Our opponents looked like something out of a Matrix movie, all swirling black trench coats. I could practically hear the movie soundtrack swelling with the kind of ominous throbbing bass line that makes your seat vibrate. They moved slowly, relentlessly, toward us, the fog parting around them like it knew they were trouble and wanted to get as far away as possible. The fog had a good idea, as far as I was concerned. I realized that the throbbing bass line in my imaginary movie soundtrack was actually the pulse roaring in my ears. I was a simple farm girl from Texas. What was I doing here?
Then they got closer, and they looked more like what you'd see at a Matrix-focused science fiction convention. I would have laughed out loud if I hadn't been afraid it would break my side's concentration. These guys might have the wardrobe, but they needed to work on their intimidation. Then again, in this game, appearances had nothing to do with it. Owen wasn't exactly the sort of person you'd guess was a powerful wizard if you saw him on the street.
Not that I had the slightest idea what kind of person I might see on the street and assume was a powerful wizard. But these guys definitely weren't it. If we'd been in Silicon Valley, I would have pegged these guys for the founders of a software start-up. I supposed, in a way, that's what they were.
I assumed that the one in front was Idris. He was about Owen's age, but much taller, even taller than Ethan. He had a lanky beanpole build, all arms and legs and not enough grace to make use of his height on the basketball court. His trench coat sleeves struck him just above his wrists, and even though he was facing away from the sun, he wore dark shades.
His three sidekicks were even less impressive. One wore surplus military fatigues that didn't fit him well. Another was short and squat, with a belly hanging out from under his black T-shirt. The fourth actually looked physically intimidating, but his face had the blankness of a mindless thug. I wasn't sure how he was going to play a role in a magical battle.
With their side in jeans and fatigues, and the MSI team all in suits, this looked for all the world like a classic renegades versus establishment battle, but I knew Idris and his people weren't fighting for creativity or freedom, only greed and power. For once, the ones in the suits were the good guys.
The tall guy stepped forward. "So, Owen, here we are again."
"Hello, Phelan," Owen said mildly, like they'd just bumped into each other in line at Starbucks. I was right about which one was Idris.
"You had to dig up Grandpa here on my account? What a laugh. I thought you were supposed to be hot stuff."
"Try me." Owen's voice was full of ice and steel.
"I'm only here to advise on strategy," Merlin said. "My advice was to get you out of the way."
"What's wrong, can't handle a little competition?"
"Competition is fine. Misuse of power is an entirely different story," Merlin replied.
"We don't use our abilities for personal gain, especially not at anyone else's expense.
That's part of the code."
"I never signed on to that code."
"Obviously," Owen said dryly. "And the sun is now up. I have an appointment this afternoon. Can we please get this over with?"
Idris opened his mouth to reply, but he was already sailing backward to land against the nearest lamppost. His cohorts likewise went flying. My hair felt like it was standing on end from all the power in the air. Ethan and I both stepped aside to get out of the way, even though we were supposed to be immune to the spells flying around.
The magical battle wasn't anywhere near as spectacular as you'd think from the movies. It wouldn't take much in the way of special effects to depict it. It was more of a silent battle of wills. I waited for someone to conjure up a dragon or at least a snake, but it didn't seem to work that way. They weren't even using wands that had sparks flying from the ends. Once Idris and his cronies righted themselves, the fight seemed to be all about them throwing spells and Merlin and Owen deflecting them.
The strategy was apparently to just let the bad guys wear themselves out against Owen's presumably greater resources. I wondered if Merlin had similar strengths. He was, after all, Merlin.
I felt a tingle, then caught movement out of the corner of my eye. One of the guys who'd been hiding was making his move. "Owen, look out," I called. He turned just in time to deflect the surge of energy the guy threw at him, then he immobilized that guy the way he'd done the one up in the roller coaster.
"Cheating, Phelan? Doesn't that indicate a lack of confidence?" Owen said to his opponent.
"Or lack of morals." Idris sounded out of breath. Then he suddenly whirled like he was defending himself against an attack, leaving his back open for Merlin to hit him with something that temporarily paralyzed him. I hadn't seen anything attacking him, and I realized that the attacker must have been one of Owen's sleight-of-hand tricks.
Idris brought extra people and used magic to hide them, while Owen was conjuring up imaginary attackers to distract Idris.
The henchmen gave up trying to fight directly with magic, and soon just about everything that wasn't nailed down—and a few smaller things that were—was flying through the air at Owen and Merlin. I ducked beneath a bench but still tried to keep my eyes open for even more treachery. A trash can flew through the air toward Merlin, but Ethan jumped in to pull him to safety. It did hit Owen, striking a glancing blow that sent him to the ground before he waved a hand and flung it toward Idris.
I didn't know enough about magic to have a sense of how the battle was going.
Owen looked a little battered from the barrage, but was otherwise unruffled. Merlin looked like he was out for an afternoon stroll. Meanwhile, the other guys gasped for breath, all red-faced and sweaty.
Merlin pointed in the direction of one of the henchmen, and the man froze in his tracks. He sweated and strained, but apparently no longer had the strength to free himself. That was one out of the way. Owen similarly pinned another one. Now we were down to a more fair two-on-two fight—if we counted the official combatants. I suspected the bad guys had a few more tricks in reserve, and Ethan and I were still there. If it came down to it, I supposed I could contribute a few catfighting skills. I'd grown up with older brothers, so I could hold my own in a dirty brawl for a little while.
But for now it seemed that Merlin and Owen had the situation more or less under control. The air crackled with power that gave me goose bumps. I felt like I was caught in the middle of an electrical storm. A visibly weary Merlin finally disabled the remaining sidekick, while Idris and Owen were locked in a standoff. They stood about six feet apart, Idris with his arms stretched out in front of him, Owen with his hands at his sides. I was sure I could see the power glowing between them. Now Owen was beginning to fray around the edges, but he still looked better than Idris did. Idris resembled those people they show on the news crossing the finish line after a marathon and promptly collapsing.
It seemed like it was just a matter of how long either of them could hold out. The last one to collapse would win the fight, and I'd put my money on Owen. I'd never before seen a full demonstration of what he could do, but now I could tell for sure that he was more than just a pretty face.
He seemed to have it more or less in the bag. Idris was wilting, backing away. But he was also smiling, which was not right for the situation. Now I got nervous. I looked around for a looming threat and saw nothing.
Then I looked again, and something was coming out of the east, flying through the sky, zooming toward Owen so rapidly that it became clearer to me in a fraction of a second. At first I thought it was a gargoyle like Sam, but it was some other kind of winged creature. I would have to find some mythology books if I was going to stay in this line of work.