the can opener, sorry.” It had often occurred to me that being able to communicate with other animals is usually far less useful than people seem to think it is.
“Her paw’s all gone,” the kitten said, gazing up at Jessie’s unconscious form.
“Yes, you’re quite observant.” I sighed.
“A dog got me and ate up my leg. Karen fixed me. She makes good paws,” the kitten chirped.
I spotted a moth fluttering down the hall in the entryway.
“Kitten, look behind you! Prey!”
“Prey?” The kitten mewed and bounded away in pursuit.
Saved by the bug, I thought.
Karen had finished debriding Jessie’s arm. The older witch gathered jars of herbs and unguents from the cupboard and refrigerator and started pounding together a poultice with a mortar and pestle. Jimmy came back in with the frozen bone kit and extra gauze, and he and Karen spread the green paste thickly on Jessie’s wounds and bandaged her up.
Karen and Jimmy gathered up Jessie and carried her down the hall into a small guest bedroom. I leaped onto Jimmy’s shoulder as he passed by; he seemed surprised but didn’t try to shoo me off. The pair laid Jessie down on the plush double bed, and I scurried down Jimmy’s arm and took my place beside Jessie’s head. Karen cast the charm to cancel the stasis. The girl gasped and shuddered as her heart started to beat normally again.
Karen stretched and glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s nearly midnight now, so I should let the poultice work for a few hours then check her temperature and give her a potion,” she told Jimmy. “It looks like I’m going to be up all night. But you’ve got school tomorrow, so you should go to bed soon and try to get a little rest.”
Karen stopped, cocking her head to the side to listen to something I couldn’t hear. “Were you expecting some of your friends tonight?” she asked Jimmy.
The boy shook his head.
“Well, then there surely shouldn’t be any other Talents on our street tonight,” Karen said, hurrying out of the room. I hopped off the bed and ran along behind her.
Karen slid open the door to the hallway closet and searched through it. She found what looked like a long canvas rifle case, then unzipped it and pulled out an ivory-colored staff. It bore sigils for fire and light carved into its gleaming surface. I thought it might be polished dragon bone or mammoth tusk, and it gave off the emanations of very old, very strong enchantments.
Carrying the staff as if it were a loaded shotgun with a hair trigger, Karen flung open the front door and stepped out onto the porch. I followed close behind. Three black sport utility vehicles were speeding up the street and slid to a stop at the curb in front of Karen’s house. A dozen men in dark suits piled out of the cars and strode up the gravel driveway. I recognized Cold and Fear among them.
“Don’t come any closer,” Karen warned, pointing the staff at them. “What do you want?”
“You know what we want,” said Cold, stepping forward. “Mr. Jordan is adamant that the girl be turned over to him tonight. Give her to us, and we won’t bother you again.”
“You can’t have her,” Karen replied grimly. “You’re trespassing; get out of here.”
Cold sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose as if he was trying to ward off a headache. “Look. We all have better things to do right now. Don’t make us do this the hard way.”
“So go away. That’s not hard at all,” Karen replied. Cold sighed again then nodded at the men behind him. They marched toward the house.
Karen began chanting an invocation in one of the ancient star languages humans aren’t supposed to know. I was impressed; clearly she was not your average suburban housewitch. She jumped off the porch onto the lawn and stabbed the end of the staff into the earth.
The staff burst in a blue bolt of lightning that shot straight up into the clouds and held there, a giant roaring Jacob’s Ladder spark between Earth and sky.
“Her paw’s all gone,” the kitten said, gazing up at Jessie’s unconscious form.
“Yes, you’re quite observant.” I sighed.
“A dog got me and ate up my leg. Karen fixed me. She makes good paws,” the kitten chirped.
I spotted a moth fluttering down the hall in the entryway.
“Kitten, look behind you! Prey!”
“Prey?” The kitten mewed and bounded away in pursuit.
Saved by the bug, I thought.
Karen had finished debriding Jessie’s arm. The older witch gathered jars of herbs and unguents from the cupboard and refrigerator and started pounding together a poultice with a mortar and pestle. Jimmy came back in with the frozen bone kit and extra gauze, and he and Karen spread the green paste thickly on Jessie’s wounds and bandaged her up.
Karen and Jimmy gathered up Jessie and carried her down the hall into a small guest bedroom. I leaped onto Jimmy’s shoulder as he passed by; he seemed surprised but didn’t try to shoo me off. The pair laid Jessie down on the plush double bed, and I scurried down Jimmy’s arm and took my place beside Jessie’s head. Karen cast the charm to cancel the stasis. The girl gasped and shuddered as her heart started to beat normally again.
Karen stretched and glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s nearly midnight now, so I should let the poultice work for a few hours then check her temperature and give her a potion,” she told Jimmy. “It looks like I’m going to be up all night. But you’ve got school tomorrow, so you should go to bed soon and try to get a little rest.”
Karen stopped, cocking her head to the side to listen to something I couldn’t hear. “Were you expecting some of your friends tonight?” she asked Jimmy.
The boy shook his head.
“Well, then there surely shouldn’t be any other Talents on our street tonight,” Karen said, hurrying out of the room. I hopped off the bed and ran along behind her.
Karen slid open the door to the hallway closet and searched through it. She found what looked like a long canvas rifle case, then unzipped it and pulled out an ivory-colored staff. It bore sigils for fire and light carved into its gleaming surface. I thought it might be polished dragon bone or mammoth tusk, and it gave off the emanations of very old, very strong enchantments.
Carrying the staff as if it were a loaded shotgun with a hair trigger, Karen flung open the front door and stepped out onto the porch. I followed close behind. Three black sport utility vehicles were speeding up the street and slid to a stop at the curb in front of Karen’s house. A dozen men in dark suits piled out of the cars and strode up the gravel driveway. I recognized Cold and Fear among them.
“Don’t come any closer,” Karen warned, pointing the staff at them. “What do you want?”
“You know what we want,” said Cold, stepping forward. “Mr. Jordan is adamant that the girl be turned over to him tonight. Give her to us, and we won’t bother you again.”
“You can’t have her,” Karen replied grimly. “You’re trespassing; get out of here.”
Cold sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose as if he was trying to ward off a headache. “Look. We all have better things to do right now. Don’t make us do this the hard way.”
“So go away. That’s not hard at all,” Karen replied. Cold sighed again then nodded at the men behind him. They marched toward the house.
Karen began chanting an invocation in one of the ancient star languages humans aren’t supposed to know. I was impressed; clearly she was not your average suburban housewitch. She jumped off the porch onto the lawn and stabbed the end of the staff into the earth.
The staff burst in a blue bolt of lightning that shot straight up into the clouds and held there, a giant roaring Jacob’s Ladder spark between Earth and sky.
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