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Yes," Gillian said simply Her heart rate had picked up a little, but with anticipation rather than fear

Angel was looking very -into-the-distance pose, then said, "Have you ever had the feeling that you don’t

really know reality?"

"Frequently," Gillian said dryly "Ever since I rinned "I mean even before that Someone wrote about the ’inconsolable secret’ that’s in each of us

The desire for our own far-off country, for so we’ve never actually experienced About hoe

all long ’to bridge some chasm that yawns between us and realityto be reunited with so in the

universe from whichfeel cut off’ "

Gillian sat bolt upright "Yes I never heard anybody say it that well before About the chas else, soht it was

soot anything to do with them at all"

"As if the world has soet on the inside"

"Yes Yes" She looked at hi a witch, isn’t it? You’re saying that I’ve

always felt that way because it’s true Because for rimaced "Actually everybody feels exactly the sa"

Gillian collapsed "What?"

"For them For them, there is no secret place As for you well, it’s not what you’re thinking; it’s not

so It’s as real as those socks As real as that girl, Melusine,

in the store in Woodbridge And it’s where you were meant to be A place where you’ll be welcos"

Gillian’s heart was racing wildly "Where is it?"

"It’s called the Night World"

Gray-blue shadoere gliding up the hills Gillian drove in the twilight, heading toward the darkness in

the east

"Explain again," she said, and she said it out loud, even though she couldn’t see Angel There

was a slight disturbance of air above the seat to her right, a hint of

it’s not just witches"

"Not by a long shot Witches are just one race; there are all sorts of other creatures of the night All the

sorts that you’ve been taught to think are legends"

"And they’re real And they’re just living alongside normal humans And they always have been"

"Yes But it’s easy, you see They look like hulance As much as you look like a

hurandrandma and my mom So I’m alldiluted"

"It doesn’t matter to them You can claim witch blood And your powers are beyond dispute Trust ot you," Gillian said cheerfully "I uardians, do they?"

"Well" Angel seemed to coalesce dimly beside her Fro "You can’t actually tell them about me Don’t ask why; I’m not allowed to explain But I’ll be

with you, the way I always am I’ll help you out hat to say Don’t worry; you’ll do fine"

Gillian wasn’t worried She felt steeped in mystery and a sort of forbidden exciteical and unfamiliar

Even the snow looked different, blue and al

farlow appeared above the eastern hills, and then the full ht

Deeper and deeper, she thought She see

-anything at all-could happen

She wouldn’t have been surprised if Angel had directed her to pull off into so But when he said, "Turn here," it was at aoutskirts of

a town

"Where are we?"

"Sterback Little hole-in-the-wall place-except for where we’re going Stop here"

"Here" was a nondescript building, which looked as if it had originally been Victorian It wasn’t in very

good repair

Gillian got out and looked at the ht have been a lodge It

was set apart from the rest of the dark and silent town A wind had started up and she shivered

(Uh, it doesn’t look like anybody’s in there)

(Go to the door) Angel’s voice in her n at the door, nothing to indicate that this was a public building But the stained glass

above the door was faintly illuminated from the inside The pattern seemed to be a flower A

black iris

(The Black Iris is the nael was interrupted by a sudden explosion That was Gillian’s impression For the first instant she had

no idea what it was-just a dark shape flying at her and a violent noise-and she almost fell off the porch

Then she realized that the noise was barking A chained dog was yaet at

her

(I’ll take care of it) Angel sounded gri like a wave in the air

The dog dropped flat as if it had been shot It rolled its eyes

The porch was dead silent again Everything was silent Gillian stood and breathed, feeling adrenaline run

through her But before she could say anything, the door opened behind her

A face looked out of the dimness inside the house Gillian couldn’t leam of eyes

"Who’re you?" The voice was slow and flat, not friendly "What do you want?"

Gillian followed Angel’s whispered words "I’m Gillian of the Harman clan, and I want in It’s cold out

here"

"A Harhter of Hellewise, and if you don’t letto do to you what I did to your cousin there" She stuck out a gloved finger toward the cringing

dog (Werewolf? Angel, there are real olves?)

(I told you All the legendary creatures) Gillian felt an odd sinking She had no idea why, and she

continued to do just as Angel said But sohter

The door opened slowly Gillian stepped into a diain with a

curiously final sound

"Didn’t recognize you," the figure beside her said "Thought you ive you," Gillian said, and pulled off her gloves at Angel’s direction "Downstairs?"

He nodded and she followed him to a door which led to a stairway As soon as the door opened, Gillian

heardextremely subterranean The baseer It was like a whole neorld down there

It wasn’t hter than upstairs, and there were no s It seemed like an old place; there was

a shuffleboard pattern on the cold tile floor and a faint smell of mildew and ures sitting on chairs duathered around a pool table at one end There were figures in front of a couple of

ancient looking pinball ures clustered at what looked like a home bar

Gillian headed for the bar She could feel eyes on her every step of the way

She felt too s as she perched precariously on one of the bar stools She rested her

elbows on the counter and tried to slow her heart down

The figure behind the bar turned toward her It was a guy, maybe in his twenties He stepped forward

and Gillian saw his face

Shock rippled through her There was soly or

that he would have caused a co Gillian sensed

through her neers and not through her eyes at all But the i Tainted by cold dark thoughts that arden

Gillian couldn’t help her recoil And the bar guy saw it

"You’re new," he said The dark and cold see her

fear "Where are you fro instructions at her "I’m a Harman," Gillian said as steadily as she could "And-you’re

right I’m new"