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I'd only been to the Realm once before, and passing through the Way was as every bit disturbing as I remembered. Imagine trying to step through a sheet of mostly frozen Jell-O with the added benefit of being entirely unsure of being able to support your own weight. We wobbled through, shivering against the sharp sensations that washed over us. Once we were on the other side I paused, letting Murphy collect herself. I took the time to look around, unsurprised to see a darkened forest surrounding us. It was cold - colder than the coldest winter I'd ever experienced - and I had to work to take a deep breath without pain. Snow crunched under my feet as I shifted my weight, and my fingers tightened around the shaft of the hockey stick in my left hand. Murphy's smaller hand was still in my right, and I felt her squeeze my fingers as she finally managed to pull herself together. I turned to look at her and let go of her hand.
"Alright, stay close. That blessing will keep anything from hurting you, but that doesn't mean you can't be stuck here for all eternity."
"Cheery thought," she answered, but I noticed she took a small step toward me.
"Yeah, well, everything that lives here is all about technicalities. Don't eat or drink anything they offer you, and do not thank any of them outright. You do not want to owe them something." I looked around, searching for anything that would serve as a clue.
"Like you do with whatever that thing was back there?" Murphy asked, and I sighed.
"That's different," I told her, but the look she gave me said she didn't buy it. "Look, we can psychoanalyze the ramifications of my poor choices later. Right now, we need to figure out which way to go."
"The crystal won't work here?" She held up the small item futilely, and I shook my head. I pulled the string from her fingers and let it dangle from my fist.
"Passing through the Way washed it clean. Besides, a basic tracking spell would be overwhelmed here. We're going to need something more powerful." Suddenly I was grateful Bob had mentioned the invenio per sanguis; it was probably our best bet now. I cleared the area around us of snow and dug a small circle in the frozen ground beneath using the small end of my hockey stick. I looked up at Murphy and gave her an even look. "I'm going to need some of your blood."
She looked at me strangely, and I suddenly never wanted to see that look on her face again. I realized what she was probably thinking; anyone who only knew a little about magic often felt uneasy whenever blood was involved. They assumed some sort of dark ritual or evil spell, and I didn't really blame them. Some of the most dangerous spells required some sort of blood. I took a step toward her and tried to sound as reassuring as possible.
"You and your daughter share a blood connection," I explained. "Using your blood will allow me to zero in on her location wherever she is."
She relaxed a little and nodded. "Why didn't you use that spell first?" Her voice wasn't accusatory, merely curious, and I let out a breath. I watched as she pulled a small multi-tool out of her pocket and wiped it off.
"Hang on," I took it from her and held it in one palm, the other hovering over it. I concentrated on cleansing the blade, and when the faint blue glow died away she was staring at me again. "Here you go," I handed it back to her and to her credit her fingers only shook for a second as she grabbed it. "To answer your question," I continued to fill the somewhat awkward silence that had engulfed us, "the crystal was more than enough for locating her in our world. Once she crossed over, the trail was broken." I leaned my hockey stick up against a nearby tree and stepped into the circle.
"Like the spell?" Murphy rolled up her sleeve and cut into the flesh of her arm just below her elbow. I looked away sharply. She gave me a look of exasperation as I winced. "Seriously?"
"What?" I replied defensively. "Blood bothers me." It was really more the fact that she'd cut into her own arm without so much as flinching, though I supposed it was cold enough here that the pain was somewhat dulled. I cleansed the crystal like I had the knife and very carefully coated the tip of it in Murphy's blood. It wasn't a large cut, maybe half an inch across and just past the dermal layer, but it was enough blood to cover the whole end of the crystal. Murphy wiped the extra blood away and pulled her sleeve back down before packing some snow on top of her arm to staunch the floor. I stepped into the circle and closed it with a little effort, shoving all doubts and fears into a tiny box in the back of my mind. I held the crystal out in front of me and closed my eyes, speaking the incantation clearly.
Everything around me sort of faded away as my will focused on connecting Anna to the crystal. I felt a pull somewhere off to my left and I latched onto it, sealing the connection with another repetition of the words. When my ears stopped ringing and everything came back into focus, I took a deep breath. I scuffed the dirt circle, and the energy dissipated with a pop. I handed the crystal back to a stunned Murphy as I gathered up my hockey stick again.
