Every Which Way But Dead

The frost-rimmed rocks beside me slid, and I jerked out of the way before Lee's foot could connect with my ribs again. Red and small, the sun crept behind the shadow of a broken building. It looked like Carew Tower. Nearby were the remnants of what might be a fountain. We were at Fountain Square? "Lee," I whispered, frightened. "We have to get out of here."



There was a ping, and Lee brought his arms out from behind his back. His suit was dirty and it looked out of place amid the destruction. The soft and certain clink of a falling rock pulled my head around, and he threw the handcuffs at it. We weren't alone. Damn.



"Lee!" I hissed. Oh God. If Al found me, I was dead. "Can you get us home?"



He smiled, brushing the hair out of his eyes. Slipping on the loose rubble, he scanned the ragged horizon. "You don't look well," he said, and I winced at how loud his voice was against the cold rocks. "First time in the ever-after?"



"Yes and no." Shivering, I got up and felt my scraped knees. I'd put a run in my nylons, and blood was seeping out. I was standing in a line. I could feel it humming, could almost see it - it was that strong. Clasping my arms about myself, I jerked at the sound of sliding rock. I wasn't thinking of tagging him; I was thinking of escape. But I couldn't travel the lines.



Another rock fell, bigger. I spun, eyes searching the frost-smeared rubble.



Hands on his hips, Lee squinted up at the red-bottomed clouds as if the cold didn't bother him. "Lesser demons," he said. "Fairly harmless unless you're hurt or ignorant."



I inched away from the fallen rock. "This isn't a good idea. Let's go back and we can finish this like normal people."



He brought his gaze to me. "What will you give me?" he mocked, thin eyebrows high.



I felt like the time my date drove me to a farmhouse and stranded me, telling me if I didn't put out, I could find my own way back. I broke his finger to get the key for his truck and cried all the way home. My mom called his mom and that was the end of it except for the endless ribbing I took at school. Maybe I'd have gotten some respect if my dad had beat up his dad, but that hadn't been an option at that point. I didn't think breaking Lee's finger would get me home this time. "I can't," I whispered. "You killed all those people."



Shaking his head, he sniffed. "You hurt my reputation. I'm going to be rid of you."



My mouth went dry when I realized where this was headed. He was going to give me to Algaliarept, the bastard. "Don't do this, Lee," I said, frightened. My head jerked up at the rapid scrabbling of claws. "We both owe him," I said. "He can take you just as easily."



Lee kicked chunks of rock from his feet to make a clear spot. "No-o-o-o, the word on both sides of the lines is he wants you." Eyes black in the red light, Lee smiled. "But just in case, I'm going to soften you up a little first."



"Lee," I whispered, hunched from the cold as he started to mutter Latin. The glow of the line energy in his hand lit his face with ugly shadows. I tensed in sudden panic. There was nowhere to run in the three seconds I had.



My breath caught at the sudden clatter of things hiding. I jerked my attention up to see a sphere of energy headed right for me. If I made a circle, Al would feel it. If I deflected it, Al would know. So like an idiot, I froze, and it smacked right into me.



Fire rippled over my skin. My head flung back, mouth open as I fought for air. It was simply line energy, overflowing my chi. Tulpa, I thought as I fell, giving it somewhere to go.



Immediately the fire died, racing to the sphere already up and waiting in my head. Something in me seemed to shift, and I knew I had made a mistake. The things around us squealed and vanished.



I heard a gentle pop. Heart pounding, I straightened. My breath caught, and I slowly let it out in a steaming ribbon of white moisture. Al's jaunty silhouette was black against the setting sun as he stood atop a broken building, his back to us.



"Shit," Lee swore. "What the hell is he doing here already?"



I spun to Lee and the soft hiss of metallic chalk against pavement. It was a ley line witch's version of duct tape, and it would make a very secure circle. My heart pounded as a shimmer of black and purple rose between us. Blowing hard, Lee tucked his chalk away and smiled confidently at me.



Shivering violently, I looked over the sunset-red slumps of broken rock. I didn't have anything to make a circle with. I was a dead witch. I was on Al's side of the lines; my previous contract didn't mean anything.



Al turned at the sensation of Lee's circle going up. But it was to my eyes that his fixed on. "Rachel Mariana Morgan," he drawled, clearly pleased as a cascade of ley line energy washed over him and his attire shifted to what I thought was an English riding outfit, complete with whip and shiny, calf-high boots. "What did you do to your hair?"



