How to Stop a Witch by Bill Allen Read Free Book Online Page B

princess stepped between her and Greg. “I won’t hear of it.”
    “Nathan doesn’t have the amulet yet,” Greg said. “At least not all of it. Queen Gnarla still has her section.”
    “Maybe that’s why he’s not here,” said Lucky. “Maybe he’s at the spire now.”
    “But what if he’s not?” Greg said. “We need to find him, make sure he knows to assemble the amulet and bring it here to show us how to use it. Then we’ll be able to fight Witch Hazel on her own terms.”
    “Good luck,” said Mordred. “Nathan’s not on his way to the spire, I can assure you. He’s not even within the kingdom. Or in the Styx. Or the Outer Reaches. Perhaps you’ll find him in the Void, but even my magic can’t locate him there.”
    “You can tell from here if Nathan’s in the kingdom?” Greg asked. “I can do many things.”
    Something about his tone reminded Greg of Nathan. It was a side of Mordred he’d never witnessed before—one that he might have liked on any other man, but in this case only made Greg question why all this time he’d trusted Nathan.
    “I’ve tried to help the magicians find Nathan too,” said Lucky, “but—” He shrugged.
    Greg’s hopes plummeted, for he knew if Lucky Day couldn’t find him, Nathan was not about to be found.
    “I can’t believe he just left when we needed him,” said Priscilla.
    “Doesn’t surprise me,” said Mordred.
    “To be fair, he didn’t know we needed him,” said Greg. “He didn’t even know about Simon’s third prophecy, and no one knew Hazel would reassemble the Amulet of Tehrer so quickly.”
    Kristin moved away from the table and took up Greg’s arm again, to which Priscilla frowned. “Of course Nathan didn’t know about the prophecy. You said this Simon guy just came up with it.”
    “He did,” said Greg, “but that didn’t stop Nathan before. It was really weird. He knew all kinds of things about those first two prophecies before they ever happened.”
    “How?”
    Greg thought a moment. “He said I told him about them.”
    “That’s right,” said Priscilla. “I forgot. Just before you left us last time. What do you suppose he meant?” She eased up to Greg and took his other arm. Kristin’s grip tightened. Greg hoped the two weren’t preparing for a tug-of-war. Everyone was staring at Mordred, so Greg stared at him too.
    “Don’t look at me,” said the magician. “Nathan may have confided in me some when we were children, but when it came to these prophecies, he remained quite secretive. Probably worried about me knowing too much about my own future.”
    “That does sound like Nathan,” said Priscilla.
    “Didn’t he also say he learned about the prophecies when he was still living on Gyrth?” asked Lucky.
    King Peter’s eyebrows lifted. “You kids know about Gyrth, too?”
    “Just that Nathan says that’s where he’s from,” Greg said, “and that he didn’t come here until he was about my age.”
    “But how could you have told him anything on Gyrth?” said Priscilla. “You weren’t even alive when he was a boy. And even if you had been, you wouldn’t have known about the prophecies until they happened.”
    “Maybe you’re supposed to go there now,” said Lucky.
    Greg gave him a skeptical look. “What are you talking about?”
    “Think about it. We need Nathan and the Amulet of Ruuan here now, right? I’m sure if Nathan knew that, he’d be here, so obviously he doesn’t know.”
    “Okay, so?”
    “So, Nathan claimed he knew all that other stuff because you told him. Maybe you were supposed to have told him this, too.”
    Greg frowned. “Let’s hope not, because obviously I didn’t.”
    “But it’s not too late. King Peter’s magicians can send you to any time and any place, remember? Just have them send you back to Nathan’s past, and tell him to be here with the amulet when we need him.”
    “That’s crazy.”
    “No, it makes perfect sense,” said Priscilla.
    Greg could feel Kristin