Richard. “Kill that thing.”
The second-largest one, the one with the scar across his eye that had spoken to me outside, came forward from the back door. He changed as he went over to Richard, so when he picked Richard up without effort by the scruff of his neck, he wore his bear aspect and his man aspect at the same time. I could see them both plainly, superimposed one over the other. A neat trick. I’d have to try it some time.
I was already up on the table, the most direct route to both of them. I didn’t change yet, as I wanted him to understand me, but my switch was thrown already and he knew it.
His arm swung back to swat Richard into oblivion.
“Put him down,” I said.
“You know what that is?” Tamara asked me, calmer now that her friend had Richard in hand.
“I know what he says he is. I know that he is mine. Put him down and leave him alone.” I waited another second and added, “Now.”
“Do you claim to control him?” Tamara asked, with a good deal of skepticism in her voice.
That pissed me off. “He won’t make a move without my permission. Now put him down.”
The bear looked over at Tamara. She spread her hands toward Richard, as though trying to read his nature from the air. “Strange,” she said. “He should never have been able to get this far.”
“He is under my protection,” I told them again.
Tamara gave me a quizzical look, and spared one more glance for Richard. “All right. Jacob, you can put him down.”
The bear dropped him. I let that pass. After all, Richard had gotten us into this. Richard fell hard and didn’t move. I jumped lightly off the table to stand over him. “You can get up,” I told him.
“Did you raise that thing?” Tamara asked me.
I shook my head. “He was raised a long time ago.”
Richard got to his feet, keeping his head bent and his arms crossed unobtrusively over the zippered inside pocket that held his soul.
“Are you a sorceress?” Tamara demanded. Her hand went out again, deep brown and long-fingered, feeling the air between us for some information I couldn’t comprehend.
I laughed. “Not me.”
“But this one obeys you?” She was studying us both intently.
“So he tells me.” I turned to Richard, who nodded once, keeping his eyes down.
“You keep strange company, for one of the wolf kind.”
I raised my brows. “So do you.”
There was a shifting and a grunt of appreciative laughter from the four bears. Tamara glanced at them and cracked a smile. “A varied and interesting life brings varied and interesting company. True.” She returned the crucifix to its place on the wall. “Very well. Now tell me, to what do I owe this visit? What has caused you to bring that thing into my presence?”
I looked at Richard. “Tell her.”
Tamara interrupted. “I would rather that you tell me.”
“All right. I hear you’re one of the bunch that’s up against the World Snake.” They got still as I named the name. “Richard here tells me I’m in that fight, too. He tells me he has information that you need.”
Tamara looked at me for a long moment. I was beginning not to like this bitch. “And you believed him?” she asked.
“He’s not allowed to lie to me,” I told her, though I was pretty sure he could find ways around that.
She smiled at my words. Obviously, she had the same reservations. “Let us hear this information. Reasonable people,” she looked around, taking in the bears, “may then judge the value of the demon’s words.” She turned her cold glance on Richard. “You may speak.”
“Hold on,” I said, and asked Tamara, “First, tell me about the World Snake. Is it true that it’s coming here? Do you know this? Because I heard it from him.” I nodded at Richard.
Her face then looked as grave as it did strong. “Signs tell us she has turned. Many powerful adepts, whom I have learned to trust, have divined this, each in their own way. She has turned; she is moving this way.” She cocked an
The second-largest one, the one with the scar across his eye that had spoken to me outside, came forward from the back door. He changed as he went over to Richard, so when he picked Richard up without effort by the scruff of his neck, he wore his bear aspect and his man aspect at the same time. I could see them both plainly, superimposed one over the other. A neat trick. I’d have to try it some time.
I was already up on the table, the most direct route to both of them. I didn’t change yet, as I wanted him to understand me, but my switch was thrown already and he knew it.
His arm swung back to swat Richard into oblivion.
“Put him down,” I said.
“You know what that is?” Tamara asked me, calmer now that her friend had Richard in hand.
“I know what he says he is. I know that he is mine. Put him down and leave him alone.” I waited another second and added, “Now.”
“Do you claim to control him?” Tamara asked, with a good deal of skepticism in her voice.
That pissed me off. “He won’t make a move without my permission. Now put him down.”
The bear looked over at Tamara. She spread her hands toward Richard, as though trying to read his nature from the air. “Strange,” she said. “He should never have been able to get this far.”
“He is under my protection,” I told them again.
Tamara gave me a quizzical look, and spared one more glance for Richard. “All right. Jacob, you can put him down.”
The bear dropped him. I let that pass. After all, Richard had gotten us into this. Richard fell hard and didn’t move. I jumped lightly off the table to stand over him. “You can get up,” I told him.
“Did you raise that thing?” Tamara asked me.
I shook my head. “He was raised a long time ago.”
Richard got to his feet, keeping his head bent and his arms crossed unobtrusively over the zippered inside pocket that held his soul.
“Are you a sorceress?” Tamara demanded. Her hand went out again, deep brown and long-fingered, feeling the air between us for some information I couldn’t comprehend.
I laughed. “Not me.”
“But this one obeys you?” She was studying us both intently.
“So he tells me.” I turned to Richard, who nodded once, keeping his eyes down.
“You keep strange company, for one of the wolf kind.”
I raised my brows. “So do you.”
There was a shifting and a grunt of appreciative laughter from the four bears. Tamara glanced at them and cracked a smile. “A varied and interesting life brings varied and interesting company. True.” She returned the crucifix to its place on the wall. “Very well. Now tell me, to what do I owe this visit? What has caused you to bring that thing into my presence?”
I looked at Richard. “Tell her.”
Tamara interrupted. “I would rather that you tell me.”
“All right. I hear you’re one of the bunch that’s up against the World Snake.” They got still as I named the name. “Richard here tells me I’m in that fight, too. He tells me he has information that you need.”
Tamara looked at me for a long moment. I was beginning not to like this bitch. “And you believed him?” she asked.
“He’s not allowed to lie to me,” I told her, though I was pretty sure he could find ways around that.
She smiled at my words. Obviously, she had the same reservations. “Let us hear this information. Reasonable people,” she looked around, taking in the bears, “may then judge the value of the demon’s words.” She turned her cold glance on Richard. “You may speak.”
“Hold on,” I said, and asked Tamara, “First, tell me about the World Snake. Is it true that it’s coming here? Do you know this? Because I heard it from him.” I nodded at Richard.
Her face then looked as grave as it did strong. “Signs tell us she has turned. Many powerful adepts, whom I have learned to trust, have divined this, each in their own way. She has turned; she is moving this way.” She cocked an
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