"Hi, Al," I said, backing up. I had to get out of there. There's no place like home, I thought, feeling the hum of the line I was standing in and wondering whether it would help if I clicked my heels. Lee had flown over the rainbow, why, oh why, the hell couldn't I?



Satisfaction all but glowed from Lee. My gaze went from him to Al as the demon carefully picked his way down the slide of rubble to the floor of the large square.



The square, I thought, hope catching in my throat. Spinning, I tried to place myself, tripping as I pushed rocks with my foot, searching. If this was a mirror of Cincinnati, then this was Fountain Square. And if this was Fountain Square, then there was a humdinger of a circle all laid out between the street and the parking garage. But it was really, really big.



My breath came fast when my foot revealed a battered arc of purple inlay. It was the same. It was the same! Frantic, I realized Al was almost to the floor of the square. I quickly tapped the nearby line. It flowed into me with the mirror-bright taste of clouds and tinfoil. Tulpa, I thought, desperate to gather enough power to close a circle this size before Al realized what I was doing.



I stiffened as a torrent of line energy flooded me. Groaning, I dropped to one knee. His aristocratic face going slack, Al drew himself upright. He saw my intent in my eyes. "No!" he cried, lunging forward as I reached to touch the circle and say my word of invocation.



A gasp slipped from me as, with the feeling of being poured out of myself, a shimmering wave of translucent gold swam up from the ground, bisecting rocks and slumped rubble, arching to a humming close high over my head. Staggering, I fell back, my mouth gaping open as I stared up at it. Holy crap, I had closed Fountain Square circle. I had closed a circle thirty feet across that had been designed for seven witches to set comfortably, not one. Though apparently one could do it if properly motivated.



Al skidded to a halt, arms swinging to avoid running into the circle. A faint bong of reverberation echoed in the dusky air, crawling over my skin like dust. My eyes widened and I stared. Bells. Big, deep, resonant bells. There really were bells, and my circle had rung them.



Adrenaline shook my knees, and they rang again. Al stood to look peeved a mere three feet from the edge, head cocked and thin lips pressed tight as he listened to the third peal die away. The power of the line running through me ebbed, settling into a soft hum. The silence of the night was frighteningly profound.



"Nice circle," Al said, sounding impressed, bothered, and interested. "You're going to be grand fun at tractor pulls."



"Thanks." I twitched when he took off his glove and tapped my circle to make rippled dimples waver across it. "Don't touch it!" I blurted, and he chuckled - tapping, tapping, ever moving, looking for a weak spot. It was a huge circle; he might find one. What had I done?



My hands tucked into my armpits for warmth, I looked at Lee, still in his circle, doubly safe within mine. "We can still get out of here," I said, hearing my voice tremble. "Neither one of us needs to be his familiar. If we - "



"How stupid can you be?" Lee edged his foot across his circle, dissolving it. "I want to be rid of you. I want to pay off my demon scar. Why, on God's green earth, would I save you?"



Shivering, I felt the wind bite at me. "Lee!" I said, turning to keep Al in my sight as he moved to the back of my circle, still testing. "We have to get out of here!"



His small nose wrinkling at the scent of burnt amber, Lee laughed. "No. I'm going to beat you into a pulp, and then I'm going to give you to Algaliarept, and he's going to call my debt paid." Cocky and self-assured, he looked at Al, who had stopped pushing at my circle and was now standing with a beatific smile. "Is that satisfactory?"



A lump of fear settled heavy in my belly as a wicked, contriving smile spread over Al's chiseled face. An elaborately detailed rug and a maroon velvet chair from the eighteenth century appeared behind him, and still smiling, Al settled himself, the last of the sun making him a red smear among the broken buildings. Crossing his legs, he said, "Stanley Collin Saladan, we have an agreement. Give me Rachel Mariana Morgan, and I will indeed call your debt paid."



I licked my lips, and they went cold in the bitter wind. Around us came the soft scrabblings as things crept closer, called by me ringing the city's bells and lured by the promise of darkness. A soft plink of stone brought me spinning around. Something was in here with us.



Lee smiled, and I wiped my hands off on my borrowed dress suit and stood straighter. He was right to feel confident - I was an earth witch without her charms up against a ley line master - but he didn't know everything. Al didn't know everything. Hell, I didn't know everything, but I knew something they didn't. And when that ugly red sun set behind the broken buildings, it wasn't going to be me who was Al's familiar.



