Wizards At War

“That’s another problem,” Kit said. “They sure wanted to take care of her.” He looked at the few fragments of Yaldiv warrior that had not been completely vaporized or blasted to other kinds of nothing during the attack. “Someone’s realized that she’s important. But not important enough that It came Itself.”

It’s still not here in a completely embodied avatar, the Champion said. That, I would feel immediately. It remains partly unaware … for the moment.

Kit held his breath at the sound of the Champion’s voice speaking through Ronan. It seemed to have lost a lot of the power he normally heard in it. “I guess we should be grateful,” Kit said. “But I don’t think it’s gonna last. Anyway, have the others all take their pup tents down pronto. We won’t stay here a second longer than we have to.”

He turned, then, and let out a long, annoyed breath. This couldn’t be put off any longer. Off by the former crevasse, Filif and Roshaun were checking over the mochteroofs, and Ponch had run over to them and the slender figure who now stood by Filif and was fluffing up his fronds. “Just look at you!” said Carmela. “You wore your hat all the way here!”

“It has become a personality thing,” said Filif, reaching up with one frond to adjust his Mets baseball cap. Kit had to smile slightly, as Filif’s sense of which part of the cap should face forward tended to change from hour to hour.

Carmela glanced down at Ponch, who was jumping up and down beside her, trying to get her attention. She got down to give him a hug, and started getting her face seriously washed as a result.

In the middle of this, Ponch glanced over at Kit and gave him a reproachful look. I can’t find any more biscuits, he said.

“That would be because you and Memeki ate every one you could

find!” Kit said.

Ponch snorted and went back to slurping Carmela’s face. “And in the meantime,” Kit said, “I really need Ponch to be concentrating on helping us all get out of here to somewhere safer. So if you can please stop fussing over him—”

Carmela glanced up. “Now, here I am having some quality smooch-time with my favorite doggie,” she said, “and you’re just standing there ruining it. Bear with me while I ask one of these nice people for a spell or something to destroy you with.” She glanced around. “Filif! Would you destroy Kit for me, please? You’re such a honey. Thanks.” And she went back to scratching Ponch behind the ears.

“‘Melaaaaa!” Kit said as Filif came up behind Kit.

“If I were you,” Filif’s nearest fronds said very quietly in Kit’s ear, tickling it, “I’d bend in this wind, and not break yourself trying to stand against it.” To Carmela, he said, “Destroy him how, exactly?”

“Melted lead?” Carmela said. “Boiling oil? Forget it, those are way too retro. Disintegration’s big this year…”

Filif stood there looking innocently at the ceiling with all his berries as Carmela started to hit her stride. Kit just shook his head and turned away.

Off by the mochteroofs, Memeki stood watching Carmela and Ponch and the rest of them. There was no making anything of a Yaldiv’s expressions, but Kit got a sense from Memeki of something much like wistfulness, like a kid who stands off to one side of the playground, knowing he’s about to be picked last for a game, as usual. Kit swallowed: he’d been there. But there was something else going on besides that sadness—a strange and growing hope that something different was about to happen. Off across the cavern, as she was taking down her pup tent, Kit saw Nita pause, looking at Memeki, too. She glanced at Kit.

She’s terrified, Nita said silently. And not just for herself. But something else is going on, too. You feel it?

He nodded as he came up beside Memeki and patted her carapace again. “We’ll be ready to go pretty soon,” he said, “but you don’t have to be by yourself.”

“Kit,” Memeki said. Kit’s mouth dropped open, for it was the first time she’d actually used a name for any of them. “You need not take me anywhere else,” she said. “I must go back to the City, for I see I am putting you all in danger. Particularly Ponch.”

Kit looked at her thoughtfully, as Ponch, who had left Carmela to follow him, stood up on his hind legs and put his forepaws on her. We’ll stay with you, he said. We’ll take care of you.