Shift

FOUR.1

Blaze gasped for air as he stumbled from the rune circle and onto the New Jersey street. The world spun around him for a moment, and once it had stopped, he examined himself, making sure that he hadn't left any part of him back in New York City.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he realized he was still in one piece. "Stupid book," he muttered, looking at his copy of A Progressive Book of Magic. He had checked the rune at least five times, convinced that he was overlooking a misprint. In the end, he had gone through with the spell, only half convinced that his body would not disintegrate and scatter among dimensions. But in fact the spell had progressed a tad more smoothly than it had the night before. He felt a small rush of pride; he was getting better.

But now I have to get my father's book back.

Unfortunately that was easier said than done. He had landed across the street and he could tell almost immediately that no one was home. The driveway was empty and a peek through the garage window revealed no car.

Blaze whistled through his teeth, discouraged but not defeated. Plan B, then. First he would recover his father's book and then he would set up an ensnarement spell. As soon as the girl returned home, he would erase her memory and flee before she could wipe the chalk dust out of her eyes.

Blaze maneuvered his way into her bedroom by scaling the tree and sliding in through the window. Now that it was light outside, he could see the room with much more clarity. The bed was made and devoid of the two sleeping bodies. There was a smattering of makeup littering her dresser. And the cross the girl had used as her weapon of choice was sitting on the side table, staring at him with the wrath of God.

Blaze walked over to where he had been standing the night before and looked down at the floor. The book was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is it?" he muttered, getting down on his knees and lifting up the bed skirt. Perhaps it had gotten shoved under the bed by mistake...?

"Big surprise to see you here," a voice said from above.

Blaze jerked away and hit his head against the underside of the bed frame. "Agh!" he groaned, withdrawing quickly. His hand massaged the bump forming on the back of his head while he trained his gaze upwards.

The non-er girl was staring down at him, her green eyes bright and her lips turned up into a smirk. However, what caught Blaze's attention was the object she held carelessly in her hand: The Booke of Advanced Magick.

Blaze stood up, regaining his full height. "Give it here."

"So you can erase my mind? No." There was a slight nervous edge to her voice, but for the most part she sounded confident, smug even. She was in control of the situation and she knew it.

Blaze took a deep breath. "Listen, I need that book back." He tried to sound rational, but the girl just raised her eyebrow.

"It looks like you already have one."

Confused, Blaze looked down at the book already in his hands and snorted. "This thing is a piece of crap. Now hand the book over before I have to take it from you."

Her eyes widened in mock shock. "What ever happened to chivalry?"

Blaze lunged at the copy, but she pulled it back reflexively, holding it against her chest.

Blaze didn't know what to do. "What do you want?"

The girl looked down, her dark hair falling past her cheek. She flipped through the pages of the book as she spoke. "Last night, I didn't believe a word you said."

"Of course not," Blaze said. "You made that pretty clear when you threatened to call the cops."

Her eyes flitted up to his. "But then I found your book. And it... it made me think that maybe you hadn't been lying. Maybe you really are what you said you were. A wizard."

"Good. So now that we cleared that up, why don't you give me the book?"

She stepped back, clenching the book closer to her pajama-clad chest. "If you are a wizard, I'm not about to let you tamper with my mind," she said. "I think I found something that could make us both happy. Vinculum Iuramenti."

Blaze blinked. "Vincu-what?"

The girl looked at him incredulously. "You don't know what that means?"

"Hey!" Blaze said, smacking his own book against his hand self-consciously. "I never said I knew Latin. I can pronounce the words, all right? Which is pretty good considering it's a dead language."

She shot him a curious look. "It's a Bonding Oath."

Blaze's mouth dropped open; now he recognized the term. It was a spell used to secure an arrangement between parties when neither entirely trusted the other, a magical contract of sorts. "What exactly do you want?" he asked.

"I want to keep my memories. All of them, completely unaltered in any way. In return, I'll give you your book back." The girl's pale fingers gripped the cover tightly. "And since I'm the one holding your book right now, you don't really have a choice in the matter."

"I've never heard of anyone casting a Bonding Oath with a non-er. I don't even know if it can be done."

She glared at him. "Well you are going to try."

He scowled, looking around the room as if he could spot some way to get the book without resorting to an attack spell. If Father finds out I made an oath with a non-er, he'll never forgive me.

Yet again, another side argued, if you don't get that book back, you're as good as dead.

"Is this the only way you'll give me the book?" Blaze asked. He tried to keep the desperation out of his voice. "Maybe we can make some sort of non-magical deal?"

"No way." Her voice didn't waver. "Unless, of course, you've been lying about magic this whole time..."

"I have not," Blaze said sharply, but then he sighed. He had no choice. "All right, fine," he muttered. "I'll perform the Bonding Oath. You keep your memories in exchange for the book. But you can't speak a word of this to anyone." His eyes narrowed. "Got it?"

The girl, looking visibly relieved, smiled. Her white teeth stood out against her thin lips. "Deal."