A/N: Again with the disclaimer. I own nothing except a few original characters. But this has been a highly entertaining story to write.

Fox Clever Hunter strode into the demesnes two days later. He wore his human shape, and was gratified to see the girl's eyes widen at the sight of him. She said something he couldn't understand, then pulled something out of her pocket and pushed part of it while muttering under her breath. There was a brief display of bluish Essence, and when she spoke again he understood her perfectly.

"Sorry," she said. "I wasn't expecting anybody today, so I hadn't cast the spell."

Intrigued, he stepped closer to examine the device. It looked like a small box, with a couple of flat buttons. There were a few symbols inscribed on it; curious, he wet his thumb and ran it over the marks. They didn't come off, but they didn't seem to be carved or engraved either.

"That's my digital recorder," she told him. "A hundred and one uses for the intrepid explorer. Who are you?"

He smiled at her, exposing predatory canines. "I am called Fox Clever Hunter," he said. "I have offered to help supply you with food, since I live closer to this demesnes than Grimnyr does."

"Oh." Nonplussed, Deanna held out her hand. "I'm Deanna."

"Yes." Hunter took her hand, but did not release it. "I have heard of the outland sorceress who has come to dwell in the Haltan forest."

"Right…" Deanna was feeling some definite butterflies. While everyone else she'd met so far was within the human norm, this fellow would almost certainly be classed as a D-Bee--or Dimensional Being--back home. Not that she had anything against D-Bees personally; in fact, there had been an elven scholar at the university who'd been endlessly patient with the thousand and one questions of a curious student. But she'd never had one look at her quite that way before, like she was appetizer or something. And she'd certainly never experienced such a visceral attraction for one as she was feeling now. She tried to tug her hand away and blushed when he only tightened his grip.

"Hey, I need that hand," she said, scowling.

His smile only grew broader. "For what?" he asked.

Deanna's lips tightened. She might be god-knows how many dimensions from home, but she'd be damned if she was going to let anyone treat her like that. No matter how attractive he was. Her other hand reached for the hilt of her sword where it hung at her side.

"I said, let go!" she commanded, and thumbed the trigger.

Hunter jumped backwards and released the girl's hand as the crackling flame sprang up. New respect dawned in his eyes as she brandished the magical sword like a true warrior. Her jaw was set, and her brown eyes were hard. From a slightly safer distance, he gave slight bow.

"My apologies," he said quietly. "I believe I underestimated you."

Mollified, Deanna relaxed a bit, though she did not put the blade away yet. "Yeah, well, don't you forget it," she sniffed. "I don't mind you hanging around if you want to, but if you invade my personal space again I'll lop an arm off."

"I'll keep that in mind," he said. Privately, he wasn't certain she could do any such thing—but she was both a sorcerer and an outlander and therefore an unknown quantity. Better not to push it—at least until he'd had the opportunity to study what she was capable of.

And by then, I might change her mind, he thought.

He sank to the ground, folding his legs. The easy posture disarmed her, and she hesitated, then thumbed the stud again and the fiery blade disappeared. Hunter noted that she clipped the hilt to her belt as she sat, within easy reach.

"That is a very impressive weapon," he said. "What makes it do that?"

Now Deanna smiled, the infectious grin that Salus found so charming. "Well, it's just a basic fireball spell focused through a pair of red zircons." She pulled it off of her belt and showed him how the hilt had two red gems set inside it, connected by a loop of thin gold wire. "My own energy—what you call Essence—powers it." She demonstrated, pointing the blade away from them both, and again the tongue of flame sprang into life. "Anybody who can use magic or psionics can use one of these." A wistful look crossed her face. "Now, if I had some emeralds, I could make a sheath that would let me store enough energy to trigger the blade when it was drawn, without relying on my own reserves."

"Emeralds? Why emeralds?"

"Well, emeralds are unique, so far as we know, because they can actually store magic energy. Other gems and crystals act as focuses for certain spells or types of spells, but they can only direct the energy, not store it. Basically, I'd just line the sheath with emeralds and set up the spells so it would draw on the ambient energy to power the sword."

"Hmm." Fox Clever Hunter thought about that for a moment. "If you can make an emerald sheath that draws on peripheral Essence, couldn't you build the emeralds into the sword so that it would always power itself?"

"Hey…" Deanna blinked and stared into the distance as new possibilities suddenly unfolded. "Hey, yeah, I probably could. And not just a sword. Small energy weapons…of course, you'd run out quick in a firefight and then it's back to your own P.P.E., but still…"

Hunter chuckled to himself as she muttered under her breath, clearly forgetting he was even there. It seemed sorcerers were the same no matter where they were from.

