Part 40 (2/2)

”So you do something!”

”You're the freakin' wizard!” Kris slapped her chains against the wall for emphasis.

”It's Keeper! Now stop yelling at me and let me think! Just because you couldn't come up with something useful doesn't mean I can't!”

Their breathing sounded unnaturally loud in the silence that followed.

Finally, Diana sighed. ”Sorry. It's just . . .”

”Yeah. I know.”

She turned to see Kris frightened and battered but almost smiling at her.

”You're supposed to be saving the world, not just hangin' around here with me.”

”For what it's worth, I'm glad you're here. Not, here . . . here.” Diana winced as Kris' eyebrows rose. ”I mean, I'm glad I'm not alone.”

”For what it's worth, I'd rather you were.”

Diana sighed again as Kris returned to yanking the chain. This was not going well on a number of levels; personal, professional, and probably a few other ”p” words she'd come up with later. If they had a later.

They'd been chained in an alcove hacked out of the limestone walls not far from the throne room. Chained and abandoned; they hadn't seen meat-minds or bugs since.

”How long do you think we've been here?”

Diana twisted her wrist until she could see her watch. ”About six minutes.”

”Seems longer.”

”Yeah.”

The torches across from their alcove flickered although the air was still. In the distance, something screamed.

”So, about those Rules.”

When Diana turned, Kris' expression announced I'm not f.u.c.kin' scared as loudly as if she was shouting the words. The profanity was particularly obvious. ”You want me to tell you about them now?”

Her upper lip curled. ”You going somewhere?”

”Well, no.” Maybe defining a few metaphysical parameters was just the kind of distraction they needed. Maybe not, but it was all she had. Kris didn't seem like the type to be interested in ”the cute things my cat's done lately” or what Ms. Harris and the graduating president of the chess club had been doing with two tubes of acrylic paint and a number three sable in the art supply closet on the last day of school. Which had only been... ? Diana counted back. She'd traveled to Kingston on Friday; the same day school'd ended. They'd crossed over into the Otherside mall on Sat.u.r.day. Was it still Sat.u.r.day and, if so, which Sat.u.r.day? That whole ”time was relative” thing made her want to hurl, although in this instance the urge to hurl likely had more to do with the bug leg, arm? limb? that had impacted with her stomach. Bruises were rising even . . .

”Hey!” Part summons, part protest, it yanked her wandering attention back to the alcove.

”Right. The Rules. The uh, the Rules impose order on the chaos of metaphysics. Magic,” she amended catching sight of bravado becoming impatience. ”Right here and now, the biggest Rule to remember is that the Otherside is neutral ground, so neither good nor evil can control it.”

”Why would evil give a s.h.i.+t?”

<script>