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.You could as Di had control them right back to where they came from.Di, as a Guardian, was both a witch and a sorcerer; although by preference, shetended to favor the former.But she knew sorcery in all its various forms andflavors; knew it well enough to recognize even when she only "saw" it for afleeting instant.She stared hard at the blank screen of her laptop, using it as afocal point of concentration.Works as well as a crystal ball& huh.That's a hoot.A techie witch.Cyberwitch? I'll have to pass that one on.Since she couldn't tracethe power back to its source, she began delicately questing for the signs thatwould lead her to the target.She wasn't expecting the second power surge, any more than she had beenexpecting the first.She managed to stay with it long enough this time to get the "signature, " thecharacteristic shape and flavoring of the power that was individual to everymage.It wasn't anyone she'd every encountered before; that much she knewbefore she was cut off again.file:///F|/eMule/Incoming/Lackey,%20Mercedes%20-%.%20Tregarde%2003%20-%20Jinx%20High.%20(v1.1).html (140 of 434)3/16/2004 9:27:00 PMfile:///F|/eMule/Incoming/Lackey,%20Mercedes%20-%20Diana%20Tregarde%2003%20-%20Jinx%20High.%20(v1.1).htmlIt was stolen power; there was no mistaking that.Though incorporated into askilled and controlled whole, the individual threads of the work could beidentified, and they were all from sources other than the signature.Each had thefaint traces of the personality that it had been reft from, and the strong coloringof the emotions that had invoked the energy in the first place.Nasty emotions, for the most part; fear, pain, loveless lust, anger, hate, envy, andjealousy.Which told Di quite a bit about the sorcerer.Okay, you, she told the unknown.Third time's the charm.Poke your nose outagain, and I'll have you.She waited, ready to pounce the moment that portal opened and the sorcerer usedhis powerNothing.Until the library door swung open and shut again, letting in a blast of cold airthat scattered the papers of the students behind her.And the echoes, the traces, ofthat same power Di had been waiting for (faint, but near at hand) made her lookup sharply.Monica.Shaking, green, with all the signs that she had been the sorcerer's target.What in Monica? She's just a kid! Why would& There is something very weirdgoing on around here&file:///F|/eMule/Incoming/Lackey,%20Mercedes%20-%.%20Tregarde%2003%20-%20Jinx%20High.%20(v1.1).html (141 of 434)3/16/2004 9:27:00 PMfile:///F|/eMule/Incoming/Lackey,%20Mercedes%20-%20Diana%20Tregarde%2003%20-%20Jinx%20High.%20(v1.1).htmlDi shut the laptop down and shoved her chair away from the table.Monicajumped at the sound of the chair bumping across the carpet, and turned white-rimmed, fear-glazed eyes in her direction.The girl blinked several times, and finally seemed to see her."M-m-miss Tregarde?" she quavered.A few feet to Monica's right, the librarian looked up sharply at the sound of hervoice and evidently recognized the same symptoms of fear and shock that Dihad.She emerged from behind her microfiche reader and the massive desk, andheaded straight for the girl.Shit, I hope she isn't going to cause me a problem.Di took her attention offMonica for a fleeting instant, just enough time to "read" what the librarian wasprojecting.And felt with relief a solid grounding of worry, with overtones ofprotectiveness and desire to help.No wonder there's all these kids studying inhere.She must be mother-confessor and trusted adviser to half theneighborhood.Bet she bakes a mean chocolate-chip cookie, too.Di and the librarian converged on Monica wearing nearly identical looks ofunprofessional concern.The girl reached involuntarily toward Di as the otherwoman said, in unmistakably maternal tones, "Honey, it isn't any of my business,but.y'all look like you're gonna pass out.Looks to me like something just shookyou up pretty bad.Why don't you come back to my office and sit yourselfdown.The woman gave Di a sidelong glance of inquiry."I'm one of Monica's teachers;file:///F|/eMule/Incoming/Lackey,%20Mercedes%20-%.%20Tregarde%2003%20-%20Jinx%20High.%20(v1.1).html (142 of 434)3/16/2004 9:27:00 PMfile:///F|/eMule/Incoming/Lackey,%20Mercedes%20-%20Diana%20Tregarde%2003%20-%20Jinx%20High.%20(v1.1).htmlI was waiting for her, " Di explained."Let me get my things, and I'll be rightwith you.This is weirder than snake shoes.Why would anyone target a kid like this for asorcerous attack? Jesus Cluny Frog, she's not even high-psi!Di gathered up her laptop and her notes, stowed them all in her briefcase withpracticed efficiency, and followed in the wake of the librarian and her temporarycharge.The librarian was just as efficient as Di; within two minutes she had Monicaensconced in a comfortable chair, her feet up and half a glass of cold water andtwo aspirin inside her.At that point, she gracefully bowed out of the picture,telling Di that if they needed anything, she would be at the front desk."What happened?" Di asked quietly."I I almost wrecked the car, " Monica stammered, twisting the paper cupnervously in her hands."How?"Monica just stared at her, her lower lip quivering, the tears in her eyes starting tospill over.Di took a firmer tone of voice."Monica, there's something wrong and you'almost wrecking the car' is just the smallest part of it.Tell me [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]