Three traffic accidents, two construction detours, two more stops to check the GPS, and six swearing fits later, the sun was touching the horizon as we finally approached the house in the Doral neighborhood.

"This place looks… completely average," Andi said. She was right. Two stories, pale pink adobe finish. The door and windows all looked to be in the same state of repair as every other house on the street. SUV in the driveway. It was rather non-descript, really. Except that the lawn was overgrown. Otherwise, a perfect hideout.

There were no kids playing on their lawns, no cars moving on the street. In fact, I didn't see anyone but us. I reached out with my arcane senses, and detected something disturbing and belligerent in the air. This house was giving off bad vibes, and had been for a while.

"It does," I said. "That's kind of the point. But it feels wrong. And that's also the point."

"Sun's almost down," Thomas said.

"Right. No time like the present. Thomas, Marci, take the back door. Andi, stay with me. Nobody attacks anything alone. Krejetzy is smart, tough and strong. According to Molly, he's got half a dozen einherjar under contract. Respect him or he will kill us. And if things go south and he makes a break for it, Thomas, you know what to do."

He absently touched his silver amulet, an exact copy of the one I had.

We threw open the doors and piled out. I mentally readied a soft shield, though I didn't expect gunfire. Thomas and Marci headed up the side of the house, and Andi kept pace half a step behind me. The front door was green. "Well, it worked for Gandalf," I said. I knocked on the door with my staff several times.

"You're just knocking on the door? Like you're not afraid of letting him know we're here?"

"He's a Black Court vampire," I said quietly. "He already knows we're here."

"We're about to confront a vampire, it's almost dark, and he knows we're here." She shook her head. "How do you get into these messes, Harry?"

After a second, I heard the creak of wood, and the door opened.

I found myself at eye level with a very wide, very thick-muscled man with the second-most impressive beard I had ever seen. And for reference, I've met Santa Claus.

He was einherjar. Definitely the right place, then. The guy was giving me a look that would have wilted a normal person into a gibbering mess, but after the decade I'd had, I hardly noticed.

"Tell Krejetzy the Winter Knight wants to see him," I said, and sounded bored.

Big Guy didn't move.

"If you're waiting for the magic word, it's 'now'." I made a sweeping away gesture with my left hand. "Unless you want me to use other magic words."

Big Guy took a breath, then stepped back and closed the door.

"Uh, is that a no?" Andi asked.

"Give it a second. He has to get an answer from the boss. And I don't hear anything out back, do you?"

"Not yet." She kept looking around, checking the other houses, the empty street, the windows of this house. She couldn't stop.

"Don't worry. They won't kill us on the street. They don't want the attention."

"Oh, so we only have to be worried once we step inside?"

"Now you're getting it."

"Is going inside even a good idea?"

"No choice. I'm not about to tear up this neighborhood to get at one person, vampire or not. If things go bad… just stay to my left." She immediately took a step over to that side.

The door opened again. Big guy looked at us and nodded. He backed up and I stepped inside, shield still ready. I felt the gentle tug where a threshold should have been. There were some weak wards, but no real grounding to them. This was not a loving home. In fact, I doubted it was at 'home' at all. More like a flophouse.

The door opened into a living room. The windows were covered in thick blinds, the kind that could open at the top to let light in. A few inches of fading light crept through. The room was devoid of furniture. It was occupied only by two other einherjaren, both armed with extremely expensive, extremely high-quality firearms that I only recognized because I'd seen them before in the hands of other resurrected Norsemen.

That's half of them, I thought.

"Your staff," Big guy said.

"No," I said.

His hands tightened on his weapon. "If you don't turn it over, we are to kill the girl."

My jaw seized in anger, and the Winter Knight's mantle flared to life. What right did this son of a bitch have to take what was mine? I would kill him – I would kill them all before I let them take –

A hand on my shoulder. "Harry. It's getting cold in here." Andi.

