Grave Peril (The Dresden Files #3) - Jim Butcher Page 0,80

the circle, even as the Nightmare faded. It split the rainbow mist like the sweep of some invisible woodsman's axe, and once more, the Nightmare screamed.

Then the mist gathered together in a horrible rush, an implosion of space, and the creature was gone. A handful of water splattered the ground, and the candles went out.

I collapsed forward, to my forearms, wheezing and gasping for breath, my muscles shaking. I'd hurt the bastard. It wasn't invincible. I'd hurt it. Maybe nothing much more inconvenient than the cut on my finger, or a slap in the face, but it hadn't expected that.

I hadn't been able to get to the person behind it, but I'd felt somethingI'd sensed their presence, gotten a clear whiff of their perfume, in a metaphysical sense. Maybe I could use that.

"Take that, jerk," I mumbled. I lay there gasping for several minutes, my head spinning from the effort of the spell. Then I put my things away and shambled up out of my lab, into the room above.

Michael helped me to a seat. He'd built up the fire, and I soaked in its warmth gratefully. He went to the kitchen and brought me a Coke, a sandwich. I drank and ate greedily. Only after I'd finished the last of the drink did he ask, "What happened?"

"I called it up. The Nightmare. Someone helped it get away, but not before I laid a binding on it."

He frowned at me, grey eyes studying my face. "What kind of binding?"

"I kept it from going after you. Or Murphy. Or your family. I couldn't keep it out, but I could limit its targets."

Michael blinked at me for a moment. Then said, slowly, "By making it come after you."

I grinned at him, a fierce show of teeth, and nodded. A touch of pride filled my voice. "I had to do it at the last second, on the fly. I hadn't really planned it, but it worked. So long as I'm alive, it can't mess with anyone else."

"So long as you're alive," Michael said. He frowned, and leaned his thick forearms on his knees, pressing his palms together. "Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Doesn't that mean it's certainly going to try to kill you? No torment, no sadistic torturesjust flat-out mayhem and death."

I nodded, sobering. "Yeah."

"And whatever person is behind the Nightmare, whoever helped it escapethat means that you've just put yourself in their way. They can't use their weapon until they've removed you."

"Yeah."

"So if they didn't need you dead before, they're going to stop at nothing else now."

I was quiet for a moment, thinking about that. "I made my choice, man," I said, finally. "But hell, I'm already in water so deep, it doesn't matter if it gets any deeper. Let the Nightmare and my godmother duke it out for who gets to be first in line."

His eyes flickered up at mine. "Oh, Harry. You shouldn't have done that."

I scowled at him. "Hey. It's better than anything else we've managed, so far. You'd have done the same thing, if you could."

"Yes," Michael said. "But my family is well provided for." He paused, and then added, in a gentle voice, "And I'm sure of my soul's destination, when it's time for me to go."

"I'll worry about Hell later. Besides, I think I have a plan."

He grimaced. "You aren't concerned about your soul, but you have a plan."

"I don't intend to get killed just yet. We've got to take the offensive, Michael. If we just sit back and wait, it's going to be able to take us apart."

"Take you apart, you mean," he said. His expression grew more troubled. "Harry, without Amoracchius I'm not sure how much help I'll be to you."

"You know what you're doing, Michael. And I don't think the Almighty is going to quit the team just because we fumbled the ball, right?"

"Of course not, Harry. He is ever faithful."

I leaned toward him, put a hand on his shoulder, and looked him right in the eyes. I don't do that to people very often. There aren't many I can. "Michael. This thing is big, and it's bad, and it scares the hell out of me. But I might be the only one who can stop it, now. I need you. I need your help. Hell, man. I need to know that you're at my back, that you believe in what I'm doing here. Are you with me or not?"

He studied my face. "You've lost much of your power, you say. And I don't have the sword anymore.