Kay Hooper - The Wizard Of Seattle

"Of course. We've only been gone a few minutes."

Intellectually, Serena knew that, but physically and emotionally she was just as certain that nearly a month had passed. She shook her head. "I guess… I expected us to find some kind of visible consequences of the trip here when we came through the gate. I mean, we travelled back in time . Way back. Shouldn't our return be greeted by-by something?"

"Like what?" Merlin was amused.

"Bells and whistles. Fireworks. A siren or two. The wizard police charging in ready to punish us for travelling in time without the proper permission. A layer of dust on the furniture. Something ."

Merlin looked around them at the peaceful study. "No, I don't think so. like so many things of consequence, our trip is going to pass unheralded by everyone except us."

Serena bit her bottom lip as she gazed up at him. "Well… did we do it? Did we change the present for us?"

He answered quietly. "I don't know. I wouldn't expect to see anything changed here in the house-or here in Seattle-whether or not we were successful, since only the society of wizards is likely to be different if we were. To help wizards avoid unnecessary conflict with one another, we live scattered over the globe and gather together as infrequently as possible. When we left, you and I were the only wizards in the Northwest, and that may not have changed."

Serena was a little surprised. She had known they were the only wizards in Seattle, but she hadn't really thought about why that was so. "The decision to live apart from each other-did that come about after Atlantis?"

"Yes, I think so. And even if we were successful in changing what went wrong, Atlantis was still destroyed, and given the negative influence of the wizards there, it was undoubtedly taken as a grave warning by the other wizards of the time. It would have been prudent to avoid having too many beings of power together in one place; the society of wizards is still likely to be a scattered one no matter what else changed."

"Then… how do we find out if we were successful?"

"We ask," Merlin replied simply. "I can call my father. If we failed, and women are still forbidden to be trained as wizards, I'll know soon enough. He'll want to know how the procedure is going."

"The procedure… to render me powerless?"

"Yes."

There was no phone in Merlin's study; Serena glanced toward the door and thought about the one out in the foyer. Such a simple thing, to make a phone call. Such a simple thing to measure success… or failure.

"Serena?"

"I'm not so sure I want to know just yet." With effort, she managed to smile up at him.

Merlin leaned down and kissed her, gently but with his strong desire for her unhidden and barely restrained. "Waiting won't change anything," he reminded her.

Serena didn't know how she would have responded to the truth of that, and before she could think about it, the sudden peal of the doorbell nearly made her jump out of her skin. The sound was both alien and familiar, and definitely disconcerting.

"Was it always that shrill?" she muttered.

"You've just forgotten," Merlin replied, gazing thoughtfully toward the front of the house.

Because he was still holding her hand, Serena was immediately aware of his probing, and also of the results. She was pleased that the physical contact enabled her to share a portion of his considerable abilities, but the knowledge of just who had come calling on this already unsettling Friday morning put a damper on her pleasure.

"Kane."

"Mmmm." Merlin looked down at her with a slightly rueful smile. "We didn't have the time to do anything about Mr. Kane before we left-but he does have to be dealt with."

"You don't think he'll stop digging into our lives if we just ignore him?"

"He's here, isn't he?" Merlin squeezed her hand and then released it. "Let him in, Serena. Let's find out what he has on his mind."

Serena was curious herself, so she went out into the foyer and opened the heavy front door. Studying the reporter-who, as usual, looked rumpled and slightly hung-over-she said mildly, "Well, well, if it isn't my favorite former journalist. Good morning, Kane. What can I do for you?"

Jeremy Kane's attempt at a pleasant smile was rather appalling. "Good morning, Serena. What did you think of my article?"

It took Serena a moment to remember-God, had it only been last week?-the details of the malicious article that had proven to be such a powerful catalyst. Gazing at Kane, she wondered if he could possibly imagine what an incredible chain of events he had set into motion.

Still smiling amiably, she said, "I thought the article belonged in a supermarket rag, Kane. It had all the journalistic class of a story about the latest sighting of Bigfoot or Elvis."

Kane flushed an angry red. Harshly, he said, "I went to Merlin's office, but it was closed. Is he here?"

Bring him into the study, Serena.

She stepped back and opened the door wider, thinking how nice it was to hear that calm, resonant voice in her head. She felt very much connected to Merlin, and her awareness of that bond made her certain as his voice. Whether or not they had been successful in changing the society of wizards, together they definitely had found personal triumph.

Kane came into the foyer, looking around and then eyeing her warily as she shut the door behind him. "Where is he?"

"This way." She strolled into Merlin's study and took up a position near the desk as she leaned against the back of a leather wingback chair. She was situated perfectly to watch both men.

Merlin was in front of his desk and leaning back against it, with his arms crossed over his chest. His black eyes fixed on Kane as the older man entered the room-and there was a brilliance in them that Serena had never seen Merlin show to anyone in Seattle. It was the somewhat disconcerting look of a Master wizard: an almost hypnotic, unshuttered power.

Kane jolted to a stop a few feet from the desk, one hand reaching for his loosened tie in nervous gesture. He wore a slight frown and was clearly unsettled.

"Hello, Kane," Merlin said coolly. Even his voice was subtly different, so deep and vibrant it almost seemed to echo in the quiet room. "Is there something I can do for you?"

After a glance at Serena, the reporter said, "You might want to hear this in private, Merlin." His voice was blustery, the attempt to verbally dominate the younger man completely transparent and hardly successful.

"No, I don't think so. Anything you have to say to me can be said in front of Serena. She knows most of my secrets."

"Most?" Serena queried with interest. "You mean, I don't know them all?"

"Allow me to preserve some hint of mystery," Merlin said, turning his head to look at her. "I don't want to bore you."

"Somehow, I doubt that could ever happen."

"Perhaps not, but I'd rather be cautious."

"Well… if you insist. But you know, of course, that now I'm very curious. In spite of myself, I'll have to do my best to uncover your secrets."

Merlin smiled. "I think I'll enjoy that."

" Excuse me," Kane sputtered.

Looking back at their guest, Merlin said politely, "Do forgive us. You were saying?"

"I knew there was something between you two," Kane said victoriously, allowing himself to be led off on a slight tangent.

Merlin lifted an eyebrow with feint mockery. "Congratulations on your intuition."

"You aren't going to deny it?"

"Why on earth should I? What you see before you, Kane, are two-I believe the phrase is consenting adults-who are breaking no laws and harming no one. If there's a story in that, I'd like to know what it is."

"She was a minor when she came to live with you," Kane pointed out nastily.