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As I ate, I thought about Mab’s advice Meditate Focus on being pure Easy for her to say She wasn’t o, the Destroyer had touched led to control it, and often I’d succeeded, but never had I been able to push it out Over ti with it like ivy creeping up a brick wall, insinuating itself, clai the mortar until it crumbles and the wall collapses
From the newspaper on the table, my own face stared at me What if that disastrous SWAT raid had been my collapse?
That’s what Pryce wanted ot to define me? I didn’t knohat happened I searched es, I workedcat, past my encounter with Pryce in Limbo I focused on the ht
A fight ho to defend the SWAT team To drive back any Old Ones who threatened them But what had been ht? To protect--or to destroy?
My o there Each ti into the rooled with the Old Ones, blackness descended like the curtain falling preh that darkness, but it was no use My h I couldn’t picture the scene, I could al, as you’d expect in a fight, but es offor a way in There ords, so soft andme on? Possibly, but it didn’t feel that way The Destroyer was pure rage This voice was softer, and the tone wasI couldn’t pin it down, but it feltNot brutal or harsh Yet the sounds also thru contained in a silken box
I strained to listen, to recognize the voice, tobut a headache I shouldn’t try so hard so soon after shifting back toon the spoon in my hand It was lifted halfway to y cereal I raised the spoon and sed the cereal, even though I no longer felt hungry Mab was right I needed to recover from the shift I’d fill th to figure out what had happened
By the time Kaysi entered the kitchen, dressed and ready for work, I’d eaten a second bowl of cereal
"I’ on her jacket, "but tonight I was going to meet some friends after work I can cancel if you think you’ll need ain I er "Don’t change your plans forbefore you finish work"
"Well, be careful With your picture in the paper and probably all over TV, too, sonize you Just re as you like"
"Thanks, Kaysi" I wasn’t sure yet where I’d go, but I wouldn’t ie on her kindness anyBut you have to promise you won’t say no"
I’ve never been able towhat it was, so I just stared at her
"I know you don’t have any money, so I want you to take this" She held out a twenty dollar bill "If you want, we’ll consider it a loan"
"Kaysi, I--"
"Take it" She shook the bill atabout you out there without a cent, I won’t be able to concentrate at work You wouldn’t want et fired, would you?"
Iwith sincerity--as I wordlessly accepted the bill "Thanks," I repeated "I’ll pay you back as soon as I can For everything"
She shrugged like everything she’d done fordeal "Whenever You know, there have been tiot hard and I wished soive me a break, even a little one Usually nobody does So I’lanced at the wall clock "I’d better get to work"
She was out the door before I could thank her one more time
I WAS IN THE SHOWER WHEN IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT THE cops ht arrive at any moment What if Kaysi had pretended to help me so she could call the police as soon as she was safely away froht had barely formed before shathat anyone who helped me couldn’t wait to turn around and stab me in the back?