bole flexed and two branches rose and fell, exactly like a person might stretch when he woke in the morning.
The bark of the old tree rippled. Peigi gawped, too transfixed to call out to the others, who went on discussing the door, the house, the Tuil Erdannan, and Ben.
The tree’s branches thickened until they resembled arms hanging from broad shoulders. The roots came out of the ground, as though the tree had bent a knee and flexed its toes.
As the tree walked forward, the bark flowed together to become skin—tough and leathery. The large round knot on the front of the trunk could be its face, the remaining leaves and branches on top its hair.
The creature became less and less treelike as it approached the house, though it retained the characteristics of the tree in its barrel shape and solid strength. By the time it reached the porch steps it had clothes—jeans, sweatshirt, and motorcycle boots. The knot had indeed become a face, with a broad forehead, wide nose, and very dark eyes that held the wisdom of ancients.
The man sprang up onto the porch outside the parlor and rapped on the window.
“Hey,” he said to Peigi. “Can you let me in? I think I dropped my key.”
“Ben!” Jaycee cried behind her. “There you are. About time.”
Chapter Seven
Ben sauntered in past Peigi and gave her a sly wink, which made Reid’s annoyance flare. Peigi continued to gape at Ben in shock.
“Sorry I wasn’t around to welcome you,” Ben said. “Things to take care of.”
Peigi drew a breath as though to throw questions at him, then she snapped her mouth shut and bathed him in a frown. Ben only grinned at her, as though they shared a secret, which made Reid simmer all the more.
Dimitri waved Ben to the wall and tapped it. “Can you bring back the door? Reid is trying to get through.”
“So I heard.” Ben slid his cell phone from his pocket and thumbed through his screen. “On, what, eight messages?” He clicked the phone dark and replaced it in his pocket. “I have to apologize again—you’ve wasted the trip. The door doesn’t come to my calling. Jazz said she never saw it before, and I haven’t seen it since I moved in to take care of the place.”
“Damn,” Jaycee said softly. “Like the swimming pool.” To Reid’s raised brows, she said, “Swimming pool appeared when I needed to cool off. Jazz told me later she didn’t have one.”
Peigi cleared her throat. “Maybe if we ask the house nicely?”
Ben grunted a laugh. “Maybe. But if the house thinks it’s too dangerous for us, it won’t comply. The only reason the door appeared before was to give Jaycee a way to rescue Dimitri.” Dimitri nodded at this, unoffended.
“So you can’t help us.” Peigi scowled at Ben, angry at him for some reason.
“I didn’t say that.” Ben returned her gaze neutrally. “This house is on a ley line. That might be some use.”
Jaycee studied the blank wall. “Ben, I heard that you can find your way into sort-of pockets between this world and Faerie. So said Bowman from North Carolina when he had a meet-up with Kendrick. How about doing that?”
“I can,” Ben said hesitantly. “But it might not do Reid any good. He could get stuck in that pocket, or find his way to someplace that was neither Faerie nor here. Do you know anything about the multiverse theory of quantum physics? The idea is that there are infinite numbers of worlds out there—and they aren’t kidding.”
Jaycee flinched. “That’s unsettling.”
“Most of the time we don’t notice, or care, in our everyday lives,” Ben went on. “But every once in a while, enough energy from one coalesces, and a gate opens. Usually on a ley line. Faerie has a strong enough connection with our world that we get there the easiest, but we could go other places by accident.”
“Like I said, unsettling,” Jaycee repeated.
Reid nodded agreement. “Even if we do get through a gate to Faerie, there’s no way of knowing where I’d land there. It’s a big place.”
“I know,” Jaycee said glumly. “I saw a map of it once. That’s why I suggested Lady Aisling. She would know the way and have transportation.”
“If she was interested,” Reid said, his impatience growing.
“Hang on a sec,” Ben broke in. “I met Lady Aisling. She’s one frightening lady. You do not want to piss her off. You talk about her like she’s a friend, Jaycee, but she’s a Tuil Erdannan.”
“Ben’s scared of