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The guards scowled at each other before they shambled off while the women scrambled to obey. In a few seconds two rough lines stretched out from him. He smiled and began the arduous task of greeting and signing the posters and pads that were pushed into his hands.
I leaned toward Ben while keeping my eyes on the suave musician. “He’s got a way with women, doesn’t he?”
Ben nodded. “I would say his voice is rather more silken than is normal.”
I cocked my head to one side to look at my companion. “Meaning?”
“Meaning some magic is afoot, and we have lost our prey.”
Indeed, there was no sign of the hooded man, but an elephant could have hidden in the crowd. One of the women at the head of a line held out a paper, but no pen. “Would you please do a sketch for me?”
Phantom smiled and reached into his vest. “Of course.”
He drew out a large glistening black pen and tapped the tip against his finger. The Phantom then put the pen to the parchment and released the marker. I expected gravity to take its course, but the pen had other ideas. The instrument danced across the paper with the fury of a man, or rather, a pen possessed. I could just glimpse a little bit of its artistry, and I realized the pen was drawing a picture of the woman and the Phantom standing side by side.
Phantom finished off the sketch by grabbing the pen and writing his name. He handed the masterpiece to the eager woman, who gaped at the work. “It’s beautiful! How do you do this?”
Phantom chuckled. “A little bit of magic.”
“I want one!”
“So do I!”
The pen went to work obeying their demands while the Phantom signed away on the posters.
“That is a very neat pen,” I commented.
Ben nodded. “And very rare. Magic that catches a likeness is very difficult to create.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Magic is used to craft and manipulate, such as sewing clothing and allowing a broom to fly. To have magicreflectwhat is in the physical world is a more difficult task in that the power must be almost sentient in and of itself to create something even as simple as a drawing.”
“So artists are out of luck with magic helping them?” I guessed.
“In the actual drawing, yes, though magic can be used to craft paints and sharpen pencils.”
One of the more enthusiastic groupie girls edged up to Phantom from behind. Her eyes flickered from his face down to his sleeve. She reached out to take a memento of him, but her hand slipped right through his person. She let out a shriek and stumbled back.
All eyes fell on her, and the Phantom smiled as he handed one of the others her signed poster. He leaned down and stretched out his hand to his fallen fan. “My sincerest apologies for startling you, but I must live up to my name.”
The girl’s face was pasty white, but she accepted his hand and he helped her to her feet. The excitement in the air was slightly dampened, and the looks on the women’s faces had changed from eagerness to something akin to awe. They were no longer looking at their idol, but a god.
I raised my wide eyes to Ben. “He’s not really a ghost, is he?”
Ben shook his head. “No, but it is no small magical feat to cast one’s body into vapor so that no one can touch you. I’m surprised he’s able to control the pen and use such phantom abilities. It’s no small feat to conjure two magical talents without collapsing from exhaustion.”
I looked him up and down. “What about you and your, um, hobby? That isn’t hard?”
“I’ve had a great deal of practice-”
At that moment a contingent of guards made their appearance from down the street on the opposite side of the gaggle. The sharp tips of their halberds glistened in the light as they made their way toward the crowd. The women were spooked by the sight of so many grim visages, and many broke out of the line and scurried back as they came up behind Phantom.
Phantom finished the signature he was signing and snatched the pen from the air before he turned to face them. “Good evening, gentlemen. What brings you to the Halls?”
The leader of the group, a man with a tall plume in his hat, stepped forward and laid a hand on the hilt of his sword. “By order of the emperor, you are all to disperse.”
A cry of panic arose from the women. Phantom kept his focus on the guard while he raised one hand. The women fell into a tense silence. “If there has been a complaint of the noise then I take full responsibility.”
