When I broke the speaking stone connection, the world went black for a moment. Light faded back in on in the back room of St. Mary's. Molly, Elaine and Murphy were there, sitting at the tiny table. I smiled as I moved a foot to break the circle, then stumbled a little.

My legs were weak. My breath was strained, and my chest hurt a little, and I really wanted to lie down – but I didn't feel powerless. I'd actually accomplished something. "Ha!" I said. Molly was under my right arm in a flash; my left hand found my chest.

"Harry?" Elaine was speaking. "Are you okay?"

"Better than that." Molly eased me into a cot. "Gatekeeper got me fired up enough that I could fire up everyone else. Cagey old fox. We've got reinforcements coming."

"The Council?" Murph asked.

I nodded. "It took some well-formed arguments, but they're coming. McCoy said to give them 12 hours. We'll meet at neutral ground."

"Good to know."

"Yeah," Molly said, her voice flat. "Great."

"Really terrific," Elaine added, sounding exactly like Molly.

I lay down, breathing hard. "Don't worry, you two. You'll be fine. I promise. Wardens are going to have more important things to worry about."

Molly gave me a weak smile. I took it. "Where's Sanya?"

Murphy stood up and glanced at the door. "He said something about a vampire, asked me to watch you. I told him not to go far."

"Good. Murph, I need rest."

"Obviously."

"When I get up, we need to head back to your place, collect a few things."

She glanced at Elaine and Molly. "No problem."

"You guys should get some sleep, too. Tomorrow's going to be a busy day."

Someone said something back to me, but I missed it; I was already asleep.

I was sitting in my office. Impossible, of course. I looked across my desk at a handsome bastard. "Why do we always meet here?" I asked.

My subconscious shrugged, and made it look rugged. His stubble helped. "It's familiar, and now that it's gone, you always know it's a dream right away. Makes you easier to deal with."

I snorted and looked at the other chair, occupied by a beautiful brunette woman in robes. "Lash."

"Harry." She nodded at me politely.

Back to my inner twin: "So, you call this meeting?"

"Yeah. But I only wanted to say, we're finally on the same page about… well, just about everything."

One of my eyebrows jumped. "'Just about', huh? And what, exactly, are we in disagreement about?"

"Not disagreement. More like, I want to draw your attention to something."

I rolled my eyes. "All right. So, should we do the whole back-and-forth, or can we skip to the point where you get frustrated and just tell me?"

He smiled. Inner Me kind of reminded me of Thomas, with his casual good looks and devil-may-care manner. He was essentially the side of me I had to keep an eye on, lest he get out of control. He was the part of me that had thought, from time to time, about just cutting loose and blowing up the whole damn world when it seemed everything and everyone was against me.

He was also the part of me that had naughty, inappropriate thoughts.

"All right, let's just cut to it: Molly."

My second eyebrow joined the first. "Finish that thought, before I make assumptions."

His turn to roll his eyes. Or my eyes. Whatever. "Not that way. Though, she has grown up nicely."

"No argument. Now get to the point."

He sighed. "You really have got to let me drive, from time to time. All right; Molly and Mab. Mab has outright said, a couple times, that she wants you for the Knight position. So what's with Molly's story?"

I leaned back in my chair. I hadn't even realised I was sitting up so straight. "I have no idea. It doesn't make any sense. Sidhe can't lie, so if Mab said she wanted me…"

"Then she wanted you. Probably still does. Which means?"

I frowned. "Either Molly was lied to, which is impossible, or there's something going on with Mab. Something that changed her mind."

"Maybe she's gone nutty, just like her sister Queen."

"Maybe. I have no proof. I'll have to keep an eye on Molly. If Mab's just using her somehow…"

"Well, she's under orders to stick to you like glue, so keeping an eye on her shouldn't be hard."

"True." I paused. "This is the most civil conversation I think we've ever had."

"'We'? Harry, you're just talking to yourself."

I opened my mouth to reply.

I woke up about then. Bastard always gets the last word.

I took stock of myself. I was warm. My chest didn't hurt, my head wasn't very foggy, and my eyes were just a little bleary. There was someone lying next to me.

