“That sounds like a perfect idea.”
My other marked men waver into being around us. Raze flexes his shoulders with controlled might, ready to go but clearly determined to keep his more aggressive instincts in check. Mirage spins around and claps his hands to set off a burst of encouraging but illusionary cheers.
Hail stands stiffly a little apart from us, his mouth slanting. “Tame the beasts rather than tear them apart. That’s the MO, right?”
Raze shoots him a stern look with a hidden dollop of guilt. “It always is. And the same to the humans.”
The corner of Hail’s mouth dips even farther.
As if determined not to be left behind, Falkor bursts out of the shadows too. The snake-puppy wriggle-bounds around my feet with a wag of his tongue.
I bend down to scratch his head. “You can be lookout. Bark if you see anything scary!”
He lets out a soft woof as if agreeing.
As we set off toward the edge of the city, I sidle over to Hail and tuck my arm around his. “Don’t feel bad about last night. The man you froze started it.”
Hail snorts. “Somehow I don’t think the news stories played up that fact over my ‘monstrous’ behavior.” He pauses, and a thread of curdled shame winds through his general stale-peanut-brittle mood. “I’m sorry I ruined your big show.”
I tap my elbow against his side. “It wasn’t ruined.” My mind slides back to the hunters who were advising Colonel Hueber. “Maybe it’s a good thing for the humans to realize wewilldefend ourselves if they get monstrous themselves. They need to respect us as well as like us, right? Anyway, I know you only wanted to defend me. It was sweet.”
Hail looks chagrinned, but the blush that touches his pale cheeks and the sudden splash of delight I drink in tell me that he doesn’t actually mind the compliment. I bob up to give him a quick peck, and he tucks his arm around me with a low murmur. “As long as you’re happy, that’s what matters most.”
Unfortunately, I think all the people waiting to get back to their homes in the swallowed city would disagree. They’d much prefer we make this wacky rift happy so it’ll suck up all its shadows and go home.
As we come up on the vast swath of murk with its small lightened patch where I cast my glow the other day, I notice a couple of news crews trailing several paces behind us. When I glance over at them, the humans freeze as if they’re afraid I might tackle them with some kind of glowy attack.
Instead, my good mood returns. I give them a wave. “Hello, humans! We’re going to try to clean up some more of this mess and make sure no more rampaging creatures come out while we’re doing it. You’re welcome to watch.”
Hail grumbles under his breath, but whatever he says is too quiet for even me to hear, so I let it pass. He steps apart from me so he can scan the filmy darkness for approaching shadowkind.
Raze stations himself at my other side. Mirage grasps my shoulders to plant a kiss on the back of my head and then bounds a little closer to our mortal audience with a whirl of his bushy tails. His joy at being able to show off bits of his foxy form resonates into me, rich as toffee.
“This show won’t be quite as spectacular as last night’s,” he informs them cheerfully, “but great things can come in small packages.” He winks at me.
Jonah smiles crookedly and moves with Lilah to stand a little farther down the border. The two sorcerers murmur a few of those odd syllables that shiver across my skin, as if testing their magic out.
There’s no sign of any unnerving beasts yet. I focus on the shadows right in front of me, several paces to the left of the previous spot I brightened, and summon the swell of affection I’ve relied on before.
“Hey, you great big blob of darkness! Welcome to the mortal realm. Let’s see if we can get you more settled in. We’d really like to make sure everyone’s as comfortable as they can be.”
Let’s make this a home—for everyone who needs it. All this strange rift seems to want is to make friends. Such a generous goal, even if its methods have been misguided. I’m sure we can find a way to accomplish it without putting humans out of their homes much longer.
As I focus on those thoughts, the turquoise glow exudes from my hands. I pour it into the murk with all the gentleness and compassion I can offer.
Behind me, one of the humans sucks in a breath with a tingle of awe. I’m not even doing anything all that amazing.
My efforts seem to be drawing even more attention than usual from the shadow side of things, though. Through the glow I’m pouring ahead of me, I become aware of maybe a dozen creatures of various shapes and sizes slinking out from behind buildings, through doorways, and over window ledges.
Mirage chuckles. “Everyone wants to see Peri work her magic.”
Falkor’s yip suggests he’s less convinced of their good intentions.
Jonah and Lilah lift their voices in unison, presumably to urge the creatures away from our gathering. I tune out their sorcery as well as I can, but a hint of it prickles through my senses.
As their voices rise, I don’t notice any of the creatures even hesitating. They keep prowling closer through the area my glow has touched.
Jonah lets out a huff of frustration. He swipes his hand across his mouth, his gaze fixed on the approaching creatures. His shoulders twitch alongside a splash of juniper-sharp anxiety.
