In Which It All Goes Wrong
I scrambled to pop up my own protective bubble, though I doubted it'd be any more effective than Quen's had been. I wasn't disparaging the elven garden defenses. Drawn circles would be tough enough against most foes; it was only the demons that could burst through a circle weakened by an open connection, and patches of holy ground would take care of that angle.
Unless, of course, holy ground booted you out, too. Lucky me.
But Zee was a demon, and he was armed with a staff just like Newt's. I huddled in my circle and tried not to look either as cowardly or as dazed as I felt. Rachel, Ceri, and Quen, on the other hand, had joined their powers with their joined hands, and had empowered a circle that I didn't think Newt herself could crack even with her nifty black stick.
"Give me the child, Rachel Mariana Morgan," Zee growled, striking the ground with his staff in frustration. "I shall not allow you and these elven vermin to lay waste to centuries of planning!"
Clearly you haven't been paying attention, I thought, recalling the myriad evil plans Rachel had been fouling up on a regular basis ever since she'd crashed into the demon-summoning business. And you're not saying your right words, either.
That fucking gazebo had really rung my bell, just now, because I'd spoken that last bit aloud. I blanched and tried not to wince as Zee jolted and whipped his head around in that inhumanly fast, creepy way only the undead and the demonic could manage. Even though I could probably do it myself now, it still made my heart lurch. His eyes, blank and black as Newt's, narrowed as he recognized me. "Kavi's whore, collaborating with Gally's pet project. How fortunate I have you both here. Pray, what are the right words?"
Hell with it, I thought. "Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered," I intoned, and Rachel made a snork, one hand over her mouth. Zee just stared at me with the humorless face of the pop-culturally deficient and didn't stop me as I continued, "I have fought my way here, to take back the child you have stolen."
"Fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city," Rachel corrected.
"Right. What she said," I rubbed my aching head. And here I'd thought that I'd had the silly movie memorized, thanks to the teenybopper next door who'd watched it at top volume approximately seven thousand times over the span of a summer. Someday I'd have to actually see it.
Zee's black gaze flicked to Rachel, then back to me. Or rather, his head twitched in those directions. His all-black eyes were as creepy as Newt's and his gaze just as hard to follow. "Don't think that Kavi can protect you from me."
"'You have no power over us,' Zee," I said, beaming with what was probably a slightly deranged grin. I'd had it with being afraid of demons. "The legal system's not only on our side, it's actively courting me." Rachel gave me a startled look, mouthing Dali? at me. She grimaced eloquently at my nod and shrug.
Zee's body quivered a little oddly, and the pause was a few seconds too long. He blinked a few times before he appeared to remember he was mid-threat. "You two believe you hold a special place in our society, two little fertile brats born of elven tinkering?" His smile was grim and empty of anything other than teeth. "I could kill you both and in a year's time, nobody will even remember your names. Hand over the child and I will let you live."
"Let me guess. You really think that the elves are going to trade their new princess for the cure for your impotence?" Rachel demanded, striking a saucy, hip-cocked pose. "Assuming you make it past us, you'll still have to cut through the swath of red tape Al and Newt are going to unleash on you. Or didn't you know that Newt's on our side, too?"
Again the pause. Again the blinking, the jerky twitches of the fingers. I recalled why Zee had always creeped me out. His tics were very distracting, for one thing, and invoking Newt's name didn't faze him in the slightest, if he'd even heard it. "Cure." There was nothing but contempt in Zee's voice. "Once I have that baby, we will have no need of a cure, child." It was difficult to tell where his gaze was fixed, but I had the impression that he was checking out Ceri. A raised eyebrow was the only sign of his thoughts. "Or perhaps…" he trailed off into mutters, and the eyebrows twitched down again.
Again I glanced at Rachel, wondering how we were going to get out of this. We were at a standoff, certainly — Zee couldn't break a triple-held circle. He could probably break mine and take me hostage, but I knew that Rachel wouldn't trade the life of the baby for mine. And what was his plan, anyway? "An elven kid's not going to help you escape the Ever After, bud," I said, hoping to goad him into a villainous monologue in which he'd reveal his Plan All Along. "And your plan about escaping in the bodies of cured witches is just stupid. Your souls are still tied to the Ever After, no matter where you put them."
Zee's lip curled as he regarded me. He frowned at something, waving a dismissive hand, muttering a curse. "Not as long as it still exists," he said, voice absent.
I exchanged a glance with Rachel. Yeah, she'd heard it too, the hint of Zee's underlying purpose. "You want to destroy the Ever After?" Rachel asked. "How does that help anything?"
Zee paused, cocking his head as if listening. There was definitely something off about his actions, as if he were distracted by voices only he could hear. His face fixed on Ceri again. "It could work," he said, voice thoughtful. He started, returning his gaze to Rachel as if her question had finally registered, his lips twitched into a grimace of impatience. "Stupid little whelps," he growled, gaze focusing back on Rachel. "I need that baby, woman!"
"Why?" Rachel asked, honestly curious.
Zee slammed his staff again, and sparks flew from the chipped stones. His gaze went distant for a moment, lips twitching again with subvocal mutterings, one hand idly tracing something in the air. As I stared at him, I got the distinct impression that Zee was carrying on at least two conversations. Maybe he was mad. But maybe… "Are you high or something?" I asked, but I didn't think he was.
Zee froze, eyes narrowing. His hands shook a little on his staff, though I didn't think it was from unsteadiness. More like impatience or anger. "Ceridwen Merriam Dulciate," he intoned, glaring at Ceri. "You know me. You cannot protect that infant forever. Drop your circle, else I shall visit such destruction on you and yours that—"
"Don't bother, Erazaebosamar," Ceri said, cutting short his threat with a haughty toss of her wispy-blonde tresses. "You cannot harm me, and you're not getting this child."
Zee fairly danced with furious, thwarted impatience. He was silent for a time, lips moving, hands twitching. I was almost a hundred percent certain now that his mind was literally two places at once. Curiosity and annoyance overcame caution. "This conversation would be a lot easier if you'd hang up the phone," I said.
Thus far Zee's attention had mostly been on Ceri, Rachel, and the now-sleeping infant under Quen's jacket. So I was completely unprepared when he whirled and stabbed my circle with his staff .