I took a breath. I loosened my grip on my staff, where the carved runes had started to glow golden. The light faded. The temperature came back up.

"Fine," I said, and tossed it to him. He caught it in his non-trigger hand.

"Upstairs," Big Guy said. He gestured with his head, his arms being full of gun and staff, towards the back of the house.

Still trying to look unimpressed – not impossible, though I'd admit a little harder now – I sauntered off in that direction, Andi immediately behind me. We passed the kitchen at the back of the house; it was also empty of furniture, occupied only by one more oversized Scandinavian, and the windows were covered. There was a door, dead bolted. I had no idea where Thomas and Marci were, but had to assume they were checking for entrances just on the other side of that exterior wall.

At the staircase, I looked up and saw another enormous bodyguard, who waved us up. That's five. He escorted us to the door to the master bedroom, passing by a second bedroom on the way. That door was open, and showed the last bodyguard, seated at a desk, which was covered in monitors and other electronic equipment. The screens showed every approach to the house. One of them turned a little, and I saw Thomas. He must have seen the camera, because, he looked right at it and waved. Then he gave it the finger. Marci was beside him, wearing her wolf suit.

At the master bedroom, our escort opened the door and waved us in. He closed the door behind us. The blinds were drawn, and curtains pulled. Virtually no natural light worked its way in. The overhead light was off. I reached for the switch, and it didn't work. There was finally furniture, though; a single chair, and a single lamp.

Olan Krejetzy sat in the chair, slumped down, hands on his knees, staring straight at me, moving not a muscle. His suit still looked poorly fitted. The lamp shone on him from above, leaving his eyes in shadow. There was a slight smell in the air, like something had rotted here a long time ago, and there was a slight, unnatural chill that had nothing to do with me. His skin, such as it was, was pale and waxy. I knew, instinctively, that we were not alone in the room.

"Oh, god," Andi whispered, and she clutched my arm, before moving both her arms to hug herself. She was only wearing a simple, loose sundress and sandals; she was likely freezing.

Krejetzy's voice, when he spoke, was dry and raspy, with an accent I couldn't place, but I wanted to label as 'Balkan'. "Why has the Winter Court sent such an emissary to see me?" he asked.

So, we're going to play dumb and polite, are we? Fine. "Andi, stay by the door." I took a step forward. "I came to convey a message, and it was feared you would simply kill a lesser envoy."

"I may have. I have done so before. Please. Share this message."

"You're aware that the Winter Queen is arranging a peace conference, are you not?"

"I have heard rumors. I have not received an invitation."

I took a step forward. "Likely it was lost in the mail. The point is; some of the invitees have been threatened. Some of them, in fact, have been killed." Another step. "I thought you'd appreciate a friendly warning."

"Warning?"

"Yes; a warning to stop messing with the system." I took another step. "Or face the consequences."

A sound like sandpaper on stone came from the vampire. He was laughing. "That is most entertaining. But I do not fear you, or your Queen. And you can convey that message back to her." Not afraid of Mab? Huh. Maybe he wasn't playing dumb. "Now, you have delivered your message. I would suggest that you leave. I have other business to see to."

"Of course. I do hope you have a pleasant evening, and I will convey your message." Another step, and I was in the middle of the room. I bowed, just a little. "Just one question; do you really think I need my staff for this?"

Several things happened all at once over the next two seconds: I shoved a hand out and shouted "Fuego!" sending a wide, unfocussed gout of flame towards Krejetzy; the vampire was already moving, having thrown himself up and backwards, towards the window; from both sides of the room, a person-shaped shadow came hurtling at me; and from behind, I heard a sound of tearing cloth as Andi transformed and launched herself forward.

I dropped the fire and turned right, swinging a haymaker of a left. I let the Winter mantle surge through me; it was always spoiling for a fight anyway. My fist connected with a face as Krejetzy exploded out through the window, letting the very last of the fading daylight in.

