House Raith, don't you think?"
Trixie Vixen's heels thumped on the floor.
Raith looked down at her and then at Madge. "Can you manage the ritual alone, dear?"
"Of course, my lord," Madge said calmly. She struck a match and lit one of the candles.
"Well, then," Raith said. He regarded Trixie with clinical detachment until her heels had stopped drumming on the stone floor. Then he seized her hair and dragged her to the left side of the enormous throne. She still moved weakly. He lifted her by the back of the neck and pitched her out into the darkness like a bag of garbage.
Trixie Vixen couldn't scream as she fell to her death. But she tried.
I couldn't stop myself from feeling protest and pain as I saw another human being killed. Even though I tried.
Raith dusted his hands against each another. "Where was I?"
"Taunting the wizard with how he has been manipulated from the beginning," Madge said. "But I would suggest that you let me begin the conjuring at this point. The timing should be just about right."
"Do it," Raith said. He walked around the circle, examining it carefully, and then walked over to me.
Madge picked up a curved ritual knife and a silver bowl and stepped into the circle. She pricked her finger with the knife and smeared blood upon the circle, closing it behind her. Then she knelt at Thomas's head, lifted her face with her eyes closed, and began a slow chant in a tongue whose words twisted and writhed through her lips.
Raith watched her for a long moment, and then his head abruptly snapped up toward the exit of the cave.
Bodyguard Barbie came to attention like a dog who has noticed its master taking a package of bacon out of the fridge.
"Sirens," Raith said, his voice harsh.
"Police?" asked Barbie.
"Ambulance. What happened? Who called them?"
Barbie shook her head. Maybe the questions were too complex for her to handle.
"Gee, Raith," I said. "I wonder why the EMTs have shown up. I wonder if the police are coming along, too. Don't you wonder that?"
The lord of the White Court glared at me, then turned to walk toward the ridiculously elaborate throne. "I suppose it doesn't matter one way or the other."
"Probably not," I agreed. "Unless Inari is involved."
He stopped, frozen in his tracks.
"But what are the chances?" I asked. "I mean, I'm sure the odds are way against her being hurt. Riding a long way in the back of the ambulance with some young med tech. I'm sure daddy's little girl is not going to vamp out for the very first time on an EMT or a doctor or a nurse or a cop, kill them in front of God and everybody, and start off her adult life with a trip to prison, where I'm sure lots of other unfortunate deaths would put her away for good."
Raith didn't turn. "What have you done to my child?"
"Did something happen to your child?" I asked. I probably said that in as insulting a fashion as I possibly could. "I hope everything is all right. But how will we know? You should just get on with the cursing, I guess."
Raith turned to Madge and said, "Continue. I'll be back in a moment." Then to the bodyguard he said, "Keep your gun aimed at Dresden. Shoot him if he tries to escape." The bodyguard drew her weapon. Raith turned and darted from the room, faster than humanly possible.
Madge continued her twisty chant.
"Heya, Thomas," I said.
"Mmmph," he said through the gag.
"I'm gonna get you out of here."
Thomas lifted his head from the ground and blinked at me.
"Don't space out on me, man. Stay with us here."
He stared at me for a second more and then groaned and dropped his head back onto the ground. I wasn't sure if that was an affirmative or not.
"Murph?" I called.
She looked up at me, then down again.
"Murph, don't fall apart on me. He's the bad guy and he's way sexy while he does it. That's his bag. He's supposed to be able to get to you."
"I couldn't stop him," she said in a numb voice.
"That's okay."
"I couldn't stop myself either." She met my eyes for a second and then slumped to the floor. "Leave me alone, Mister Dresden."
"Right," I muttered. I focused on the bodyguard. "Hey there. Look, uh. I don't know your name??
She just stared at me down the length of her gun.
"Yeah, okay, that's hostile," I said. "But look, you're a person. You're human. I'm human. We should