night.
Char hummed “ The Lady Wore Black ” under her breath as she gave up trying to be subtle and walked up to thecompanion. The poor man was shaking and hugging himself, wild-eyed with terror, and Char simply couldn’t take it anymore.
“Listen,” she said, putting her hand on a skeletal shoulder. “You’ve got to calm down before you have a heart attack. Talk to me,” she crooned as eyes wide with fear and fanaticism focused on her, then slid away before she could make further contact. She sighed. “Where’s Daniel?” Might as well get straight to the point. She drew the companion closer. She did not want to get any deeper into his mind, but she had to make him understand. He shook like a leaf in her grasp. “I’ve come for Daniel. Take me to him.”
A leaf made out of spring steel, she realized a moment too late. He moved like a cat. He wasn’t stronger than her, but he twisted so fast and hard he was impossible to hold on to. He got away, and left her holding his dirty denim jacket in her hands. He backed up, snarling, face so viciously transformed that for a moment Char thought she was facing a rabid rat rather than a person. Taken by surprise, she backed up a step.
Char dropped the coat and held up her hands. She spoke gently in response to his terror. Companion or not, this man was deeply mentally disturbed. “I only want to talk to you.”
His breathing was harsh. “Don’t touch me!”
“I won’t hurt you.”
He pressed up against the back wall of the bus stop and slithered sideways, shaking his head wildly. “The Prophet protects me! The Demon defends me!” He repeated the words over and over, turning them into achant. He began to bang his fists rhythmically on the cold, echoing metal of the wrought iron pergola. The sound set Char’s head ringing.
Char’s temples began to throb, then ache in time with his pounding fists. Then a lance of fire exploded inside her skull.
“The Prophet protects me. The Demon defends me.” His chant rose to a hoarse shout. “The Prophet. The Demon. Prophet. Demon. Prophet! Demon!”
Char clutched at her head, reeled with dizzy nausea, and fell to her knees.
“Prophet! Demon!”
It took her too long to realize that the words themselves were causing the pain. Magic. A simple spell of protection. Not so simple.
Nausea and pain twisted through her. “Oh, God . . .” She began to retch but fought to lift her head. She was so dizzy she was uncertain where she was, but she managed to turn toward the horrible voice. It took all her will to look up and up and meet the companion’s eyes.
Big mistake.
His eyes were full of fire. The fire grew teeth and fangs and horrible, burning scales. Char tried to cover her face with her hands. If it didn’t see her if she didn’t see it—
The monster screamed, and her mind exploded.
The first mistake I made , Char thought when she realized that her cheek was resting on cold, damp concrete, was in getting up this evening. Everything had simply gone downhill after that. Of course, it might have helped ifshe’d remembered that she was the Enforcer. What was the use of being a superhero if she forgot to use the superpowers part?
“Well. . . . duh,” Char said and climbed slowly to her knees.
She levered herself up just in time to be hit in the face by the lights of an oncoming truck. The truck’s driver didn’t even spare her a glance as he sped on by. She must not have been out long, but it had been long enough to have eaten up more of the night than she could spare.
What on earth happened? More important for the moment, where had she left her car? Too close to dawn to go looking for it now. Too close to dawn to stand here and wonder what had gone wrong with the entire night. Should she head back to Jimmy’s crib on foot? Char looked at the sky and around the steep hills of the city, then across the square back the way she’d come. She was able to focus clearly on the memory of the route
Char hummed “ The Lady Wore Black ” under her breath as she gave up trying to be subtle and walked up to thecompanion. The poor man was shaking and hugging himself, wild-eyed with terror, and Char simply couldn’t take it anymore.
“Listen,” she said, putting her hand on a skeletal shoulder. “You’ve got to calm down before you have a heart attack. Talk to me,” she crooned as eyes wide with fear and fanaticism focused on her, then slid away before she could make further contact. She sighed. “Where’s Daniel?” Might as well get straight to the point. She drew the companion closer. She did not want to get any deeper into his mind, but she had to make him understand. He shook like a leaf in her grasp. “I’ve come for Daniel. Take me to him.”
A leaf made out of spring steel, she realized a moment too late. He moved like a cat. He wasn’t stronger than her, but he twisted so fast and hard he was impossible to hold on to. He got away, and left her holding his dirty denim jacket in her hands. He backed up, snarling, face so viciously transformed that for a moment Char thought she was facing a rabid rat rather than a person. Taken by surprise, she backed up a step.
Char dropped the coat and held up her hands. She spoke gently in response to his terror. Companion or not, this man was deeply mentally disturbed. “I only want to talk to you.”
His breathing was harsh. “Don’t touch me!”
“I won’t hurt you.”
He pressed up against the back wall of the bus stop and slithered sideways, shaking his head wildly. “The Prophet protects me! The Demon defends me!” He repeated the words over and over, turning them into achant. He began to bang his fists rhythmically on the cold, echoing metal of the wrought iron pergola. The sound set Char’s head ringing.
Char’s temples began to throb, then ache in time with his pounding fists. Then a lance of fire exploded inside her skull.
“The Prophet protects me. The Demon defends me.” His chant rose to a hoarse shout. “The Prophet. The Demon. Prophet. Demon. Prophet! Demon!”
Char clutched at her head, reeled with dizzy nausea, and fell to her knees.
“Prophet! Demon!”
It took her too long to realize that the words themselves were causing the pain. Magic. A simple spell of protection. Not so simple.
Nausea and pain twisted through her. “Oh, God . . .” She began to retch but fought to lift her head. She was so dizzy she was uncertain where she was, but she managed to turn toward the horrible voice. It took all her will to look up and up and meet the companion’s eyes.
Big mistake.
His eyes were full of fire. The fire grew teeth and fangs and horrible, burning scales. Char tried to cover her face with her hands. If it didn’t see her if she didn’t see it—
The monster screamed, and her mind exploded.
The first mistake I made , Char thought when she realized that her cheek was resting on cold, damp concrete, was in getting up this evening. Everything had simply gone downhill after that. Of course, it might have helped ifshe’d remembered that she was the Enforcer. What was the use of being a superhero if she forgot to use the superpowers part?
“Well. . . . duh,” Char said and climbed slowly to her knees.
She levered herself up just in time to be hit in the face by the lights of an oncoming truck. The truck’s driver didn’t even spare her a glance as he sped on by. She must not have been out long, but it had been long enough to have eaten up more of the night than she could spare.
What on earth happened? More important for the moment, where had she left her car? Too close to dawn to go looking for it now. Too close to dawn to stand here and wonder what had gone wrong with the entire night. Should she head back to Jimmy’s crib on foot? Char looked at the sky and around the steep hills of the city, then across the square back the way she’d come. She was able to focus clearly on the memory of the route
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