“And Ethelinda is the ultimate distraction,” I said.
“Not such a bad day, after all, then,” Owen said, giving my shoulder an extra squeeze.
“Speak for yourself,” I groaned. “Can I take a break from being a victim for a while? I don’t enjoy playing damsel in distress.”
“Next time I’m in terrible danger, you’re welcome to come to my rescue,” Owen said with a teasing grin. He sounded almost giddy with relief. I guessed he wasn’t mad at me anymore. All it took to make him get over his hurt feelings and restore our relationship was me nearly getting killed. It wasn’t a relationship counseling technique I’d recommend.
“Count on it,” I assured him. “But I wouldn’t mind if we avoided terrible danger for a while. I’m looking forward to some typing and filing, maybe updating our marketing campaign. Just as long as I’m not being chased by anything or put under any spells. And in case anyone is wondering, I’d be happy to help train some other immunes to cope with immunity loss, but I am not going through that again.”
“No, you’re not,” Owen said firmly.
“Now, I believe all of us need to rest and tend our wounds,” Merlin said. Marcia helped Rod up, and I thought he looked steady enough to walk on his own, but he kept his arm tight around her. Ethan managed to get back on his feet, and then Merlin did something magical over Philip, who soon sat up, blinking. The weary lot of us headed out of the caverns, much to the dragons’ dismay, and ran into Sam before we reached the train station.
“It turns out he was only bluffing partway,” the gargoyle said. “He did have someone set up in Times Square to demonstrate magic, but we apprehended him under the code provision against public use of magic with intent to expose magic to outsiders. We also caught a few minor incidents around town that weren’t too difficult to deal with. The secret still seems to be safe, and there’s no buzz about the word being out.”
“It’s a gargoyle, and it’s talking,” Marcia said.
“Yes, it is, just like the other gargoyles back there, and can we talk about it later?” I replied, patting her on the arm.
The train station was deserted except for a few security guards who didn’t seem to see us. Rocky and Rollo’s car was still sitting in front of the station. “I’ll get Katie home,” Owen said. “She should probably stay with me until she gets her immunity back.”