Lost Magic (The Swift Codex Book 3) Read Online Free PDF
Author: Nicolette Jinks
went to find Mordon.
He was finishing a portal in the sand, his neat symbols a little overhasty. At the sound of a big wave building, I said, “Put that a little close to the water, didn't you?”
“That's the idea. No trace of where we've gone.”
“Think they'll get wet if they follow us this far?”
“I hope so. You have no idea how glad I was that we weren't hip-deep ourselves.”
“Last jump, then?”
Even he looked wearied as he pushed his hair out of his eyes. “Last jump.”
The wave washed ashore. A thin curtain of water rolled over the sand, turning into froth at the edges of Mordon's portal. At the twitch of his finger beckoning me inside with him, I stood hip to hip beside him, closed my eyes, and lent my own magic to mingle with his own taxed strength.
He took my hand and said on a sigh, “ Aginnan.”
The portal started as another wave, larger than the last, rolled towards us. This one just may be the one which reached the edge of our portal and wiped it away, the way the sea had scrubbed from its face so many a child's sand castle.
Not for the last time, I wished that I wasn't slapped with the infant in my arms and a hundred questions I never thought I'd ever need the answer to.
Wishing that my relationship with Mordon would come out of this madness intact.
Chapter Four
Several minutes later found us in the communal living quarters above his shop, the commons room we shared with Leif, Lilly, and Barnes. The shop had sealed itself off, running through what Mordon called a decontamination routine. Apparently it involved a series of pre-made spells to contain as many disturbed ghosts, spirits, and curses as possible before allowing human admittance. Magical antiquities. Not to be mishandled the way that normal antiques could be disturbed without retribution. At least I hadn't heard a crash or shriek coming from downstairs in a few minutes.
Mordon sat at the breakfast table with a pair of pliers, a dainty chain, and the teardrop which he'd put into a plain yet pretty setting. The pliers tapped against the table as he put them down. “Come here, eat, and give me your foot.”
I had found a plastic jar of first-milk concentrate powder to mix up, but had to make do with a needle-less syringe to feed the baby. Lilly had a bit of everything, except baby bottles. From this point on I would stop complaining that we needed to use the cupboard space for more practical items like food. The child blinked at me with unfocused eyes and thrashed her fists in the air, blowing frothy milk bubbles instead of drinking.
Baby in my lap, I sat across from him and picked up my fork. Mordon slapped his thigh. I eased my bare foot onto his leg, asking, “What are you doing?”
“I'm going to make you a quick anklet to keep the teardrop safe. Less of a chance anyone will get a good look at it.”
“And then what? We can't go around with a newborn minus its mother.”
“Unless you work up an illusion to make it look older. A few weeks older.”
“Mordon, I'm tired. I don't want to do an illusion.”
A thoughtful expression crossed his face. “I'll claim it's a colony child you got stuck with.”
“A new mother does not just pass off the baby like that, does she?”
“There are a few circumstances which would require an impartial party to behave as a guardian. Criminal cases, for instance.”
“But I'm not...I don't know how to do anything baby-related.”
“Did you or did you not promise to look after her?”
“I did,” I admitted, grudgingly.
“Then you're her guardian and she's therefore your ward.” He puffed out his cheeks, looking aged. “And since I'm technically your guardian in order to keep the overenthusiastic males at bay, you're my ward, and that makes this child mine as well. And in order to keep the both of you safe, we should hasten off into the most crowded place we
He was finishing a portal in the sand, his neat symbols a little overhasty. At the sound of a big wave building, I said, “Put that a little close to the water, didn't you?”
“That's the idea. No trace of where we've gone.”
“Think they'll get wet if they follow us this far?”
“I hope so. You have no idea how glad I was that we weren't hip-deep ourselves.”
“Last jump, then?”
Even he looked wearied as he pushed his hair out of his eyes. “Last jump.”
The wave washed ashore. A thin curtain of water rolled over the sand, turning into froth at the edges of Mordon's portal. At the twitch of his finger beckoning me inside with him, I stood hip to hip beside him, closed my eyes, and lent my own magic to mingle with his own taxed strength.
He took my hand and said on a sigh, “ Aginnan.”
The portal started as another wave, larger than the last, rolled towards us. This one just may be the one which reached the edge of our portal and wiped it away, the way the sea had scrubbed from its face so many a child's sand castle.
Not for the last time, I wished that I wasn't slapped with the infant in my arms and a hundred questions I never thought I'd ever need the answer to.
Wishing that my relationship with Mordon would come out of this madness intact.
Chapter Four
Several minutes later found us in the communal living quarters above his shop, the commons room we shared with Leif, Lilly, and Barnes. The shop had sealed itself off, running through what Mordon called a decontamination routine. Apparently it involved a series of pre-made spells to contain as many disturbed ghosts, spirits, and curses as possible before allowing human admittance. Magical antiquities. Not to be mishandled the way that normal antiques could be disturbed without retribution. At least I hadn't heard a crash or shriek coming from downstairs in a few minutes.
Mordon sat at the breakfast table with a pair of pliers, a dainty chain, and the teardrop which he'd put into a plain yet pretty setting. The pliers tapped against the table as he put them down. “Come here, eat, and give me your foot.”
I had found a plastic jar of first-milk concentrate powder to mix up, but had to make do with a needle-less syringe to feed the baby. Lilly had a bit of everything, except baby bottles. From this point on I would stop complaining that we needed to use the cupboard space for more practical items like food. The child blinked at me with unfocused eyes and thrashed her fists in the air, blowing frothy milk bubbles instead of drinking.
Baby in my lap, I sat across from him and picked up my fork. Mordon slapped his thigh. I eased my bare foot onto his leg, asking, “What are you doing?”
“I'm going to make you a quick anklet to keep the teardrop safe. Less of a chance anyone will get a good look at it.”
“And then what? We can't go around with a newborn minus its mother.”
“Unless you work up an illusion to make it look older. A few weeks older.”
“Mordon, I'm tired. I don't want to do an illusion.”
A thoughtful expression crossed his face. “I'll claim it's a colony child you got stuck with.”
“A new mother does not just pass off the baby like that, does she?”
“There are a few circumstances which would require an impartial party to behave as a guardian. Criminal cases, for instance.”
“But I'm not...I don't know how to do anything baby-related.”
“Did you or did you not promise to look after her?”
“I did,” I admitted, grudgingly.
“Then you're her guardian and she's therefore your ward.” He puffed out his cheeks, looking aged. “And since I'm technically your guardian in order to keep the overenthusiastic males at bay, you're my ward, and that makes this child mine as well. And in order to keep the both of you safe, we should hasten off into the most crowded place we
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