'Is that what you're wearing?' he shot back. 'You look like a wannabe private eye.'
'It's cold over there,' I said defensively. 'And leather will keep me from getting scraped up if I have to fall down. And if I get hit by a potion, it can't get through.' If I get hit by a demon curse, I'll be dead. 'I can't afford Kevlar and spell-resistant fabric.'
Trent gave me an up-and-down look and turned away, miffed. Ivy stepped forward to hand me the satchel that had all my stuff. 'I put the map Ceri sketched in there,' she said, her pupils fully dilated with worry. 'I don't know how helpful it's going to be, but at least you know what direction to go.'
'Thanks,' I said as I took the light bag. In it was my splat-ball gun with a dozen sleepy-time paint balls, three warmth amulets from Marshal, a scent charm from David I'd loaned him a while back, a small bag of salt, a piece of magnetic chalk, and a couple of other things from my dad's old stash of ley line stuff. Nothing much. Just what I needed to force my summoning name onto Al and take his in return. Soon as I had the sample, I was going to use it.
'And some bottled water,' she added. 'A few energy bars. And some cream for your neck.'
'Thank you,' I said softly.
Her attention flicked to mine and away. 'Keasley put in a few pain amulets, and I found a finger stick in your bathroom drawer.'
'That will help.'
'Flashlight. Extra batteries,' she added.
There wasn't anything that would help us if we were caught, but I knew why she was doing this. Trent shifted impatiently, and I frowned. 'Hat,' I said suddenly as I looked down at the long brown duster. 'I need a hat.'
Ivy smiled. 'It's in there.'
Curious, I dropped the bag and unzipped it, digging past Ivy's colored markers that I wouldn't need and Jenks's old toolkit from this spring, when he'd been big. I pulled out an unfamiliar black leather hat and snugged it over my curls. It fit me perfectly, and I wondered when she had bought it for me. 'Thank you,' I said as I tucked my hair up and out of my face.
Ceri was staring at the horizon. The sun was down, and I knew she wanted to get on with it. 'Rachel?' she prompted, and my heart thumped. I almost hoped Trent wouldn't be able to make good on his deal to pay my way and I could bow out of this without looking like a coward. But then I'd be fighting for my life every time someone called Al.
Ivy touched my shoulder, and not caring what anyone thought, I dropped the satchel and took her in a tight hug. Vampire incense filled my senses, and as my eyes closed to keep a tear from leaking out, I breathed it in, feeling not a twinge upon my scars. Misery took me, heartache that this might be good-bye forever. 'I'll see you about sunrise,' I said, and nodding, she let go.
I couldn't look at anyone, and my throat was tight as I picked up my bag and stepped onto the cement slab. My gaze flicked to Trent. His expression was carefully empty. What in hell did I care what he thought?
Ceri stepped into the first circle, and my eyebrows rose. 'I can hold Minias's circle,' I said, then swallowed. 'Unless you think Newt will show up.'
She wrapped her arms around herself, clearly wanting to put herself on hallowed ground, but just as clearly planning to stay where she was. 'Minias will follow you if I don't circle him and keep him here until sunrise.' Her narrow jaw clenched. 'Walk fast.'
I looked briefly at my mother as I remembered the mental torture Al had put her through when she had done the same. 'Ceri…'
'I can do this,' she said, fear in her eyes, and I touched her arm. There was nothing this side of the lines that would keep Minias from tattling on us if he knew what we were doing. 'Thank you,' I said, and she smiled fearfully.
'If spending a night talking to a demon is all I have to endure to keep you alive and help mend the damage the demons did to my species, then it's thirteen hours well spent.'
'Thank you all the same,' I said, worried.
'I'll close the outermost circle,' she said, starting to babble in her nervousness. 'That way, no one can interfere. And because Trent will be doing the summoning and bargaining, he will make the inner one to hold Minias. I'll set the middle circle to hold Minias here and keep him from following you once you leave.'
'Trent!' I exclaimed, my gaze shooting to him in his cute little jumpsuit, and he flushed. 'I can make a stronger circle with one arm tied behind my back.'
Ceri shook her head. 'Trenton is the one bargaining for the jumps, so he will be the one holding the circle,' she said, her smooth features wrinkling as I found fault with her plan. 'Keep your mouth shut while he talks or Minias will use it against you.'
Ticked, I pressed my lips tight.
'Keep your mouth shut!' Ceri said in a burst of anger, then gestured for Trent to come closer. Sighing, Trent tightened his grip on his backpack and stepped over the outermost chalk line to join us. Ceri pointed for him to stand next to me, and looking nervous, he edged closer yet. I wondered how much of Ceri's temper was actually worry. She was terrified of Newt, and Minias was only a small step from the insane female demon.
Quicker than thought, a shimmering sheet of black ever-after rose up around us along the outermost circle permanently etched out in the reddish cement. There had been a tug on my thoughts when Ceri had tapped the nearby line, and I worked to keep the huge spindle of ever-after I had gathered earlier from unwinding. Trent didn't look happy as Ceri trapped him with the same witch who had turned him in for murder and might just as easily give him to a demon to get rid of one of her own demon marks. Trust, I thought suddenly. He trusted me—to some extent anyway.
I took a steadying breath as I looked at the other two circles at my feet. They would make an airlock of sorts. Trent would set the inner circle to hold Minias, but when we left, it would fall. The middle circle, set by Ceri, would hold the demon at that point.
Ceri glanced at Trent and nodded. 'Just as we practiced,' she said, and Trent set his backpack down and came forward. He glanced once at Quen, then closed his eyes. His lips moved, and I felt an uncomfortable sensation as he slowly tapped a line and set the circle. It was the difference between a sharp tug to remove a splinter and a methodical, painful digging, and I could tell it was bothering Ceri, too. Quen must have been making him practice, since he didn't need candles to set a circle anymore.
'Bartholomew's balls,' Ceri muttered. 'Can he do this any slower?'
My lips quirked, but my satisfaction at Trent's lesser skills died in a wash of self-pity when his sheet of ever- after rose up. His aura was clean and pure, the bright gold shot through with the sparkles of seeking. Mine would look like a crap-smeared wall next to his.
Jenks, I thought. Where in hell is Jenks?
'Ivy?' I said, worried. 'Where's Jenks?'
She waved a hand. 'He said he was going to make sure his family was safe,' she said, and my gaze went over the pixy-empty garden. From the steeple, a pair of unfamiliar red eyes glowed, and my pulse jumped until I realized it was Bis. I felt miserable. Jenks didn't want to say good-bye. I understood that.
Ceri handed Trent my scrying mirror, and I saw his expression close off in the gathering dusk. Damn, the thing was beautiful out here in the gloomy light, the wine-colored glass etched with crystalline lines in the shape of the calling pentagram with all its little figures and symbols. I couldn't tell if Trent thought it beautiful or foul, and I wondered if that was why Ceri insisted he summon Minias. She might be trying to convince him neither she nor I was immoral for what we did, just incredibly stupid.
Swallowing hard, Trent knelt on the red pavement. He set the glass carefully in front of him, and he put a shaky hand on the mirror. My nose tickled, then faded, and when a queer feeling of falling inside out flipped through me, I wasn't surprised when Trent blinked fast several times.
'Trent Kalamack,' he said softly, clearly talking to Minias. 'I ask for your attention in a matter of traveling the lines and am prepared to pay. I won't pay for you coming over here to discuss it, though. That is your choice, not my request.'
Trent blanched at Minias's unheard response. 'I'm using Morgan's calling circle,' he said as if answering a question, then followed it up with 'Standing beside me.'
A sudden pop of air pressure hurt my eardrums, and I jumped.
