cords. What other euphemism would you like? They who must not be named?”
“Is she a witch?” the kid asked, staring at Emily.
“Yes,” Meaghan said. “A very powerful witch and if you don’t start making sense right now, she’ll turn you into a frog.”
The kid paled. “A frog?”
Emily nodded. “A frog.”
“I don’t want to be a frog.”
“Then start talking,” Meaghan growled. “How’d you get here?”
“How do you think?”
Meaghan scowled. “Not through the front door, I’m guessing.”
“Through the gateway,” the kid said. “The one back there.” He pointed in the direction of the less powerful mystic hotspot in what used to be unfinished attic.
“There’s a gateway?” Meaghan asked. She glanced at Emily, who gave her a confused look and shrugged.
“Well, yeah,” the kid said. “You should know. You opened it.” He pointed at the floors. “Why else install carpet covered in sigils? You called me . It’s kind of loud, to be honest.”
“Ah,” Emily said. “That’s why it pulsates.”
Meaghan glared at her. “Who the hell was the designer?”
“Some Italian firm. Bottaio Design. Tony recommended them, remember?”
Meaghan groaned. “Right. The firm he hired outside of the procurement rules. With the money from Owen’s boss.”
“Yeah,” the kid said. “That Luka guy. What’s his deal? Do you know?”
“No,” Meaghan snapped. “Do you? And why does it smell like Doritos?”
“I picked up a bag at the 7-Eleven. Had them for breakfast. This rug’s been clanging at us since last night, but I figured nobody would be here until morning, so I did a snack run. That’s the hardest part of the job. No pizza delivery. No Big Gulps. Too much, you know, medieval food.”
Meaghan nodded. She could sympathize. “My brother throws a fit anytime I try to eat junk food. What’s your name?”
“Dustin. Um, Brother Dustin. Sorry. We tech guys aren’t that formal with each other.”
“What world are you from?”
“Oh, uh, this one. Originally. The archive isn’t really in a world. It’s a bubble. It’s more like Fahraya used to be.” His ears grew red. “Before you, you know, blew it up.”
Meaghan rolled her eyes. “I didn’t blow it up.”
“Mmm,” Dustin said and seesawed his hand in the air.
Meaghan glared at him. “All right, fine, technically yes, I did blow it up, but only to keep everybody else from getting sucked into the void. You’re welcome, by the way.”
“You need that frog spell yet?” Emily asked.
“Maybe,” Meaghan said. “If Brother Dustin doesn’t behave himself.”
His eyes widened. “I am behaving. I’m here because you called me, okay? I’ve been in the brotherhood for like a year, stuck in that archive, trying to set up servers that won’t get fried by all the background magic, and they sent me because I’m human and because everybody else is . . .” Dustin trailed off and stared at his feet.
“Everybody else is what?” Meaghan prompted.
Dustin cleared his throat and said, in a small voice, “Everybody else is scared of you.”
Meaghan grimaced. “Give me a break.” She turned to Emily. “Am I scary?”
“Yes,” Emily said, “you can be.”
Meaghan shook her head. “So, now that you’re here, can I have those files?”
“I can help you put in a formal request.” Dustin stared at his feet again. “It’s not really up to me. They only sent me because I . . . well, I volunteered. If I don’t get some decent food and download some movies and games and stuff, I’m gonna go nuts. It’s not like I got Wi-Fi over there.”
“You aren’t working with the Italian design firm?” Meaghan pointed at the carpet. “The ones who gave us this?”
Dustin shook his head. “No. Usually people use chalk on floorboards, that kind of stuff. They don’t actually weave it into the carpet. Not sure how to handle that. The signal is super strong, but we thought it was this building. If somebody came up
“Is she a witch?” the kid asked, staring at Emily.
“Yes,” Meaghan said. “A very powerful witch and if you don’t start making sense right now, she’ll turn you into a frog.”
The kid paled. “A frog?”
Emily nodded. “A frog.”
“I don’t want to be a frog.”
“Then start talking,” Meaghan growled. “How’d you get here?”
“How do you think?”
Meaghan scowled. “Not through the front door, I’m guessing.”
“Through the gateway,” the kid said. “The one back there.” He pointed in the direction of the less powerful mystic hotspot in what used to be unfinished attic.
“There’s a gateway?” Meaghan asked. She glanced at Emily, who gave her a confused look and shrugged.
“Well, yeah,” the kid said. “You should know. You opened it.” He pointed at the floors. “Why else install carpet covered in sigils? You called me . It’s kind of loud, to be honest.”
“Ah,” Emily said. “That’s why it pulsates.”
Meaghan glared at her. “Who the hell was the designer?”
“Some Italian firm. Bottaio Design. Tony recommended them, remember?”
Meaghan groaned. “Right. The firm he hired outside of the procurement rules. With the money from Owen’s boss.”
“Yeah,” the kid said. “That Luka guy. What’s his deal? Do you know?”
“No,” Meaghan snapped. “Do you? And why does it smell like Doritos?”
“I picked up a bag at the 7-Eleven. Had them for breakfast. This rug’s been clanging at us since last night, but I figured nobody would be here until morning, so I did a snack run. That’s the hardest part of the job. No pizza delivery. No Big Gulps. Too much, you know, medieval food.”
Meaghan nodded. She could sympathize. “My brother throws a fit anytime I try to eat junk food. What’s your name?”
“Dustin. Um, Brother Dustin. Sorry. We tech guys aren’t that formal with each other.”
“What world are you from?”
“Oh, uh, this one. Originally. The archive isn’t really in a world. It’s a bubble. It’s more like Fahraya used to be.” His ears grew red. “Before you, you know, blew it up.”
Meaghan rolled her eyes. “I didn’t blow it up.”
“Mmm,” Dustin said and seesawed his hand in the air.
Meaghan glared at him. “All right, fine, technically yes, I did blow it up, but only to keep everybody else from getting sucked into the void. You’re welcome, by the way.”
“You need that frog spell yet?” Emily asked.
“Maybe,” Meaghan said. “If Brother Dustin doesn’t behave himself.”
His eyes widened. “I am behaving. I’m here because you called me, okay? I’ve been in the brotherhood for like a year, stuck in that archive, trying to set up servers that won’t get fried by all the background magic, and they sent me because I’m human and because everybody else is . . .” Dustin trailed off and stared at his feet.
“Everybody else is what?” Meaghan prompted.
Dustin cleared his throat and said, in a small voice, “Everybody else is scared of you.”
Meaghan grimaced. “Give me a break.” She turned to Emily. “Am I scary?”
“Yes,” Emily said, “you can be.”
Meaghan shook her head. “So, now that you’re here, can I have those files?”
“I can help you put in a formal request.” Dustin stared at his feet again. “It’s not really up to me. They only sent me because I . . . well, I volunteered. If I don’t get some decent food and download some movies and games and stuff, I’m gonna go nuts. It’s not like I got Wi-Fi over there.”
“You aren’t working with the Italian design firm?” Meaghan pointed at the carpet. “The ones who gave us this?”
Dustin shook his head. “No. Usually people use chalk on floorboards, that kind of stuff. They don’t actually weave it into the carpet. Not sure how to handle that. The signal is super strong, but we thought it was this building. If somebody came up
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