out my library at home, but it sounds like the kid is a lot closer than we are to how all the legends portray Death. Things tend to balance, however, maybe there's some positive side to this, uh, disorder she has. In the meantime, maybe you should head over to Berkeley, see if you can find anything at the library there. It's a repository library - every book that's printed goes there."
"Haven't you tried that?"
"Yes, but I wasn't looking for something specific like this. Look, just be careful going over. Don't take the BART tunnel."
"You think the sewer harpies are in the BART tunnels?" Charlie asked.
"Sewer harpies? What's that?"
"It's what I call them," Charlie said.
"Oh. I don't know. It's underground, and I've been on a train when the power goes out. I don't think you want to risk it. It feels like their territory. Speaking of that, from my end they've been conspicuously silent for the last six months or so. Not a peep."
"Yeah, the same here," Charlie said. "But I suppose this phone call might change that."
"Yeah, it probably will. But with your daughter's condition, we might be in a whole new game, too. You watch your ass, Charlie Asher."
"You, too, Minty."
"Mr. Fresh."
"I meant Mr. Fresh."
"Good-bye, Charlie."
In his cabin on the great ship, Orcus picked his teeth with the splintered femur of an infant. Babd combed his black mane with her claws as the bullheaded death pondered what the Morrigan had seen from the drain on Columbus Avenue: Charlie and Sophie in the park.
"It is time," said Nemain. "Haven't we waited long enough?" She clacked her claws like castanets, flinging drops of venom on the walls and floor.
"Would you be careful," Macha said. "That shit stains. I just put new carpet in here."
Nemain stuck out a black tongue. "Washerwoman," she said.
"Whore," Macha replied.
"I don't like this," Orcus said. "This child disturbs me."
"Nemain is right. Look how strong we've become," Babd said, stroking the webbing that was growing back between the spikes on Orcus's shoulders - it looked as if he had fans mounted there, like some ornate samurai armor. "Let us go. The child's sacrifice might give you your full wings back."
"You think you can?"
"We can, once it's dark," said Macha. "We're stronger than we've been in a thousand years."
"Just one of you go, and go in stealth," said Orcus. "Hers is a very old talent, even in this new body. If she masters it, our chance may have passed for another thousand years. Kill the child and bring its corpse to me. Don't let her see you until you strike."
"And her father? Kill him?"
"You're not that strong. But if he wakes to find his child gone, then maybe his grief will destroy him."
"You don't have any idea what you're doing, do you?" said Nemain.
"You stay here tonight," said Orcus.
"Dammit," said Nemain, slinging steaming venom across the wall. "Oh, pardon me for questioning the exalted one. Hey, head of the bull, I wonder what comes out of the other end?"
"Ha," said Babd. "Ha. Good one."
"And what kind of brain do you find under the feathers?" said Orcus.
"Oh! He got you, Nemain. Think about how bad he got you when I'm killing the child tonight."
"I was talking to you," Orcus said. "Macha goes."
She came in through the roof, tearing up the bubble skylight over the fourth floor and dropping into the hallway. She moved as silent as a shadow down the hall to the stairs, then appeared to float down, her feet barely touching the steps. On the second floor she paused at the door and examined the locks. There were two strong dead bolts in addition to the one in the main plate. She looked up and saw a stained-glass transom, latched with a tiny brass latch. A claw slipped quickly through the gap, and with a twist of the wrist the brass lock popped off and clattered on the hardwood floor inside. She slithered up and through the transom and flattened herself against the floor inside, waiting like a pool of shadow.
She could smell the child, hear the gentle snoring coming from across the apartment. She moved to the middle of the great room, and paused. New Meat was there, too, she could sense him, sleeping in the room across from the child. If he interfered she'd tear his head from his body and take it back to the ship as proof to Orcus that he should never underestimate her. She was tempted to take him anyway, but