grassy: переводы

→<p class="fmtx1">Before the turtlenecks could turn their guns on the police, the officers had retreated to the cover offered by their car, out of direct line of sight from the parking lot. I could clearly hear one of them calling for backup, SWAT, and firefighters, his voice tense and tight with fear.</p>

→<p class="fmtx1">I felt myself giggling with exhaustion and amusement as I grinned at Captain Turtleneck. “Bad boys, bad boys,” I sang, off-key. “Whatcha gonna do?”</p>

→<p class="fmtx1">A CPD prowler had stopped across the entrance to the parking lot, and a pair of cops, guys I’d seen before, got out and walked quickly into the lot, flashlights up. It took them about half a second to see that something odd was going on, and then they had both guns <i class="calibre7">and</i> flashlights up.</p>

→<p class="fmtx1">They just waited.</p>

→<p class="fmtx1">Once again, the bad guys impressed me. They knew that an intense magical effort could be sustained for only a limited amount of time. They didn’t risk losing more men to the fire. Instead, they played it smart.</p>

→<p class="fmtx1">And then I felt myself choke, then wonder what the hell was happening to me.</p>

→<p class="fmtx1">The seashell shone brighter and exploded into a sphere of pure white fire, as hot and fierce as a microscopic nuclear warhead. It lashed against the blue sphere like a bat hitting a baseball. The sphere went flying, taking us with it. I braced my arms and legs against the sides of the sphere, straining to hold it together. Without my shield bracelet, I wasn’t sure how long I could keep it up.</p>

→<p class="fmtx1">Blue energy suddenly blazed up around Molly and me in a sparkling sphere.</p>

→<p class="fmtx1">I didn’t know what the seashell would do, but there wasn’t much time to get particular. I extended my left hand along with my will, and murmured, <i class="calibre7">“Defendarius.”</i></p>

→<p class="fmtx1"><i class="calibre7">It’s me, kid,</i> I thought, as loudly as I could. <i class="calibre7">Don’t fight me.</i></p>

→<p class="fmtx1">It had worked for Morty. Maybe it would work again.</p>

→<p class="fmtx1">The shell began to glow with a urine-colored light.</p>

→<p class="fmtx1">I gave my godmother my most furious glare and sprinted forward.</p>

→<p class="fmtx1">“Oh,” Lea said, setting her mouth into a pouting moue. “Pity. She had such potential.”</p>

→<p class="fmtx1">Captain Turtleneck drew one of the seashells from his belt, murmured something to it, and gave it an expert, effortless flick. It sailed through the air and landed only inches from my invisible apprentice’s toes.</p>

→<p class="fmtx1">That last set of boot prints seemed a logical place to look.</p>

→<p class="fmtx1">Captain Turtleneck scanned the ground, and I saw his eyes trace the line of footsteps Molly had made when she had backed into the center of parking lot, when the confrontation had begun. His eyes flicked around and I could practically see the thoughts going through his head. A trail of messy, backward tracks suddenly ended in two clear boot prints. The only Molly in sight had proven to be an illusion—and therefore the real Molly must be nearby, supporting the still-active illusions around him. Where would she be standing?</p>

→<p class="fmtx1">She turned to blink at me. “And why should I?”</p>

→<p class="fmtx1">“Stop them,” I said, to Lea. “Godmother, please. Stop this.”</p>

→<p class="fmtx1">“Illusion, child,” Lea clarified. “She has a talent, but I despair of her ever truly understanding what it is to cause terror.”</p>