AND SHE WAS NOT AN ADVENTURE I FLYNN CARSEN

I Call It Magic

I Call It Magic

"If magic's real, how come we don't see it all the time?" Jacob asked as Flynn led them towards the library wing.

"Once upon a time, the world was filled with magic," Flynn intoned, flinging the doors open, "its energy travelling along a power network of ley-lines," he continued, snatching up a globe from his desk and flinging it into the air, wherein it expanded into a 3D model of the Earth, a pattern of blue lines glowing along its surface. "Behold the magic, plebeians!" he declared, clapping his hands together.

"But where's the magic now?" Jacob asked, confused.

"It's there," Ezekiel said, gesturing to the pattern of blue lines.

"Indiana's talking in the past tense, pal," Jacob said witheringly, "I'm talking about today."

"Over the centuries the magic was drained off and stored into artefacts," Flynn explained tersely as Clara crossed her arms over her chest.

"Like Excalibur?" Eve asked.

"Exactly," Flynn agreed, wishing Clara would ease up on the attitude. "He was one of the most powerful."

"He?" Cassandra squeaked, confused.

"The magic started to fade," Flynn continued as though she hadn't spoken, "as cities were constructed over the ley-lines, and technology began to advance, so as you can see," he gestured to the now fading blue lines, the 3D model of Earth shrinking in on itself, "there is now very little magic left."

"Where do you fit into all this?" Ezekiel asked.

"My job is to make sure what remains doesn't fall into the wrong hands," Flynn said, catching the globe as it fell back to the real Earth. "For example, the people who tried to kill the four of you," he said, slamming the globe down on the desk as he looked round them all, the desk protesting loudly, making all but Flynn and Clara jump.

"Did your desk just speak?" Jacob asked, bewildered.

"Is your ass really that big or is it just an illusion designed to dazzle the optics?" the desk retorted.

"I do not have a big ass," Jacob said, insulted.

"Let me be the judge of that," Flynn said, whipping out his measuring tape.

"I don't think so," Clara said hastily, snatching it out of his hand.

As Flynn fought to get the measuring tape back, Jacob breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Thank you," he mouthed, making Clara a small bow, hands clasped Mandarin style before him.

Clara just ignored him, chucking the measuring tape over her shoulder instead.

"Hey, that really hurt my feelings," Flynn said, pouting over the loss of his measuring tape.

"Now you know the feeling," Clara said quietly.

An awkward silence descended until Eve sudenly spoke up. "The woman who tried to kill Stone, she had a snake tattoo," she said. "And there were ninjas..." She turned to Clara as the penny dropped.

"The Serpent Brotherhood," Clara said before she could stop herself.

"The what?" Eve said.

"The Serpent Brotherhood are the ones who tried to kill me, ninjas and all," Clara said, realising she'd really put her foot in it, "and the woman is called Lamia."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Eve exploded, swelling up.

"He told me not to," Clara said, pointing at Flynn.