The Consumption of Magic (Tales From Verania 3)

Chapter 6: The Break-Up Talk

I BLINKED in disbelief. “You want to run that one by me again? Because I think I misheard.”

We stood in Mama’s office, Randall by the window, hands clasped behind his back, Morgan near the floor-to-ceiling bookcase, and me near the door, as if I could escape anytime I wanted to. What remained of Feng had been cleaned up from the floor, but there was a black smudge in the carpet and on Mama’s desk. Both would have to be replaced.

The office itself was still in disarray, though a hasty job had b

een done to right the wrongs: The books were haphazardly placed back on the shelves, the shade to the lamp in the corner sat crooked, the air still smelled crisped and seared. The little wooden bombs Feng had placed around the office had been removed. I had scanned the room when we’d entered, making sure none had been missed.

It hadn’t taken long for Morgan and Randall to drop a different sort of bomb on me, however.

“I don’t see what’s so difficult for you to understand,” Randall said, voice bland and even.

“Indulge me.”

“Don’t we always? And maybe that’s part of the problem.”

I scowled at him. “Maybe you should go suck a gigantic—”

Morgan cleared his throat.

“—lemon because your face already looks a little—”

Morgan coughed.

“Yeah, okay. I’ve got nothing to save that.”

“This isn’t helping,” Morgan said, and I was surprised to see that it was directed at Randall instead of myself. “There has to be another way to go about this.”

Randall snorted as he turned around, backlit by the sun pouring in through the window. “Can you think of any way that won’t bring about his ire? Because if you can, please, go ahead. But I think you know as well as I do that no matter what we say, it will be met with resistance. That’s just in his nature.” He glanced briefly at me. “Unfortunately.”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t be… delicate.”

“You think Sam would appreciate a soft-handed approach? He usually prefers the hammer.”

“I’m going to pretend that you’ve complimented me,” I decided. “So thank you.”

Randall spread his hands as if to say I’d proved his point. Which, to be fair, I probably had. I hated it when I did that for Randall.

Morgan gave us the long-suffering look he did so well. “Sam.”

“Yes, Morgan?”

“You will be traveling with Randall to Castle Freesias. Kevin, Gary, Tiggy, Ryan, and Prince Justin will follow on the roads.”

“So I did hear you right. That’s… unfortunate. Well. No matter. Thank you, but no thank you. I politely decline. Now, if there’s anything else—”

Randall laughed a little at that, and if I weren’t feeling so cornered, I might have been surprised I’d been able to make him do that. “It’s funny how you think it was a suggestion.”

I stared at him. “It’s funny how you think it wasn’t.”

He wasn’t laughing anymore after that. In fact, he looked a little pissed off. And that, regardless of how intimidating it could be, was something I was used to. I’d had that directed toward me more times than I could count. I could deal with that. “It’s not a suggestion. You will accompany me back to Castle Freesias. It’s time I took a more direct approach to your training.”

“And by accompanying you, you mean that sucky teleport thing you can do.”

“Yes.”

“I threw up on you the last time, if you’ll recall.”