The man I hit crumpled to the floor. He wasn't a vampire; a thrall, then. Behind me, I heard Andi collide with the other man. The guy I hit stayed down; I turned to see the other man smash through the closet wall.

The door burst open, the einherjar bodyguard kicking it in. I pointed at him and snarled "Arctis!"

Ice condensed around his hands and weapon before he could start shooting. "Andi, go after Krejetzy!" Without waiting to see if she listened, I threw myself at the barrel-chested bodyguard in two big steps. While he was still struggling to free himself, I grabbed him around the waist, heaved him off his feet, and started charging down the hallway. I thought of Krejetzy, and how he was my target, and I couldn't lose him. The Winter mantle surged to that thought, and increased speed down the hall.

The man controlling the monitors came out of the other bedroom, and I plowed into him with my Viking battering ram. At the top of the stairs, I stopped and shoved both of them. Without pausing, I willed a shield into being and started down the stairs. The remaining einherjaren had collected themselves and opened fire as their comrades took a tumble. The two men I'd thrown fell to the floor with a racket but without hurting anyone else.

I tuned the shield to be soft, and let the bullets drop. It was draining, but I didn't have to do it for long.

Another crashing sound, as the kitchen door exploded inwards, and Thomas' ridiculously oversized handgun stared barking. He dropped two of the big men before the others retreated to the relative safety of the living room. I hopped the last few steps, scooped up my staff off the floor, and pointed at them. Dropping the shield, I shouted, 'Forzare!"

Both men were slapping the face with invisible force, and made einherjar-shaped dents in the walls.

"Where is he?" I demanded.

"Heading east, the girls are on him," Thomas said, heading for the front door and pulling his amulet out of his shirt. I passed him, heading through the kitchen door. I sprinted across the backyard, now in twilight, heading for a broken section of the yard wall. I shot across both sets of lanes and the median in the middle of 102nd Avenue. I caught a glimpse of a wolf to my left, and curved that way. She started running along 58th Street, and I followed. Traffic was light, but I stayed on the sidewalk.

After a moment, I caught up to Marci. It's an odd sensation, keeping pace with a freaking wolf, and knowing that you could go surging past her any time if you really pushed.

I felt the blood pumping, the thrill of the chase, the hunt, coming over me completely. I vaguely felt some heat on my chest, right where my amulet sat against my skin. After another minute, I ran out of sidewalk. I could see the other wolf, Andi, not too far ahead now. It was only when I started seeing the headlights of oncoming traffic that I realized how dark it had become.

When I felt a surge in heat from my amulet and headlights from behind, I knew Thomas had found us. The Hummer pulled up beside me, windows down. "The tracking spell worked perfectly – now get in!" he shouted.

I hopped on the running board, one hand through the window, and heaved the back door open against the wind with the other. "Marci!" She twisted and jumped, landing awkwardly, but safe. I let the door close, and turned to face front. We caught up to Andi in seconds. I opened the door again, and she jumped, landing a little more gracefully.

I stuck my head in. "You okay?"

Human again, she nodded. Marci had pulled her dress back on. Both of them were breathing heavily, and I joined them. "He's not too far ahead," Andi gasped.

"I got him," Thomas said.

The road widened out to four lanes, and street lights became more common. I saw the vampire, too. He was moving like a freight train, and shot through a major intersection like the Flash. Thomas floored it, and within seconds we were at the overpass to the Palmetto Expressway. For all the trouble we'd had getting to the damn house, getting away from it was proving all too easy.

On the other side of the highway, the road's median disappeared, and so did the neighborhoods. We were entering an industrial area. I saw Krejetzy look over his shoulder.

Then the son of a bitch decided to hurry.

He was pulling away from us again, just as we passed a large display of crane trucks. A second later, Thomas weaved around and between a trio of cars as we headed into the last major intersection on the road. The light changed less than a second before we got there, and we blew through to a chorus of horns. The road was suddenly two lanes wide. There was a small canal running down the opposite side. We zipped past a mostly empty parking lot on the right, then the street was lined with trailers. Krejetzy had dwindled in size without disappearing, heading for the end of the road.