I wanted to survive. Right now it didn't matter if giving Lee to Al in my stead was right or not. Later, when I was curled up with a cup of cocoa and shaking with the memory of this, would be soon enough to decide. But to win, I'd first have to lose. This was really going to hurt.



"Lee," I said, trying one last time. "Take us out of here!" God, please let me be right!



"You're such a girl," he said, tugging his dirt-stained suit straight. "Always whining and expecting to be rescued."



"Lee! Wait!" I shouted as he took three steps and threw a ball of purple haze.



I dove to the side. It skimmed past at chest height to hit the remnants of the fountain. With a rumble, a section of it cracked and broke away. Dust rose, red in the darkening air.



When I turned, Lee had my business card in his grip - the one I had given the bouncer at his boat. Shit. He had a focusing object. "Don't," I said. "You won't like how it ends."



Lee shook his head, his lips moving as he whispered. "Doleo," he said clearly, the invocation word vibrating the air, and with my card in his grip, he gestured.



Jerking straight, I caught my harsh gurgle before it came from me. Gut-twisting pain doubled me over. Breathing through it, I staggered to my feet. I couldn't think to come back with anything. I staggered forward to try to free myself from pain. If I could hit him, it might stop. If I could get my card, he couldn't target me but would have to throw his spells.



I crashed into Lee. We went down, stones jabbing me. Lee kicked out, and I rolled as Al applauded, white-gloved hands a soft patting. Pain clouded me; thinking was impossible. Illusion, I told myself. It was a ley line charm. Only earth magic could inflict real pain. It was an illusion. Panting, I forced the charm from me with pure will. I wouldn't feel it.



My bruised shoulder throbbed, hurting worse than it actually did. I fastened on the real pain, willing the phantom agony away. Hunched, I saw Lee from around my hair, now completely fallen out of that stupid bun. "Inflex," Lee said, grinning as his moving fingers finished his spell, and I cringed, waiting for something to happen, but nothing did.



"Oh, I say!" Al exclaimed from his rock. "First rate. Capital!"



I wove on my feet, fighting the last shadows of pain. I was in the line again. I could feel it. If I knew how to trip the lines, I could end this right now. Bibbity bobbity boo, I thought. Alakazam. Hell, I'd even twitch my nose if I thought it would work. But it didn't.



The rustle around me grew. They were becoming bolder as the sun threatened to set. A rock fell behind me, and I spun. My foot slipped. Crying out, I went down. Nausea hit me as my ankle twisted. Gasping, I clutched at it, feeling tears of pain start.



"Brilliant!" Al applauded. "Bad luck is extremely difficult. Take the charm off her. I don't want a klutz in my kitchen."



Lee gestured and a brief whirlwind smelling of burnt amber lifted through my hair. My throat tightened as the charm broke. My ankle throbbed and the cold rocks bit at me. He had cursed me with bad luck? Son of a bitch...



Jaw gritted, I reached for a rock to pull myself up. I had blasted Ivy before with raw ever-after, and I didn't need a focusing object if I threw it at him. Anger growing, I pulled upright, reaching into my memory for the how of it. It had always been instinctive before. The fear and anger helped, and as I staggered to my feet, I pushed the ever-after from my chi into my hands. They burned, but I held it, pulling more energy off the line until my outspread hands felt like they were charring. Furious, I compressed the raw energy in my hands to baseball size. "Bastard," I whispered, stumbling as I threw it at him.



Lee dived to the side, and my gold ball of ever-after hit my circle. My eyes widened when a cascade of tingles raced through me as my bubble broke.



"Damn it all to hell!" I shouted, not having thought ahead enough to realize my aura-laced spell would break my circle. Terrified, I spun to Al, thinking if I couldn't get it back up in time I'd be fighting both of them. But the demon was still seated, staring over my shoulder with his goat-slitted eyes wide. He looked over his glasses, mouth hanging open.



I spun in time to see my spell hit a nearby building. A faint boom shook my feet. I put a hand to my mouth as a chunk the size of a bus flaked off and fell with an unreal slowness.



"You stupid witch," Lee said. "It's coming right for us!"



I turned and ran, hands reaching as I scrabbled my way across the rubble, hands numb on the frost-cracked rocks. The ground shook, dust rose thick in the air. I staggered and fell.



Hacking and coughing, I got up, shaking. My fingers hurt and I couldn't move them. I turned to find Lee on the other side of the new rockfall, hatred and a touch of fear in his eyes.



