motes when they did. They fell into a panicked spiral, around the inside of the circle, until Toot-toot landed on the ground, looked up at the other faeries, and started shouting, "Ten Huts! Ten Huts!"
The other faeries abruptly came to a complete stop in the air, standing rigidly straight. Evidently, they couldnt do that and keep their little wings going at the same time, because they promptly fell to the alley floor, landing with a half-dozen separate "ouches" and as many puffs of glowing faerie dust.
Toot-toot recovered his pencil spear and stood at the very edge of the closed circle, peering out at the alley. "Harry Dresden? Is that you?"
I stepped out from my hiding spot and nodded. "Its me. How you doing, Toot?"
I expected a torrent of outraged but empty threats. That was Toot-toots usual procedure. Instead, he let out a hiss and crouched down in the circle, spear at the ready. The other tiny faeries took up their own weapons and rushed to Toot-toots side. "You cant make us," Toot said. "We havent been Called and until we are, we belong to ourselves."
I blinked down at them. "Called? Toot, what are you talking about?"
"Were not stupid, Emissary," Toot-toot said. "I know what you are. I can smell the Cold Queen all over you."
I wondered if they made a deodorant for that. I lifted my hand in a placating gesture. "Toot, Im working for Mab right now, but its just another client, okay? Im not here to take you anywhere or make you do anything."
Toot planted the eraser end of his spear on the ground, scowling suspiciously up at me. "Really?" he demanded.
"Really," I said.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Super duper double dog promise spit swear?"
I nodded. "Super duper double dog promise spit swear," I repeated gravely.
"Spit!" Toot demanded.
I spat on the ground.
"Oh. Well, then," Toot said. He dropped his spear and darted over to the pizza, much to the consternation of the other little faeries, who let out piping shrills of protest and then followed him. The piece of pizza didnt last long. It was like watching one of those nature shows, where the piranha devour some luckless thing that falls in the waterexcept here there were glittering wings and motes and puffs of glowing, colorful dust everywhere.
I watched, frowning, until Toot-toot flopped onto his back, his tummy slightly distended. He let out a contented sigh, and the other faeries followed suit.
"So, Harry," Toot said, "who do you think is going to win the war?"
"The White Council," I said. "The Red Courts got no depth on the bench and nothing in the bullpen."
Toot snorted and flipped his plastic bottle-cap helm off his head. His hair waved around in the breeze. "Just because they dont have any cows doesnt mean that they wont win. But I dont mean that war."
I frowned. "You mean between the Courts."
Toot nodded. "Yeah."
"Okay. Whats with the armor and weapons, Toot?"
The faerie beamed. "Neat, huh?"
"Highly scary," I said gravely. "But why do you have them?"
Toot folded his arms and said, with all the gravity that six inches of fluff and pixie dust can muster, "Troubles coming."
"Uh-huh. I hear the Courts are upset."
"More than just upset, Harry Dresden. The drawing of the wyldfae is beginning. I saw some dryads walking with a Sidhe Knight from Summer, and a canal nereid climbed up out of the water a couple of blocks over and went into a Winter building."
"Drawing of the wyldfae. Like you guys?"
Toot nodded and propped his feet up on the legs of the Star Jump, who let out a surprisingly basso belch. "Not everyone plays with the Courts. We mostly just do our jobs and dont pay much attention. But when theres a war on, the wyldfae get Called to one side or another."
"Who picks which way you go?"
Toot shrugged. "Mostly the nice wyldfae go to the Warm Queen and the mean ones go to Cold. I think its got something to do with what youve been doing."
"Uh-huh. So have you been doing Warm or Cold things?"
Toot let out a sparkling laugh. "How should I remember all those things?" He patted his stomach and then rose to his feet again, eyes calculating. "Is that a pizza box you have there, Harry?"
I held the box out and opened it, showing the rest of the pizza. There was a collective "Ooooo" from the faeries, and they all pressed to the very edge of the circle, until it flattened their little noses, staring at the pizza in fascinated lust.
"Youve sure given us a