A Hidden Witch (A Modern Witch Series: Book 2) by Debora Geary Read Free Book Online Page B

actually learned
anything at all, except that Ginia was a freaking awesome
spellcoder. Elorie was still a total mystery.
    ~ ~ ~
    Ginia prepared to login to Realm. She had a
whole hour, a new strategy, and three new spells. Gandalf was going
down. He deserved it, for thinking her coding sucked. If she could
spellcode a computer melt, she could take down some old guy who
learned to code in the last century.
    Well, he was actually a pretty good coder, but
his spellcode had some cracks. She’d tried taking him in a duel,
and he’d locked her up in a tower. Her friends had busted her out,
but he was too strong in a head-on battle. She needed to be
sneaky.
    She logged in and headed to the pub, pretty sure
she’d find him on his usual chair in the corner. She didn’t get
that—Realm was a lot more fun with friends, but Gandalf always
played alone. People had tried—the third-best player in Realm would
make a powerful ally—but he was always his usual rude self, and
they eventually went away.
    Today he was dressed like a monk. Generally, the
simpler his disguise, the more dangerous he was. She set a couple
of warding spells in place just to be safe.
    Warrior Girl: Good evening to
ya, Gandalf.
    Gandalf: Merry meet, Warrior
Girl. I see your friends aided in your escape. Can I buy you a
drink?
    Warrior Girl: Some of us have friends. Cider, please.
    Gandalf: Get the girl a
cuppa. Make it a small one, since she’s being rude today.
    Warrior Girl: I have a
proposition to make.
    Gandalf: Big word for a
little girl.
    Warrior Girl: I’m big
enough.
    Gandalf: Really. And what big
things have you done lately?
    Warrior Girl: I melted a
computer this morning.
    Gandalf: On purpose?
    Warrior Girl: I’m a
well-trained witch. I don’t do magic by accident.
    Gandalf: Ah. Trying to
recreate the incident with Aunt Moira’s computer, were you?
    Warrior Girl: Yup.
    Gandalf: Learn anything?
    Warrior Girl: Well, it wasn’t
just power overload. Even Aervyn couldn’t melt a hard drive that
way, and he tried. Uncle Jamie thinks he could do it with the juice
of a circle behind him, but—
    Gandalf: If the baddest
witchling in the West couldn’t do it alone, then it’s unlikely
that’s what happened.
    Warrior Girl: Exactly.
    Gandalf: So, if Aervyn
couldn’t do it, then how’d you pull it off?
    Warrior Girl: I didn’t just
use magic; I used coding, too.
    Gandalf: You spellcoded a
computer melt? Remind me to keep you away from my electronics.
    Warrior Girl: It worked, but
you’re the only spellcoder at Aunt Moira’s house.
    Gandalf: I didn’t cook her
computer, little fighter.
    Warrior Girl: Could you?
    Gandalf: Good question. I
don’t happen to have a spare one around to test on, however.
    Warrior Girl: Uncle Jamie
doesn’t think Elorie could have spellcoded.
    Gandalf: Ha. The girl can
hardly answer email.
    Warrior Girl: But what if she
did it by accident? Not spellcoding, exactly, but something like
that.
    Gandalf: Hmm. Different
process, but same result?
    Warrior Girl: Huh?
    Gandalf: Never mind. You’ve
got me thinking now, which I’m guessing was your intent.
    Warrior Girl: Yup. You might
be a crusty old witch, but you’re pretty smart.
    Gandalf: Be gone with you,
brat.
    Ginia logged out of Realm and giggled. Mission
accomplished. Well, two missions, actually. It probably was a good idea for Gandalf to think about Elorie’s magic. Maybe he’d
figure something out.
    More importantly, however, the conversation had
distracted him long enough for her to plant her weaving spells. By
this time tomorrow, his two most potent spells wouldn’t recognize
him as caster. They’d belong to his two biggest challengers besides
her. She hoped they got the hint and ganged up on him. And while
they were doing that, she’d be going on a spell raid.
    Warrior Girl was going to rule Realm. It was
just a matter of time.
    ~ ~ ~
    “It’s so you don’t forget about us while you’re
gone,” Lizzie said.
    Jeebers, Elorie thought. You’d think she