Elaine. I shifted my head, and she woke with a deep breath. "Hey," she said. The corners of her mouth curled up, just a little. I loved it when they did that.

"Hey yourself." The cot was crowded, but I didn't care. We were up against a wall, and using my duster as a blanket. I checked my watch; it was a shade after nine o'clock. "Whoa. I was out for almost eight straight hours? I got an honest to goodness full night's sleep?"

"It seems to agree with you. Maybe you should try it more often."

"Hardy-har. I don't feel rested." My gut growled. "Just hungry, apparently."

She smiled at me.

I smiled back. "Thanks. For keeping me warm last night."

"You mean the hot chocolate?"

"No."

She smiled again. "Just one of the many services I offer. I would urge you to take me up on them."

And all at once, I was a little too warm. "Well, you know, some urges just can't be denied." I leaned a little closer.

My stomach growled again, louder. "No kidding," she said, and rolled out of the cot. I dropped my head back down. "Oh, hello, Mouse."

I saw my dog's massive head rise off the floor. Elaine scratched his ears, then stood. He turned to me, lowered his head to the cot, and set his nose close to mine. He seemed to be grinning. "You're probably hungry, too."

He tilted his head to one side.

"Oh, don't look so innocent." I clambered up as the great furry beast laughed at me. Yeah, my dog laughed. I'm sure of it. I think.

I needed coffee.

I shrugged into my duster, grabbed my staff, staggered out of the back room behind Elaine and beside Mouse, and we all made our way toward the nave. There we found Molly and Father Fraser passing out coffee, orange juice and toast. It was probably all that was left. There were no children remaining here; all the families and stray kids had been shipped off yesterday, as had the elderly. About 70% of the remainder were male, and everyone was in their late 20s to early 50s.

Most of the light was now artificial, with little coming in through the windows. The overhead hanging lights were on. In the background, I heard a generator humming.

I glanced around as we got in line. There were still at least two hundred people here, and I didn't see Murphy or Sanya, though a few soldiers were in evidence. A trio of them were speaking energetically off in a corner, using hand gestures.

Curious, I took a breath, cleared my head, and concentrated all my attention on my sense of hearing. Listening is a talent that most people can learn, if they take the time to. I guess a little magic helps, but it's the act of concentration and focus that really makes it happen. The voices of the soldiers slowly faded into my awareness.

"Doesn't matter," one of them said. "They can hook up snowploughs. The real problem is that only one route is open."

"And what's with that Russian guy and the chick who are wearing swords?" a second man asked. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"You want to tell them to take them off? Besides, I heard she was a cop, or something."

"You know what's weird?" the third guy asked. "I heard all those fires are still burning. Even after that dump we got last night."

"It's just gas, Lee," Soldier #1 said. "They can't get it shut off."

"Oh," Lee said. It was pretty obvious he was the lowest ranking one in the conversation. "So what do we tell people?"

"Nothing, unless they ask, and then you just say the buses are coming, just a little held up by the weather. But you make it clear we are getting people out today. If the damn choppers weren't needed on the lake, we'd be getting them out already."

"So," #2 asked, "what do we do until the bus gets here?"

"That's a stupid question, soldier," the first man said, and walked away. The other two looked embarrassed, then began to make like soldiers again, rather than teenage girls.

I stopped Listening. It appeared evacuation was going to be slow, due to snow. Just as the Winter Knight happens to come back to town. Great. I smiled and took a plastic cup of warm ambrosia from said Knight. She smiled back.

I shoved some toast down my throat and had just taken my first gulp of coffee when the front doors opened. Murphy and Sanya both trudged in. Through the door, I saw very little other than darkness. The world was still, covered in a thick blanket. They shoved the doors closed again. Sanya headed for the Guardsmen, Murphy headed for me.

"Morning," she said.

"Did you sleep?" I asked.

"I got about four or five hours last night. Feel great."

"Weird."

She glanced at the hilt of the Sword over her shoulder. "Yeah, a bit."

"What's outside?"

She shrugged. "Snow. Boatloads of it. It's stopped falling, but we're completely overcast out there." Her voice lowered. "No trace of anything else."

My voice went low, too. "Oh, it's out there. Just not in the neighbourhood."

