The Golden Tower (Magisterium #5)(34)

“Right now.” Call stood up and started to wake his friends by banging loudly on their doors.





AN HOUR LATER the Phantom was flying up the interstate with Havoc’s head hanging out the window, pink tongue flapping in the breeze. Call was in the front seat with Havoc while Tamara, Gwenda, and Jasper sat in the back.

They’d stopped for fast food already and torn through a box of chicken. Cold sodas were balanced on their laps.

“Even better than lichen,” Jasper had said blissfully, gnawing on a drumstick.

The radio was tuned to some jazz station. Call tipped back his head and started thinking about the future. Once Alex was defeated, he would ask Tamara out on a date, a real date. She liked sushi, so they’d go somewhere for a big fish dinner. Then maybe they’d go for a movie or a walk, get ice cream. He started to idly picture it when he realized he wasn’t alone in his head. Quickly, he tried to think of something else.

He’d like to get Havoc a new leash. Yeah, that was good.

And me a new body, Aaron reminded him. If you ever want to kiss Tamara again without me being there, too.

Call sighed.

“You’re all good kids, helping Callum out,” Alastair said, which made Call feel humiliated and also about seven years old.

Tamara grinned. “Someone’s got to try to convince him to stay out of trouble.”

“Someone should,” said Jasper. “Too bad that someone isn’t you.”

Gwenda knocked him on the shoulder. “Why are you the way you are?”

“People love me,” Jasper said.

“So how’s Celia?” Gwenda wanted to know. Jasper scowled. “Still mad at you for being friends with Call?”

“We’ll work it out,” said Jasper.

“I hear she didn’t like that your father was in prison for helping the Enemy either,” said Gwenda, and shrugged when everyone stared at her. “What? I hear things.”

“We will work things out,” Jasper said, tight-lipped.

“I don’t think I like this Celia,” said Alastair.

“She came to visit me while I was sick, actually,” said Call. “And apologized.”

“She did?” Tamara was round-eyed.

Jasper seemed relieved. “I told you.”

Gwenda chuckled. “She apologized to Call,” she said. “Maybe she can date him.”

“But —” Tamara said.

Jasper looked at her with innocent eyes. “But what?”

“Nothing.” Tamara crossed her arms and stared out the window. It was getting dark, and there was almost no one else on the road. The GPS showed that they were in Pennsylvania, near the Allegheny National Forest. Tall spiky trees lined the road.

Alastair cut a sideways, amused glance at Call but said nothing, and the conversation turned to other things. Call stayed quiet, thinking through what lay ahead of them.

After another half an hour, Alastair pulled off the road into a motel that had a diner attached to it. Neon promised cherry pie and cheesesteak. Call and the others followed Alastair inside as he checked them all into separate rooms and told them to meet outside in forty-five minutes for dinner.

Call was just pulling on a new shirt and doing his best to stick down his unruly hair with water when there was a knock on the door.

It was Jasper, wearing a T-shirt that read ANGRY UNICORNS NEED LOVE, TOO. Call blinked at him. “What?”

Jasper strolled in and sat down on the bed. Call sighed. In his memory, Jasper had never waited to be invited anywhere.

“Is this about Celia?” Call said.

“No,” Jasper said, after a pause. “It’s about my dad.”

“Your dad?”

His dad’s still in the Panopticon with all the others who joined Master Joseph, said Aaron helpfully.

I know! Call said. I just don’t know why he wants to talk to me about it.

Maybe he thinks you have a sympathetic face.

Jasper went on. “One of the Assembly members told me that they’re considering putting all the mages who sided with Master Joseph to death.”

Call gaped. “I —”

Jasper waved his hand impatiently. “You don’t have to care. It’s just that we’re going on this big mission to help out the Magisterium. And if we succeed, you’ll be a hero.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “If that happens, I want you to intercede with the Assembly. They’ll do whatever you want. Tell them to let my dad go.”

For a moment, Call felt that odd sensation of the world tilting sideways again, but it wasn’t because an evil mage’s memories were getting tangled up with his own. It was because this wasn’t supposed to be his role.

He wasn’t a hero. Jasper wasn’t supposed to ask him for favors or act like he was important.

That was Aaron. It was supposed to be Aaron.

Hey, came the voice in his head. I’m good with it not being me. I was good with it not being me back then, but there was no one else. And now there’s no one else but you.

Call nodded. “If we do this mission, you’ll be a hero, too. You could ask them yourself.”

Jasper’s look was dubious. “Just say you’ll do it. You’re the Makar.”

“I can’t tell them to release your dad, but I can insist that they don’t give him the death penalty no matter how his trial goes,” said Call. “And I can insist he has a trial, a fair one.”