“That does appear to be the best solution,” Merlin said. “Thank you for your assistance.”
Brad shot me a smile. “Actually, it was Katie who saved us all. She was our resistance leader.”
Merlin turned to me and raised an eyebrow. “You neglected to mention that in your report.”
“I skipped the trivial details,” I said with a shrug.
“Now that her immunity’s back, maybe she should talk to Sam,” Owen suggested. “He could probably use her in Security. She has a knack for covert operations.”
“Is that something that interests you, Miss Chandler?” Merlin asked.
“Yeah, I think it does,” I said. “Just as long as I don’t have to make coffee anymore.” Merlin looked completely blank, since that was another of the trivial details I’d omitted, but Owen and I laughed.
We returned downstairs, where the elves who wanted to return to their realm were already going through the portal. Two of them took Sylvester through between them, using something that looked like the elvish version of the wizards’ silver chains as restraints. Every so often, a few people came through from the other side, blinking and looking a little confused.
When I went back to the stereo to retrieve Jake’s iPod, I was surprised to find my purse and Owen’s coat in a pile under the stereo table. It looked like they’d just tossed their captives’ personal effects aside. That meant I still had my apartment keys, ID, and credit cards and he had his wallet and phone. We’d gone through all that and hadn’t lost anything but a week.
But I wasn’t quite ready to return to normal reality yet. I’d spent the entire time I was a prisoner wanting to get home, and now I found myself thinking a little longingly of the world I’d left. Well, mostly my apartment. I’d gotten used to having that lovely brownstone apartment all to myself. Going back to sharing a two-bedroom in an old tenement building with three other people was going to be a real adjustment.
While the others were still wrapping things up, I went back up the stairs to the roof for perhaps the last bit of peace and quiet I’d probably have for a long time. But when I reached the roof door, I found that it had started raining.
“What was that about dancing on a rooftop in the rain?” Owen’s voice said from behind me.
“It’s a romantic movie cliché,” I replied.
“Still, don’t you think we should give it a try? We hit all the other clichés. Why not that one? They’re even playing our song.”