She nodded in agreement. "You ready to go?"

"Let me finish gulping." I burned my tongue and throat a bit, but my stomach finally shut up and my eyes finished opening. "Okay, once Molly's ready - "

"I'm here." I turned to my former apprentice, who was approaching. She had her sword over her shoulder and her jacket in her hand. She looked… well, not unhappy, but there was no joy in her face today, not like when her family had been around. She looked… cold. "We heading back to Karrin's?"

I looked at the still-moving breakfast line. "You good to leave?"

"Yeah, Father Fraser doesn't really need me. I was just killing time until you woke up." She shot a glance at Elaine.

"Hey, I didn't wake him," she said.

"I'm sure you didn't."

"Sanya coming?" I asked, heading off all further conversation.

Murph shook her head. "People seem less nervous when he's around. He's staying here until all the civilians are clear."

"Makes sense. He is the Knight of Hope. All right. Let's get moving. I've only got a couple hours before the Wardens arrive, and I want to be able to point them and all their smite in the right direction."

I saw Molly and Elaine exchange another glance, but I ignored it. Molly was safe, now, and Elaine? Well, I'm sure no one had given Justin DuMorne and his former apprentices a thought in years.

Yeah, and I could just about talk myself into buying swampland in Florida. Elaine and I, both orphans, had both been adopted by DuMorne, a former Warden. We didn't know Justin had gone off the deep end at some point, and had decided to raise his own army of magical enforcers, starting with the two of us.

That debacle had led to my first exposure to black magic, my first sense of betrayal, my first encounter with an Outsider - which I still don't clearly remember – and the first time I'd killed somebody.

I don't like to think about it much. Point is, as far as the Council was concerned, I had been Justin's only apprentice, and they'd kept an eye on me my whole life. If anyone found out about Elaine, she'd be subject to the same scrutiny. And she takes to scrutiny even worse than I do.

The five of us left with little more than a couple waves to Sanya and Fraser. Outside, the air was crisp, and the sun was hiding. The mid-morning looked more like twilight. I expected that to change as we moved out of the shadow of the church, but conditions barely improved. Had the power been on, I'm sure streetlights would have been burning.

Two blocks from St. Mary's, in the shadow of a massive spruce tree, Molly opened a hole in reality. The other side of the portal, opening into a frozen glade in the lands of Winter, didn't look much different from the snow-blasted yard we stood in, aside from being brighter.

Stepping through, I felt the change, though; something in the air felt ominous. Not dangerous, not evil, exactly, but I had the sudden – and I'd bet accurate – feeling that we were being watched. Mouse let out a short, low growl, as though warning the air itself he was not to be trifled with.

The air must have listened, because nothing crossed our path en route to Murphy's house. But that could have been the Winter Knight's presence, too. We traipsed through frozen woodland for about twenty minutes before Molly held up her hand for a stop.

I was flexing my hands and stomping my feet as she sunk her fingers into the air and pulled it open. I kept watching the area around us, certain that something was going to jump out and make our lives miserable. Or short. Nothing happened, despite my trepidation. Finally, I just followed the ladies through the portal. I stepped out onto dry pavement in weak sunshine.

That probably should have been enough warning. But hey, I hadn't slept well.

We had come out three houses down from Murph's place, emerging from a wall of a garage. Elaine stamped her feet, shaking off snow that was already melting into ectoplasm. "Well," she said, "I'll say this much for Summer; their Ways are much nicer to walk."

"You just have to get used to the cold," Molly said, oddly cheerful.

"What are you so chipper about?" Elaine asked.

Molly watched the portal shut, then sighed. "I'm not sure," she said quietly.

As we walked down the street, my radar started to ping. One look told me Elaine hadn't felt anything. "Anybody got a weird feeling?"

"No," Elaine said. "Which I guess is kind of weird itself."

"We're still being watched," Murphy said, glancing from side to side. "Let's make this quick."

I nodded, my eyes jumping from shadow to shadow. At an unspoken signal, we all picked up the pace a bit. I side-stepped Thomas' car – which Molly had driven across several yards and sidewalks to get here – dodged around the Blue Beetle, my favourite – and only – vehicle, and across the green yard. The beaten up old Volkswagen had taken a lot of punishment over the years, but somehow always managed to avoid the worst of whatever we got into. I usually ended up taking that.

