A loud snap of someone’s fingers brought Jamie awake in an instant.

At first he thought he was in a dark room, but as his eyes adjusted to the darkness he realized he was in a cave. He sat in a chair made of dark wood and a figure sat facing him in a similar chair just a few feet away. The man had a slightly disheveled look that he was famous for and was wearing clothing that you would associate more with a farmer than one of the most powerful Wizards in the world.

“Ebenezar McCoy…? I am not sure how I got here…..but I am a huge fan of Elementary Magic.” Jamie rambled as he tried to get his bearings.

“I know that cowboy, you have told me several times. You see we have had this conversation before.” said the old wizard.

“We have? But……Maybe you should tell me what is happening?”

“What is the last think you remember?”

“I was standing guard in the Speaking Room during Donald Morgan’s trial. Dresden had just stood up and given some new evidence that indicated that Wizard Peabody had been involved in LaFortier’s murder and then…..I woke up here.”

“One very important question for ya. Do the words ‘The end is nigh’ mean anything to you?”

“It seems like it should, but I cannot remember why.”

“Well, if it did you would have just gone catatonic. That is the words Peabody used to shut you and several other young Warden’s down. You are lucky that you do not come to Edinburgh more often. He loaded up some of the other Warden’s with some massive psychic time bombs, but you just had his little shut off command. I have been working on removing it for the last few days and you should be clear of any psychic suggestions.”

Jamie worked for a moment to get his mind in order. “So what happened after he turned me off?”

“Peabody released a Mordite infused entity that killed about forty wizards in the room and nearly escaped. Peabody and Morgan then tried to escape, but both were killed in the attempt. That is the official version anyway.”

“That makes it sound like the official version is mostly untrue. So was Morgan guilty or not?”

“Offically, he is guilty. Morgan and Peabody were being paid off and their greed lead them to act together to kill LaFortier. The White Council killed both of them and now it fits The Merlin’s neat little narrative.”

“So what really happened?”

McCoy then explained how Morgan managed to kill Peabody before he could escape, the ensuing aftermath and his theory on the Black Council.

“Why are you telling me all of this? You don’t know that I will keep your secrets.”

“Actually I do know you pretty well after trolling the depths of your mind for the last few days. Aside from that you have held my interest for a while now. You are self taught and have achieved what most formally trained Wizards can only wish for. You have almost no ties to the White Council establishment and now I know you are not some Black Council agent. You stand apart from our society so I think you are worth the risk. All I am asking for is that you keep your eyes open and that I might need your help at some point on a very unofficial basis. Can you handle that cowboy?”

“I do not see that I have much choice, but I think I can do that for you. Who else is involved in this?”

“Best that ya not know. If I need something I will contact you. Now we need to get you back to Dallas.”

“It has been an honor meeting you Wizard McCoy and thank you for your help.”

“No problem. Oh, one more thing. You need to drop that powder habit of yours Cowboy.”