Thomas was forced to smash the brakes as Krejetzy ran between two trailers. I crouched and dove forward, riding the momentum for all it was worth. I hit the ground in a roll, taking the impact on my left shoulder to keep my staff from breaking. I basically bounced on the ground, flipped over, and came up running.

The shadows were deep now. On the other side of the trailers, I came to dead stop. My heart was pounding, interfering with my hearing, but my eyes were wide open. I was in a train yard. There had to be a dozen separate tracks, with trains of varying lengths staggered about them with shipping containers stacked every which way. On the far side, a wall, one of those sound blocking ones you see along freeways.

I took a few slow, cautious steps. Off to my left, I caught a glimpse of Thomas emerging from the trailers, too, big gun at his side, large knife spinning in his fingers. Marci and Andi appeared behind him. In low light, with their keen senses of smell, they'd be infinitely better trackers than I. I kept one eye on them as they started sniffing around.

The mantle was all but singing to me now; the prey was making a real game of it.

But I hadn't survived as the Winter Knight this long by being the Winter Knight; I was a wizard, first and foremost, and needed to think like one. And wizards, above all, use knowledge as their weapon. So, what did I know?

Krejetzy was a Black Court vampire. And the survivors of the Black Court were just that – survivors. He'd avoid confrontation if possible. Use distraction. Bait. Cat's paws. Hell, he thought more like a White Court vampire. And aside from manipulation, what strategy did the White Court like to use?

Divide and conquer.

"You three stay close together," I said.

Thomas gave me a questioning look. I gave him a thumb's-up. He nodded reluctantly, and led the Alphas north. I headed a little south, and started across the tracks. I checked under, over, and between cars. One track, two, three, five, eight. I never quite lost the cool, greasy feeling that touched my spine and had nothing to do with Winter. Thirty feet from that sound-breaking wall, I came around an engine on the second last track. Krejetzy was here. He was close. He was –

"Wizard."

- right behind me. I turned, left side first, shield ready. The vampire was about thirty feet away. He was standing on the ground between two cargo cars, and the trains stretched out several hundred feet behind him. He could make a break for it, but he'd either be running in a straight line again, or ducking under the trains. If he broke straight for me, I could retreat back across the tracks I'd just crossed. He'd taken a risk exposing himself here. Why?

"Vampire," I said, my voice carrying just a little.

"Why did you not start with ice, Winter Knight?"

"Fire is more thorough."

He gave me a tiny nod. "I suppose there is little point in talking."

"You know why I was sent."

"I do, now. It is unfortunate. We might have been friends."

"You know how the game works. And you know who I am. That was never going to happen. Now, you're out-numbered, boxed in, and out of bodyguards. Let's finish this."

His face then did something really gross; it cracked. I don't mean it crinkled, like when a human being smiles, I mean the skin actually cracked, and started to flake off around his mouth.

That was not a good sign, and I instantly tensed.

"Three assumptions," he said, "and two of them wrong." I heard a clunk sound above me, and looked up. On top of the last train in the yard, a dozen large men in turtlenecks stepped closer. "Not out-numbered, not out of bodyguards."

"Perfect," I heard myself say. "Got you right where I want you."

I also realized I had no answer to Andi's question: How did I get into these messes?

Without pausing to think, I swept my staff up and shouted, "Forzare!" Then I backed up, trying to get as much elbow room to work with as possible. Three of the Fomor caught some of the shot, though only one of them took it hard; he went up and fell on the other side of the train. The rest jumped towards me, landing on the ground heavily.

"Infriga!" I caught two of them in the ice, but only partially, coating one arm of each. The rest started charging me the instant they hit the ground. I swung my staff overhead and got a good swing going, but my target dodged. I shoved a shield forward, and he bounced off it, but I still felt the impact and staggered back a few steps. Three more turtlenecks came in from different sides. Two of them had long knives. I couldn't turn fast enough.

