Thin Air Page 0,109

Wake up now. Nightmare's over."

He did, lifting his head and blinking like a kid coming out of a long, difficult sleep. He stared blankly for a few seconds, then focused on my face.

"Did you get it?" he asked. He didn't seem bothered by the fact that I was stroking his hair. I didn't stop.

"Got it," I said. "Good job, man. Thank you."

He ducked his head, and I saw a dull flush build in his sallow cheeks.

"Kevin," I said. "What happened to Cherise wasn't your fault."

Cherise looked startled, and mouthed, Me?

She didn't remember.

Ah, the beauty of the human mind; I wasn't sure if that was her own doing or Lewis's; maybe he'd taken the bad memories away. Either way, I was glad.

"You know what I remember?" I asked. "I remember you going after the first enemy you found back in the forest. I remember you risking your life to even the score when you thought Cherise was dead, and Lewis and I had killed her. I remember the look on your face when you realized she was still alive." I looked straight at Cherise, who was a little flushed now, too. "He needs you," I said. "And you need him, too, right?" She nodded. "Better tell him, then," I said. "And Kevin? In case you're wondering, that's the reason you're going to want to live through this."

I pushed through the kitchen door and went through the empty library, back into the large common room where the fire blazed. My own reasons for living were gathered near the warmth. David looked up, smiling. Lewis raised the coffee cup to his lips without comment. The rest of them, including Paul, waited for me to speak.

"The Demon wants to go home, or at least reach home," I said. "Lewis. If I were going to choose a place where the veil that separates our world from hers is the thinnest, where would I go?"

He put his coffee down, leaned forward, and thought about it for a second. He exchanged a look with David, who frowned, and together they both said, "Seacasket."

I blinked. "You've got to be kidding."

If I'd hated the helicopter flight, I loathed the plane ride cross-country. But, given the time ticking away, not to mention the stakes, I thought I'd better suck it up, take the Dramamine, and try to avoid wincing every time the plane hit a wind shear, which was about, oh, every thirty seconds, give or take.

The Wardens had a corporate jet. Who knew? Apparently I now had the authority to commandeer it, or so Lewis told me once we were strapped in. "Shouldn't there be, like, paperwork?" I asked, and snugged my seat belt tight. "At least a signature card for that sort of thing? For security?"

Lewis had his eyes shut even before takeoff. "Trust me. If we live through this, you'll have enough paperwork to keep you in ink stains for the rest of your life." He paused for a few seconds, then said, "How sure are you about this?"

"Any of it? On a scale of one to ten? About a three." That was probably more honesty than he was looking for, I was guessing, from the pained expression that flickered over his face. "Look, when I was taking on Kevin's memories, I took on some of hers, too. More than that, I felt her...well, I can't really call them emotions. But there's a sense to it I really can't describe. I know that in the beginning her only goal was to go home-it's almost like a spawning thing for them. Even though her motivations have gotten more complicated, she still has that instinct."

"Then why do you think she was wasting her time with trying to take over your life?" he asked, and then looked instantly sorry he'd said that. "Not that your life isn't important or valuable..."

"Yeah, nice save. The thing is, I don't think becoming me was an end in itself. It was all about the Wardens. Think about it: Get enough Wardens together, set them to one common task, and you can get a massive buildup of power. Something she could use to rip a hole from this world into her own."

He looked ill, and I didn't think it was airsickness. "I would have helped her do it," he said. "We were talking about ways to reorganize the Wardens, concentrate their power. Nobody would have questioned her."

"It's not your fault."

"Sure it is," Lewis said, and closed his eyes. "I'm going to take a nap while