I hurried up to the door, dug a key out of my jeans pocket, and slipped inside. Mister almost tripped me as I went, coming the opposite way. He jumped out onto the lawn, looked around, then made a mad dash for the other side of the street.

I was through the door and grabbing a bag full of quasi-legal items that I had taken years to collect before I paused and asked myself, "Why was there no snow on the lawn?"

Naturally, that's when the screaming started.

"Harry!" I heard Murphy's voice through the wall. My arm had the bag over my shoulder and my legs started carrying me out of the bedroom before I was even aware I was I was moving. With the tarp over the hole that had been the front window, the living room was dark, and I couldn't see the street.

I stopped just long enough to shake out my shield bracelet – a beautiful, and slightly expensive, early Christmas present from Elaine. Doing so kept me from getting crushed.

The tarp, and a good chunk of the wall around it, exploded inward. I threw out my left hand, and fed my panic into my magic; a half-dome of transparent blue energy came into existence between me and the orange tarp. The tough nylon hit my shield, driving me back a step, but the barrier held. The tarp fell to the ground.

Two things had flown through the wall at me. One was a short, muscular, hairy, unhappy-looking man wearing nothing but a loincloth and a toothy grin. A hobgoblin.

The other was a tall, lithe, beautiful woman wearing nothing but a pair of wings. Her mouth was full of sharp teeth. A sylph.

I'm not fond of hobgoblins; the smaller, less ugly cousins of goblins aren't as dangerous as their relatives, though they are annoying.

But I fucking hate sylphs. And they had just attacked people I cared about.

I dropped my shield and thrust my staff at her, shouting, "Forzare!"

A blast of ethereal force caught her and tossed her back out the window, but the hobgoblin seized the opportunity to lunge at me. I threw myself into a roll, towards the front door. The stout faerie flew over me, into the bedroom. I bounced to my feet and shouldered the door open.

The yard was in chaos. Elaine was fending off two sylphs and three hobgoblins, Mouse at her back, wand in her hand and bracelets and rings flashing. That was actually good; it meant they hadn't invoked her debt to Summer. Murphy was up against a pair of each, Fidelacchius drawn, and Molly was surrounded by three pairs, sword in one hand, wand in the other.

I was almost insulted that only two creatures had come after me. Murphy was closest. I tossed my staff into my left hand and reached under my duster for another piece of wood: my blasting rod. Anger fuelling my magic, I levelled it at the hobgoblin directly behind her, and said, "Get away from my friend! Fuego!"

Fire jumped from me to the ugly little creature, setting its loin cloth aflame. He immediately started to scream in pain. Well, I thought, you probably regret melting all the snow now, don't you? Ass. Before the others could react, I dropped my rod, grabbed my staff in both hands, and shouted, "Ventas fortius!"

A gale-force wind picked up behind me and swept forward, down over Murphy's house and through her yard. The hobgoblins, Mouse, and humans braced themselves, but the sylphs, being airborne, didn't have that option. Which was kind of the idea.

Two of the naked air faeries dissipated completely, the rest blew out over the street, tumbling end over lovely end. The wind died, and I threw a fist in the air. "Ha!" I shouted intelligently. Then I fell to my knees. The effort of the spell had winded me. Seriously, this heart attack thing was really annoying.

Speaking of annoying, the hobgoblin who'd missed me inside the house didn't miss a second time. I felt him hit my back with a growl, and I went down with a grunt and a mild case of whiplash.

"Harry!" That was Molly's voice. I recognised it despite being face down in soft earth.

"Dresden is mine!" a new voice announced. A new, yet familiar voice. The weight on my back vanished, and I managed to lift my head. Turned it.

A man stood on the neighbour's lawn, dressed in white linen pants, a green polo, and heavy boots. He held a long sword in both hands. His face was youthful. His hair was a soft white.

"You!" Molly shouted at him. Three hobgoblins jumped between them. Of course they did. They were protecting their superior from his rival.

