License Invoked

She had no idea it would strike so soon. Fio

"Who put confetti up there?" Hugh Banks demanded. "This isn't a parade!"

It wasn't confetti. The gigantic poster of Green Fire attached to one side of the Jumbotron had shredded itself into tiny bits. The huge faces on the three remaining posters seemed to mock the crew.

"Ah, no," the stage manager moaned, clutching his head. "It must be the one near the light that burned out!"

The falling flakes of paper whirled and twinkled under the beams of the intact spots. Liz was about to thank heaven that this wasn't another fire attack, when suddenly the ruins of the poster burst into flames. Fio

"Somebody do something!" she cried.

This time, Boo-Boo was ready. He leaped forward, hands moving in a blur, and lobbed a handful of blue powder in the direction of the stage, chanting all the while. Between one shrill outburst and another, the powder spread out into a cloud that momentarily hid the star from view. The mass settled a moment later, revealing Fio

"This wasn't... this wasn't the lasers this time, was it?"

"What the hell did you do?" Michael Scott demanded, rounding on Boo-Boo and Liz, as Nigel Peters and Hugh Banks began shouting at everyone else to clear the stage. The stagehands swooped in with brooms.

"Just fire control," Boo-Boo said. "Government issue." He showed the packet, which featured the eagle of the United States holding a fire extinguisher in each outstretched claw.

"That wasn't just a chemical reaction," the guitarist said, with a wary eye. "What are you?"

"Government agent," Boo-Boo said simply, producing his ID. "It's not over yet, sir. Let's all just remain calm." But Michael and the others were anything but calm.

"I want to know what is going on!" the guitarist demanded. "Are you responsible for these outbursts?"

"I'm sorry, sir," Liz said, in an even voice. "I'm afraid we can't discuss details..."

"Don't `sir' me," Michael said, raising his eyebrows alarmingly. "You've been underfoot for two days. I've heard Fio

Liz was saved having to reply by Fio

"Now, don't play around, love," Lloyd said.

"She's not doing it, Mr. Preston," Liz said, removing a white silk cloth from her handbag. "Look at her feet." They weren't moving. Fee appeared to be spi

"Fee, honey, don't make a fool of yourself," Lloyd said. He put his arms around her to stop her, and got taken up in the vortex. "Hey!" He whirled around and around until his feet lifted off the floor. Fio

Liz held out the white cloth in the air by its center, and began to chant, drawing power from the earth as she went. It would take a lot of Earth power to take Fee away from the Air element that had claimed her. With a swift glance at the people around her, she lowered her voice to a mutter for the last words of the spell. With the final word, she dropped the cloth to the ground. Fee stopped spi

"Thank heavens," Fio

But whatever had Fee in its grasp was not through with her yet. The spi

The band and crew were taken completely by surprise. Even the imperturbable Michael stood gawking up at Fio

Liz thought for a moment of making everyone clear the building. Unless they did, their secret was out. She and Beauray would have to employ their government-issue spell paraphernalia in full view of the public. But she mustn't wait. One look at Fio

Telling herself it couldn't be helped, Liz scrabbled deep in her bag for components to cast the biggest dissipation spell she had at her disposal. Clear the air, and perhaps they could get to the bottom of this whole disturbance. There was the candle and the lighter. Good. The incense was in a secret compartment of her powder compact, hidden from the view of casual observers. Where was the athame? Oh, why did just the thing one needed most always end up in the remotest corner of one's handbag? A sharp point pricked her finger. Ah, there it was. Heedless of the pain, Liz pulled out the pink aluminum knitting needle that served her as a working tool for invocation and dissipation. A standard athame was forbidden on commercial aircraft and tended to excite commentary on London streets. The needle was a reasonably good substitute. No one ever said boo to a knitter.

"Mr. Ringwall isn't going to like this," she said. Peevishly she thrust the candle at Boo-Boo, lit the wick and handed him a pinch of incense.

"My superiors won't like it much, either," Boo-Boo admitted. "But only if we don't succeed. It can't be helped. Ms. Fio

"It's all very well for you to say so," Liz grumbled. "You Americans like the spotlight." Liz held the knitting needle over her head in casting position, pointed toward Fio

"I call the whirling winds to cease, depart from her, from us, in peace," Liz said, putting as much force into her words as she could. Boo-Boo held up the candle. The wind whipping Fio