17.8

"I underestimated him," Bethel hissed angrily.

"We both did," Vector replied. "Need I remind you that if he has somehow managed to steal your monocle as well as mine, his power will be--"

"Don't remind me!" the angry witch snapped.

She was more enraged than Vector had seen her in years. But then, theft of a monocle could do that. He understood all too well. The Wizard smiled to himself. It served the Witch right.

"We have to go to the Magical Council. They will get rid of her and put things back in order!" she sputtered in rage.

"Bethel, all three monocles have passed from their rightful possessors into the clutches of those two cretins. In all of history, no Wizard has lost his monocle to a mortal. Now we all have! The Council will view this as a disaster and revoke our claim to the Book for permitting it. That will be the end of both of us."

"Are you sure she has Traquil's?"

"She must! It has yet to return to the Council."

"They must be planning to reunite them. If they succeed--"

"I know!" Vector interrupted. "But if that were their plan, they would have done it already. Your monocle has already been gone for hours. Fools that they are, they must be unaware of the power they hold."

"If they even manage to unite two of them, it will become problematic," the Witch sneered.

Bethel and Vector glared at each other. They each knew the other would go to great lengths to retrieve such a double-monocle. If that happened, one of them would remain forever monocle-less while the other became a frightfully powerful.

"We have to stop them!" Bethel warned. "If he marries her, he'll have no more need of either of us, and he'll have our monocles. She could take them away, and we would lose them forever."

"We shall stop this, my dear Bethel! That is certain!"