"What?" I asked her, though I knew what the looks were about. Yesterday, I was just her odd friend, Harry, who called himself a wizard and had a knack for getting into trouble. Now I was Harry Dresden, Wizard with a capital "w", who was very literally bending the world to his will to get her daughter back. Her mind was simply having trouble adjusting, and I was just going to have to deal with the strange looks until her brain processed everything.
She seemed almost embarrassed at her own behavior, and she shot me an apologetic look before holding the crystal up. It swayed toward Murphy for a moment, but I pushed my will into it, directing it away from her. Immediately it swung out, and I gestured with my hockey stick toward the left.
"Looks like that way." I had to shorten my steps as she walked beside me, but I didn't mind. It let me scan the area more thoroughly just in case something decided we looked helpless and attacked. Nothing jumped out at us, but I kept glancing around anyway. Finally my eye caught something, and I stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. There was a faint orange glow through the trees – the kind that screamed trap to my wizardly senses. It was still a long way away, and we started toward it wordlessly. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Murphy looking around curiously before it got the better of her.
"So where are we?" she whispered, and I glanced over my shoulder.
"Uh, not entirely sure. The Realm isn't exactly predictable on the best of days. Wherever we are, though, it's controlled by the Unseelie Court."
"The what?"
"Okay, quick version," I stopped and turned around. "The Realm is divided into two sections. Each denizen belongs to one of the two Courts, the Seelie or the Unseelie."
"What's the difference?"
"Everything," I answered. "They're pretty much opposite in every way. Unseelie Court members are generally pretty nasty, malicious, and just as cold as their environment. That doesn't mean the Seelie are nice and helpful, but I'd rather deal with them than their cousins."
"Like him?" she jabbed her thumb over her shoulder back toward the way we'd come, obviously indicating the Old Man of the Forest, and I nodded.
"Yeah, like him. He's just as crafty and dangerous as any resident of the Realm, but I don't think he'll make me jump off a bridge or be his personal slave or anything."
"They can do that?"
"If you owe them? It's a possibility." I let that sink in for a moment, and I knew she was probably trying to figure out why I'd risk so much for her daughter. "Okay, no more talking. They probably already know we're here, but there's no need to advertise the fact." She nodded once and morphed into cop-mode, her steps becoming lighter as her free hand moved to the grip of her gun.
"Will this thing work here?" It was a fair question, and I had to think about it for a moment.
"Uh, probably?" She gave me a "look" and I shrugged. "Hey, I've only been her once and I didn't stick around to play 20 questions. Let's hope we don't have to find out."
The trees thinned until we were standing at the edge of a clearing. There was a huge bonfire in the center, though I couldn't feel any heat rolling off of it when there clearly should have been. I scanned the area but I couldn't see any nasty monsters that wanted to rip my face off. I did, however, see a small pole just a few feet from the cold blaze. Tied to the pole was a very scared – but very much alive – Anna. I felt Murphy tense next to me, and I had to physically restrain her from rushing forward into what was so obviously a trap.
"Wait, wait, wait," I whispered, wrapping my free arm around her waist. I could feel her heart pounding, and she struggled against me. Murphy was no slouch in the strength department despite her size. Add in the adrenaline rush moms were reported to get when their kids were in trouble and I had to work to keep her from running headlong into the trap.
Movement out of the corner of my eye drew my attention, and from the way Murphy stilled against me I guessed she'd seen it too. I slipped my arm from around her and gripped the hockey stick in both hands, turning slowly to face whatever was trying to sneak up on us. I had about half a second to react as it leapt from the shadows, and I jabbed the end of the hockey stick at it and channeled my will forward.
A blast of energy lanced from the stick and stuck the creature in the chest. It let out a howl of rage as it was flung back into the forest, but I didn't wait to see where it landed. It hadn't gotten within ten feet of me, but I could feel the waves of cold energy emanating from it. I shook off the feeling of frostbite and dragged Murphy into the clearing. As soon as we crossed into the light, a dozen more of the monsters crept forward out of the shadows.
They had four massive limbs, the rear two jointed and muscular - perfect for leaping great distances. The front limbs were just as dangerous, though, with paws larger than my head and wickedly sharp claws. Their fur was so black it was almost blue, and their eyes shone silver against the bonfire. Their heads were vaguely feline, though their ears were a little longer and laid flat against the side of their heads. Their snouts were longer like a canine's, and the teeth inside were fanged and sharp. The small portion of my brain that controlled my flight or fight response was screaming at me to run. These things were predators and I was their prey.
