then ceased, I said, “I counted twenty.”

“They started arriving around eight thirty. Do you think you can wait around a while longer?”

Perching on the narrow beam wasn’t very comfortable, but I said, “Of course. Let’s see how long the meeting lasts and how many come out.”

Things were quiet for the next twenty minutes. No one came down this street, which meant we’d have to be really careful when we left. It didn’t seem like this was a place we could get away with randomly wandering into too many times. Finally, gray elves began emerging from the park. “I counted eighteen this time,” I said. “But I couldn’t tell if they were the same ones or different ones. They may as well be clones. And since we’re not supposed to be able to see them, we can’t exactly pull the ‘accidentally spilling ink on him’ trick to tell them apart.”

Just then, the exterior door downstairs slammed shut, and we both froze. Another door inside the building then opened and closed. It sounded like someone had gone into the apartment immediately below us.

We froze. Meeting each other’s eyes, we silently agreed to wait and see if anyone left. Several long moments went by without any sound of doors opening or closing. Sounds of muffled conversation came from downstairs. Did that mean someone had been below us the whole time? We’d spoken very softly and hadn’t moved much, and no one had come up to check things out, so I hoped that meant they hadn’t noticed anything.

Owen began inching across a beam, and he gestured for me to follow him. It was fully night now, and while there was some light from the streetlamps outside, it was still pretty dark inside, which made it hard to see our footing on the open beams. The last thing we needed was to put a foot through the plaster into the apartment below.

There were apartments below us the whole way across, so we moved with painstaking care. We could walk upright between windows but had to drop to hands and knees while crossing windows, in case there was someone watching from outside. I thought it likely that there would be illusions in the windows making it look like normal life was going on in normal apartments, but we couldn’t confirm it, so we didn’t take any chances.

By the time we reached the far end of the building, my legs were cramping and my knees felt bruised. Out on the landing, we brushed the dust off ourselves and straightened our clothes. When we got downstairs, Owen made sure the way was clear before we left the building and hurried around the corner toward the more populated areas.

We passed a couple of the gray guys, but they didn’t seem to pay us any particular attention. “Are you going to report all this to Mac?” I asked Owen.

“I have to,” he said with a helpless shrug. “If I’m ever going to have any kind of life, I have to convince him to trust me, which means no secrets.”

He didn’t sound at all enthusiastic about it. “You’re worried about Mac’s plan.”

“I think it will expose all of us and risk getting us all put under the spell again. And that’s the best-case scenario. It could also get people hurt or killed.”

“But you don’t dare argue with him for fear of looking like you’re taking over, which naturally leads to taking over the world using bad magic.”

“Not that he’d listen to me even if he did trust me. I think he still sees me as a five-year-old.”

“What would you do if you were in charge?”

“I’d work closely with the elves. Maybe one of them could switch out with one of the gray guys and get inside for some recon—maybe even find the portal and get through. We’re at a disadvantage while we’re here in the elven lands, so I think the key is to get help from the other side.”

“But anyone approaching from the other side is likely to find themselves here.”

“That’s why we need to get someone through who looks like an insider.”

“Earl’s too well-known,” I mused, “but maybe someone he knows might be able to pull it off.” I contemplated telling him that I already had Earl working the elf angle, but I figured Owen was safest if he had plausible deniability.

Not that I liked having secrets from Owen. In fact, I was a little worried about how he’d take it. That wasn’t enough, however, to deter me from doing what had to be done to get all of us home without Owen having to defy the Council.

Since it had been my habit while under the spell, I figured it was safe to keep stopping off at Perdita’s diner on my way to work. When she saw me the next morning, she rushed over to me. “I used to go out with the guy who delivers our supplies,” she whispered. “I think he might be in the underground—he was very political. And then there’s a guy who comes in at least once a day who’s going out with my best friend’s sister. I don’t know where he stands, but if he’s here, he’s probably on our side, right? So, what do I do?”

“Have you ever kissed either of them?”

She blushed slightly and coiled a ringlet around one finger. “Both, actually.”

“Give that a shot.”

“Oh, like in the fairy tales?”

I started to explain about cognitive dissonance, then remembered who I was dealing with. “Yeah, like that. But be careful. Make sure you’re alone, and then explain it and have them revive anyone else they know and trust.” I hoped that if her ex was with the underground, he’d know how resistance cells worked, because I really didn’t want to try to explain that to Perdita.