Worldweavers: Cybermage Read Online Free PDF Page B
Author: Alma Alexander
said. “She has a computer in her office, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah.”
“We’ll use that, then, for this time,” Humphrey said. “Sooner or later you’ll have to let the cat out of the bag, but I’d rather it was later, under the circumstances.”
“Are you sure you want to leave it with me?”
“I think it will prove useful. But for the time being, let’s follow the rules.”
Twilight had started to shade into full dark by the time they got to the residence hall. Mrs. Chen flung open the door to her office almost before Humphrey had a chance to knock.
“The principal just called,” she said. “What’s going on now, Thea? Mr. May…?”
“We need Thea’s help with something that turned up last summer at Professor de los Reyes’s, Mrs. Chen. I promise we won’t keep her long.”
“Fine,” said Mrs. Chen, in a tone of voice thatsignified that it was anything but fine. “I’ll just get my coat….”
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Humphrey said, ushering Thea past Mrs. Chen and stepping into the office. “Time being of the essence…if we could borrow your computer…?”
Mrs. Chen rolled her eyes but stood aside. “I might have known.”
“You might want to lock your office,” Humphrey suggested, as Thea, receiving a reluctant nod of approval, began pecking at Mrs. Chen’s keyboard. The Elemental house , she typed in, and then added, just in time to fling open the front door as Humphrey’s assistant ’ports in .
She glanced around, saw the other two waiting on the other side of the desk, and hit ENTER .
The great tiled hallway of Professor de los Reyes’s Elemental house in San Francisco suddenly blinked into existence around the three of them, and Margaret Chen clutched at her shoulders with both hands.
“I don’t know how you do this on a regular basis,” she said to Thea.
But Thea had already turned to the door.
“He’s here,” she told Humphrey.
Humphrey reached over her shoulder and pulled open the door.
On the front step, one hand half-raised to knock and the other curled protectively around the handle of a reinforced security-locked briefcase, stood a young man with dark hair falling a little untidily over his collar and eyes of such incandescent blue that Thea found herself staring.
“Good timing,” Humphrey said easily. “Don’t just stand there; come inside, we have work to do. This is Margaret Chen, from the Wandless Academy, and Thea Winthrop. Margaret, Thea, this is Raphael Wynn.”
“Raphael,” Mrs. Chen said graciously, extending her hand.
“Rafe,” said the angelic young man, stepping inside and allowing Humphrey to close the door behind him. He shook Mrs. Chen’s hand and then turned to nod companionably at Thea. “Hi.”
“Um…er, hi. I’m Thea.”
“So I understand,” Rafe said, smiling.
Humphrey reached for the briefcase. “All clear back at the office?”
“If you mean Luana, she’s long gone. She had a hot date or something. In any event, nobody was inthe way. What’s up? You found something new?”
The two of them fell into step, leading the way to the professor’s office, with Humphrey turning to signal Mrs. Chen and Thea that they should follow.
“Um, hi, I’m Thea,” Thea muttered furiously, mimicking herself, staring at Rafe’s back. “What a wonderfully intelligent thing to say.”
“He does have striking eyes,” murmured Mrs. Chen, smiling.
Thea glared at her, and Mrs. Chen quickly schooled her features into a serious and serene expression.
“Mr. May…Is that you, sir?”
Madeline Emmett, the housekeeper, came hurrying out of the dining room.
“We need access to the Nexus, Mrs. Emmett,” said Humphrey. “I don’t think we will be too long.”
“I see. Will you be requiring anything?”
“No, we’re fine. Thank you, Mrs. Emmett.”
The others had come to a stop outside the closed door to the study. Humphrey approached the door and laid a gentle hand on the handle; after a moment,
“Yeah.”
“We’ll use that, then, for this time,” Humphrey said. “Sooner or later you’ll have to let the cat out of the bag, but I’d rather it was later, under the circumstances.”
“Are you sure you want to leave it with me?”
“I think it will prove useful. But for the time being, let’s follow the rules.”
Twilight had started to shade into full dark by the time they got to the residence hall. Mrs. Chen flung open the door to her office almost before Humphrey had a chance to knock.
“The principal just called,” she said. “What’s going on now, Thea? Mr. May…?”
“We need Thea’s help with something that turned up last summer at Professor de los Reyes’s, Mrs. Chen. I promise we won’t keep her long.”
“Fine,” said Mrs. Chen, in a tone of voice thatsignified that it was anything but fine. “I’ll just get my coat….”
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Humphrey said, ushering Thea past Mrs. Chen and stepping into the office. “Time being of the essence…if we could borrow your computer…?”
Mrs. Chen rolled her eyes but stood aside. “I might have known.”
“You might want to lock your office,” Humphrey suggested, as Thea, receiving a reluctant nod of approval, began pecking at Mrs. Chen’s keyboard. The Elemental house , she typed in, and then added, just in time to fling open the front door as Humphrey’s assistant ’ports in .
She glanced around, saw the other two waiting on the other side of the desk, and hit ENTER .
The great tiled hallway of Professor de los Reyes’s Elemental house in San Francisco suddenly blinked into existence around the three of them, and Margaret Chen clutched at her shoulders with both hands.
“I don’t know how you do this on a regular basis,” she said to Thea.
But Thea had already turned to the door.
“He’s here,” she told Humphrey.
Humphrey reached over her shoulder and pulled open the door.
On the front step, one hand half-raised to knock and the other curled protectively around the handle of a reinforced security-locked briefcase, stood a young man with dark hair falling a little untidily over his collar and eyes of such incandescent blue that Thea found herself staring.
“Good timing,” Humphrey said easily. “Don’t just stand there; come inside, we have work to do. This is Margaret Chen, from the Wandless Academy, and Thea Winthrop. Margaret, Thea, this is Raphael Wynn.”
“Raphael,” Mrs. Chen said graciously, extending her hand.
“Rafe,” said the angelic young man, stepping inside and allowing Humphrey to close the door behind him. He shook Mrs. Chen’s hand and then turned to nod companionably at Thea. “Hi.”
“Um…er, hi. I’m Thea.”
“So I understand,” Rafe said, smiling.
Humphrey reached for the briefcase. “All clear back at the office?”
“If you mean Luana, she’s long gone. She had a hot date or something. In any event, nobody was inthe way. What’s up? You found something new?”
The two of them fell into step, leading the way to the professor’s office, with Humphrey turning to signal Mrs. Chen and Thea that they should follow.
“Um, hi, I’m Thea,” Thea muttered furiously, mimicking herself, staring at Rafe’s back. “What a wonderfully intelligent thing to say.”
“He does have striking eyes,” murmured Mrs. Chen, smiling.
Thea glared at her, and Mrs. Chen quickly schooled her features into a serious and serene expression.
“Mr. May…Is that you, sir?”
Madeline Emmett, the housekeeper, came hurrying out of the dining room.
“We need access to the Nexus, Mrs. Emmett,” said Humphrey. “I don’t think we will be too long.”
“I see. Will you be requiring anything?”
“No, we’re fine. Thank you, Mrs. Emmett.”
The others had come to a stop outside the closed door to the study. Humphrey approached the door and laid a gentle hand on the handle; after a moment,