Then she jerked back to the here-and-now, focusing on him with a slight frown. "So how come you care, anyway?" she asked. "Are you a wizard, too?"

"Me? No. I have only the natural charms Luna grants to all of her warriors." A look of pride crossed his face. "Though I am one of Luna's mightiest Chosen."

Deanna cocked her head. "Talon said he was chosen, too. Is that the same thing?"

Hunter growled his distaste for the physician. "Not at all," he said. "The City Man was Chosen by Sol Invictus, the Unconquered Sun. I was Chosen by Luna, the Many-faced Moon."

"Right…" Deanna sat back and wrapped her arms around her knees. "This must seem like a really ignorant question, but remember, I'm from out of town. That whole sun/moon bit--are we talking the actual sun and moon? Or is there a metaphor I'm missing somewhere?"

Now Fox Clever Hunter felt a touch uneasy as he stared at her. For the first time, he had an inkling of just how alien she was. "Both," he said. "And neither, I suppose." His forehead creased as he sought to explain what was, for him, simply a fact of existence.

"Everything in Creation has a spirit associated with," he said. "Natural features such as trees, rocks and rivers--phenomena like the weather--even abstract or amorphous concepts like emotions. We call these spirits, gods."

"Individual gods are not very powerful. They don't have to be. The dryad of that tree, for instance"--he indicated the tree Deanna leaned against--"is concerned with that tree, and only that tree. But the forest has a god as well, and his power would be greater in proportion."

Deanna leaned forward, propping her chin on her hand, as Hunter warmed to his subject.

"The greater gods are those with vast and sweeping concerns. The greatest and most powerful are called the Incarnae, and they oversee heaven and earth. In order to better serve their concerns, they created the Exalted by investing a shard of their divine Essence into worthy mortals."

Now Deanna felt a little thrill of fear. "Wait a minute," she said. "'Invested you with her Essence?' What does that mean, exactly?"

Hunter cocked his head, catching the sudden smell of her fear. "When Luna, or Sol, or the Maidens exalt a mortal, they place a shard of their own divine Essence into that mortal. When the host dies, slain in combat or in the fullness of time, that divine shard is reinvested in another mortal of the god's choosing."

The girl sprang to her feet and began to pace slowly away from him. Her arms were crossed over her stomach, and her head was bowed. Her body practically hummed with the tension flowing through it. "So…your powers don't really come from yourselves. You get them from something more powerful."

Hunter frowned. "The shard make it possible for us to harness Essence, to learn charms and, if we desire, sorcery. Without it—" He shrugged. "Well, there is a form of mortal thaumaturgy, but it is vastly inferior to the magic of the Exalted."

"Look, this might all be just fine with you, but I need to think a little. Not that you guys have been anything but nice so far, but…could you just go away for a while? Please?"

Puzzled by her distress, Fox Clever Hunter rose slowly to his feet. "If you want me to, I will," he told her. "I'll be back in a few days, with more food for you."

Deanna watched him go, aware that she was being unfair, but unable to completely discard the prejudices of a lifetime.

When Salus waltzed into camp the next day at twilight, he found Deanna half hidden beneath her bike. Various metallic noises and what sounded like soft muttered curses echoed from beneath the machine. Salus waited a moment, then leaned over and tapped her knee gently.

There was a metallic scrape, and a louder curse, and then Deanna slid out from beneath the bike, looking highly annoyed. Seeing Salus, she sighed and reached for the digital recorder, activating the tongues spell, and sat up. Blood ran from a long scratch over her knuckles, and she wrapped the hand in a dirty rag. Salus winced and pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket.

"Please use this," he said. "One does not live with Creation's finest physician without learning a few things about hygiene."

She took the handkerchief, throwing him an unexpectedly hostile look. Salus wondered if perhaps she had learned what he did for a living and disapproved. He waited patiently, sensing the turmoil she was in. Finally, she seemed to make up her mind.

"Salus," she asked, "Are you Exalted?"

The question took him completely by surprise. "Why, no," he said. He raised a sardonic eyebrow. "Should I be?"

"Well, no, I mean…look, can I ask you a few things? I mean, privately."

Salus became serious, sensing the depth of her unease. "I promise, my dear, you may ask me anything you like, and I will keep your confidence."

