Possible Future Mayhem The moment the door opened, Joe Umland turned about sharply, drawing his wand and putting himself between the perceived threat and his sister’s children. That moment was when Ted Archer, the perceived threat in question, knew it was, somehow, actually going to be worse than he had feared.
“Hellfires,” cursed Joe when he recognized Ted. “Just come in, why don’t you, Teddy?”
For a moment, Ted was too startled to reply. Partially this was because someone he never would have pictured doing so had just drawn on him without a second’s hesitation, but more of the reason was the man’s face. It was unshaven, unwashed, almost the color of damp newsprint, and gaunt, with hollows it was not old enough for. Joe looked as though he had been through a plague and a riot since Ted had last seen him - something Ted had not done so long ago that it ought to have been possible even for such calamities to affect such a change.
“I just heard - well, heard that no-one knows what's going on,” said Ted, remembering himself before he said too much in front of the children and dismissing Joe’s health for the moment. He was clearly not too close to death or he would not have been so quick on the draw. “The whole office is like a kicked anthill. There’s been an accident?”
“Not sure,” said Joe curtly. Ted raised an eyebrow. “It was – “ he glanced at the children, too, and then stepped away from them, ushering Ted closer to the fireplace. “I saw Algernon. He seems to think - oh, use your imagination.”
Ted did, and thought he must have turned green. “Do you know why he thinks - ”
Cecily looked up toward them and Joe glared at Ted. “I don’t know,” said Joe.
“Where’s Julian?” demanded Ted.
“I don’t know.”
Ted thought frantically through all their set - the group of friends, family, and sometime lovers that the papers occasionally sneeringly referred to as William and Julian’s courtiers. Joe was here, Algernon was there, Ted was here - “Does Lenore know about any of this?” he tried. “What about John?”
Joe’s hand jerked as though he was going to go for his wand again, and Ted realized in horror that Joe had misunderstood his question for just that one second before the younger wizard said, for the third time, “I don’t know.”