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.With barely a whisper of disturbance, he opened the fabric between the Nevernever and the mortal world, as though his staff had simply drawn a circle of Chicago to step into—the street outside my basement apartment, specifically."Allah and good fortune go with you."I nodded to him, encouraged.Then I turned to the portal and stepped through it, from that dark moor in Faerie to my usual parking space at home.Hot summer air hit my face, steamy and crackling with tension.Rain sleeted down, and thunder shook the ground.The light was already fading and dark was coming on.I ignored them all and headed for my apartment.The mud, substance of the Nevernever, melted into a viscous goo that began evaporating at once, assisted by the driving, cleansing rain.I had calls to make, and I wanted to change into non-slimy clothes.My fashion sense is somewhat stunted, but I still had to wonder.What do you wear to a war?Chapter Twenty-nineI went with basic black.I made my calls, set an old doctor's valise outside the front door, got a quick shower, and dressed in black.A pair of old black military-style boots, black jeans (mostly clean), a black tee, black ball cap with a scarlet Coca-Cola emblem on it, and on top of everything my leather duster.Susan had given me the coat a while back, complete with a mantle that falls to my elbows and an extra large portion of billow.The weather was stormy enough, both figuratively and literally, to make me want the reassurance of the heavy coat.I loaded up on the gear, too—everything I'd brought with me that morning plus the Gatekeeper's gifts and my home-defense cannon, a heavy-caliber, long-barreled, Dirty Harry Magnum.I debated carrying the gun on me and decided against it.I'd have to go through Chicago to get to whatever point would lead me to the Stone Table, and I didn't need to get arrested for a concealed carry.I popped the gun, case and all, into my bag, and hoped I wouldn't have to get to it in a hurry.Billy and the werewolves arrived maybe ten minutes later, the minivan pulling up outside and beeping the horn.I checked the doctor bag, closed it, and went out to the van, my gym bag bumping against my side.The side door rolled open, and I stepped up to toss my gear in.I hesitated upon seeing the van, packed shoulder to shoulder with young people.There were ten or eleven of them in there.'Billy leaned over from the driver's seat and asked, "Problem?""I said only volunteers," I said."I don't know how much trouble we're going into.""Right," Billy said."I told them that."The kids in the van murmured their agreement.I blew out my breath."Okay, people.Same rules as last time.I'm calling the shots, and if I give you an order, you take it, no arguments.Deal?"There was a round of solemn nods.I nodded in reply and peered to the back of the dim van, at a head of dull green hair."Meryl? Is that you?"The changeling girl gave me a solemn nod."I want to help.So does Fix."I caught a flash of white hair and dark, nervous eyes from beside Meryl.The little man lifted a hand and gave me a twitching wave."If you go along," I said, "same rules as everyone else.Otherwise you stay here.""All right," Meryl said with a laconic nod."Yeah," Fix said."Okay."I looked around at all of them and grimaced.They looked so damned young.Or maybe it was just me feeling old.I reminded myself that Billy and the Alphas had already had their baptism by fire, and they'd had almost two years to hone their skills against some of the low-intensity riffraff of the Chicago underground scene.But I knew that they were getting in way over their heads on this one.I needed them, and they'd volunteered.The trick was to make sure that I didn't lead them to a horrible death."Okay," I said."Let's go."Billy pushed open the passenger door, and Georgia moved back to the crowded rear seats.I got in beside Billy and asked, "Did you get them?"Billy passed me a plastic bag from Wal-Mart."Yeah, that's why it took so long to get here.There was police tape all over and cops standing around.""Thanks," I said.I tore open a package of orange plastic box knives and put them into the doctor's valise, then snapped it closed again.Then I took the grey stone from my pocket, wrapped the thread it hung by around my hand, and held my hand out in front of me, palm down and level with my eyes."Let's go.""Okay," Billy said, giving me a skeptical look."Go where?"The grey stone quivered and twitched.Then it swung very definitely to the east, drawing the string with it, so that it hung at a slight angle rather than straight down.I pointed the way the stone leaned and said, "Thataway.Toward the lake.""Got it," Billy said.He pulled the van onto the street."So where are we heading?"I grunted and stuck an index finger up."Up," Billy said, his voice skeptical."We're going up."I watched the stone.It wobbled, and I focused on it as I might on my own amulet.It stabilized and leaned toward the lake without wavering or swaying on its string."Up there," I clarified."Where up there?"Lightning flashed and I pointed toward it."There up there."Billy glanced at someone in the back and pursed his lips thoughtfully."I hope you know a couple of streets I don't, then." He drove for a while more, with me telling him to bear right or left.At a stoplight, the rain still pounding on the windshield, wipers flicking steadily, he asked, "So what's the score?""Well-intentioned But Dangerously Insane Bad Guys are ahead coming down the stretch," I said."The Faerie Courts are duking it out up there, and it's probably going to be very hairy.The Summer Lady is our baddie, and the Winter Knight is her bitch.She has a magic hankie.She's going to use it to change a statue into a girl and kill her on a big Flintstones table at midnight."There were a couple of grunts as Meryl pushed her way toward the front of the van."A girl? Lily?"I glanced from the stone back to her and nodded."We have to find Aurora and stop her.Save the girl.""Or what happens?" Billy asked."Badness.""Kaboom badness?"I shook my head."Mostly longer term than that.""Like what?""How do you feel about ice ages?"Billy whistled."Uh.Do you mind if I ask a few questions?"I kept my eyes on the chip of stone."Go ahead.""Right," Billy said."As I understand it, Aurora is trying to tear apart both of the Faerie Courts, right?""Yeah.""Why? I mean, why not shoot for just Winter so her side wins?""Because she can't," I said."She's limited in her power.She knows she doesn't have the strength it would take to force things on her own.The Queens and the Mothers could stop her easily.So she's using the only method she has open to her.""Screwing up the balance of power," Billy said."But she's doing it by giving a bunch of mojo to Winter?""Limits," I said."She can't move Winter's power around at all, the way she can Summer's.That's why she had to kill her own Knight.She knew she could pour his power out into a vessel of her choosing.""Lily," growled Meryl.I glanced over my shoulder at her and nodded."Someone who would trust her.Who wouldn't be able to protect herself against Aurora's enchantment.""So why'd she turn the girl to stone?" Billy asked."It was her cover," I said [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]