Page 54 of Zero Happily Ever Afters

And like that, they’d defeated and detained The True Witch. Impossible. How? Why?

Enchanter Wadsworth stepped onto an armored truck covered in protective enchantments, dampening wards, and sigils of every type. The guards assigned to the truck had already cuffed and bound Amara in place, making her escape impossible, yet Wadsworth’s paranoia matched my own as he studied the witch that’d surrendered without so much as attempting one attack.

Once they closed and sealed the back of the vehicle, the magics triggered and blocked my curious telepathy from further insight.

“So, is the old man actually concerned about the killer witch’s escape?” Diaz asked as he unfastened Priscilla’s helmet. He wouldn’t take all her plating off here, but he wanted her to stop complaining—or so his surface thoughts indicated. “Or is this whole escort thing just Wadsworth’s way of dodging paperwork?”

Milo scoffed. “Doubtful. I’ve been to the MDC, they don’t fuck around with paperwork. I had to practically write an essay just to step inside.”

And according to Milo’s thoughts, Wadsworth planned on following Amara through every single checkpoint of the Metropolitan Detainment Center, examine every glyph, enchantment, and symbol in place to contain the witch’s magic, and stand vigilant in the deepest sectors of the facility wherethey’d hold The True Witch until proper arrangements had been made.

I’d seen the inside of the MDC thanks to the horrid memories of my Doppler, his semi-possession of one of their correctional officers, and his botched attempt to take control of Theodore Whitlock’s mind. I shuddered; the mere thought of the vile warlock made the scar on my throat burn with a phantom pain. Supposedly, the MDC elevated their security since Theodore’s outburst, and they’d locked him in isolation far from everyone else. Now, if only they’d bolt the door, throw away the key, and leave him to rot.

Gladiatrix floated toward Milo and Diaz. She held the bone staff with the top stuffed with hundreds of gems adorning the cracked-open skull head like a glittering crown.

“Thank you all for everything,” Milo said, nodding to Priscilla so she knew he included her in his gratitude. “And for willing to stick around until this is officially resolved.”

“But of course,” Gladiatrix said. “The Global Guild always sees their missions through to the very end. We leave nothing unresolved.”

Was that why Milo lured The True Witch to Chicago? Did he plan on pitting Global Guild forces against any unforeseen potential ripples caused by my evil manifestation and that damned chimera last semester?

“And you’re certain of this plan?” Gladiatrix asked.

“As certain as I ever am about the future.” Milo grinned, minxy and playful and like he’d shared all his secrets with her, with Diaz, with Priscilla, but it was Milo, and he always had a million more secrets to divulge when it involved the future.

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around it,” Diaz said. “Around what we did. I like to think I’m almost average intelligence. Like I play chess, I believe in strategy, but even asyou walked me through the plan to catch The True Witch—the ruse of it all, I just…”

Priscilla let out a tiny roar.

“Exactly. Feels like we’re playing checkers, and you’re playing mahjong,” Diaz said to Milo and then pointed to his bear. “And to be clear, she’s a tournament-ranked champion at both games.”

“It is pretty complicated.” Milo laughed. “But I assure you this is the easiest plan I could’ve concocted.”

Diaz and Priscilla turned to each other and blinked with a matching dumbfounded expression. Just the idea of having to plan for every tiny possible detail hurt Diaz’s head. I chuckled.

“You and me both, buddy,” I said aloud to no one in particular since I was merely silent psychic energy.

“I’m going to take this to the MDC for storage.” Gladiatrix lifted the staff slightly and frowned at the idea of all the paperwork she’d have to file just to hand it off to someone to lock in evidence.

She wanted to toss it in with Amara and Wadsworth, but he’d refused to allow The True Witch to be near such a potent weapon despite being held by enough dampening magic to silence a hundred witches.

“I’m gonna call the misses,” Diaz said, retrieving his phone and strutting off with his familiar. “See if the twins are still up.”

“It’s like midnight.” Milo checked his own phone. “Your kids don’t have a bedtime?”

“They most certainly do,” Diaz shouted from afar. “Wasn’t talking about those twins.”

Milo had a quiet laugh as he stood on the street alone under the night lights of the city. He called out on his phone. The vibration startled me, pulling my psychic energy from him momentarily as I fished my phone out of my pocket.

“I know you have a thousand questions.”

“Try ten thousand.” I closed my eyes so I could focus my sight purely on him across town without the distraction of my bedroom.

“And we’ll talk soon, I promise. I’ve just got a million and one things to do. I mean, I’m already getting email notifications from every nation Amara has ever wronged, requesting her extradition.”

“Then why bring her here? Of all the places—”

“Nope.” Milo shushed me. “That’s one of your ten thousand questions for later.”

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