A gunshot echoed down the line, bouncing between the big metallic cargo and liquid transport cars, and the turtle neck coming at me from the left dropped to the ground with a hole in his face. I dove that way, as several more retorts sounded. As I hit the ground, the servitors scattered.

Marci and Andi leapt from between a pair of cars, ripping the throats out of two of the amphibious assholes. I came to my feet, shield ready, but instead, I took a potshot at one of the running servitors. "Forzare!" He smashed into the side of an empty liquid car, and the echoing 'bong' sound he made with his head made me smile. "How many down?" I asked.

Thomas appeared at my side, reloading. "We just put down six."

"Plus the one I got at the start makes seven. There's three left."

The wolves joined us. "Noses open. What do we have?"

Marci's head snapped up. I looked, and saw two small, rounds things sailing over a train car –

"Grenades!" All four of us ran in the same direction, alongside a train double stacked with cargo containers. I counted to three, then turned and brought up the hardest shield I could. I was deafened. Focused and made worse by the enclosing train cars, the blast, the heat and the sound all came at us harder than they should have. I was knocked off my feet. I landed hard, on my back.

On some tracks.

Ouch.

I took most of the impact on my legs, but a solid chunk of the wooden tie dug into my back, even through my duster. My head was good and rattled, too. It took a second for my eyes and ears to remember how to work.

When they did, I found a servitor standing over me with a handgun leveled at my face. "Human," he said, and it sounded like an insult.

"Don't suppose we can talk about this?" I asked.

He made a face that I presume was a smile and took aim at my face.

Before I could so much as make a feeble kick at his legs, there was a crunching sound from behind me, and his head snapped up. I couldn't help myself; I looked.

Another servitor had, indeed, been crushed. There was a freaking seal on top of what was left of him.

"Selkie!" the gunman shouted, and he took aim.

As I watched, the seal rippled, just like the Alphas, and was replaced by a nude woman with long hair. Again, just like the Alphas. However, as Gunny started shooting, the woman launched herself into the air with her arms and dashed forward. Gunny got off four shots before the woman grabbed another servitor around the neck. Gunny put two more bullets in that guy.

I finally came to my senses and put a foot into Gunny's knee, getting his attention back. "Infriga!" Ice and mist condensed around him in a second, helped a little by the humid sea air.

The woman appeared over me and ducked down. "Winter Knight," she said, and her accent was most definitely Scottish. She glanced at the Gunny-sicle. "I presume?"

"Yeah, that's me. Harry Dresden."

She offered me a hand. "I'm Connie."

I took the hand. "Thanks, I – whoop!" She heaved me to my feet with less effort than I would have used opening a door. I looked down at her; she was bigger than Karrin, but not by much. Her, uh, muscle tone, however, was mind-blowing. As was her total disregard for modesty. "Uh, wow," I said.

She just smiled.

"Ow," Thomas said. He came stumbling up to us a moment later, rubbing his forehead. Andi and Marci, unsteady even on all fours, followed him. "I really don't like grenades." He looked at Connie. "Well, hello."

"You must be the Raith."

"Well, I'm one of them. Nice outfit."

"You should see her other suit," I said.

"I'll bet. Where's Krejetzy?"

I slapped my forehead; with the sudden fight with the servitors, I'd stopped focusing the damn vampire. I turned back the way we had come, and reached out with my arcane senses.

Nothing.

I deflated, then punched the nearest cargo container. "Damnit. He's gone."

"He'll be around," Connie said. "He's not done here."

"You're right. Unfortunately, he's running, and the favor I cashed in to find him was a one-off."

"How can I help?"

"You're the selkie who found his boat, aren't you?"

"I am."

"So why are you still here? And how the hell did you even get here?"

"I owed the Winter Lady a debt. After I found the vampire, she told me if I helped you until your mission was complete, the debt would be paid. As for how I got here, I followed the Fomor up the canal."

