“That’s not entirely untrue,” Minerva Felps, the head seer, muttered under her breath.
“What was the outcome of this legendary battle?” Merlin asked.
I supposed in a sense that it really was a kind of modern warfare, so I didn’t bother correcting his assumption. “Both companies are still in business. IBM changed its business model, but not really because of Apple. Apple still has a limited market share. The real victor in all of this was Microsoft, which has the dominant operating system. I’m not sure any of that applies to our scenario. Oh, and as far as I know, none of those companies was literally evil, destructive, or aiming for true world domination. Well, not that anyone’s been able to prove.”
“How would us responding to their efforts play into their hands?” Mr. Hartwell challenged, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes narrowed.
“For one thing, it would take a lot of money, and if we try to compete on that level, it could just end up hurting us without helping much. I don’t see how he can sustain this level of exposure for very long unless he rakes in some serious sales. He’s got to have a big source of funding.”
“If the connection you believe you’ve observed is correct,” Merlin said to me, “we may know where he’s getting his funding.”
Every head in the room turned to look at me. “I was at the offices of Vandermeer and Company last week, helping a friend with something, and I noticed that they had one of the creatures I usually associate with Idris there, apparently working as some kind of bodyguard. I’ve seen that particular creature several times, always attacking me when I’ve been investigating Idris. It’s possible that they’re in league with Idris.”
“Those Merediths never have been up to much good,” Minerva Felps muttered. “I’ve always wondered what happened to the missing Vandermeer heir that allowed them to take over.”
“He was turned into a frog, then disenchanted, and now he’s dating my roommate,” I answered. “But he’s not a frog anymore. That’s why I was at their offices. I was helping him scope out the situation so he could see about getting his family business back.”
“I wonder if this is who’s been pulling the strings all along,” Owen mused.
Mr. Lansing spun his pen around, which was an impressive feat with frog flippers. “Possibly,” he said. “Or else it’s someone who saw Idris’s potential.”
“Minerva, have any of your people noticed anything?” Merlin asked.
“We’ve seen some portents, but we’re still trying to analyze them. Things are hazy enough that I suspect we’re being deliberately blocked. We may send someone to wander by the store to see if any of the signals are stronger there, and I’m planning a big meditation session tomorrow, but I don’t anticipate any earth-shattering revelations to come from it. Still, you never know.”
Ethan looked over at me. “It’s Philip you’re talking about, the one who was enchanted?” I nodded, and he said, “Maybe I should meet with him and see what we might be able to do legally. If we can prove who he is and get him back in charge of that investment firm, maybe we can cut off Idris’s funding.” He frowned for a moment, then added, “I’m assuming that there are magical channels for handling this sort of thing, where saying you were turned into a frog is actually a valid claim and won’t land you in the loony bin.”
“Yes, of course. We have to have our own ways of settling legal disputes involving magic,” Mr. Hartwell said.
“Okay, then I’ll look into the legal angle,” Ethan said. “Fighting against evil schemers isn’t my legal specialty, but it’s becoming something of a hobby.”
“While you guys are taking the thinkin’ end of the plan, we’re gonna send a few folk down to stake out the store,” Sam said. “I doubt Idris’ll be working the cash register himself, but you never know who you’ll find popping by. There might be someone worth following. That is, if we can see past their disguise illusions. We probably shouldn’t try simultaneously unveiling everyone in Times Square again.” Owen turned bright red at that and became engrossed in the pattern of wood grain on the conference table.
Merlin nodded. “Very well, then. There isn’t much we can do until we have more information. Tomorrow we’ll send Kim to the store to obtain some samples of their merchandise, which we will then analyze. Based on that analysis we’ll have a better sense of what the scheme seems to be, and we will also know how we should respond, businesswise. Now, I’ve asked you to give up enough of your holiday. Please feel free to enjoy the rest of your day. We will meet again in two days to discuss preliminary results.”
As the meeting broke up, Owen went over to Merlin to talk, and that left me standing face-to-face with Ethan. “How’s it going?” he asked, eliminating my option of pretending not to notice him.
“Pretty good,” I said.
“I hear you and Owen are together now.”
“Yeah.”
“Good. He’s a nice guy. And apparently not into chicks with wings.” He glanced over his shoulder to where Trix’s desk sat empty. “I guess you were right about that, after all.”
It had been one of my better breakup lines, I had to admit. He’d said he thought I was a little too normal for him, and I’d accused him of really wanting to date chicks with wings. The fact that it turned out to be true made it even better. “Well, they do say I’m perceptive. And I’m glad things are working out for you.”
“Thanks. No hard feelings?”
I was rather surprised to realize that there weren’t any. He seemed to belong to another lifetime, even though it wasn’t that long ago. “No hard feelings,” I confirmed.
Owen wrapped up his business with Merlin and joined me. “Ready to go?” he asked.
“Sure. You’re not staying to work?”
He sighed. “What do I have to work with? I’d be tempted to drop by that store and grab a few spells to start with, but he’s probably got the place specifically warded against me.”
“This isn’t something we’re going to fix with a few hours’ work, and I doubt a few hours will make much of a difference.”