Page 41 of Borrowed Time

Devynn must have felt it, too, because her expression registered a single second of shock before she said, “You’re a warlock, aren’t you?”

At once, Lorenzo sent a worried glance down the hallway, but no one was around.

“Quiet,” he said. “And come inside.”

Well, an invitation was an invitation. Seth entered the room, Devynn a pace behind. It was a bit smaller than the one he was occupying at the Hotel San Francisco, the furnishings just a bit more worn, as though the management here didn’t see the need to keep the decor in its rooms in quite as tiptop shape as the premier hotel in town.

“What you’re doing is dangerous,” Devynn said. She had her hands planted on her hips, somehow emphasizing the slenderness of her waist in that teal brocade gown, but Lorenzo was only looking at her face, something almost pleading in his expression.

“I’m not endangering anyone,” he replied. “Everyone thinks it’s just stage magic, not the real thing.”

Maybe that was true on some level, but if anyone decided to probe a little more deeply into Lorenzo the Magnificent’s tricks and discovered that some of them weren’t the kind of thing any normal human could accomplish, they could all be in a lot of trouble. Witch-kind had managed to survive all these centuries because the members of the regular population had no idea they even existed, and they all worked very hard to keep it that way. One slip-up, and it could be the Salem witch trials all over again.

“Except itisreal,” Seth said. “And what’s that amulet all about? Does it help you somehow?”

The other man blanched — no easy trick, since his complexion was swarthy to match his eyes and hair.

“How can you know about that?” he demanded.

“We saw you backstage,” Devynn said. “We watched you slip it into your trunk. Is it still there, or did you go back to retrieve it?”

Lorenzo stiffened…but also appeared resigned, as if he’d guessed it wouldn’t be a very good idea to lie to the witch and warlock who stood before him. “I would never leave it alone for very long. I only put it there while I was with the other castmembers — it’s quite powerful, and I’m still learning how to control it, so I try to only use it when I’m performing. Once we were done discussing the show, I went back to get it.”

Seth flicked a look at his companion, who inclined her head ever so slightly, as though telling him he could go ahead with his questions.

“What is it, exactly?” he said. “Does it allow you to perform your tricks somehow?”

For a moment, the other man didn’t reply. His expression seemed to indicate he’d like nothing more than to bolt past them, but because he had no idea what sorts of powers they commanded, he’d probably guessed that sort of maneuver might not be a very smart move.

“Some of them,” he admitted, and let out a breath. “The small things are just sleight of hand, and I don’t need any help with those.”

“But the Ethereal Passage?” Seth prompted, and Lorenzo nodded.

“Yes, that isn’t anything I could manage on my own.”

Devynn’s eyes narrowed. “Where did you get the amulet? Somewhere in Europe?”

The man looked startled by her question. “Why would you think that?”

“Your name, I suppose,” she said. “Are you Italian?”

Lorenzo chuckled. “No. I’m just ordinary Lawrence Pratt from Duluth, Minnesota.”

Seth felt his mouth start to twitch and did his best to school it to remain still. “And you come from the Pratt clan?”

Something resembling amusement came and went in the magician’s face. “No. It’s the Olsens in that part of the world. But my father isn’t from the clan, and of course I have his name. But to answer your question, I found the amulet in a curio shop when I was in Chicago. Something about it called to me, andafter I bought it, I discovered that it did something to amplify my powers.”

“Which are…?” Seth inquired, not sure whether he would get a response. While Lorenzo — Lawrence — had been fairly forthcoming so far, it wasn’t the sort of question that most witches and warlocks would feel compelled to answer after such a brief acquaintance.

The man now looked almost rueful. “Not much of anything, I’m afraid. I suppose that’s why I became interested in sleight of hand, card tricks…it was the sort of thing I could do without needing any real magic. Oh, I can do a few small things — light a candle with my fingertip, unlock a door without a key — but the bigger magic never developed in me.”

Interesting. Seth had heard of such cases occurring in clans from time to time, but if there had ever been someone like that in the McAllisters, they’d lived and died long before he was born.

“And then you found the amulet and realized you could do a lot more,” Devynn said.

“Exactly,” Lawrence replied. “It’s almost as if it allows me to think of something, and then the amulet makes it happen. Of course, I haven’t used it for anything too extreme, such as altering the weather or conjuring great wealth. But it lets me be much more than merely someone who pulls a dove out of their sleeve or produces a penny from an audience member’s ear.”

Watching him, Seth felt almost sorry for the man. His own gift was a strong one and had developed when it was supposed to, so he’d never had to worry about feeling lesser…at least, not on the magical side of things.

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