I struggled to my knees, wiped a little mud off my face, and looked at the Summer Knight. "Hello, Fix," I said. "It's been a while."

He started walking slowly towards me, sword at guard. I reclaimed my blasting rod, got to my feet and brought out my shield bracelet again. I heard Mouse growling as he took down a hairy faerie. From the corner of my eye, I saw the sylphs recovering and returning. But I kept my focus on Fix. He got within six feet of me. I readied my staff. He said, "I'm sorry, Harry," and took a swing at me.

A long, slow, lumbering swing. I mean, he freaking telegraphed it. I avoided this brilliant killing blow by simply taking a step back. The tip of his sword landed in the dirt, and sank in.

I looked him in the face, raised an eyebrow. This was Summer's champion? A quick glance to the side showed me Molly, who was keeping three hobgoblins and two sylphs at bay practically one-handed. He wrenched the sword out of the ground and looked at me. "Well, don't just stand there," he said. "Keep backing up!"

"Fix, what the hell is going on?"

He lifted the sword again, and walked slowly at me. "I have no choice, Harry. I don't want to do this. But the Queen commands it." He lowered the sword again – I can't really call it 'attacking me' – and I again avoided it.

I ducked behind a tree, and Fix swung again.

His sword sank into the tree trunk. Deep. He began to make a show of pulling it out, taking his time. I took the moment to breathe.

"You are the strangest friend I have, Fix. If you're not pointing a gun at my face, you're swinging a sword at my neck." We had worked our way across the front of the house. Behind Fix, I watched as my compatriots beat the living snot out of Summer's Finest. I turned back to the Knight, whose sword was still stuck. "But you're not really here to kill me, are you?"

The smiled out of one side of his mouth, though there was no joy in it. "The Queen's command was 'Try to kill Dresden.' I'm technically sticking to the letter of her will; I will try. But I have no intention of succeeding. So, I brought the least deadly back-up I could. Though I still have to put on a show for them."

"Wow. You really have spent too much time at Court."

He finally yanked his sword free. "Harry, Lily's missing."

That grabbed my attention. The last time Lily went missing, the Sidhe Courts came within inches of causing the end of the world in a massive war. That incident had been set off by Aurora, the former Lady of Summer, and daughter of Titania. I'd only recently found out that she'd been acting on Mommy Dearest's orders.

"What happened?" I stepped back again. We were slowly moving around the side of the house, out of sight of everyone else.

"I don't know." Swing-and-a-miss. "But I think Titania took her. Hid her." There was a slight panic to his voice now. He loved Lily; she'd been his friend and princess long before she was inducted into the Sidhe Courts. "No one can find her, and only the Queen could put someone beyond the sight of every creature in the Court."

I nodded, thinking about Molly, and the fun I had trying to find her. "Yeah." I ducked under another swing. "I know. So, you finally believe me about Titania? You remember what I told you last time I saw you, right? That she's cracked?"

"Yes," he finally said, "I know. I've heard her, Harry. Talking to herself. To voices only she can hear. Talking about destroying the mortal world."

"Really? And what – " duck " – does she say to them?"

"The details vary, but she's always talking about letting the outside in."

I was stunned enough that I almost forgot to duck the next blow. "Careful," the Knight said.

"She was talking to Outsiders?" I asked, and my voice started to rise.

"I don't know. But she's been getting worse. And now, with Lily…" He swung again, and hit the corner of Murph's house. The sword got stuck again.

I took the moment to launch another gale at the mess on the lawn. The last three sylphs blew away, then Murphy and Molly each impaled a hobgoblin. "Looks like my side's winning."

"What? Oh, no, Harry, don't let them - !"

Mouse sank his teeth into the last hobgoblin's neck, and a moment later the body began to disintegrate into ectoplasm. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"If we failed, the gruffs were to try next!"

Ah, yes. The anthropomorphic goats, who were famed as troll killers. You may have heard of them. I certainly had. "Oh, shit."

"Harry?" Elaine called, heading over to us. "Are you okay?"

"Knock me out!" Fix said.

"What?" I asked.

"The gruffs will be here in moment. If I'm still standing, they'll go after everyone, but if I'm down, they'll chase you."