"Canal?"

"On the other side of that wall."

"Harry," Thomas said, "we need to go. After that big boom, the police will be along any minute."

"Yeah, right. You're right." I took another look around, but I knew it was futile. My fists were clenched around my staff. "Girls, noses out." My brother led the way back to the Humvee, and got us heading back to the hotel.

The Alphas filled Connie in on everything during the drive. Andi and Marci had both brought extra clothes, and Marci had not torn through her own dress changing form earlier, so nobody had to go naked for the ride. Under other circumstances, I might have been disappointed about that, but I was a little too busy brooding. Thanks to me completely whiffing it, a Black Court vampire was dashing around this city, his safe house compromised. Who knew how many potential victims he could take while finding a hideout? And I had no way to find him.

Nice job, Dresden.

Not to mention that he would be far more cautious in coming for Lara now, making protecting her – and thus preserving what little peace there was – even harder.

With the thrill of the chase over, and the prey escaped, the Winter mantle was apparently disgusted with me, and had withdrawn into a form of restless sleep within me. Fatigue was hitting me after the events of the last hour, and hitting hard.

"Harry?" Thomas said. "You all right?"

"No. I think I screwed this one up bad. All I had to do was kill him. Some killer Fae hitman I'm turning out to be. Karrin killed Maeve. I couldn't finish Nicodemus. Now Krejetzy escapes."

"Are you actually disappointed in yourself for not being a better killer?" He smacked me in the shoulder. "Empty night, what the hell is wrong with you? I mean, come on. That's not the way you think."

"Yeah, okay, okay. You've got a point. I'm just… I'm worried. I'm worried that I let him go, and he's going to do some damage. Because I couldn't shut him down."

"All right, that at least sounds more like you. But we all let him go. He was ready for us. He had a plan. He had back up."

"He did, didn't he?" I seized on that. "He… he did. He does." I sat up straighter. "He's been doing this literally for centuries. He has a bolt hole. He has a place to go. He led us to the train yard so we'd be distracted while he went for his real hideaway. He's not panicked at all."

"There, see? Silver lining."

"Better than that. This actually narrows it down."

"How do you mean?"

"If he's got a place to go, then he arranged it ahead of time, like any good spy. Which means he had to have a connection. Which means favors or currency had to change hands."

He was nodding. "Which means Danicka. Nothing happens in this town without her knowing. She's like Lara and Johnny Marcone wrapped into one."

"Scary. Can we get a meeting?"

"I'll have to call Lara."

I shrugged. "I'll think calm thoughts."

As the elevator doors opened on the penthouse, Lara was in the kitchen nearby, holdidng a cup of what I presumed was tea. She was still wearing her business suit. She took a look over my shoulder at the women. One of her perfectly manicured eyebrows lifted. "Starting a collection, Wizard?"

"Ha-ha." We all left the elevator together, Mr. Talkative and his large friend watching closely.

"Oh, this is nice," Connie said, looking around.

"Did you understand our call?"

"What I got, at least before your phone died - "

Thomas whistled and tossed his cell to Mr. Talkative. "I'll need a new one," he whispered.

" – was that you needed a meeting with Danicka regarding Krejetzy."

"Exactly."

"She won't take a meeting tonight."

"Why the hell not?"

She crossed her arms, carefully balancing her cup. "It's after business hours."

It took me a full two seconds to respond. "You're kidding me."

"I wish I were. Danicka is being obstinate on purpose. She's never liked me."

"You explained the situation, and the time-sensitive nature of it all?"

"I did. She was unmoved."

"So how do I talk to her?"

She shrugged. "You wait for tomorrow."

"That's insane."

"That's Malvora," Thomas said. "They're stuck in that way of thinking. If they're not strengthening their own position, they're putting you in a weaker one. Regardless of circumstances."