She believed him, though she wasn't quite sure why. "Ok…so what do you know about Exalts? I mean, what they can do, where their powers come from. I mean, it's obvious you and Talon are, well, together, so you seem like the logical one to ask."

Salus looked at her quietly for a moment. "Something is bothering you, I can tell," he said finally. "Perhaps you'd better be more specific."

Her face grew red, and she stared at her injured hand. "Fox Clever Hunter was here," she said. "He told me a little about how the Exalted get their powers, and…it's a little creepy." Her eyes were anxious as she finally looked up at Salus. "The only thing we have that's even close are vampires, and I think the Splugorth witches. You've all been really great, but…I guess I just need to know that nobody's gonna try to drink my blood in the middle of the night, or try to trick me into interdimensional slavery."

Well, that was certainly not what he'd expected to hear. Salus sat back and regarded the girl speculatively, thinking of the Broken Lord, now Unbroken, and the habits of the Fair Folk. "Well, there are those in the world who would do those things," he told her. "But not Talon, nor any of his Circle, though for thousands of years the Immaculate Order spread the lie that the Exalted were demonic in origin, rather than divine." Now Salus smiled, a beatific smile that enhanced his angelic features. "But my parentage gives me certain powers as well, and I can swear to you on my name that neither Talon nor any of his Circle would ever do you any deliberate harm."

"Your parentage?" Now her wariness was replaced with curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"My mother was a mortal woman," he said, "but my father was one of the Fair Folk."

The tongues spell rendered the term "fairy" to Deanna's ears, and she blinked, then giggled. "A fairy?" Salus watched in bemusement as she tried desperately to control herself, before finally giving in to gales of laughter. "I-I'm sorry," she spluttered, "but that's just so—so funny!"

It wasn't funny to Salus at all, but his innate courtesy kept him from getting up and just leaving. The girl wasn't completely ignorant; as her laughter subsided, she noted his tight lips and grim expression.

"Okay…maybe not so funny," she gasped. "It's just the thought of something so tiny…" she snickered again, but stifled it as Salus frowned.

"Tiny?" he said acidly. "Perhaps that is how the Fair Folk dream of themselves in your world."

"Wait, are we talking about the same thing here?" she asked. "I mean, there are whole swaths of country taken over by fairies where I'm from, and they're kinda cute, if you can get past the really weird sense of humor. 'Bout six inches tall, usually with wings. That's what I was laughing about—sex with something six inches tall."

Now Salus relaxed a little. "It appears your spell isn't perfect," he said. "What we call the Fair Folk are beings from beyond Creation's borders, a realm of dreams and pure possibility. Most of them stay in their formless, chaotic realm, but a few, out of curiosity or some other emotion, come here, and are locked in one form. They prey on the dreams and emotions of humans, leaving them husks of themselves, with no more will than a plant. My mother was one such victim. Something about her caught my father's fancy, and he used her until he tired of her. For some reason, he chose not to completely drain her, instead selling her to the Guild when she was pregnant with me. I was born in a Guild slave caravan. My mother was sold when I was four, and I do not know what happened to her." He paused, collecting himself as old, old hurts rose to torment him. "Because my father fed on dreams, on emotions, his senses allowed him to find those he found the most appealing, and he passed some of those senses on to me. That is why I can tell you that Talon would never harm you—because I can feel his boundless compassion, his desire to heal all the wounds of the world." That beatific smile touched Salus's lips again.

"Wow. That's, um, interesting." Deanna's face reddened. "Uh…sorry for laughing."

Salus waved a hand graciously. "Think nothing of it," he told her.

The girl thought a moment. "What about Fox Clever Hunter?" she asked. "Is he part of Talon's circle? What can you tell me about him?"

Now Salus was distinctly amused. "No, he is not part of Talon's Circle, and I can tell you very little about him, except that he hates Talon for tricking him out of his demesnes, he hates me for what I am, and he hates Grimnyr for winning Virtuous Guardian. He is proud and volatile. I am certain he has his good points—but I can't tell you what those are."

Deanna giggled at that acidic comment. "Well, he's easy on the eyes, at least," she said. "Though the Coalition would shoot him on sight. He doesn't look human enough for them."

"They could try," Salus said. "All Lunars can take a great deal of punishment. If they caught him by surprise, he might fall down—but only long enough to catch his breath before getting up again."

"Give the Deadboys quite a shock," Deanna remarked.

"Deadboys?"

