Fathomless by Anne M. Pillsworth Page B

didn’t show up.”
    Surprised, anyway. “It’s—we’ve been tight so long. Did you ever hear what she did during the Servitor mess?”
    This time Daniel’s smile was anything but weak. “Helen says Eddy talked to you to keep the Servitor from taking over your mind. Then she beat on it with a baseball bat and kept it from killing your dad.”
    â€œYou so want Eddy on your side.”
    â€œI do, man.”
    â€œI was wanting to talk to her. But a lot of it’s about Marvell, and she thinks he’s Professor Perfect.”
    â€œFan girl.”
    â€œExactly.”
    Again Daniel went to attack his neck beneath its foam barricade. He checked himself. “It’s not fair you aren’t getting a mentor and learning practical magic, same as me. Maybe not to do the big-ass stuff you did before—”
    â€œYou heard Marvell say how big-ass that was.”
    â€œHe was trying to pop your swelled head,” Daniel said, face sober but eyes gleaming.
    The gleam freed Sean to laugh until laughing loosened the springs in his chest that Marvell had wound aching tight. “He wouldn’t pop my head in Helen’s library. Blood on old books, bad.”
    â€œImportant safety tip—thanks, Egon.”
    Was that a Perfect Movie Moment from the new guy? “I guess Eddy taught you our game. Ghostbusters, by the way.”
    â€œBusted. Five points or ten?”
    â€œShould be five, but because you’re a noob, I’ll give you ten.”
    Grinning, Daniel stood. “I’ll waive the points if you’ll make lunch.”
    â€œDeal.”
    *   *   *
    Without Helen or Eddy around to enforce reasonable nutrition standards, Sean made his infamous Sky-High sandwiches, bologna and cheese with potato chips squashed between the layers. After that belly bomb, he was thinking nap, not the next chapter of Henry Arkwright’s History of the Cthulhu Mythos . Daniel, on the other hand, was alert to the point of drumming his fingers on the breakfast bar. “Maybe we could do something besides read,” he said.
    â€œDoes this something include moving?”
    â€œNo, you can sit.”
    â€œGood enough. What’s the plan?”
    Daniel went to close the kitchen door. Back at the bar, he said, “Since the Order won’t give you a mentor, maybe we can share Geldman.”
    â€œHow?”
    â€œI can teach you what he’s teaching me.”
    â€œMagic?”
    â€œWhat else?”
    Candlemaking? Victorian home décor? “What about Marvell not wanting me to do practical magic?”
    â€œI don’t think that’s fair. Do you?”
    â€œNo, but I don’t want you sticking your neck out.”
    â€œI’ll only stick it out when there aren’t any guillotines around.”
    Sean straightened from his stuffed sprawl and scanned the backyard. If Marvell was lurking behind a stack of plywood, he was doing a good job of it. “I guess you could just show me the stuff you’re learning.”
    â€œSure.” Daniel swept their paper plates into the garbage can, clearing the decks for action. Sean got a paper towel and wiped the bar down, his heart picking up speed at the prospect of real magic.
    Resettled, Daniel said, “What Marvell was talking about, creation-eidolons, psychogenesis? That’s great, we’ve got to know theory, but Geldman puts things a lot plainer.”
    Geldman would talk like a normal person, even though he had to know way more about theory than Marvell. Not to derail Daniel’s lecture, Sean kept the opinion to himself. “He doesn’t use—” Jargon. “—technical terms?”
    â€œNot much. It’s more than style, though. See, most of the Order are Source magicians. Geldman’s an elementalist, which is like going off the grid.”
    â€œNot using electricity?”
    â€œNot using the blind force Marvell talked about.