Latin came from him. My eyes were fixed upon the card in his moving fingers, heart pounding as I waited, helpless. He gestured, and my card burst into flame.



It flashed like gunpowder. I cried out and turned away, hands over my eyes. The shrieks of the minor demons beat upon me. I reeled backward, balance gone. Red smears coated my vision. My eyes were open and tears streamed down my face, but I couldn't see. I couldn't see!



There was the sound of sliding rocks, and I yelped as someone cuffed me. I blindly lashed out, almost falling as the heel of my hand met nothing. Fear settled into me, debilitating. I couldn't see. He had taken my sight!



A hand shoved me over, and I fell, swinging my leg. I felt it hit him, and he went down. "Bitch," he gasped, and I shrieked when he yanked out a handful of my hair and scrabbled away.



"More!" Al said cheerfully. "Show me your best!" he encouraged.



"Lee!" I cried. "Don't do this!" The red wasn't clearing. Please, please let it be illusion.



Dark words came from Lee, sounding obscene. I smelled a strand of my hair burn.



My heart clenched in sudden doubt. I wasn't going to make it. He was going to all but kill me. There was no way to win this. Oh, God...what had I been thinking?



"You gave her doubt," Al said wonderingly from the blackness. "That's a very complex charm," he breathed. "What else? Can you divine?"



"I can look backward," Lee said nearby, panting.



"Oh!" Al said gleefully. "I have a marvelous idea! Make her recall her father's death!"



"No..." I whispered. "Lee, if you have any compassion. Please."



But his hated voice started whispering, and I groaned, falling into myself as a mental pain cut through the physical. My dad. My dad gasping his last. The feel of his dry hand in mine, the strength gone. I had stayed, refusing to leave for anything. I was there when his breaths stopped. I was there when his soul was freed, leaving me to fend for myself far, far too early. It had made me strong, but it had left me flawed.



"Dad," I sobbed, my chest hurting. He had tried to stay, but couldn't. He had tried to smile, but it was broken. "Oh, Dad," I whispered, softer as the tears welled. I had tried to keep him there with me, but I hadn't been able to.



A black depression rose from my thoughts, pulling me into myself. He had left me. I was alone. He had gone. No one had ever come close to filling the void. No one ever would.



Sobbing, the miserable memory of that awful moment when I realized he was gone filled me. It wasn't when they pulled me from him at the hospital, but two weeks later when I broke the school's eight hundred meters record and I looked into the stands for his proud smile. He was gone. And that was when I knew he was dead.



"Brilliant,"Al whispered, his cultured voice soft beside me.



I did nothing as a gloved hand curved under my jaw and tilted my head up. I couldn't see him as I blinked, but I felt the warmth of his hand. "You broke her utterly," Al said in wonder.



Lee's breathing was harsh. Clearly it had taken a lot out of him. I couldn't stop crying, the tears dribbling down my cheeks, cold in the wind. Al let go of my jaw, and I curled into a ball in the rubble at his feet, uncaring of what might happen next. Oh God, my dad.



"She's yours," Lee said. "Take my mark off."



I felt Al's arms go around me, lifting me up. I couldn't help but press into him. I was so cold, and he smelled like Old Spice. Though I knew it was Al's twisted cruelty, I clutched at him and sobbed. I missed him. God, I missed him. "Rachel," came my dad's voice, pulled from my memory, and I cried all the harder. "Rachel," it came again. "Is there nothing left?"



"Nothing," I said around my sobbing breaths.



"Are you sure?" my dad said, gentle and caring. "You tried so hard, my little witch. You really fought him with everything and failed?"



"I failed," I said between my sobs. "I want to go home."



"Shhhh," he soothed, his hand cool against me in my darkness. "I'll get you home and put you to bed."



I felt Al shift into motion. I was broken, but I wasn't done. My mind rebelled, wanting to sink deeper into nothingness, but my will survived. It was either Lee or me, and I wanted my cup of cocoa on Ivy's couch and a theme book of rationalizations.



"Al," I whispered. "Lee should be dead." It was easier to breathe. The memory of my father's death was slipping back into the hidden folds of my brain. They had been buried there so long that they found their places easily, one by one filed away for lonely nights by myself.



"Hush, Rachel," Al said. "I see what you intended by letting Lee trounce you, but you can kindle demon magic fully. There has never been a witch that can do that." He laughed, his glee chilling me. "And you're mine. Not Newt's, not anyone else's but mine."