"We have been waiting for you, wizard." Somehow the thing had managed to talk without ceasing the snarling that filled the clearing, and I realized it was in my head. The damn things were telepathic along with being big, mean, eviscerating machines. Fantastic.
"Give me the child and let us go. I have no quarrel with you." Well, that wasn't entirely true. But I didn't like my chances while I still had Anna to think about.
"After all the trouble we went to acquiring her?" another "spoke." "I think we'll play with her a bit more." It lunged toward the girl and Anna whimpered reflexively. I turned in one motion and let out a lash of energy that caught the offender across the neck. It howled in pain and jumped back as I whirled back to the de facto leader.
"Last warning, kitty."
"Are you offering yourself in place of the child, Wizard?" it asked. The gathered pack – family? herd? gaggle? I wasn't entirely sure what to call a collection of Fae – waited eagerly as I took a deep breath. Before I could answer, though, Murphy did something stupid.
"I'll take her place. Take me."
"Murphy, no!" I tried to hold her back, but she managed to evade my desperate grab and stepped between me and the creatures. A tittering went through the clearing, and I realized they were laughing.
"Even if you were not protected by a fool's blessing, we would not have you. The only thing more delicious than a mortal child is a wizard. That is our offer."
"I have one condition," I said firmly. "You swear safe passage for the child and her mother back to their world."
"Done," the leader nodded its massive head. Murphy whirled on me with a terrified expression, and I took a step closer.
"Don't worry," I whispered, "I have a plan." She let out a bark of laughter that was more scared than amused.
"That isn't very reassuring," she told me.
"Get ready to run," I told her, watching as one of the creatures moved closer to Anna. The girl shied away from it, but all it did was growl menacingly as it extended one razor claw to sever the bonds holding her to the pole. She collapsed into the snow for a moment, but then she jumped to her feet and raced over to us. Murphy wrapped the girl in her arms, holding Anna tightly against her body. Both of them were weeping, but I could see Murphy watching me out of the corner of her eye. Anna was still in her pajamas, and I managed to shrug out of my long coat without taking my eyes or the hockey stick off of the enemy. I let Murphy wrap her daughter in the coat, hugging it around the girl as Anna trembled against her.
I stilled for a moment, gathering every ounce of power in my body, before I nodded once. She grabbed Anna's hand and began running back the direction we'd come. I turned and let out a lance of fire, destroying the bonfire and causing every one of the creatures to howl in outrage.
"You have broken your accord!" the leader bellowed, and I looked back over my shoulder as I raced after Murphy and Anna.
"Yeah, well next time get it in writing!" It was a risky move, but I hadn't actually agreed to anything. I'd just laid out my conditions, and they assumed my agreement. In the eyes of the Realm, I owed them nothing. I caught up to Murphy quickly, and I shortened my steps to keep pace with them as we rushed back to the Way. I really hoped it was still open, but I just didn't know. I could attempt to open one here, but there was no guarantee we'd end up anywhere near Chicago.
I tripped over an exposed tree root, and it probably saved my life. I tumbled into the snow as one of the creatures sailed over my head with a frustrated growl. I saw Murphy hesitate as she looked back, but I waved at her.
"Go!" I managed to get back to my feet just as the creature lunged again, and I dove to the side as it passed. I felt a searing pain shoot through my left arm, and even in the dark I could see the dark red blood that welled up from the wound on my shoulder. My fingers tingled and my arm went numb, and I knew it had nothing to do with the cold. The creature grinned savagely and began slinking toward me, and I knew I wouldn't be so lucky this time.
A gun barked from somewhere behind me, and a spray of blue-black blood erupt from the creature's neck. It let out a strangled, gurgling wail of pain and fell just ten feet from me. Its eyes cut over to the side, where Murphy was standing in a perfect shooting stance. Anna was cowering behind her, but her eyes were clear; she understood the danger and knew she had to be level-headed. My respect for the Murphy girls ratcheted up a few notches, and when Murphy glanced at me with a half-smile I couldn't help return it.
"Guess the gun works," she said quickly. "Come on, Harry!"
