Sentinel: A Light Mage Wars Novella (The Light Mage Wars) Read Online Free PDF Page B

in place. The answering machine beeped, the signal to leave a message.
    " Darling," her mother began, her voice tight with anger. "If you haven't read the reviews yet, wait until we talk. One of them is not what we'd hoped, but your father and I are discussing the best ways to handle that. It's an affront to me and to you, and possibly actionable, so–"
    If Mom and Dad dived into this, they 'd steamroll it forward and Caro would be watching from the sidelines. As usual.
    Worse, Burton McCree would think he was right.
    Caro stood and grabbed the phone. "Mom, I'm here. I've seen it."
    She scrubbed tears away with her sleeve.
    "Darling, that man has his nerve. If he'd only asked, we could've told him what we told everyone, that you could distinguish colors if you held them close to your eyes."
    " It's in the press release that went to Mundane outlets. Obviously, he doesn't believe it." And how dared he not? Except... "It's logical to think seeing gradations of color that way would be difficult–"
    " He should have checked his facts. Your father plays golf with Lewis Hughes, who owns that tabloid and several others. He can–"
    " No." Caro sucked air and steadied her voice. "No, Mom. If you and Dad handle this for me, you'll justify McCree's patronizing attitude. I have to take care of this myself."
    She 'd only recently realized how badly she'd let her ability to handle the outside world slide.
    " That's understandable, but what can you do that will be as effective as your father using his connections or even threatening to sue the man for libel?"
    " I can prove him wrong," Caro replied. Before her mother could ask how, Caro added, "I have a plan. But I want to line it up before I tell you."  Actually, she needed to think it up.
    Rick Moore 's parting words sprang to mind. If you ever need a PR guy, just let me know. Whether he had some other agenda or not, he could help her with this.
    " Caroline, there's nothing wrong with letting us be a buffer for you."
    The pain in her mother 's voice twisted Caro's heart. "There is, Mom, if the buffer becomes a crutch I can't do without."
    Losing Griff –for now, only for now–had made her parents more protective of her. She'd let them do that because she'd been afraid, but it was time for that to stop.
    " You've had some unfortunate breaks." Mom's voice shook. "On top of that, Griffin's situation has made us all draw back a little."
    " I've been drawing back for years." Since she was eleven, long before Griff disappeared. "We agreed I needed to strike out on my own. It's time. That means I handle this."
    Her mother sighed into the phone. "All right. All right, honey, but let us know if we can help."
    " I will." They disconnected.
    " You sure about this?" Mindy asked.
    " No." Caro gently set the phone in its cradle. "Rick Moore is at least a part-time reporter, a species I've learned not to trust. Better to take a risk on him, though, than crawl back into the cocoon. So could you get me his business card off the fridge?"
    " Sure. If you're actually going to talk to Mr. Major Heartthrob–because I'm telling you, I noticed when he left you at the showroom door last night, the guy is hot, not to mention built–then this crap review isn't all bad."
    Mindy put the card in Caro 's hand. Moving her thumb over it, sensing the colors, Caro found the maroon numbers on a white background.
    Here goes nothing.
    #
    Rick ducked under his sparring partner's slashing blade. Dropping to the mat, he swept Jason Greene's legs out from under him.
    Jason grunted as he landed hard. The silvery aura around him, his magical shielding, wavered.
    Yes! Rick funneled magic through his broadsword and zapped Jason in the right shoulder. The spell on the blade, like the one on Jason's, reduced the power to a mild sting rather than a dangerous blast.
    " Time." Their instructor, burly former deputy reeve Larry Monroe, stepped onto the mat. "Sorry, guys, but my Self Defense for Women class is due in fifteen minutes.