"What about my demon mark?" Lee protested, several steps back, and I wanted to cry for him. He was so dead, and he didn't know it yet.



"Lee can," I whispered. I could see the sky. Blinking profusely, I saw a dark shadow of Al holding me silhouetted against the red-smeared clouds. Relief slipped into me, pushing out the last of my doubt to leave a shimmer of hope underneath. Ley line charms of illusion only worked short-term unless they were given a permanent place to reside in silver. "Taste him," I said. "Taste his blood. Trent's father fixed him, too. He can kindle demon magic."



Al jerked to a stop. "Bless me thrice. There are two of you?"



I shrieked as I fell, crying out as my hip hit a rock.



From behind me, I heard Lee's shout of fear and shock. Turning where Al had dropped me, I peered over the rubble and rubbed my eyes to make outAl drawing a sharp nail across Lee's arm. Blood welled, and I felt sick. "I'm sorry, Lee," I whispered, hugging my knees to myself. "I'm so sorry."



Al made a low sound deep in his throat of pleasure. "She's right," he said as he brought a finger from his lips. "And you're better at ley line magic than she is. I'll take you instead."



"No!" Lee screamed, and Al jerked him closer. "You wanted her! I gave you her!"



"You gave her to me, I took off your demon mark, and now I'm taking you. You can both kindle demon magic," Al said. "I could spend decades fighting a scrawny, high-maintenance familiar like her and never wedge the spells you already know into her cotton-fluffed head. Ever try twisting a demon curse?"



"No!" Lee cried, fighting to get away. "I can't!"



"You will. Here," Al said, dropping him down onto the ground. "Hold this for me."



I covered my ears and curled into myself as Lee screamed, then screamed again. It was high and raw, scraping across my skull like a nightmare. I felt like I was going to vomit. I had given Lee to Al to save my life. That Lee tried to do the same to me didn't make me feel better.



"Lee," I said, tears leaking out. "I'm sorry. God, I'm sorry."



Lee's voice cut off as he passed out. Al smiled, turning on a heel to me. "Ta, love. I don't like to be on the surface when it gets dark. All the best of luck to you."



My eyes widened. "I don't know how to get home!" I cried.



"Not my problem. 'Bye now."



I sat up, chilled as the stones I was sitting on seemed to soak into me. Lee came to with an ugly gibbering sound. Tucking him under an arm, Al gave me a nod and vanished.



A stone slid down to roll to my feet. I blinked, wiping my eyes to only get rock dust and chips of stone in them. "The line," I whispered, remembering. Maybe if I got into the line. Lee had jumped from outside of a line, but maybe I had to learn to walk before I could run.



A movement at the edge of my awareness caught my attention. Heart pounding, I whipped my head around, seeing nothing. Steadying myself, I wedged myself up, gasping when white-hot knives stabbed my ankle to take my breath away. I slipped back to the ground. Jaw gritted, I decided I would just crawl over there.



I reached out, seeing Mrs. Aver's business suit coated in the dust and frost it had scraped from the surrounding rocks. Gripping an outcrop, I pulled myself forward, managing a halfway upright position. My body was shaking with cold and fading adrenaline. The sun was almost down. A sliding of rocks urged me on. They were getting closer.



A soft pop pulled my head up. A tumble of pebbles and rocks came from everywhere as the lesser demons scrambled into hiding. My breath slipped from me as, from around my hair, I saw a small figure in dark purple sitting cross-legged before me, a narrow staff as long as I was tall laying across its lap. A robe draped it. Not a bathrobe, but a classy mix of a kimono and something a desert sheik would wear, all billowy with the suppleness of linen. A round hat with straight sides and a flat top was perched on its head. Squinting in the fading light, I decided there was an inch or so of air between the gold trim and the ground. Now what?



"Who in hell are you?" I said, pulling myself forward another step, "and will you be taking me home instead of Al?"



"Who in hell are you?" it echoed, its voice a mix of rough lightness. "Yes. That fits."



It wasn't hitting me with that carved black stick, or putting a charm on me, or even making ugly faces, so I ignored it and dragged myself forward another foot. There was a crackle of paper, and wondering, I tucked David's trifolded paper into my waistband. Yeah, he'd probably want this back.



"I'm Newt," it said, seemingly disappointed I was ignoring it. There was a rich accent that I couldn't place, an odd way of saying the vowels. "And no, I'm not taking you home. I already have a demon familiar. Algaliarept is right; you're almost worthless right now."



