"Okay, you're taking a risk, wagering a few chips that this thing won't be able to trick you. But that's a lot better than gambling your life on not needing the ward and then finding out you were wrong. Take it from someone who knows, Cass-never bet when you can't afford to lose.”
We were interrupted by Mac returning laden with the four fast-food groups-salt, grease, sugar and caffeine-in the form of fries, burgers and extra large, sweetened coffees. I forced myself to eat, as it was the fastest way to regain some energy, despite feeling queasy. Halfway through the meal I told Mac that I'd decided to have the ward reactivated. Billy gave me a thumbs-up and I grimaced at him. The only thing more annoying than Billy when he's wrong is Billy when he gets something right. I'd hear about this one for a long time.
When Pritkin returned, I'd just finished dressing after Mac's adjustment. The ward remained lopsided because fixing aesthetics could wait. Mac said he thought that the power transfer had gone well, but I was skeptical. I couldn't feel anything-not a single spark or twinge. Of course, I usually didn't unless there was a threat, but I would have liked some sign that it was back at work. It didn't look like I was going to get one, though. I guessed I'd have to wait until someone tried to kill me to find out whether Mac was as skilled as he claimed. The way my life was going lately, that shouldn't be long.
"We need to go," Pritkin said without preamble. He tossed something over my head and it caught on my ear. I pulled it off and saw that I was holding some kind of charm-actually several charms-on a sturdy red cord. The little cloth pouch contained either verbena or a really ripe gym sock-they smell about the same-but I wasn't sure about the significance of the others.
"Rowan wood cross," Billy identified, "set with amber and coral-all three said to ward off Fey attacks. The pentagram is probably iron," he added, squinting at it despite the fact that that couldn't possibly help his eyesight. "It looks like he's serious about this crazy expedition. I'm beginning to think he's as nuts as you are.”
Pritkin had pulled another, matching necklace out of the bulging pack on his back. It would have made him look like Santa Claus, except that I doubt the jolly old elf ever looked that grim. He threw it to Mac and scowled. "The Circle's closing in.”
"As expected," Mac said lightly. He stood and brushed off some crumbs. We'd been talking about wards before Pritkin showed up, mainly because Mac had wanted to distract me from focusing on what he was doing to my star. He grinned at me now and held out his right leg. "Here's one I didn't have time to tell you about," he said, pointing to a small, square patch of empty skin below his knee.
"I don't get it.”
Mac just grinned bigger and took a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. He spread it out on the cot and I identified it as a map of Las Vegas and its surroundings. It was old and yellowed, except for patches of bright red inked onto different areas. It reminded me of a subway map, except that, of course, Vegas doesn't have one.
"There," Pritkin said, pointing out an area close to MAGIC's canyon.
Mac nodded. "No worries." He raised an eyebrow at me. "Ever see The Wizard of Oz?”
"Uh, yeah. Why?”
"You might want to hold on to something," was the only reply I got before what felt like a giant earthquake hit the shop. I clutched the cot, which was bolted down, while Pritkin looped a foot around the table and held on with both hands. Only Mac looked unperturbed, ignoring the spinning, tilting and bucking room to trace a finger along a line on the map from the city to the desert. A few seconds after he finished, the building gave a last thudding shudder and was still. A few pieces of paper wafted down from where they'd been tossed near the ceiling, but otherwise, it was like nothing had ever happened.
"What was that?!”
"See for yourself." Mac waved a hand at the front of the shop, and after regaining my rubbery legs, I walked into the front room. Instead of the asphalt street and busy hamburger restaurant that had constituted the view out of the front window, there was only a bare expanse of desert, without so much as a cactus to break up the monotony.
"I think she needs a backup," Mac was saying as he came through the curtain.
"She has those damn knives.”
"They're unreliable-they came off a dark mage and their loyalty is in question. They serve her now because it suits their purpose, but later?" Mac shook his head. "I don't like it. Not to mention that we don't even know if they'll work there.”
"You reactivated her ward; that should be sufficient,” Pritkin replied, dragging his sack out of the back room and starting to unload it on the counter. "She is more than strong enough already.”
Mac didn't say anything, but he quietly reached up to his left shoulder and grabbed something that had been concealed by the gently waving leaves. He put a finger to his lips and glanced at Pritkin, who was lining up a collection of weapons on the counter. If he thought we were going to carry all of those, I hoped he'd brought a cart.
Mac reached for my arm and I looked down to see a gleaming gold charm in the shape of a cat being held to my elbow. As soon as it touched bare skin, it morphed into a sleek black panther with narrowed orange eyes. I recognized them as the ones that had been peering at me malignantly earlier, and they didn't look much happier now. The kitty didn't seem pleased to have lost Mac's generous camouflage, and after a brief glance around, it ran up my arm and disappeared beneath my shirt.
I could feel it almost like it was a real cat, with warm fur and little claws that pricked my skin. It was weird and it tickled and I didn't like it one bit. "What the-”
"Come on, Cassie, you need to finish lunch," Mac said, pushing me ahead of him through the curtain.
"What the hell is going on?" I hissed once we were in the back. Mac shushed me and made a weird gesture in the air.
"Silence shield," he explained. "John has better hearing without enhancements than most do with them.”
"Mac, if you don't explain what-”
"I just gave you that other ward you wanted. Sheba will take good care of you. Top of the line, she is.”
Ms. Top of the Line was crawling around on my stomach, occasionally stopping to lick me, and it was creeping me out. "Mac! Get this thing off me!”
He chuckled. "Can't. That kind can only be transferred once a day. Sorry.”
He didn't look sorry, and I had no way of knowing whether he was telling the truth. I frankly doubted it. "Mac!”
"You may need her, Cassie," he said more soberly. "You let me reactivate your ward, but it's like John said: your power may not work in Faerie, and if it does it could be sporadic. If the energy isn't flowing to fuel it, your ward won't function. Sheba 's going to tag along to make sure you have some protection even if your main ward fails-think of her as a slightly temperamental backup. There aren't many wards that'll work in Faerie, but that one will. I bought it off the Fey who enchanted it. And I wouldn't be much of a gentleman to let you go off defenseless, now, would I?”
"But I'm not going alone." Sheba had now climbed around to my back and was doing something with her claws that was less than pleasant. I reached around to get her to stop and got swatted at by a small paw for my trouble. Fortunately, the next minute she curled up in a warm ball at the base of my spine and went to sleep. If I concentrated, I could hear her purr contentedly.
"You're assuming we'll all get past the guards. But it won't be as simple as just walking in tonight.”