“The ice should be gone by now,” Monty said, interrupting me and giving me a look. “We can discuss the rest after we get Cecelia back home.”
“I’m all for that plan,” I said, looking for the exit. “How exactly is that plan going to happen?”
“Cecelia is going to show me the modifications she made to the sequence I gave her,” Monty said, looking down at the girl. “If she is correct, then we will go home.”
“What if she’s wrong?” I asked, suddenly not a fan of this plan. “What exactly is this sequence she modified?”
“If she’s wrong,” Monty began, “then we will end up lost in some pocket dimension—very much like this one.”
I looked at Cece, who appeared unbothered by the fact that she had to create a circle to get us home or else lose us in some strange dimension.
“Cece, can you do this?” I asked. “I mean, really do this?”
“Yes,” she replied, confidently. “I was doing that when the big voice messed with my circle. Up until then, my circle was correct, especially with my shortcut. My circle was better—no offense, Mr. Montague.”
“None taken,” Monty said with a slight nod. “I’m sure it was.”
“Monty, I really don’t think this is a good—” I started.
“Unless you know the way out or can contact your creature, it would seem that Cecelia”—he pointed at her—“is the exit from this dimension with her modified circle.”
“Well, sh—sugar,” I said, mindful of my audience. “I really hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I do,” Cece said. “I think you should hold onto something, Mr. Simon.”
She traced several runes in the air. The symbols materialized and trailed blue energy as they faded from sight. A large, blue circle appeared under our feet, the world tilted sideways, and the barren wasteland vanished from sight.
TEN
We arrived in The Moscow on our floor.
All of the ice was gone. The hallway was clear of debris, and everything was back to normal, with the exception of the missing door that led to Cece’s place.
“We’re back,” I said, wincing with anticipation of the expected agony. “How did you do that with hardly any finger wiggles?”
“My shortcut,” Cece said. “Can I see Rags now?”
“I’m sure she’s outside waiting for you,” Monty said. “Along with Simon’s creature.”
We headed downstairs and encountered a slightly less seething Olga in the lobby of the building, who turned at our arrival. Andrei stood at the door, giving Peaches a wide berth. I gave the lobby a quick once over, but didn’t see Bangers and Mash on the property.
“Any sign of Bangersmash?” I asked, looking past the building entrance to see if the Pumpkin was parked outside. “Seems like they have left the area.”
“I’m sure they had pressing business elsewhere,” Monty said. “Plenty of buildings need blowing up.”
“Is that like the mage credo?” I asked. “Maybe we should put that on our business cards? Strong and Montague—because plenty of buildings need blowing up.”
“First of all, it’s Montague and Strong, alphabetically. Second, that is not the mage credo.”
“True. It’s more like the mage way of life,” I said, rubbing my chin and glancing at the glacial storm front approaching us in the form of an angry Olga. “We have ice incoming. Brace yourself.”
Olga walked over to us and scowled at Cece.
“You almost break building,” Olga said, looking first at Cece and then down at Monty. “Your student. You fix or move.”
“I’m sorry, Aunt Olga,” Cece said, eyes fixed on the floor. “I won’t do that again in the building.”
“Don’t you think that’s being a little harsh?” I asked. “She’s only a little girl.”
“Little girl?” Olga asked as the temperature in the lobby dropped by several degrees. “Building almost destroyed. This is little girl with big power.”
“That’s why she needs a teacher,” I said, gesturing at Monty. “He is teaching her.”
“Control, Stronk,” Olga said, wonderfully mangling my name, her voice colder than the ice we had just faced. “Too dangerous if can’t control. Many people in building in danger if it falls.”
“She’s right,” Monty said, surprising me. “I’m going to need to put some extra safeguards in place if Cecelia is going to be exploring ‘shortcuts’ to the sequences I give her.”
“Good,” Olga said with a final nod. “You protect Cecelia and building—you stay. Can’t protect? You go. Stronk go. Persiki monster dog go. Cecelia go back to family with chair-eating guardian.”
Olga walked off and headed back to her office.
“What’s a persiki?” I asked. “Why is she kicking me out if you can’t control your Sith apprentice?”
“I think she was referring to your creature, and she’s not a Sith any more than you are a Jedi.”
“I’m totally a Jedi. Maybe even a Jedi Master. Do you think I should get a padawan, too?”
“And teach them what? The long-lost art of suicidal sarcasm?”
“Persiki means peaches,” Cece volunteered. “She calls Mr. Simon psikh, but I don’t think you look sick, if you ask me.”
Rags and Peaches padded over to where we stood, and Cece ran over to greet her guardian.
“Psikh means nutcase or crazy, if I recall correctly,” Monty said. “I know how you like to know these things.”
“Really appreciate the translation—you could have kept that one to yourself, thanks.”
“My pleasure. I know your stance on being ignorant of your names.”
“How do you say ‘psycho ice queen’ in Olgese?” I asked. “Just in case.”
“Just in case you’ve grown tired of breathing? I would strongly recommend against that course of action.”
“Oh, she gets to call me nutcase and I can’t return the favor?”
“She can probably freeze this entire structure faster than you can get the words ‘psycho ice queen’ out of your mouth. Is that a favor you think you can deal with?”
“Fine, but I don’t have to like it.”
“Life is full of small compromises we make to maintain balance, and in your case, the ability to move freely without being frozen solid.”
“Rags!” Cece said, raising her voice and hugging her guardian around the neck. “I’m so glad to see you’re