A demon for a familiar? Ooooh, that had to be good. Grunting, I pulled myself forward. My ribs hurt, and I pressed a hand into them. Panting, I looked up. A smooth face, not young, not old - sort of...nothing - met me. "Ceri is afraid of you," I said.



"I know. She's very perceptive. Is she well?"



Fear slid through me. "Leave her alone," I said, jerking back as it pushed my hair out of my eyes. Its touch seemed to sink into me though I felt fingertips firm on my forehead. I stared at its black eyes as it peered at me, unruffled and curious.



"Your hair ought to be red," it said, smelling of crushed dandelions. "And your eyes are green like my sisters', not brown."



"Sisters?" I wheezed, considering I might give it my soul if it would give me a pain amulet. God, I hurt all over, inside and out. I sat back on my heels out of its reach. Newt had an eerie grace, its outfit giving no hint to gender. There was a necklace of black gold about its neck - again, the design neither masculine nor feminine. My gaze dropped to its bare feet, hovering above the rubble. They were narrow and slim, somewhat ugly. Masculine? "Are you a boy or a girl?" I finally asked, not sure.



Newt's brow furrowed. "It makes a difference?"



Muscles trembling, I pulled my hand to my mouth and sucked at a spot where the rock had pinched me. It did to me. "Don't get me wrong, but why are you just sitting there?"



The demon smiled, making me think the reason couldn't be good. "There are a few side bets as to whether you will learn how to use the lines before sunset. I'm here so no one cheats."



A stab of adrenaline cleared my head. "What happens when the sun goes down?"



"Anyone can have you."



A rock slid from a nearby pile, and I pushed into motion. "But you don't want me."



It shook its head, drifting back. "Maybe if you told me why Al took the other witch instead of you, I might. I...don't remember."



Newt's voice sounded worried, making me wonder. Too much ever-after in the brainpan perhaps? I didn't have time to deal with a crazy demon, no matter how powerful it was. "Read the papers. I'm busy," I said, pulling myself forward.



I jerked when a boulder the size of a car fell two feet in front of me. The ground shook and bits of rock chips stung my face. I stared at it, then Newt, who was smiling as it adjusted its grip on its staff to look pleasant and innocuous. My head hurt. Okay, maybe I had a little time. "Ah, Lee can kindle demon magic," I said, not seeing any reason to tell it I could too.



Newt's black eyes widened. "Already?" it said, then its face clouded, not angry with me, but at itself. I waited for it to move the rock. It didn't. Taking a deep breath, I started to go around Newt, as it seemed the demon had forgotten I was there. The sense of danger flowing from the slight figure was growing, building on itself to tighten my gut and make my skin crawl. I was getting the distinct impression that I was still alive because a very powerful demon was curious, nothing more.



Hoping Newt would forget about me, I inched myself forward, trying to ignore the pain in my ankle. I slipped, sucking in my breath as the flat of my arm hit a rock, sending a shiver of pain up it. The boulder was right in front of me, and gathering myself, I wedged my knees under me. My ankle was burning agony as I gained my feet and held the rock for balance.



There was a brush of air, and Newt was beside me. "Do you want to live forever?"



The question sent a shiver through me. Damn it, Newt was becoming more interested, not less. "No," I whispered. Hand outstretched, I limped from the rock.



"I didn't either, until I tried it." The redwood staff clunked to the ground as Newt moved to keep even with me, black eyes eerily more alive than anyone else's I'd ever seen. My skin crawled. Something was wrong with Newt - really wrong. I couldn't put my finger on it until I realized that the minute I took my attention from Newt, I forgot what the demon looked like. Apart from those eyes.



"I know something Algaliarept doesn't," Newt said. "I remember now. You like secrets. You're good at keeping them, too. I know all about you; you're afraid of yourself."



I gritted my jaw as my ankle gave a twinge as I slipped on a rock. The line was just ahead. I could feel it. The sun had sunk below the horizon, halfway gone. It took seven minutes to sink once it touched the earth. Three and a half minutes. I could hear a gathering of breath from the lesser demons. God, help me find a way out of this.



"You should be afraid of you," Newt said. "Want to know why?"



I pulled my head up. Newt was bored out of his or her mind and looking for amusement. I didn't want to be interesting. "No," I whispered, becoming more frightened.



