Potter's Field

Chapter Seven/Part Four: Reconaissance

When she reached the next room, she collapsed on her purple couch and snickered uncontrollably for a couple of minutes.  Mars in a nightshirt, with earthworms in his hair!  That would keep her going for weeks.  The next time she snuck in, maybe she’d try to find his room in the mansion and steal a shirt to hang from the rooster weathervane on the roof.  Like a billowing white flag of surrender. 

The image sent her into another fit of giggles, causing her to rock back and forth, her hands covering her mouth and her legs tucked up toward her chest.  The laughter continued until a more serious thought interrupted her glee. 

Sobering, she sat up.  Forehead wrinkled, confusion crossing her face, she leaned her chin onto her hands, elbows on knees, and stared straight ahead at nothing.  What could cause Mars to flee his mansion in such a state?  In all her years with him, never had she thought that anything could actually force him to abandon his library for any reason.  She’d just assumed he would deal with any magician who entered his property like he usually dealt with her – by defeating them soundly before booting them unceremoniously off the porch.

Was this intruder really so dangerous that Mars felt it necessary to actually leave behind his Library without the battle of the century?  Had he actually been defeated?  It didn’t seem possible.

“Hmm, well I suppose this will do.”  Mars stood in the arched doorway, arms spread as if to present his new appearance to her.  Silver, from her position on the couch, took one glance at him and burst into another laughing fit, falling backward into the cushions. 

Her clothes completely engulfed him.  He’d rolled up the pant legs at least four times so his skinny ankles stuck out from the bottom, and the sleeves of the shirt went well past his elbows.  Having found one of her belts, a silver studded one, he’d tucked the large shirt into the pants, pulled them high on his waist and belted everything as tight as it would go.  Since none of her shoes were his size, he’d chosen to go barefoot, and his hair was slicked back like a vacuum cleaner salesman.  

“Well, it isn’t the strangest thing I’ve worn,” he muttered, throwing an annoyed look her way when she continued to laugh.

“Yeah,” she managed to get out, her laughter turning into short gasps.  “There was the zebra sweatshirt.”

Mars rolled his eyes and walked over to the far wall, craning his neck to look upward.   “With all this wasted time, he could have already sent out a search party for me.”

“What are you, his lost puppy dog?”  Silver stood and went to join him. 

Ignoring her completely, he continued gazing upward, his face contemplative, a hand rubbing absentmindedly at his chin.  “It would be prudent to leave the island immediately.”

“Wait, are you assuming I’m going with you or something?  ‘Cause I don’t want to get your hopes up or lead you on.  I’m staying.”

Mars finally turned away from the ceiling and raised an eyebrow at her.  “Really?”

She lifted her chin.  “Yes.”

He stared at her for a long time, his eyes unreadable, making her feel jittery and out of sorts.  Finally, he turned his gaze back to the ceiling.  “Give me a boost,” he ordered abruptly. 

“Wa – what?”

Sighing, he turned back to her and repeated himself very slowly, enunciating each sound.  “Give me a boost.”

Silver gaped at him.  “Why?” she asked, completely bewildered. 

“Because I want a look outside,” he answered as if she were a complete idiot.

“Jeez,” she huffed, face reddening.  “Why don’t you just levitate, then?”

“Fine, then levitate me.”  Mars folded his arms impatiently, tapping a foot. 

“What are you?  The Queen of England?  I’m not your slave.”  She folded her arms, mirroring him exactly, her face flashing with annoyance.  What was his problem anyway?   First the clothes, and now he wanted her to levitate him?  Was he avoiding magic or something?  Levitating could not take that much time, maybe a few days at most.

They stood, glaring at each other, neither willing to move first.  It was a few long seconds before Mars let out a long sigh and rubbed his face with tense fingers.  “You can have one of my basilisk eggs.”

Silver’s eyes lit up, and she immediately pointed her index finger at Mars’ feet.  Letting her magic flow from her to pool around his feet, she urged it to solidify into an invisible platform.  She raised her hand, causing the platform and Mars who stood on it to rise off the floor toward the ceiling. 

As he got closer, he turned his attention away from Silver and to the water ceiling coming ever closer toward his head.  His head disappeared through it followed by his torso.  Silver kept him from going any higher when Mars gave her a stopping signal with his hands.  She waited a few seconds, smiling at the bizarre sight of Mars’ legs hanging from her ceiling, until he waved at her almost frantically, indicating that she should let him down. 

As soon as he touched the ground, she smiled and held out her hand.  “Deal well done,” she grinned.

Mars grabbed her hand, but didn’t shake, instead pulling her over to the still solidified invisible platform.  “We need to leave.  Now.”