"It's a slang term for Coalition soldiers," Deanna told him. "See, they wear armor that makes you think of skeletons, especially the skull helmets. So we call 'em Deadboys."

Salus shuddered fastidiously. "Good. For a moment I thought you were being more literal. I have seen deathknights actually make the dead walk. From a safe distance, of course."

"Deathknights?" Deanna made a face. "Don't like the sound of that."

Salus nodded. "Yes, and I'm really not the one to talk to about that sort of thing. For that, you would need to talk to Talon—which in a roundabout sort of fashion brings me to why I'm here. You can't stay here at the demesnes, Deanna. Many things are getting ready to happen, and it's not safe."

"Not safe? Why, what's going on?"

The merchant looked grave. "We have word that the Dynasty is assembling their legions to attack the Haltans. There are no walls around this place, no way to keep them out, and they will certainly not change their path just because you're here. You may stay in Chanta with the Circle, or we could make arrangements for you to go elsewhere, but you cannot stay here."

Deanna's fair complexion went the color of milk. "Legions? You mean, like an army?" Salus nodded. "But Salus," she said faintly, "I'm not finished yet. I just figured out how to send a signal—what if they come through and I'm not here? What if—"

Salus cut her off with a gentle hand on her shoulder. "If you can signal them through other dimensions, surely you can signal them through space. You absolutely cannot stay here."

"Just a couple of days, OK?" Deanna's eyes were huge, and she ran a hand anxiously through her hair. "Just give me a day or two, to-to get things set up here. Please?"

He could sense her distress, bitter as gall, and sighed resignedly. "Very well," he agreed. "They cannot be here for at least a month. Someone will come collect you in a day or two."

When he had gone, Deanna sat huddled in front of her little fire, staring into space. She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts, she didn't notice the growing darkness or hear the soft feet padding up behind her. As a result, she screamed out loud when a broad head butted her in the back. She leaped up and whirled, reaching for her flame sword—then realized it was just the cat.

The beast sat quietly, as if it had not just scared her out of a year's magic, with his tail wrapped around his forepaws. As she relaxed, his rumbling purr started.

"Hey, there," she said, lowering her weapon. "You scared the hell outta me, you know that?"

He squinched his eyes partly shut and lowered his head a little, as if to say he did know and was sorry.

"So how long have you been hanging around, anyway? Looking for another handout?"
He rose to his feet, his tail twitching eagerly as the volume of his purr increased a notch. Deanna laughed.

"Sorry, kitty," she told him. "No more cookies."

His purr didn't stop, but the beast lowered himself to the ground and looked so disgruntled that Deanna couldn't help laughing again. His ears flattened at the sound, adding to the look of wounded pride. Feeling oddly comfortable with him—despite Virtuous Guardian's denial that he was "tame"—Deanna plopped onto the ground beside him and reached over to scratch behind his ears, a familiarity that he accepted readily.

"Actually, I'm glad you're here," she said conversationally. "I could use someone to talk to. Salus and Talon are okay, but they're busy, and anyway I don't know if they'd get it. And Hunter…" She frowned. "I've barely met him, and oh boy, there's definitely a spark there, but I'm not sure if he was even actually coming on to me or not. I mean, I barely know how to talk to boys in my own world—how the heck can I relate to someone like him?"

The great cat leaned into her, rubbing his head against her side and nearly pushing her off balance.

"Thanks, I think." Deanna laughed. "At least you like me, huh?" Suddenly aware of the chill in the air, she shivered and pulled her coat closer around her, leaning unconsciously against the cat's warm flank.

"Say, I can't just keep calling you 'cat,'" she observed. "If you're going to be hanging around, you need a name."

His attitude seemed to indicate that "Cat" was just fine.

"But I have to admit that I'm used to housecats with names like 'Fluffy' and 'Smokey' and 'Her Most Magnificent Highness Princess Thistle Puff.' I can't imagine calling you Thistle Puff."

The cat folded his ears and sank to the ground. His purr became a growl, and Deanna laughed again at his discomfiture.

"Okay, I guess 'Cat' will have to do for now. But if I think of something else I'll let you know."

The girl gave the cat one last rub across the head, then yawned and turned to enter her tent. As she pushed back the flap, the cat suddenly rose and pushed past her, knocking her flat on her derriere.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "That's my bed you're sitting on!" Indeed, the animal was sitting smack dab in the middle of her bedroll. "Get off," she grunted, trying to push him back out the door. "You'll get mud all over my blankets."

