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He stopped, feeling as if someone was standing just behind him, peering over his shoulder.
Somebody very close, close enough to touch . . .
Then he screamed as something wet and oily coiled around his ankle, yanked his feet out
from under him, and dragged him backwards. He thrashed, trying to free himself, and caught
a glimpse of something. Something huge and dark and dripping, topped by a rearing
equine head with glittering red eyes and distended fangs. Then the thing slammed him down
on the concrete, knocking the breath and wits from him. His flute case went flying in one
direction as he was yanked in another.
Toward the pool.
"Beth!" he shrieked, hearing her scream echoing behind him. Then the water closed over
him, black and icy cold, as icy as the scaled flesh against his bare skin. He struggled
against that inhuman grip, already knowing it was hopeless, trying to reach the surface to
breathe, feeling the darkness closing in around him as every second ticked past.
God, please, just let Beth get away, don't let it get her, too
Then the clawed hand thrust him up into the open air, and Eric gasped for breath gratefully.
Then he saw why the creature had surfaced, and his heart stopped beating for an instant.
Beth!
She stood like some fantasy art heroine, her clothing soaking wet and clinging to her, a
piece of wood splintered to a sharp point clenched in her hand. He could see where the tip
was stained with blood and a foul greenish ichor as she danced closer along the slippery
rim of the pool, trying for another stab.
"Beth," he yelled, "get your ass out of here!"
Then Eric screamed again as the piece of wood sailed within inches of his nose to embed
itself in the creature's eye. With a shriek that rent the air, it flung Eric onto the concrete and
sank beneath the pool's surface.
Eric just lay there for a long moment, choking and gasping, and concentrated on some
serious breathing.
Oh God. I'm still alive
Then he realized Beth was pulling him away from the water's edge. "I'm I'm okay," he
gasped hoarsely, trying to sit up."
She held on to him tightly. For a moment, he thought he could hear her voice, even though
her face was pressed too closely against his shoulder for her to speak.
:I thought I'd lost you again, lost you oh, Eric ;
"I love you too, Beth," he whispered.
She kissed him, then helped him to his feet. "At least you don't reek quite so much now,"
she said dryly.
A noise behind them made both of them turn. The opaque water of the swimming pool was
roiling with darkness, seething as though something was thrashing below. They glanced at
each other, then Eric scooped up his flute case and they ran for the gate. And didn't stop
until they were in the Jeep. Beth sent it accelerating onto the westbound Ventura Freeway.
It must be dead. How could anything live after getting drilled through the eye like Beth did to
it?
Then again, how can anything like that be alive in the first place?
Kory gone, Phil dead, the nexus destroyed God, I wish this was a bad dream and I could
wake up.
Fat chance. Banyon.
He looked across the seat at Beth, and realized that her hands were shaking on the wheel.
"Maybe you should pull over for a minute."
She took a deep breath and shook her head. "No. I'm okay. It's just how long do we have,
Eric, before Perenor tracks us down and kills us? He obviously hasn't forgotten about you.
What can we do against a guy who summons creatures like that swimming-pool thing to
take care of his enemies?"
Or that winged monstrosity that tried to eat me last night in the hills "I don't know. Go on
the offensive, maybe?"
"Offensive against what? If we go anywhere near him, he'll swat us like flies, Eric!"
He thought about it for a moment. "What about the nexus? Maybe there's still something we
can do about that."
"Okay," Beth said after a long pause, "let's go out to Fairesite."
They bulldozed the site three weeks ago. Even knowing what to expect, Beth was still
shocked and horrified by what she saw.
They didn't just destroy it, they devastated it. I've never seen anything like this before, done
with such . . . maliciousness. Like they didn't want to leave one single paving stone next to
another.
She looked out at the desolation, seeing in her mind's eye what once had stood there . . .
Over there, that was the Mainstage, where now there's only a heap of splintered wood. . .
Irish Hill, they practically leveled it completely, there's nothing left except some scattered
straw . . . the old Wishing Well, they just left the concrete foundation broken, didn't even
bother with removing the pieces.
There's nothing left here but dirt and chips of wood. Nothing at all.
She reached down, picking up a piece of what had once been a bright green ribbon, now
torn and dark with mud. She straightened and saw Eric, moving towards what had been the
Wood.
The Wood Grove. That's where Kory said the nexus was, within the circle of ancient oak
trees.
Oak trees, torn out of the ground, lying like mutilated corpses on the dusty ground,
dead they've destroyed it completely. There's nothing we can do here.
Uncle Phil murdered, and now Kory is going to die, too, if he isn't already dead
Pain ripped through Beth, making her clench her eyes closed to keep from crying aloud.
Pain like someone stabbing her in the heart
or the soul. It's over, Kory must be dead or dying, it's hopeless.
Eric's still picking over the mess, walking through the fallen trees, looking around. Doesn't he
realize that there's nothing we can do, nothing at all? Why doesn't he just give up?
Eric disappeared around the edge of the ruined Wood, into the hilly area beyond. Beth
followed hesitantly, not certain where Eric was going. That's what used to be the end of the
Wood, there's nothing beyond there, nothing except a few more oak trees
Beth climbed carefully over the bulldozed trees, trying to spot Eric. There's still a few oaks
left standing, by the edge of the Wood. And
She felt her heart leap with sudden hope, seeing a cloaked figure sprawled beneath one of
the oaks' spreading branches. Then she ran forward to where Eric was standing, looking
down at the motionless man.
It's him, it's Kory!
Now she could see him clearly, that wild blond hair spilling over his shoulders, mixed with
dirt and blood and tears. His slack face streaked with tears and mud, his jeans and Faire
shirt the same no-color.
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