The Child Thief

could sense them, Peter and the others. Sense their spirit, their feelings, their joys, excitement, their…fears. Then he understood more, that he could touch them, not physically, but with his mind.

He grinned. “Child thief, you will pay. You will know what it is to suffer, and to lose all you love.”

PETER FELT AS though he were in a dream, as though his feet barely touched the ground as they marched back through the Lady’s Wood. He found it impossible to believe all that had happened this day, from driving the Flesh-eaters back to ridding Avalon, once and for all, of Ulfger’s poison. But it was the Lady who dominated his thoughts, ruled his heart; he could think of little else. He closed his eyes and could still smell her scent: honeysuckle and spring water.

“Peter,” Redbone called and pointed. “Look!”

Peter stopped and stared, dumbfounded. They all did.

They’d come at last to the border of Myrkvior, to Cusith Creek, back to the scourge-ridden woods. Everyone stared at the trees, at the fresh green buds that had sprouted out along a few of the gray limbs, and the occasional bloom here and there among the dead weeds.

“Tanngnost, what does it mean?” Peter asked.

Tanngnost set Sekeu carefully down. He’d carried her the whole way back. The troll might be old, but he was still a troll and, to him, she appeared to weigh nothing. Sekeu hopped over to a rock and took a seat. Peter thought it’d be a while before she’d be able to fight, but she looked on the mend and he couldn’t help but smile. Almost lost you, he thought, surprised to find himself blinking back tears. Been through too much, me and you. We’re going to finish this thing together.

Tanngnost touched one of the buds. “It means that the Lady’s back,” the troll said. “We have hope again.”

“The Lady did that?” asked Cricket.

“Yes,” Tanngnost said. “Peter has reawakened her spirit. She will tend Avallach’s Tree. If we can stop the burning, she might be able to stop the scourge.”

“And,” Peter added, “when we drive them into the Mist, when we kill them all, then she will heal all of Avalon! Right? Return it to its splendor!”

“Yes, most certainly,” the troll agreed.

“We must strike again!” Peter said, his voice brimming with excitement. “As soon as we can. We can’t allow them to burn another tree!” He looked to the old elf. “Drael, what of you? Will you meet us at Red Rock, come dawn?”

“I tell you this,” the old elf said. “The Lady’s Guard will sit on the sidelines no longer. We’ll be there, Peter. That you can count on.” Every elf nodded in agreement, their stern faces and hard eyes all the oath Peter needed.

“Good,” Peter said, clasping the elf on the arm. “Good.” He could hardly contain the urge to let out a crazy whoop. He turned to the three girls. “Will you stand with us? Can we count on Ginny’s children?”

The barghest looked to the girls.

“Will there be lots of blood?” asked the first.

“Enough noodlely guts for all?” asked the second.

“And eyeballs, don’t forget eyeballs,” put in the third.

“Oh, yes,” Peter said, and returned their wicked smiles. “Brains too. Plenty to go around.”

“I want to go!” said one.

“Me too!” chimed in the second.

“Oh, most certainly then,” said the third. “But Peter?”

“Yes?” Peter said.

“You’ll have to ask our mother first.”

“Yes,” said the second. “Mother doesn’t like for us to play with strangers.”

“Will you come ask her for us?” asked the third, with big, imploring eyes.

“I will,” Peter said. “Right away.” He addressed Drael. “Tomorrow then, Red Rock?”

“Agreed,” Drael said, and the elves started away, back into the Lady’s Wood.

“Leroy, Danny, Cricket, Nick. You guys grab all the stock and head back to Deviltree. We’ll be there as soon as we can. Tanngnost, can you take Sekeu and go with them?”

Tanngnost looked troubled. “Most certainly, but—”

“There’s always a but, isn’t there?” Peter said.

“Peter, a word.”

“Only one? Why do I doubt that?”

Tanngnost frowned, tugged Peter over into the woods. “Peter, you needn’t go. The witch will come. The girls, they’re her eyes and ears. They are just playing a game—”

“I know,” Peter interrupted. “I have to go back to the swamp. I have to find Abraham’s body before the Flesh-eaters do. I can’t stand the thought of his head on their fort.”

Tanngnost was quiet for a moment. “Yes. Yes, of course.”

Peter started away.

“Peter.”

“What now?” Peter said with a sigh.

“What about Nick?”

“Tanngnost, when did you become such an old woman?”

The troll gave him a sour look. “You saw him,” he said defensively. “The darkness, it had him, completely.”

“The Lady touched him. She healed him. You can see it in his eyes. Stop worrying so much. All is coming together. Avallach has smiled on us.” This didn’t seem to placate the troll. “Okay, keep a close eye on him if it makes you feel better.”

“Peter?”

“What?” Peter said, exasperated.

“You were the one that brought them all together. You did that. If I didn’t know you to be such a cretin, I’d believe the Horned One’s spirit lives in you.”

Peter smiled warmly at his old friend. “Is that a tear? It is. Why, Tanngnost, you have turned into an old woman.” And Peter laughed, and when he did, all the Devils grinned, because Peter’s laugh was a most contagious thing.

“HOW MUCH FARTHER?” Danny asked, for the third time in the last ten minutes.

No one answered.

“How come I have to carry the apples?” he groaned. “They weigh a goddamn ton. Cricket’s only got mushrooms. How come she gets mushrooms? Mushrooms weigh like nothing. That’s not fair. Hey Cricket, how about we switch for a while. Huh? How about it?”

Cricket shook her head.

“Ah, c’mon. C’mon. C’mon.”

“Geezy fucking weezy, Danny,” Cricket cried. “Do you ever stop bellyaching? Here, take the goddamn mushrooms already.” She jerked the sack of apples from him and shoved the mushrooms into his gut. “Just stop whining for five flipping minutes. All right? Okay?”

Danny nodded sheepishly.

Cricket stomped away up the trail.

“Hey, Cricket?” Danny called.

Cricket didn’t answer.

“You’re a real sweetheart.”

She flipped him the bird.

Danny looked at Nick, bounced the bag of mushrooms between his hands, lifted his eyebrows, and grinned.

Nick recognized the trail; Deviltree wasn’t much farther. He’d be glad when they made it; the bag of fruit and