Maggie frowned over that for a minute. “Not on exams.”
I laughed. “That’s just practice for the grown-up stuff. They make it a little easier for you guys.”
Maggie blew out a breath from her lower lip, puffing her hair out of her eyes as she eyed me dubiously. Then she said, “Okay.”
“How about you, Mouse?” I asked. “You still enjoying school?”
“Woof,”Mouse said firmly, thumping his tail on the floor.
“I got him a pencil he can hold in his mouth so he can hit the arrow keys, and he reads books on my laptop,” Maggie said proudly. “He’s reading Narnia now.”
Mouse’s tail thumped on the floor eagerly.
Bear suddenly came on alert from where she’d been leaning on the wall, her bulk balanced.
A moment later, Kyle, one of the Knights of the Bean, showed up. Food had become more frequent and of better quality, and the folk in the castle had been looking less scrawny and more leanly healthy. He nodded to Bear as she came to meet him and handed her a square black envelope. Bear took it, sniffed it, shook it while she listened, and then passed a hand over it muttering something.
She scowled down at it suspiciously and then came over to me.
“Kyle says the folks outside are starting to get rowdy,” she said quietly. “And a courier delivered this a few minutes ago.” She offered me the black envelope.
I took it, frowning. In bright gold ink on the front side, it simply read in a neat, almost artistic hand,H. Dresden.
I closed my eyes for a moment, examining it with my supernatural senses, and found nothing. Apparently, it was just paper and ink.
There was a wax seal on the back. I broke it and opened the envelope. Inside was a single black card, unfolded. There was more writing:
It is my sincere hope that you enjoy your evening.
—Drakul
I flipped the card and showed it to Bear.
Her eyes widened, then narrowed.
“A warning,” I said.
“Apparently,” the Valkyrie agreed.
“How long until sundown?”
Bear drew out a pocket watch, the kind with gears and springs. “Less than half an hour.”
I started to snap orders, then took a moment to think.
Then I said, “Maggie, I want you and Mouse downstairs in my old room.”
“Dad?” she asked, her tone nervous. “What’s going on?”
“Bad guys,” I growled.
I’d had a long damned day. And the Winter mantle rose around me like a coat of cold air.
Someone was coming here?
Looking for trouble?
Inmyhouse?
