The Road to Independence

"How is she doing?" Natasha Romanoff asked. "We haven't had a conversation like this in quite some time. Ever since the Ultron incident, you've been reluctant to talk to the Avengers, so they sent me to ask."

"How is who doing?"

"You know perfectly well what I mean, Salomon." Agent Romanoff rolled her eyes. The man before her had a remarkable talent for playing dumb, especially when someone wanted to learn something from him. He hoarded his knowledge like a miser. Even so, he remained an indispensable expert on magic and consultant on the occult. "Wanda Maximoff, of course. Isn't she your apprentice?" Natasha Romanoff said. "We all know how dangerous magic is, and Pietro is concerned about his sister too. Beyond what she's already demonstrated, the Captain and Stark both want to know what Wanda Maximoff is capable of now. You should know how important that is to the Avengers. I know you don't want to reveal magical information to ordinary people, but just pretend you're talking to a tape recorder. I promise no one will learn anything they shouldn't."

"She's studying astral knowledge."

"Don't forget that you're talking to a tape recorder. A tape recorder doesn't understand what magic is."

"She's still studying theory, not casting spells. She learned spellcasting long ago. I taught her plenty of casting techniques when I was educating her at the castle."

Natasha recalled Salomon's usual behavior and came to an unacceptable conclusion. "So Wanda didn't go all out against the Avengers. Is that right?"

"Of course. Magic has a price, and Wanda couldn't afford it at the time," Salomon said slowly. "The simplest magic would have been enough to deal with the Avengers."

"That's not necessarily true." She blinked.

"I never underestimate you, ma'am. I'm merely stating that the Avengers know nothing