Page 58 of Warlocks Don't Win
The Dealer and his wife stood behind me. His murmur, “He did announce their marriage. She clearly wanted to die. Turning her into a toad was a mercy. And think what a lovely life she’ll have in a nice bog.”
“Unless someone accidentally steps on her,” Dire’s vampire said on the other side of Anna. He flashed me a smile of fangs. “These things happen.”
I found myself automatically smiling back before I shook myself. “Oh. Actually I believe the transfiguration also gives protection to the subject. Lengthens life span, protects from smaller injuries, that sort of thing.”
Gabby tugged on my arm. “Really? And changing someone into toad is neutral magic?”
“Yes,” the Grand Sorcerer answered for me. “Changing states is neutral. The life and matter remains the same. Life is life as far as magic is concerned.”
“What did you do to me?!” The toad started to squeak, hopping around on the floor, one foot still caught in the gold strap, dragging the dress around.
Someone tittered. The toad fell over on the polished floor with a satisfying splat and more chuckles.
“I’ll kill you for this!” the toad croaked, looking around until she saw me, then she hopped towards me, adapting really quickly to her new state, fire in her eyes.
Jessica swooped in from the side, gathered the toad up in a shirt, while Jordan followed, bare-chested because apparently his shirt is the one she’d used. Were they actually working together on something? The world had officially ended.
“Don’t worry, Clary, we’ll take care of it,” she called, waving the white bundle that still threatened, but more muffled now. Jessica and Jordan left the room, leaving the crowd murmuring.
“Transfiguring into a toad is the mark of a true witch.”
“And from halfway across the room. Impressive.”
“I expected a lot more blood.”
“It’s almost disappointing. What were you saying about the coming eclipse?”
Winston came towards me, walking slowly, head cocked slightly like he wasn’t sure what he was going to do with me.
“Are you in trouble?” Gabby asked, tightening her grip on my arm. “You were clearly within your rights. It someone touched my husband like that, she’d be in a lot of pain. Probably death.”
“No one’s in trouble,” Winston said coolly as he held out his hand for me. “However, it’s time to take my wife home.” His eyes glinted with something peculiar, and then a crackling portal of purple energy came to life to the right of us. “Shall we?”
He couldn’t make a portal. That wasn’t neutral magic. But the lightning matched the crackle in his eyes. I slowly put my hand on his arm, and with one last perplexed look back at the group of dark sorcerers behind me, stepped through with Winston.
Chapter
Nineteen
“Sage House?”
I looked around the immaculate front hall, the large portrait of our engagement above the table and enormous bouquet of fresh flowers on the wall the stairs wrapped around. The tiles were green and white marble checks, the trim shiny dark green making the crisp white wall pop. We could have a ball here if it came to that.
His hand tightened on my waist. “Did you get the information you needed?”
“I don’t know. Dire did have some useful things to say.”
He rumbled his displeasure. “You seemed to enjoy dancing with him.”
“He was an extremely skilled dancer, but I didn’t enjoy it.”
“Then I suppose I don’t have to kill him.”
I sniffed. “He’s already dead. I didn’t expect everyone to be so supportive of me turning your co-star into a toad. Did you?”
He nuzzled my hair, still standing there, hand on my waist, wrapped around me like we were in a dance position ready for a quadrille or something else historical. “Of course. I was subtlyinfluencing all the minds there. It didn’t take a lot of effort, though. You’re too interesting a character to throw away.”
“Oh.” He’d just manipulated the mind of everyone there? “I really don’t think that’s neutral magic.” His hand felt so good on my waist.
