When they were well away from the town, Peter pulled his deck of cards from its spot on his belt. He drew a card, held it up, and said: "We have her. Timeslip in the Grey, mostly. Will you bring us in?"
There was a momentary pause, and then Peter said: "Tammy?" He stretched his free hand out.
She approached him, took his hand, and then stopped and focused. When she stepped forward, she vanished, leaving only a rainbow outline behind her. Agatha stepped up next, and Peter handed her through. Morri was still behind them, looking carefully around.
Antoinette turned to look at Chris and Elyssa. "These are the Arcana. They create a connection between a magus and the person depicted on the card. Peter has borrowed a card for Amelie Hargrave, so we can go back directly."
Chris nodded at that. "You go first. We'll follow."
Antoinette sighed. "Could you please just do what I say? For once?"
Chris shrugged and turned to Peter. He put a hand on the older man's shoulder, waited until he could see Amelie Hargrave standing in a hallway in her ridiculously well-appointed home, then extended his free hand to hers. She took it and drew him forward, and as she did the Grey faded behind him and the hallway became solid and real. He stepped past her, to where Tammy stood beside Agatha and Maggie Hargrave, making room for Elyssa as she followed.
He watched as Amelie Hargrave extended her hand again and drew Antoinette through. He wouldn't sigh in relief or scowl at her for waiting behind, but he studied her for just a moment before he turned back.
"So," said Tammy Lynn Carterhaugh, catching his eyes as he turned back, then glancing at Elyssa. "You're wolves?"
Chris nodded, then flicked a glance at Agatha, who looked surprised and perhaps a little fascinated.
Tammy looked them over shyly, then said: "You're not what I expected."
Chris offered an apologetic shrug. It was Elyssa who asked, almost diffidently, "How do you mean?"
"I mean..." She blushed. "I just... What happened at Pettibone... I thought you'd be..."
The silence dragged out for a moment, and Chris asked: "More bloodthirsty?" He shouldn't have said it, he knew he shouldn't have said it, not where Amelie Hargrave could overhear them, but the weight of it was irresistible.
Tammy Lynn Carterhaugh met his eyes and said, "Yes."
No comments:
Post a Comment
Feel free to leave comments; it lets me know that people are actually reading my blog. Interesting tangents and topic drift just add flavor. Linking to your own stuff is fine, as long as it's at least loosely relevant. Be civil, and have fun!