I gripped the hockey stick in my good hand and pushed it out in front of me. A bubble of white energy gathered around me, and I took a few steps back as more creatures slinked from the dark shadows. The Way wasn't far now, I was sure of it, but getting Anna and Murphy there without being pursued was going to be impossible; there were just too many of them. The shield I'd thrown up would protect us for a while, and I winced involuntarily as one of the smaller monsters leaped and bounced off of it. The shield crackled but held, and I turned my head slightly to talk to Murphy while keeping our enemies in sight.
"I can hold them off," I lied. "You get Anna out of here. I'm right behind you."
"I never understood why anyone buys that line in movies," she snapped. "It's bull and we both know it."
"Murphy...Connie, please." I saw Anna clutch her mother's arm tighter, and I took a breath. "You have to get your daughter out of here. There's no sense in all of us dying." I had no plans to die anytime soon, but the words were meant to force Murphy to choose between me and her daughter. I knew which one she'd choose, and so did she.
"Nobody's dying, Dresden." She was using her boss-voice, the one that made rookie's scramble to do whatever she'd just ordered them to, the one that even made Kirmani cringe a little. But I could hear the uncertainty in her voice, and I tried to take it as a compliment. She didn't like it any more than I did, but we both knew that Anna came first.
"I think they beg to differ," I nodded my head toward the creatures, who seemed to be waiting us out. Every few seconds, one of them would creep closer to the shield, but it must have been putting off enough energy to discourage any further advancement. They snarled at us, and I started to feel the strain of holding the shield for so long.
"Children," a sibilant voice quieted the rest, and the leader of the pack stepped forward. "He is just one wizard. He cannot hold us all."
"Crap," I said aloud, mindful of the young ears next to me. "No more arguing. Time to go."
"Dammit, Harry!" I heard the tears in her voice, but I didn't dare take my eyes off of the deadly creatures in front of me. "I can't..."
"Yes you can!" I yelled. "It's not far. Just a few more steps and you're safe." My shoulder had started throbbing, and the blood had soaked my sleeve completely. It was still dark so I was pretty sure Anna hadn't seen it, but Murphy knew.
"Wizard!" the leader – I'd decided to call him Cujo – stared at me across the clearing. "Come with us willingly and we will let your friends go."
I bared my teeth at him in what I hoped was a menacing expression, but it probably held more pain than anger. "Something tells me you don't just want my advice on how to wizard-proof your cave. I'll pass, thanks."
"Fool," Cujo crouched on his hindquarters. "Once we finish tearing the flesh from your bones, we will take our time with your friend and her child. Their screams will be music to us for many nights." He let out a sharp noise that must have meant something to his children, and they all lunged forward simultaneously. The shield simply couldn't hold them all off, and it crackled brilliantly before shattering in a blast of light.
Anna screamed, and I weighed my options. If these things got a hold of us, I would be dead. But that wasn't what really mattered. If that happened, then I was absolutely certain Cujo would keep his promise – Murphy and her daughter would become playthings for these creatures.
White hot fury erupted within me, and I dropped the hockey stick to the ground as I held my hands out in front me, fingers spread wide and palms facing away. I could faintly hear a woman's voice – probably Murphy – calling my name, but I ignored it. All that mattered now was that Murphy and Anna got away safely. I heard the sound of my own blood rushing in my ears, and every ounce of energy I still possessed gathered at my fingertips. I let out a savage snarl of my own and released the energy, sending it out in a horizontal arc across the clearing. Bright red light blinded me before my knees wobbled and gave out and my vision went black.
When I came to I was lying on my back, and cold fingers were pressing into my neck to check for a pulse. My eyes fluttered open, and the first thing I saw was Murphy's tear-streaked face staring down at me. Her fingers moved from my neck to my shoulder, pressing something heavy – her jacket, I realized – into my wound to stop the blood flow. Her other hand ran over my head in a gesture that was half-affection, half-desperation.
"Thank God," she breathed a sigh of relief. Then she slapped my good arm not so lightly. "Don't ever do that again!"
I groaned and sat up with her help, but my head was spinning so much I didn't dare try to stand. I slumped over my own knees, acutely aware that Murphy's hand was still gripping my arm. I took several deep breaths as my mind tried to catch up to what the hell had happened, and when the haze finally cleared my head snapped up.
"Anna?"
