then i made my phone call.

"hello?" came ryu's familiar voice.

"hi, ryu. it's jane," i said, knowing he already knew that from his cell phone display screen, but saying it anyway.

"is everything okay?" he asked, his voice worried.

"sort of," i said. "actually, not really. nell's been turned into a baby, and anyan into a dog. a real dog."

"what?" he asked. "how?"

"some ancient alfar booby trap."

"do you need me to come there?"

"no," i replied. "actually, you'd better stay away. if there's any more of these traps and we get taken out, we'll need someone to come finish this. but if you're here, we might lose you, too."

"okay," he said, but he didn't sound happy about it. "so, what do you need?"

"caleb said you came here when i was in the coma?"

"yes," he said. i didn't ask him why, or thank him. the others were all looking at me from where they stood by the car chatting, and i needed to make this quick.

"did you meet blondie when you were here?"

"who?" he asked.

"the original."

"no," he replied. "i was only there for a few hours, and she was off doing something when i was there. but i heard all about her."

"i need you to check up on her. i doubt anyone else knows what she really is, so don't go that route. just ask around, as if she were any other suspect. do your usual thing, but try the oldest beings you know, as well as the usual. i'm texting you a couple pictures of her."

"what do you want to know?"

"anything. i have to know we can trust her. everyone else does, but there's something odd. i can't put my finger on it. i want to trust her, but i know there's more than she's telling us."

"are you sure? anyan's not exactly easy to fool," ryu warned.

"i know. but apparently she was the one basically keeping me alive. that's a good way to gain trust, quickly, without deserving it," i replied.

there was silence from the other end of the line, and then ryu's voice.

"true," he said. "i'll ask around. just send me the pictures."

"thanks," i said. "call me as soon as you find out anything."

"i will. but you're sure you don't need me?"

"no," i said. "but i need this information more. and we need you safe, in the wings, in case we fail."

or in case blondie really deserves my suspicions, i thought, as iris waved to me to hurry as she and caleb climbed into the front seats and blondie climbed into the back with anyan. she had to use her magic to keep the big dog from bolting past her to freedom.

"but i gotta go," i said. "call me?"

"of course," ryu said. "i'll get right on this."

"thanks, ryu. talk soon. bye."

"bye. take care."

and with that, he hung up. i took a few seconds to attach the pictures to a message and send them to ryu, and then i walked over to the car.

i really hope we can trust you, i thought at blondie, as i felt her use just a smidgen of her huge strength to hold anyan still as i climbed into the back seat.

because otherwise we are totally fucked.

chapter thirteen

although anyan had hated getting in the car, he changed his tune when we started moving. he looked very happy sticking his head out the window over my shoulder, from where we'd coaxed him to jump into the very back of caleb's suv. his soft fur against my cheek should have been comforting, but any such emotions were mitigated by the fact that he was panting, long ropes of saliva dripping from his mouth, and occasionally barking at passing street signs.

in other words, everything he did reminded me that the man i'd come to rely on was no longer lurking inside that dog. there was only kibble and slobber. lots and lots of slobber.

as if on cue, from the seat beside me, blondie apparated a handful of tissue and passed them over. she'd already apparated herself a long-sleeved t-shirt to wear over her wifebeater, undoubtedly not wanting to turn mortal heads. it was still well chilly here in maine, despite spring nipping at rockabill's heels.

"thanks," i mumbled, as she gave me one of her disconcerting winks.

"where should we head?" caleb asked, his massive ram's horns raking the ceiling of the suv as he turned to look at iris. she had her hand in her lover's lap, something i normally wouldn't have noticed.

but normally people wear pants when they're driving, i thought, wiping a stray rivulet of anyan's spit off my earlobe as i replied to caleb.

"go to the town square. everyone will already be there," i told him.

we didn't know where to head, as all we'd felt was a big boom. nell would have been able to pinpoint the noise, but she was sucking down formula at the moment. so instead of relying on the gnome, we had to rely on rockabill. meanwhile, iris tittered at my response, knowing small-town life as well as i did. and sure enough, when we arrived at rockabill's town square, there were already quite a few people milling about.

caleb pulled rakishly across a few parking spots, and i was jumping out of the car before it was even completely stopped. anyan followed me, scrabbling over the back seat and undoubtedly putting a few scratches in caleb's upholstery.

"hi, mr. tanner! mrs. tanner!" i shouted across the square at our local baker and his wife. he waved back in return, but i also noticed bob and marge exchanging slightly panicked looks.

"what's happening? what was that explosion?" i said, panting from running across the square.

"we're not really too sure, yet," mr. tanner started, looking to his wife for help. "we were having breakfast in the trough-"

"all we know is we heard the bang," mrs. tanner interrupted, nervously.

"and then sheila and herbert both got calls on their cell phones, and they raced out of the trough going toward the b & b."

i felt my stomach clench. ever since sheila and herbert had taken over the black and white b & b-nick and nan's little pun on gray-it hadn't been the same. nick and nan had been jason's grandparents, who'd raised him after he'd been abandoned by his own mother, a drug addict. i'd grown up running between my house and jason's, and the b & b had been as much my home as jason's. when jason died, and nick and nan had passed away shortly after, the house had passed on to the nastier side of the family, jason's yuppie aunt and uncle, sheila and herbert, and their darling son stuart. otherwise known as the bane of my existence.

the new grays, as they were still called after all these years, gutted the b & b. what had once been shabby, inviting, and comfortable was done over to reflect a colder, more corporate if elegant feeling. unfortunately, what the grays hadn't considered was the fact that people don't come to maine looking for chrome and glass, softened only by the occasional louis quinze-replica arm chair. they want quilts, warm fires, and clapboard.

the black and white b & b sank like a stone, making stuart's already unpleasant family even less friendly.

"what's up?" iris asked. my friends had come up behind me while i was thinking of jason, his grandparents, and what had once been a home to me.

"it sounds like it came from the grays' place," i said, after thanking my fellow rockabillians and turning to face my friends.

"where's that?" caleb asked. iris's eyes were watching me, undoubtedly aware of my feelings.

"it's pretty close behind mine," i answered the satyr, carefully keeping my voice neutral. "but you have to take a different road. i know the way."

and understatement of the year goes to... jane true! my brain said, snidely. the truth was, even now, after so many years, i still dreamed of that walk to and from jason's house. i knew that if i had to, i could easily have found my way to his place in the dark, in a snow storm, whatever.

it was a route carved into my heart, grooves of memory made permanent through both love and heartbreak.

we all trotted back across the square and loaded into caleb's suv. we realized we'd forgotten doggie-anyan only after we'd left the square. after turning around, we found him getting his ears scratched by mr. allen, linda's much nicer father. i threw open the door, and he jumped onto our laps in a miasma of flying fur and dog breath.

why do you have to be a dog, you asshole? i thought. i knew it was unfair to blame anyan for getting caught up in ancient alfar booby traps, but i was still pissed off. i had a funny feeling i was going to need a hug pretty soon, and i wished very fervently it could have been anyan's arms administering said treatment.

heading back up our route once we got the non-ghest barghest shoved into the back of the car, caleb met my eyes in the rearview.

"what do you know about these grays?" he asked. "any connections to magic or anything?" as he finished talking, he hissed in a breath. iris had her hand in his lap again, and i think she must have been squeezing his scrotum in warning.