I just stood there, not sure what to say or do. How could anyone, especially with a business empire and centuries of experience, act so un-pragmatically? "This doesn't make any sense to me."

"Welcome to my life."

"I suggest you get some rest, Wizard," Lara said. "I can introduce you to Danicka. But after that, you are on your own. And you'll need your strength." She turned to Mr. Talkative. "Get them some rooms." She moved to walk away.

I stood there, confused and frustrated. I threw my arms out to my sides. "So that's it? We're just done for the day?"

She glanced over her shoulder. "Yes."

"Well that was… anticlimactic," Karrin said.

"You're telling me." I winced back from a quick burst of static on the phone, and pictured her doing the same. I took the second to adjust on my bed. My overnight bag was on the desk, and I'd draped my duster over the chair that went with it. "So, now I have to wait for a meeting with a vampire who's an even bigger pain in the ass to deal with than Lara."

"You know she's probably recording this call."

"Yeah, I know."

She laughed.

"Have I missed anything important? Anything interesting?"

"No. The Fomor have been quiet all day, as far as I can tell."

"Small favors."

"Still not taking any risks. Don't worry; the city will still be here when you get back."

"Wouldn't trust anyone else to keep that promise."

"You just keep yours, mister."

"Yes ma'am."

I took a shower, washing away the sweat and dirt of the day. I had a few blisters, probably from the run. I toweled off. And looked at my face in the mirror. My eyes were sunken, but no real dark circles yet.

Back in the bedroom, I pulled the skull out. Her eyes immediately lit up. "Hi there," I said.

"Hi Harry." She looked around. "Oh. We're still in the material world."

I couldn't resist. "Yes, we are living in the material world."

She didn't catch it. "Well, I guess I can still learn something. You've never been to this city before, have you?"

"No, I haven't." I put the skull on the night table, positioned to look out the window. "So there's no way you could know about it from me." I walked back to my duster.

"Huh. That's a nice view."

"I like it, too. Kind of dark, though." I fished in a pocket and pulled out the thorn bracelet and its key.

"Not to me," she said, and her voice was distant.

I looked up. The window gave a fine view of the city, though large chunks of it were blocked by other, nearby buildings. She could probably see right through them. Or, more accurately, she could see the patterns of energy flowing through and around everything. A wizard's Sight is like that; when we open our mind along with our eyes, we can See the fundamental nature of a thing, what is truly is, where it's been, sometimes where it's going. When looking at people, we can See them for who and what they are, and the imprint they've left on the world, both physically and spiritually.

The down side is, if you See something nasty, it's impossible to forget.

I couldn't imagine seeing the world that way all the time. After some of the things I'd Seen… the very idea scared the crap out of me. But there she was, drinking it in.

"Um, I'm sorry I woke you up, but I had to ask you a favor."

"Oh, sure." The little green lights shifted reluctantly back to me, then the skull itself seemed to hop and turn to face me. That was new. "What do you need?"

"I'm going to wear this to bed," I said, holding up the bracelet.

"Won't that shut down your magical ability?"

"Yes, but I - "

"Why would you want to do that?"

"To protect others. And myself. And the stuff in this room. Including the telephone. I should have put it on before I called Karrin. Look, I'm obviously not thinking straight. I need to rest and assess how tough today was on me, and the only way to do that is to shut down the Winter Mantle."

"Oh. Okay. So, what do you need from me?"

"I'm not going to have any of my usual senses or intuition once I put it on. I would like you to wake me up if anything happens. If anyone tries to get into the room, for example."

"I can do that."

"Okay, here we go." I sat down, held out my left arm, and clicked the bracelet into place with my right.

Lightheadedness. Fatigue. Headache. Body ache. Deep muscle pain. Irritated throat. Couldn't concentrate.

I lay down, turned off the lamp, and felt sleep coming.

"Goodnight," I mumbled.

"Sleep tight," she replied. "Don't let the bedbugs bite."

"Good advice," I said, smiling. I was out a minute later.