"I'm here," a soft voice echoed from my left, and I looked over at the girl huddled in my coat against the trunk of a tree.
"How long was I out?" I looked back at Murphy.
"Ten minutes? I'm not sure. Whatever you did..." she hesitated, then swallowed thickly. "It really took it out of you." Her eyes cut over my shoulder, and I couldn't help but follow her gaze. My throat went dry as I surveyed what had once been a rather peaceful clearing.
The entire area for almost an acre had been completely razed. Trees had been scorched into blackened stumps, and there were dark patches on the ground that formed a rough semi-circle – the only remnants of the half-dozen or so Realm-dwellers that hadn't been able to get away in time. I had just meant to scare them, to send them running long enough to get us all to safety. The acrid smell of ashes and incinerated flesh wafted over me, and I gagged. I managed to turn enough to keep from being sick all over Murphy, but she didn't move away from me.
"Shh," her hand moved to the back of my neck, and her cool fingers felt heavenly on my over-heated skin. "It's alright, Harry. You did what you had to do. You had no other choice." Her words were meant to comfort me, but I could hear her voice shaking. She was afraid. That thought alone was enough of a catalyst for my over-worked muscles. I stood on shaky legs, but they held as I took a few steps away from her. Her blood-soaked jacket fell from my shoulder, but it had mostly clotted anyway. What did seep out wasn't much, but I didn't really care. I sucked in several steadying breaths, avoiding the clearing behind me at all costs.
Murphy didn't say anything or try to follow me, and when I finally turned to look at her she was sitting next to Anna. She was shivering, and I realized she couldn't put her own jacket back on. I collected my hockey stick and avoided her gaze as I rolled my shoulder painfully. The wound wasn't terribly deep, but it had bled a lot. I was probably running on pure adrenaline at this point.
"Let's go," I said flatly. Murphy stood up and helped Anna to her feet. I set out ahead of them, partly to make sure it was safe but mostly to avoid seeing the fear in their eyes. I hadn't unleashed like that in a long time – if ever – and I didn't like the feelings that came with it. Something within me sang to do it again, to hunt down the rest of the pack and finish the job. I quickly shoved that part away and took a shaky breath. Most wizards faced that part of themselves sooner or later; the power tested us all. Ever since my uncle had revealed his true nature I'd always been afraid that deep down inside, I was just like him. The Council had written me off already; I was a Morningway in their eyes. It was only a matter of time before I crossed the line and they'd have their excuse to execute me. Thinking about the last few moments, I wasn't entirely sure they were wrong anymore.
"Harry?" Murphy had somehow caught up to me without me noticing, but I didn't answer. The Way was close, and then we'd be back home and we could put all of this behind us. "Dammit Harry," her hand gripped my arm and I tensed as I let out a soft growl of frustration. She let go immediately, her steps faltering as I glanced at her. I berated myself for scaring her further, and forced myself to put my own self-recriminations aside for now.
"We're almost there," I told her in lieu of an apology. "Does Anna know about the Way?"
"No, but she's tough."
"Like her mom," I said, allowing a small smile to pass my lips. Murphy returned it, and I could see the fear in her eyes recede just a little. "Here we go." I saw the shimmer that indicated the portal between this place and our world, and I stopped a few feet shy of it. "Alright, you two first." I gestured with my good arm, and Murphy gave me a strange look before she grabbed Anna's hand. I patted the girl on the shoulder reassuringly as she passed me, and Anna looked up at me with a smile before stepping through the Way and disappearing. I gave them a few seconds, then followed. The sensation was worse this time, and I almost cried out from the pain that seared through my shoulder and into my brain. I couldn't breathe for a few seconds as small, strong hands held me up.
"Harry? You alright?" Murphy's voice sounded muffled, like she had a mouthful of cotton balls, but eventually the pain subsided and everything came back into focus. I looked down at her for a few seconds, then promptly passed out.
Poor Harry. I can't resist torturing him a little. Only one chapter left:
"I think I understand now why you were always so evasive. It's easier to avoid saying anything at all than to come up with a lie."
"Yes it is," I affirmed. "I don't like lying, Murphy, and I know you don't either. But it really is safer if they don't know."
"I know," she sighed. "What about Anna? I don't think I can lie to her, and I'm not sure she'd believe me anyway. What do we tell her?"