Ivy held her arm to her middle, looking up past her hair to the open door, shrugging.
"Hello?" the big man's voice boomed out, cautiously. "Rachel? Ivy? Everyone okay?"
Pixies flew over us in a wave, going to meet the FIB detective. I swear, the man had to have some elven blood in him the way Jenks's kids took to him. Either that, or they liked the smell of gun oil.
"Come on in, Glenn!" I called, and the light in the foyer was eclipsed.
"Ivy?" Glenn said, his gaze going first to her, standing with Pierce's support. He started for her, but his eyes were taking everything in, lingering on the smoldering couch and the burn ring on the pool table. I had no doubt that it had been a white spell designed to toast marshmallows, but Vivian could have set the church on fire with it.
"Rachel, what do you do? Put an ad in the paper for trouble?" Glenn asked, snapping the flap over his weapon back down as he crossed the room.
"Ha, ha. Very funny." I shifted my weight to my other foot, knees aching. "Glenn, this is Pierce. Pierce, this is Glenn, my friend from the FIB."
I watched Pierce closely as Glenn came forward with his usual grace and spare motion, his right hand extended even as he slipped a supporting arm under Ivy.
"It's my arm that's broken. I can walk," she said irately, pulling away from both men.
Pierce shook Glenn's hand with a firm formality, not a hint of reservation in him, even if his gaze did hesitate on his shaved head and one earring. "I'm powerfully pleased to meet you, Detective Glenn," he said, glancing at Ivy as she sat on the couch and halfheartedly hit the smoldering leather with a magazine. "YouVe been a friend to Rachel for a good span."
Glenn's eyebrows rose at Pierce's speech, but his smile was genuine. "Not for as long as I hope to," he said. I tried to imagine his grin with sharp canines, and couldn't.
I started hobbling to the kitchen to get another pain amulet, my grip tight on the smooth wood of the pool table. The pixies were hovering over it, heads down as they poked the burnt felt with their swords. It was totally ruined. I'd have to get it refelted. Sorry, Kisten.
"Ah, I came over to tell you I have an ID on the woman who attacked you," Glenn said from behind me.
"Let me guess," I said, inching along. "Vivian Smith is a member of the coven of moral and ethical standards."
"The witch broke into my church." Jenks darted about the sanctuary, counting his kids.
"Really." Glenn didn't sound surprised, and I nodded. "Didn't they already shun you?"
"Yeah. And now they want my ovaries," I said dryly. Step-ow. Step-ow.
Glenn looked appalled when I glanced up, and Pierce was wincing, embarrassed as he gazed at the broken glass. Pixies were darting in and out, giving Jenks fits. Matalina had the youngest, but she could do only so much.
Ivy looked ill on the pixy-dusted, smoldering couch, her arm cradled against her. "Glenn, can you take me to the emergency room? Rachel can't drive with her knees like that."
"I can so," I complained, but he was watching me inch along, shaking his head.
"Looks like you need to be admitted, too," he said. "You want to file a report?"
I grimaced. "Against the coven? Ri-i-i-ight." Accepting Glenn's help, I hobbled to the hallway. He smelled like honey and hot metal. Daryl, apparently. "I can take Ivy to the hospital," I said slowly. "My mom's Buick is an automatic. You look like you're on duty."
Jenks laughed as he got all but three of his kids out in the yard. "There's a good idea," he said as he sent the last of them to the rafters to keep watch. "The coven is trying to kill you, and you want to drive Ivy to the hospital where there are syringes and big knives."
I changed my aim from the hallway to the couch, slipping from Glenn's grip to sit beside Ivy. "I can drive," I said sourly. "I just need a new pain amulet."
"I'll get it, mistress witch," Pierce said, his feet soundless as he vanished into the hall.
"Mistress witch?" Glenn muttered, standing over Ivy as if not knowing what to do.
"He's not from around here," I said, tired. Ivy got to her feet, and I stared up at her.
"Stay here, Rachel," Ivy said as she headed for the foyer,