"Gruffs?" Elaine said, her voice now doing the little rising trick. "Why are gruffs coming?"

"Because you killed all the idiots I brought with me!" he told at her. He turned to me. "They'll only chase you so long as you're in our part of town."

"Your part of town? What are you - ?"

The ground shook. All of us, even Mouse, snapped our heads around. The sound came from behind the house. "Oh, please tell me that's not Big Brother."

"The Elder Gruff will wait. But all his brothers – Harry, knock me out, and get away!" The house shook, the ground shook, even the air shook with an angry bellow. I'd met the Middle Brother before. 'Tiny' was a barrel of laughs. And his nickname was very ironic.

"Harry, what the hell is happening to my house?" Murphy asked.

Elaine and I were backing away. The whole building seemed to shift, and the mortar came loose in chunks from around the brickwork.

"Dammit, Dresden, knock me down, and get as far away as you can! I'm begging you!" Fix shouted.

Movement caught my eye from above. With a crashing sound, two walking goat-men, complete with reversed knees and massive horns, not to mention white, tufty hair, had landed on the roof of Murphy's poor house. They were dressed in weathered leather, their hoofed feet exposed. Their eyes found me.

"All right, Fix. I promise I won't enjoy this too much." I lifted my staff, put it in his face, and shouted, "Forzare!"

The Summer Knight flew backward, across the lawn and into a tree in the neighbour's yard. A pine tree. Full of needles and cones. Don't get me wrong; Fix is a friend. But every time I see him, we seem to be on the opposite side of things. And I can only take a friend wielding a weapon against me so many time before I take pleasure in wielding back.

I saw him lift his head from the ground, smile, and drop flat.

"Wow," I heard Molly say. "I have got to master that spell."

I didn't even have a chance to smile. The gruffs on the roof howled, and another bellow from the backyard echoed over the neighbourhood. The house shifted again.

"Harry, go!" Elaine shouted. "We'll catch up!"

I'm an old-fashioned guy. I like to open doors for women, and I won't hit them unless I have no choice. And the idea of running away while three of them cover my ass is completely unthinkable. "I can't just - !"

She grabbed the lapels of my jacket, yanked me close, and kissed me. It was hard, passionate, and warm. Then it was over, and she was pushing me away. "Stars above, Harry, you heard what Fix said - run!"

One of the gruffs came down behind her. Before his claws could rake her back, she'd thrown herself to the ground. I raised my staff and shouted, "Forzare!"

The gruff flew into – and then through – the wall of Murph's house. Whoops. The place sagged even more. Then three more gruffs came down on the lawn like ugly rain. Murphy and Molly had their swords moving. Iron, or an iron alloy like steel, is anathema to fae. They call it the Bane, and it's great for holding them off.

Mouse growled beside me. There was a brain-rattling growl from the house, and the corners began to twist. Middle Brother gruff was coming through. Elaine got up. "We're fine, now go, lead them away!"

She turned around and flicked her wrist, sending one of the younger gruffs flying. "All right, fine, just meet me at Mac's as soon as you can!"

"Count on it."

"Mouse, stay with Elaine!" I hated myself, but I turned and ran. The key to the Blue Beetle was in my pocket, and I had the door open in a second. I could only hope that the magic in the air hadn't fried its engine. Again.

I tossed my staff, rod, and bag in the passenger seat, then slammed the door and cranked the key. The engine wheezed once, twice, then caught.

As I watched, Murphy's house began to lean, dangerously. Mouse jumped and levelled a gruff that was attacking Molly, then all three women moved away from the house in separate directions, Mouse chasing Elaine. I shoved the car in gear and backed up… right into Thomas' imported Stupidmobile. Metal ground on metal, and I hit the brakes.

I saw Elaine pause, Mouse stopping just past her.

The grinding sound continued. I looked forward again, and watched as the old Murphy place breathed its last. Oh, stars and stones, Karrin, I thought. I am so sorry.

The entire structure leaned forward and fell, with an almost graceful motion. Dust flew up, and within the shadow of it, a goat-creature the size of a small cement truck stepped forward. Middle Brother. He was bigger than the last time I'd seen him.

