"Shit," Rosier says, "I don't believe it. Shit."
"What," Cassie says her whole body aching. She's only got those stupid thin baggies on her feet
"He's not here, Rosier says.
"Well it's days after-"
"No," he snaps, "He's not here! I can't feel him at all."
It's not winter yet at least.
Cassie is already sweating through her dress. She picks up the rucksack and says, "Come on let's go before the other Pythias turn up"
"Didn't you hear me?" Rosier shrieks
"I heard you," Cassie snaps, "but do you know how hard it was for me to get those tears? I'm not leaving only for you to say oops my bad when we get back the 21st century and find we're left pritkin behind here!"
She turns and marches off in a random direction to make a point more than anything and Rosier yanks her arm back violently almost out of its socket.
"The last place we saw him is this way you stupid child."
"Lead on then," Cassie snaps and they both walk in angry silence across a field, though a boggy patch, up a hill, along a stream until finally Rosier stops.
"Are we there?" Cassie says.
"I think we need to turn back," Rosier says stiffly.
"What why?" Cassie says and then sees why when she reaches the edge of the overhang.
The epic battle they got caught up in last time appears long over but the land in front of them is covered in silvery tents with fae lanterns strung amongst them. Fireflies swirl lazily up ahead and there's a strange silvery circle spinning about 20 feet from where they're standing.
"That's the ward," Rosier says. "They needed an anchor back then. It hasn't started chiming yet but we're close enough to piss on it. Back away slowly."
They both slowly start backing away as if held at gunpoint. Cassie says "Why is the ward so far away from the camp?"
"I don't suppose you have any mathematics to speak of?" says Rosier irritably. "It needs to overlook the camp or it won't work."
He starting to regain his bitch face now they're further from discovery. "Enough of this foolishness," he says suddenly. "Emrys isn't here. We need to go back and- "
"I don't think the power would bring us here unless it was important," Cassie interrupts. "I told it to find Pritkin and if brought us here. And now these guys are here too. It can't be a coincidence."
They arrive back in the hotel after bickering for what felt like hours. Cassie refused to believe they had wasted the last of Apollo's tears on a wasted trip and by the time they returned Rosier was in a tearing temper.
"I'm going to find out what the fuck is going on," he said through gritted teeth. "Meanwhile go stuff your face with those disgusting American pastries and be ready to travel again when I return."
The only reason Cassie doesn't smash her fist in his face is because she's too tired to clench her hand. She staggers in the direction of the elevator.
Casanova was old enough to know what the greatest things in life were. Beautiful women, gourmet food, designer suits. In his many years of obtaining these things he had learnt a great deal of coveted skills, how to lower his voice to make women (or men) melt, how to breathe out expensive tobacco like an ode, how to make love like an art. None of these skills were worth a shit when faced with the master of all these things.
Rosier said "Come here sweetheart before I get angry. You're coming with us on a little trip."
I hate you thinks Carlos wildly not knowing who this is aimed at more- the smirking incubus lord in front of him or the she devil upstairs.
"It's wonderful you and Rhian have made up," says Rosier conversationally. "You wouldn't be much use to me otherwise."
This is too much. "No," Carlos shrieks not thinking of The Incident before when he had been forced to give up his energy to the bastard and aware he sounds like a virginal maiden clinging to her virtue.
"Oh relax," Rosier scoffs. "I guarantee you'll enjoy it. I doubt I'll end up needing you but I need someone to make me look the lesser evil."
"Bastardo!" Carlos says as Rosier puts his arm around him.
"What's he doing here?" Cassie whinges through a mouthful of applesauce donut. Casanova sends her a look of pure loathing. He hadn't stopped bitching the whole way to the tearoom.
Rosier ignores both of them and grabs Cassie's rucksack, sweeping the leftover pastries into it.
"What the hell are you doing?" Cassie shrieks.
"Get up," he hisses looking like the snake he is. "We're leaving. Emrys has been taken from the timeline."
"Where?" Cassie says horrified.
"I don't know," Rosier says tightly. "I only know who took him, one of your miserable predecessors. Now get up you stupid girl before those pack of animals in Italian suits realise you're back."
Cassie stays sitting obstinately. "What do you mean taken from the timeline?" she demands. "That's not even possible."
"His timeline then," Rosier says, Get up." His hands are twitching
Cassie starts to speak and then stops, "I can't shift yet," she says not apologising but not sounding happy either.
Rosier waves dramatically at Casanova who suddenly realises why he's been dragged there and goes white. "No," he whispers in a shriek "Mircea will KILL me."
Cassie who has cottoned on too stands up, "No," she says pissed now.
Rosier scowls at her then. He's looking her right in the eye.
"You don't need the tears," he says. He lifts his hand as she goes to speak. "You don't need the tears," he repeats. "I've seen the power you have crammed in you compared to your counterparts. You just need a battery pack so to speak."
"Out of the question," Cassie snaps and moves past him.
Rosier grabs her arm. "I want my son back," he says low. "I will do anything to get him back. You claim to care about him. Think about what you're risking to give up."
He let's go to her surprise and says "I will be back in the morning. Think on that."
She leaves them standing there.
Cassie dreams she is sitting with her father. He's smoking a pipe and mystical creatures whirl from the smoke. Dragons, Unicorns, Phoenix's but they are all skeletons and look sharp and crooked.
A man is walking towards them wearing a ragged grey cloak. Cassie sees his face and something blooms in her chest like a rose. It almost chokes her.
Her father is still silent, still smoking.
"This is pritkin," Cassie wants to say. "He's not just the love of my life, he's my best friend too. I almost wish I hadn't met him because I've never hurt this much over a single person before. I'd do anything for him. I've followed him all the way into hell."
She wakes up and is thrown straight into a vision. It's the windmill she met Pritkin under in medieval Wales. It's covered in snow.