His face fell a little. It wasn't the first time he was told he was stuck, but it sunk in just a little more when confirmed through word-of-mouth. Which only told him something else: He wasn't calling his mother. The old lady was gonna freak, if she wasn't already.

Shit.

Didn't help that she voiced what was going through his head. Terminals were Saeng Seong only, no long-distance, and his cellphone was a useless piece of crap in his pocket. He couldn't throw it away, in case it suddenly started working somehow. Besides, he worked hard on the charm hanging from it.

But the use of magic perked his ears. Maybe some others might be surprised, but he furrowed a brow. She had powers, then, right? Maybe she knew if...

"Y'said magic... you sayin' you made it work here somehow? It ain't... fuzzy for ya or whatever, is it?"