shut the front door he saw that dawn was about to break. Perfect timing. The stave caught the first rays of light. "I have a question for you,"he said to Meredith's long, silky dark hair. "You said that you didn't find this gorgeous stave until after Klaus - that wicked Old One - was dead. But if you're from a hunter-slayer family you might have been more help in getting him dispatched. Like mentioning that only white ash could kil him."
"It was because my parents didn't actively pursue the family business - they didn't know. They were both from hunter families, of course - you have to be, to keep it out of the tabloids and - "
" - police files - "
"Do you want me to talk, or can you do your stand-up routine alone?"
"Point taken" - hefting the extremely pointed stave. "I'l listen."
"But even though they chose not to be active, they knew that a vampire or werewolf might decide to pick on their daughter if they found out her identity. So during school, I took
'harpsichord lessons'and 'riding lessons'one day a week each - have done since I was three. I'm a Black Belt Shihan, and a Taekwondo Saseung. I might start Dragon Kung Fu - "
"Point taken once more. But then how exactly did you find that gorgeous kil ing stick?"
"After Klaus was dead, while Stefan was babysitting Elena, suddenly Grandpa started talking - just single words - but it made me go look in our attic. I found this."
"So you really don't know how to use it?"
"I'd just started practicing when Shinichi turned up. But, no, I don't real y have a clue. I'm pretty good with a bo staff, though, so I just use it like that."
"You didn't use it like a bo staff on me."
"I was hoping to persuade you, not kil you. I couldn't think of how to explain to Elena that I'd broken al your bones."
Damon kept himself from laughing - barely.
"So how did a couple of inactive hunter-slayers end up moving to a town on top of a few hundred crossing ley lines?"
"I'm guessing they didn't know what a line of natural Power was. And Fel 's Church looked smal and peaceful - back then."
They found the Gateway just as Damon had seen it before, a neat rectangular piece sliced out of the earth, about five feet deep.
"Now sit down there,"he adjured Meredith, putting her on the opposite corner from where he lay the stave.
"Have you given a thought - even the briefest - as to what wil happen to Misao if you pour out all the liquid in there?"
"Actual y, not one. Not one microsecond's worth,"Damon said cheerful y. "Why? Do you think she would for me?"
Meredith sighed. "No. That's the problem with both of you."
"She's certainly your problem at the moment, although I may stop by sometime after the town's destroyed to have a little tête-à-tête with her brother about the concept of keeping an oath."
"After you've gotten strong enough to beat him."
"Well, why don't you do something? It's your town they've devastated, after al ,"Damon said. "Children attacking themselves and each other, and now adults attacking children - "
"They're either scared to death or possessed by those malach the foxes are stil spreading everywhere - "
"Yes, and so fear and paranoia keep spreading too. Fel 's Church may be little by the standards of other genocides they've caused, but it's an important place because it's sitting on top - "
"Of al those ley lines ful of magical power - yes, yes, I know.
But don't you care at al ? About us? Their future plans for us?
Doesn't any of it matter to you?"Meredith demanded.
Damon thought of the stil , smal figure in the first-floor bedroom and felt a sick qualm. "I told you already,"he snapped. "I'm coming back for a talk with Shinichi."
After which, careful y, he began to pour liquid from the uncorked star bal at one corner of the rectangle. Now that he was actual y at the Gate, he realized he had no idea what he should do. The proper procedure might be to jump in and pour out the star bal 's entire liquid in the middle. But four corners seemed to dictate four different places to pour, and he was sticking to that.
He expected Meredith to try to foul things up somehow.
Make a run for the house. Make some noise, at least. Attack him from behind now that he had dropped the stave. But