The cat refused to budge. Deanna thought about scorching his tail with a well-placed fire spell, but two things stopped her. First, she didn't want to hurt a basically harmless animal, and second, she didn't want to chance setting the tent on fire. Finally, out of breath, Deanna flopped onto the blanket. The cat lay down as well, giving her just enough room to slide under the blankets. Deanna glared at him as she stripped down to her shirt.

"Thanks," she remarked sarcastically. "Mighty big of you."

Tired now, she extinguished her lantern and snuggled under the blankets, surprised and pleased when the animal stretched out against her back. He was warm and solid; her eyes closed and she was quickly lulled into sleep by the comforting sound of his purr.

Dawn was just beginning to filter through the canopy when another great cat, this one female, padded into the clearing and growled softly. In the tent, Fox Clever Hunter opened an eye, yawned and stretched, then got up and noiselessly exited the tent. Virtuous Guardian glared at him.

Just what do you think you're doing? She asked him in the common language of cats.

Hunter dropped his jaw in a feline grin. Getting to know her better, he replied in kind. Since you claim I move too quickly.

The other Lunar switched her tail. You are asking for trouble, she told him sternly. Talon will be here today to escort her to Chanta, and he will not be pleased to find you here.

Fox Clever Hunter growled his contempt for the Solar. He does not frighten me, he said. This time I am alert for his tricks, and I will crush him as I should have done before.

And what about the girl? Virtuous Guardian countered. What will she do when she discovers the trick?

He hadn't really thought about that, and Guardian saw his ears flatten as he considered the possibility that she would not take such a revelation well. She likes me, he said after a moment. Even though she thinks I am only a dumb beast.

Guardian snorted. If you want her to keep liking you, she said pointedly, then tell her. And treat her gently. She is young, and I think tender. She could be easily hurt, and then Salus would be angry with you. He is fond of the girl.

Hunter growled again, more fiercely. What do I care what the Raksha-spawn thinks?

When he is mated to one who is not only a powerful sorcerer, but also nain-ya among the Silver Pact, then you should care, Virtuous Guardian replied. More gently, she continued. Think. There is no honor for you in fighting Talon, nor in continuing to deceive the girl. The cat that was Virtuous Guardian raised her head and listened. She wakes. Remember my words. And she spun and leaped lightly out of the clearing as Deanna stepped into the chill of the autumn morning.

"Hey, cat," yawned the girl as she rubbed her eyes. Of course, he could no longer understand anything she said. "Still here, huh? Well, you're welcome to stay for breakfast, as long as you don't eat it all. Sorry I'm not more of a morning person."

Fox Clever Hunter was almost amused to discover just how much of a morning person she wasn't. The first thing she did was mix water with some kind of black powder in her canteen. Hunter's sensitive nose caught the acrid scent of something like kava, the bitter tea sentries use to stay awake on duty. She drank two cups in quick succession, muttering under her breath the whole time, and only then did she build up her fire with a quick spell and set porridge to simmer. Then she gathered a pile of clothes and soap and headed for the spring. Hunter followed, and was amused to see her warm the freezing pool much as she'd built her fire, then settle into the now steaming water with a luxurious sigh, cradling her third cup of kava.

"Sure hope my Electronic Thumb works like I want it to," she remarked to no one in particular. "Cause I'm gonna be real cranky when my coffee runs out. Even that freeze-dried crap is better than nothing."

Finally Deanna noticed the cat where he lounged. "Watching my back, huh?" She reached out to scratch his ears like usual. But this morning, her fingers found smooth skin. Silver Essence rolled off of his shoulders as Fox Clever Hunter resumed his man-shape, smiling a bit sheepishly and holding a hand out to her. He said something; Deanna couldn't understand it of course, but she was too stunned for a moment even to notice that he'd spoken.

"You—the cat—that was you? The whole time?" Stunned disbelief was quickly turning to embarrassed anger. "The whole time!" She scrambled out of the pool, away from him, oblivious to the fact that she was still wet and naked.

He couldn't understand her words, but Hunter recognized it when the shock turned to anger. Her face went pale, then livid. Her fists clenched as she shouted at him. He held out his hands, hoping to placate her long enough to…well, he didn't know what, since only she could work the language-spell. But as he stepped forward, her little fist came up and slammed into his nose.

It barely stung. He was a Lunar, after all, and she was no martial artist. But now it was Hunter's turn to stare disbelieving at this puny, mortal woman who had dared to strike him. As he stared, she scooped up her clothes and dashed back to her camp.

