“This is bullshit.”

  Ryn Harris slammed the shiny edition of The Oracle on her agent’s desk.

  Marti peered over at it, pretending to read the headline carefully through her glasses even though she had seen it earlier this morning. She knew the second Ryn saw it she would be in Marti’s office. Now she was just stalling for time, hoping to give her client a second to calm down.

  “Why don’t you have a seat, Ryn? This is an excellent opportunity to talk about the next steps in your career.”

  Ryn obliged.

  She perched herself at the edge of the armchair across from Marti’s desk. But instead of settling in and listening to what Marti had to say, she rifled angrily to the article in question.

  “Since defeating the Dark Lord when he was fifteen years old, Justice Harbinger has been the darling of the enchanted community. He consulted for the LAPD, the FBI and even (on one occasion) the CIA, ultimately closing over 238 separate cold cases and resulting in the sale of a beloved procedural that went on for ten seasons. His bestselling series of memoirs—”

  Marti held up her hand. “I’ve read the article. Justice is a client here as well. He’s a beloved icon. There’s no reason for you to be angry about it.”

  “The last great sorcerer?” Ryn stabbed the page with her finger.

  “There’s no reason for you to be angry about it.”

  “Marti, I’ve busted my ass this year. Last year I was a nobody. Now I have a bestselling book, and I just finished a sold-out domestic tour. And I don’t even get a mention???”

  “There’s no point in putting so much stock into trade publications like this.”

  “Yes, there is. The Oracle matters. Everyone reads it. The Fates who write it know what they’re talking about. They’re right. I don’t have a chance of becoming a sorceress if no one will even give me a chance.”

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  “Just give it time. They’ll see. Look, I had our touring division put together a plan for the European leg of your tour, and—”

  “I want you to set a pitch meeting for me with Justice.”

  Marti was taken aback by this. She expected outrage and the demand for an action plan. She knew her client was desperate to get on the map, but she didn’t know what good could come from a conversation like this.

  “… Why?”

  “I want to challenge him to a duel. Televised, of course.”

  “Marti, as your agent, the person you pay for professional advice and guidance, I cannot stress enough how bad of an idea this is.”

  “I’ve thought this through actually. It’s perfect. Once I defeat the ‘last great sorcerer’ in direct enchanted combat, everyone will have to acknowledge that he is a washed-up has-been child hero and that a new generation of magician is actually capable of taking up the mantle and moving us into the 21st Century.”

  “I agree that you’re a talented magician,” Marti tried to be as calm and persuasive as possible.

  “But your specialty is ceremonial abundance magic. And you’re great at it. You have no idea how many conversations I’ve had to have with government regulators because they demand to monitor how many people attend your rituals, how often you have them, and where in the country we’re allowed to set up shows. Most magicians aren’t capable of delivering results as tangible and reliable as yours. You are one of the few people that actually makes the economic elite nervous.”

  Ryn shifted in her seat, trying to remain fired up. Marti was getting way too good at placating her.

  “If you keep your head down and keep doing what works, I can build you into one of the world’s most influential wizards. Random House has been calling me for weeks, asking when your next grimoire will be ready.”

  “I don’t want to be just another abundance wizard hawking my showmanship.” Ryn rolled her eyes. “Next you’ll be asking me to do love readings for people.”

  Marti silently aborted the next suggestion she was about to make and switched tactics.

  “Look, combat enchantment is Justice Harbinger’s specialty. It’s what he built his career on. Most likely, you’re going to lose. That would devastate your reputation. There’d be no coming back from it.”

  Ryn opened her mouth to argue, but Marti held up her hand.

  “And winning against the beloved voice of a generation could be even worse for you. Do you really want to make the public your enemy? Right now, when we have spent a year making them rich and making them adore you?”

  Ryn looked down at the magazine in her lap, then looked back up at her agent.

  “Maybe some of your clients are content to be workhorse wizards forgotten by the ages, but not me. I want to make a name for myself. And that starts by sending this smug, irrelevant, ‘chosen one’ to the dumpster of history. I know how much of an attention whore he can be. And I know that the streamers would leap at the opportunity to showcase his first duel in over ten years. I’m going to find a way to defeat this man with or without you. So do you want your 10% commission or not.”

  Marti pursed her lips, trying to find a way out of this, but Ryn was unwavering.

  “Fine.” She picked up the phone. “I’ll give his team a team a call.”