I jammed the Beetle into first gear and floored it. The tires spun a moment, squealing since I was stuck to Thomas' car. Elaine was hesitating, looking between me and the goat-man convention, trying to decide. I'd have been in the same state of mind in her place.

The younger gruffs moved to flank their brother, and all were looking at me. None of them seemed too happy. The big guy roared again, and leaned forward, into a charge.

"Oh, Hell's bells," I cursed. I had about six seconds before I was crushed and pulverized. Or pulverized and crushed. Whichever. "Sorry, Thomas!"

I gunned the engine, cranked the wheel, twisted in my seat, pointed my hand, and almost screamed, "Forzare!"

The back window of the Beetle exploded outward, as did the windshield of the Ferrari. The car was pushed back, just a little, but it was enough to rock it on its shocks, hopefully lifting it just enough that –

The Beetle jerked forward to the right, and I was slammed into my own door. I shot across the neighbour's lawn as Tiny slammed into the expensive car I'd just escaped from. Tiny howled in pain as some of the metal in the car bit into him, his wounds instantly beginning to smoke.

I bumped over the curb, and threw the Beetle into second. I saw Elaine and Mouse running again, hopefully to safety.

The lesser gruffs helped their brother out of the wreckage, then all five of them were running down the street after me. And gaining. Crap.

I shifted into third, glanced in the rear-view, and tried to ignore the Jurassic Park moment I was having. Murphy's street wasn't very long; I barely got up to speed before I had to turn. The gruffs cut the corner, gaining more. They were only about four car lengths back, now.

Fortunately, this street was longer, and as I picked up speed, I began to lose my stragglers. There was a crack in the road ahead, doubtless caused by the earthquake; I cranked the wheel left and shot up someone's driveway at an angle, across their lawn with a bone-jarring thump, then over another curb and back onto the street. My pursuers began to fall behind, taking almost three full seconds to round the house and continue the chase.

A few houses later, and the snow began to reappear. I looked again out the now-missing rear window, and saw the gruffs fading into the distance. I smiled a little; score one for the good guys.

The adrenaline began to wear off, and as I drove, I started to shake, both with the cold and the chemical withdrawal. A moment later, my breathing hitched – I honestly couldn't take a breath. A sudden pain shot through my forehead and down my neck, and my vision blurred. My chest felt tight.

My foot slid off the gas pedal, and my left arm started to feel very heavy. I lost feeling in my left hand for a second, and dizziness overwhelmed me. I couldn't even cry out. My head rolled back, and my other hand fell off the wheel.

"Dresden… hear me…"

I jerked forward with a… well, a jerk. My head hit the steering wheel and stayed there. The air was driven from my lungs, and is took several tries to get it back in. If the horn on my poor car had worked, it would have been going off.

Slowly, I got my arms working again, and was able to push against the dashboard, getting my head upright. I blinked a few times, looked around.

I'd drifted into a snow bank, not far from half a dozen other cars, all parked at odd angles. My vision cleared. Despite the low light, I could see. I spent a moment breathing, and massaging my chest, hoping that somehow it would translate through to my heart, telling it to calm down and act normal.

Harry? Lash's voice.

Yeah?

I… heard something.

Something? The voice, calling my name? You heard it?

Yes. I believe I may have heard it before, though I did not realize what I was hearing. I felt it as a thrum of power against you, not as a voice.

Do you recognize it?

Not as such, yet it seems familiar. Something very old…

She trailed off. Well, let me know when you figure it out. I'm going to dig us out.

I pushed the driver's door open, and got it almost 8 inches before it jammed in snow. Remarkably hard snow, like it had frozen overnight. I suddenly became aware of the cold again, and it was bitter, despite a lack of wind. I breathed on my fingers to keep them from freezing, then changed tactics and crawled over to the passenger door, which opened easily. Back on my feet, I looked around. The whole area seemed darker than it should have, even with the sun hidden. It seemed…

Lifeless.

I new chill worked its way down my back, and my spider-sense tingled.

I spun, activating my shield and lifting my staff. There, in the middle of the road, not ten feet from me, was a short, lone figure in a black robe. The figure's hood was up, hiding their face, like a cowl.

Crap.