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lin's tent.
like you because you're black, or me because  "
"Why hasn't Loki jumped us already?" Jalil
"Oh, shut up," Christopher jumped in. "Now
wondered.
Senna's part of the oppressed witch minority? We
"He's tired," I said without thinking. "Like
gotta be sensitive because she's a witch? Are you
Merlin. Both tired from the fight."
high?"
"Magic wears them out?" Jalil raised an eye-
"I don't hate ha:," Jalil said more calmly. "Just
brow. "Interesting. Limits, huh? Why? I mean,
don't trust her. Neither would you, David, except
magic is magic, right? We supposed to believe
she has you whipped."
it burns up calories? That would make it some-
"You know what, screw you, Jalil. You, too,
thing physical, something real. Not magic, just
Christopher. You guys know nothing." David
something that looks that way if you don't un-
stormed off. Back to Senna. They talked, out of
derstand it."
range of my hearing, him with his back to us.
Christopher's response was sarcasm. "Hey, I
Senna watching me over David's shoulder. "
know, lett's put together a discussion group. A
The three of us exhaled all at the same time.
seminar on magic. We can all discuss our pet the-
"Great. Now it's just the three of us," Jalil said.
ories. Have a speaker, break for lunch. Speaking of
"One less friend, one more potential enemy. Bet-
which..."
ter and better."
grow ten feet taller anytime they want? You want
"Don't tell me you're hungry," I warned. "You
a list of 'how comes?' I have a list a mile long."
saw what happened to your last meal."
Christopher jumped in. "How come no one
"Yeah, it got up and bit Loki in the hinder. I'm
ever says, 'Those are weird shoes, man,' or 'Hey,
still hungry, I doubt we'll be eating once Loki and
why is there a black guy walking around in me-
his Big Uglies come tearing in here. Fighting is
dieval England?' or, 'What exactly is the relation-
hungry work."
ship between three gays and one redhead
"We shouldn't be fighting, we should be out of
chick?'"
here," Jalil said under his breath.
He winked at me. "I like the bra-strap look, by
"I should be home. Back in the real world," I
the way. It makes a statement. Wonderbra?"
agreed bitterly.
I was too tired to bother to tell him to go jump.
"Yeah, well, we're not. We got Loki coming and
Too tired, as if the day really had passed, as if time
Merlin looking like a drunk coming off three days
weren't compressed.
in Mexico, and Senna and David playing
What time was it back in the real world? What
Samantha and Darren. Someone make sense out
day?
of that picture."
If only I could sleep. Become me again. I'd call
I looked up at the trees, through the trees at
Becka. She was open-minded. Believed anything,
the sky. It was darkening. Night would come
as long as it wasn't too threatening. I'd tell her
soon. Had I been that long running? That long
about riding with Galahad.
riding on Galahad's lap? The day seemed short
"What a mess," I said, not even sure I'd spoken
But maybe even that was in Loki's power
out loud.
"How is it getting dark already?" I asked.
I'd thought all we needed to do was find Senna
Jalil shook his head like that had been bother-
and we could go home. Now we had her, and we
ing him, too. "How's it getting dark? How is it the
were still trapped. Trapped and divided. We'd lost
weather and the vegetation say Merry Olde En-
David. Not a perfect leader, but the closest thing
gland when we're not two day's walk from Aztec
we had. Jalil and Christopher wouldn't follow
country? How is It everyone speaks English, in-
me, or each other.
cluding Vikings and aliens? How is it dead ani-
I tried to get my mind to make sense of it all.
mals get up and start chewing on guys who can
Save Senna or else maybe lose our one path back
to the real world. But, if Loki was right, Senna was
some kind of doorway for more than just us.
Loki wanted to escape Everworld as badly as I
did. And once that doorway was open again, who
else might go through? What other horrors?
I had stood on the steps of the great pyramid in
New Tenochtitlan. I'd watched the human sacri-
fices climb the stairs to Huitzilopoctli's altar. Seen
their hearts torn out, their bodies rolled down the
XV
stairs, blood draining...
Loki. Huitzilopoctli. How many other mad
gods would invade our world if Senna lived?
Senna looked up at me just then. Our gazes Galahad was striding toward us. I shook
off a mental image of Huitzilopoctli sitting atop
locked. Did she know what I was thinking? Did
she know that I was weighing her life, wondering the Hancock Building while yuppies were hauled
which was worse: Senna alive, or Senna dead? up by high-speed elevator to feed his
blood-hunger. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]