Part 81 (1/2)
”Say that three thousand times fast,” Sam muttered.
”No.” Diana absently stroked a marmalade shoulder and frowned at her sister. ”Since when?”
”Impossible to tell with the time distortions.”
”How did you . . .”
”Claire!”
Claire nodded toward the sunburned blond starting down through the climbing elves, her pack in one hand and Diana's in the other, declaiming apologies with every step. ”He told me.”
”Who's he?”
”Lance.”
”A lot?”
Arthur stopped beside them and visibly shuddered. ”Fortunately, no.”
”While you were gone,” Claire explained, ”I went on a little tour of the Othersides and . . .”
”The Otherside's what?”
”The Othersides plural. Long story.”
”Then skip it. You found him . . . ?”
”At our beach.”
”The one in the guest house?”
”Yes. Longer story.”
”Skip it, too.”
”He's not Australian,” Sam announced as Lance reached the lower concourse and set the packs down.
Diana looked confused. ”Why would he be?”
The cat shrugged as well as his current position allowed. ”I have no idea.”
”He's a Bystander. Wait.” She raised a hand cutting off Lance and Claire together. ”I don't care why he's here, but as he obviously can't stay, we've got even more reason to leave immediately. He's got to go back, Dean's in danger, Kris is in h.e.l.l, three strikes, let's motor!”
Without the time to count to ten, Claire counted to three. ”Believe me, Diana, I want to, but the injured elves are our responsibility.”
”No, they aren't.” Diana nodded toward the Immortal King. ”They're his responsibility. We did our bit. The hole's closed. The segue's been disrupted, and without an anchor the two malls will continue to drift farther and farther apart. Street kids looking for a place to belong will have to look somewhere else, not necessarily a good thing but a thing. Our work here is done.”
Claire sighed, cradling her left hand in her right. The pain in her broken finger, which was now hurting up her arm, across her shoulders and into her right ear for reasons she wasn't entirely clear on, made it difficult to concentrate, but Arthur was alive, h.e.l.l had been defeated, and the world had been saved from a shopping mall where midnight madness sales meant exactly that. However, while Diana had a point, she'd missed one as well. ”Diana, Kris . . .”
”Now, Claire! Or are you tired of Dean already?”