"What are you doing in First City?" Zann asked, stunned to see Jev.
Jev ignored the question. "It's a new kind of magic," he said with a smirk.
"Your parents aren't the only ones who can invent stuff, you know."
"Huh?" Zann was still confused by his old enemy's unexpected appearance.
He glanced at Zing, who was flying overhead, whistling suspiciously at Jev.
"What are you talking about? What new magic?"
"The image, dummy." Jev rolled his eyes.
"The new magic makes the image visible to any living thing except Reds.
See?" He stepped forward. The image appeared again.
This time Zann was able to get a better look.
It was an ad for the mass protest on his birthday.
"What's the big deal?" Zann said with a frown.
"Everyone knows about that protest. It's been all over the news."
"Maybe." Jev stepped back, and the ad disappeared again.
"But the image is a good way to make it clear that Reds aren't welcome there."
Zann's head was spinning. He'd been wishing all week for visitors from Swamp Bottom.
However, Jev definitely wasn't one of the people he'd had in mind!
"I thought the protest was to promote Void rights," Zann said.
"Why wouldn't Voids want Reds to support that?"
"You're so naive." Jev was still smirking. "Things are changing in Magica.
And Reds like you probably won't like what's coming.
That's why my parents decided to come to First City.
We want to help Laddno bring about those changes."
"Laddno?" Zann was surprised to hear the man's name again. "You've heard of Laddno?"
"Hasn't everyone?" Jev said. "He's one of the most successful businessmen in Magica.
He knows how to get things done. Including the Void rights stuff and, you know, other things.
Now that he's involved, everything is going to change. Just you wait and see."
Zann wasn't sure what Jev was talking about.
But he didn't want to talk to his old enemy anymore.
"Excuse me," Zann said. "I'm sure you don't want to be seen with a Red like me. So I'm out of here."
He grabbed Zing, snapped his fingers, and zapped away.
Splash!
"Drat," Zann grumbled, realizing he'd barely stopped to think about where he wanted to land.
He glanced around and recognized a small local park. Good.
At least he hadn't accidentally zapped to Wormwood or some other nasty place.
He stepped out of the small pond where he'd landed.
Zing flew off to chase a bird in the treetops.
Zann looked around again. The park was deserted.
Zann rubbed his fingers together, preparing to zap back home.
Then he paused and decided to wait a moment.
Talking to Jev had made Zann curious about Laddno.
Everyone seemed to be talking about this guy lately.
Yet Zann knew almost nothing about the man.
"I'll check the Directory," he thought.
The Directory listed the names of all the people in Magica, along with basic information about each of them.
Zann rubbed his hands together again, creating more magic friction.
A book-like magical image appeared in the air in front of him.
Countless tiny photos floated in the image.
"Laddno!" Zann said.
Instantly, the photos scattered as Laddno's picture expanded to fill the screen.
Zann scrolled quickly past the photo. Thanks to the ads for the protest, he already knew what Laddno looked like. Now he wanted information about him.
Zann scanned the entry. As Jev had mentioned, Laddno was listed as being a businessman.
Some citizens of Magica had no talent or patience for certain types of creative magic.
So they hired people like Laddno to help them conjure a nicer house or more comfortable furniture or clothing that fit them properly.
And of course, Voids couldn't create their own things at all.
They had to rely on family members, friends, or people like Laddno to conjure all their clothes and other necessities.
Zann read that Laddno had been born in First City and was a few years younger than Zann's parents.
He was known to have fairly strong magic for a non-Red, and he currently lived in the wealthy neighborhood of Treeview.
"Treeview," Zann muttered. "That's where Mari lives. Maybe she knows him."
Next he read about Laddno's involvement in the Void rights movement.
The Directory said he'd joined just a few weeks earlier but had quickly become the leader of the movement.
Before closing the Directory, Zann decided to check for Wyssa.
The last time he'd done that, her entry looked the same as it always had.
That was shortly after she'd taken Morb away though.
"Wyssa," Zann said. Laddno's page disappeared, replaced immediately with Wyssa's.
The page had a new note: Presumed to be off-world.
"Wow. She really is gone," Zann thought.
"I wonder what world she's on now."
Zann closed the Directory. "Come on, Zing," he called to the dragon, who was still sniffing around in the treetops.
"Let's go home and—aah!"
Zann's head suddenly throbbed with pain.
He staggered back, grabbing a tree to steady himself.
He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the pain to pass. It felt like a Red Share.
But this seemed different from previous Red Shares.
For one thing Zann couldn't tell which Red the Share was coming from.
He also wasn't sure which emotion had caused it.
Was it pain? Fear? Anger? Or some combination of all three?
The feeling started to subside. Zann breathed out with relief.
Then he gasped as the feeling washed over him again.
The pain wasn't quite as strong this time, but now a faint voice came with it.
Zann couldn't tell who was speaking, but the person was saying just one word: "Help!"