An evil smile crossed Newt, emotions shifting faster than a vampire hyped up on Brimstone. "I think I will tell Algaliarept a joke. And when he's done ripping that witch apart for what he lost, I'll trade for that mark you owe him and make it mine."



I started to shake, unable to stop my hands from trembling. "You can't do that."



"I can. I might." Newt twirled the staff idly, hitting a rock so it ricocheted into the dark. There was a catlike yelp of pain and a scattering of sliding rock. "And then I'll have two," the demon said to itself, "because you won't be able to figure out how to travel the lines and will have to buy a trip out of here. From me."



There was a cry of outrage from the watchers behind the rocks, quickly squelched.



Horrified, I came to a jerky stop, feeling the line right ahead of me.



"You want to survive," Newt intoned, its voice dropping in pitch. "You'll do anything for it. Anything."



"No," I whispered, terrified because Newt was right. "I saw Lee do it. I can do it too."



Black eyes glinting, Newt set the butt of its staff down. "You won't figure it out. You won't believe; not yet. You have to make a deal...with me."



Frightened, I wavered on my feet, and with the next step, I stumbled into the line, feeling as if it was a stream, warm and generous, filling me up. Almost panting, I teetered, seeing the eyes around me narrow with greed and anger. I hurt. I had to get out of there. The power of the line hummed through me, peaceful and comforting. There's no place like home.



Newt's expression went mocking, its pupil-black eyes spiteful. "You can't do it."



"I can," I said, my vision darkening as I almost passed out. From the deepest shadows glittered green eyes. Close. Very close. The power of the line hummed through me. There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home, I thought desperately, pulling energy into me, spindling it in my head. I had traveled the lines with Lee. I had seen how he had done it. All it took was him thinking about where he wanted to be. I wanted to be home. Why wasn't it working?



My knees shook as the first dark shape came out to stand with an unreal thinness, slow and hesitant. Newt looked at it, then turned slowly to me, one eyebrow raised. "One favor, and I'll send you back."



Oh God. Not another one. "Leave me alone!" I shouted, the rough edges of a rock scraping my fingers as I flung it at an approaching form and almost fell over. A gasp sounding like a sob came from me as I caught my balance. The lesser demon ducked, then straightened. Three more pairs of eyes glowed behind it.



I jumped as Newt suddenly was before me. The light was gone. Black eyes slammed into me, delving into my soul and clenching until fear squeezed out to bubble up. "You can't do it. No time to learn," Newt said, and I shuddered. Here was power, raw and swirling. Newt's soul was so black it was almost unseen. I could feel its aura press against me, starting to slip into mine with the force of Newt's will. It could take me over if it wanted. I was nothing. My will was nothing.



"Owe me or die in this squalid pile of broken promises," Newt said. "But I can't send you through the lines with a thin tie called home. Home won't do it. Think on Ivy. You love her more than that damn church," it said, its honesty more cutting than any physical pain.



Crying out in angry, high voices, the shadows bunched and lunged.



"Ivy!" I shouted, accepting the bargain and willing myself to her: the smell of her sweat when we sparred, the taste of her Brimstone cookies, the sound of her steps, and the rise of her eyebrows when she was trying not to laugh.



I recoiled as Newt's black presence was suddenly in my head. How many mistakes can one life survive? echoed crystallinelike in my mind, but whose thought it was I didn't know.



Newt pressed the air from my lungs, and my mind shattered. I was everywhere and nowhere. The perfect disconnection of the line raced through me, making me exist in every line on the continent. Ivy! I thought again, starting to panic until I remembered her, fastening on her indomitable will and the tragedy of her desires. Ivy. I want to go to Ivy.



With a savage, jealous thought, Newt snapped my soul back together. Gasping, I covered my ears as a loud pop shook me. I fell forward, my elbows and knees smacking into gray tile. People screamed, and I heard the crash of metal. Papers flew, and someone shouted to call the I.S.



"Rachel!" Ivy cried.



I looked up past my falling hair to see I was in what looked like a hospital hallway. Ivy was sitting in an orange plastic chair, her eyes red and her cheeks blotchy, shock in her wide brown eyes. David was beside her, dirty and disheveled, Kisten's blood on his hands and chest. A phone rang and went unanswered.



"Hi," I said weakly, my arms starting to tremble. "Uh, could one of you maybe check me in? I don't feel so good."



Ivy stood, reaching out. I tipped forward. My cheek hit the tile. The last thing I remember was my hand touching hers.