Page 26 of Enchanted Hero
He moved back, and suddenly, the slab beneath her rose from the table, lifted as if by an invisible force. She ascended, first a few inches, then several feet and then more. Below her, the crowd cheered and hollered.
“Now our illustrious guest,” Max shouted. A few moments later, Alexander rose beside her, his face hard and unrevealing. He stopped just as the music reached a crescendo. Finally, the teen girl joined them.
“I give you true magic!” the magician shouted from down below.
It was unlike anything she’d ever seen… until she glanced at Alexander. At the instant the spotlight beamed just right, the wires became visible. When Max touched her, he must have been attaching wires to the rails, which were nearly invisible in the dim light. With a small smile, she relaxed. She wouldn’t expose the magician, but he was now relegated to complete trickster.
“Ready to return to Earth, Miss Lacey?” Max boomed from below. She gave a thumbs up as she slowly descended. When she reached the table, Max once more ran his hands down the rails, to lift the wires no doubt. “Now you may rise!” he announced triumphantly. She waved and bowed.
“Now for Mr. Stone.” Max’s voice turned mischievous. Surely he wouldn’t jest when Alexander was so high above the ground. The music played, and Max waved his hands, but nothing happened. The magician rubbed his palms together. “Mr. Stone, the magical forces are insulted you don’t believe in them.” He made a comical face for the audience. “They’re reluctant to bring you down.”
Up above Alexander stayed still. His face was expressionless, yet she could sense the thunder raging behind it.
“In order to appease the magic, you have to do something dramatic,” Mr. Sage chuckled. “Perhaps barking like a dog will do.”
The crowd roared in laughter, and her frown deepened. The trick was rapidly spiraling from ill-advised to dangerous. “Let him down,” she hissed.
Max ignored her. “When the magical forces get angry, they play tricks.” Suddenly Alexander lurched down a few feet, then shot back up. Everleigh gasped as he teetered like a fish on a string. “Hurry!” the magician called. “The magical forces are impatient!”
Her heart lurched in synchrony to Alexander’s airborne ride. This had gone too far.
Yet as she opened her mouth to yell…
A crack pierced the air.
CHAPTER 6
What creature should he turn the so-called magician into?
A frog? A goat?An ameba?Fortunately for the scheming charlatan, that would not only expose him, but he had a personal policy against turning people into lower life forms, no matter how much they deserved it.
That didn’t mean he was going to stay up here and bark like a dog.
The crack sounded again, the straining of a system not made for such abuse. Calling his magic, Alexander commanded the wires to drop down. Such large amounts of magic caused a puff of mist, but it blended into the fog already on stage. He forced himself to move slowly as he descended, to not arouse suspicion. The crowd pointed, their laughter turning into cheers.
The magician frowned.
Alexander reached the table, jumped over the rails and stomped to the magician. It would serve him right if he turned him into something with four legs, or at least suspended him in the air until he barked like a dog.
But good morals once again triumphed. “I guess your magic isn’t quite what you advertise.”
Max stared open-mouthed, Everleigh the same. Of course, they’d never guess he used real enchantment. Finally, the magician spoke, “I don’t understand.”
“Perhaps the magical forces don’t like you.” Alexander pointed toward the teen girl still hovering in the air. “Are you going to let her down? Or does she need to bark like a dog?”
“Of course not.” Max jumped back, fidgeting with his robes. “I will now bring our final guest down.” Again the lights flashed, the music sounded and Max waved his hands. Yet nothing happened.
“This isn’t funny,” Alexander hissed. “I know you used wires. Get her downnow.”
“I’m trying!” Max’s voice rose with barely concealed panic. “I moved too fast before. The system isn’t responding.”
Suddenly the girl lurched downward, then up and down again. The crowd gasped as the girl screamed. “What’s happening?” Everleigh cried.
“I don’t know!” Max tucked his arms into his billowing sleeves, no doubt trying to maneuver hidden controls. “This has never happened before.”
The girl pitched again. With her screams and Max’s response, the crowd now realized it was no show. “It has to stop!” Max cried. “The wires can’t take all those movements.” Then suddenly…
A snap.