Deanna wiped angry tears from her face as she pelted into camp. Just remembering last night made her face blush crimson. God, she must look like a fool to him. No doubt everyone here knew Lunars could turn into animals. And it should have been obvious, shouldn't it? Both of them that she'd seen had obvious animal features. How they must have laughed at her. She sniffled and hastily pulled on her shirt. She hadn't made it as far as her jeans when Fox Clever Hunter walked into the clearing. His voice was sharp and angry as he spoke.

Her flame sword was still in the tent, but the little T-K pistol Badger called her "clinch piece" was handy, and she whipped it around to point straight at him. "Get away," she told him, and her voice shook with rage. "Get out of here, or so help me, I will shoot you."

Hunter had a pretty good idea of what she was saying, but he ignored both her words and the little piece of metal in her hand. He had to make her listen! He hadn't meant to upset her. But as he stepped forward again, there was a sharp report. Something struck him; for a split second, he thought he'd been hit by a stone. Then the pain started. He didn't stop to think—he reacted.

Deanna screamed as the man roared in pain and rage and changed again. He grew—before she could draw another breath, he was nearly nine feet tall. His teeth lengthened, and his face shortened to a feline muzzle. Muscle rippled across his chest as his nails became savage claws. What stood in front of her now was a sleek and deadly meld of man and cat that snarled savagely as blood dripped from the wound in its chest.

It leaped; she screamed again and squeezed the trigger as she tried to dodge. She couldn't tell if she'd hit it again or not—the air whoofed out of her lungs as its weight landed on top of her. She felt its hot breath on the back of her neck and closed her eyes, whimpering, expecting at any second to feel fangs and claws ripping her apart.

Then there was a shout, and the weight was abruptly gone. Deanna opened a cautious eye to see Grimnyr's bulk standing over her. The golden axe he carried was out of its hanger and threatening the snarling man-beast as it picked itself up from the ground where Grimnyr's blow had sent it.

Holy shit, I didn't know they had rune technology here, was her completely inconsequential thought as she rolled aside and picked herself up. Grimnyr said something with a light in his eye that indicated he wouldn't mind a throw-down with the Lunar; Hunter snarled back, indicating Deanna with one paw. Grimnyr laughed and sneered, beckoning his opponent forward.

It looked like a stand-off to Deanna, and she readied her pistol to cast an energy bolt, which might stun the monster. Then Talon stepped forward to stand beside Deanna, and added his opinion. Of course, Deanna still couldn't understand the words, but they sounded lordly and commanding. Hunter's eyes fell on Deanna; her hand shook but she raised the pistol defiantly. Suddenly the fight seemed to drain out of the man-beast. He dropped to all fours, shrinking down into his feline shape, and turned and leapt away.

There was a moment's silence. "Shit," muttered Deanna. "Shit, hellfire and damnation!" She began to shake as adrenalin surged through her body, until she nearly dropped the little pistol she still carried. Her breath hitched as she began to sob. "Oh, fuck. Oh holy fucking Christ…" Her knees gave out, and she collapsed in a heap on the hard ground. She shivered and sobbed, still cursing. She flinched as Salus settled next to her, then leaned into the comforting arm he put around her shoulders. It was such a natural gesture—so much like something her own father would do—that she finally gave in to the stresses of the last weeks.

"I'm not even supposed to be here!" she shouted. "I'm supposed to be in Lazlo, curled up on the couch eating chocolate-chip cookie dough and watching soap operas. I'm supposed to be having dinner with my family, telling them all about my trip to Old Chicago. I'm supposed to be in my workshop, trying to figure out how to make magic accessible to Joe Six-pack. I wasn't supposed to get shot by Deadboys, steer my bike into a rift, and wind up somewhere with trees that hold up the sky, actual gods running around telling people what to do, and big friendly kitty-cats that aren't cats at all!" She sniffled and dashed tears away with the back of her hand. "It's bad enough I'm stuck, but why the hell do I have to get stuck in the fucking Dark Ages? Why couldn't I get stuck somewhere with chocolate? Do you hear me?" Talon and Grimnyr stared as she raised her tear-streaked face and yelled at the sky. "Do you hear me? I want chocolate, damn it! I want real coffee! I want god-damn running water!"

The sudden passion drained out of her, and she slumped against Salus's shoulder. There was a rustle of green silk as Talon knelt in front of her and held out the digital recorder. Deanna stared dully at it for a moment, then pushed away his hand. "Take it away," she said tonelessly. "I don't feel like talking right now."