FORTY-FIVE

“I’m right here.” The air shimmered in the empty doorway. Scott was there, but to Thomas, the wizard looked lighter, more relaxed. Even his face and eyes seemed softer, less etched with guilt and pain. “Sorry. I didn’t want to distract anyone from getting these two stitched up.”

A fresh wave of relief washed over Thomas. “What happened? How come you got here later than the rest of us?”

“Arius needed some straightening out,” said Scott. “Heinrik and Arianna, too. We had a nice chat and came to a few agreements.”

“What did you do?” asked Professor Reilly, a hopeful expression on his face. “Was it painful?”

“To Arius? Yes, I suppose so.” Scott pulled a device from his pocket. “This recording would put him on every terrorist watch list in the world, and every last asset he owns would be frozen. That’s a solid deterrent, but for him, I think the blindness will be much worse.”

“You blinded him?” said Professor Reilly, suddenly sitting up a little.

“The explosion did,” said Scott. “At least temporarily. I simply made sure the condition would stick. Not forever, of course, but long enough to remind Arius what it means to depend on other people. If and when he proves himself worthy, Arius will be able to see as well as ever. Until then, he is strongly incentivized to stay out of trouble and allow Thomas and Enrique to go back to their lives.”

“So what now?” asked Enrique. “Me and Thomas just go home and pretend we’ve been at science camp?”

“Pretty much,” said Adelia. She smiled, amusement sparkling in her eyes. “But first, I think we should head upstairs and find you something to eat.”

“That sounds perfect,” said Thomas. “I’m starving.”