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"Well, co her perfectly polished nails in a gesture of readiness "We et it over with"

"It’s too weird," Jenny said as they stepped inside -outside "Dee’s bedroom was a room, at least But this"

They were on the outskirts of a dark forest on a sloping hill Above thehter than the ones Jenny usually saw fro

The door had slamh Behind Jenny were led irls were alone on the hill in thefastidiously

"Don’t you know? It’s your nightmare-you drew it"

"I drew a picture ofit blank," Audrey said "That’s

is cheaper than therapy"

And that was all she would say about it

There were a few scattered lights in the valley below them "But it’s too far to hike," Jenny said, "and even if we did get down there, I don’t think that there would really be any people"

Audrey looked at her strangely, but Dee nodded

"It feels like one of those e set," she said "False fronts You’re right, I don’t think we’d find little houses with people in them down there Which means-"

They faced the forest bleakly

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Jenny asked

"Come on," Dee said "Let’s make it happen"

The forest looked solid, but with Dee in the lead they found a way into it It wassilvery gray against the darkness of the background

"Oh,soreen trees, rocks-I knohere we are now It’s the Black Forest"

"Sounds like soh the undergrowth

"It’s a real place I sahen I was eight, when Daddy was at the German embassy It-scared me a little, because it was the forest, you know"

Dee threw a derisive glance over her shoulder "The forest?"

"The forest where everything happened-where the Griot all their fairy tales You know, snohite Hansel and Gretel Little Red Riding-Hood and the-"

Audrey stopped in midsentence In front of her, Dee had stopped, too Jenny’s knees locked

Just ahead of thelowed Jenny even i off sharp teeth

All three girls stood very still Seconds passed and the yellow eyes remained le so that one went out Both flashed toward the girls again, then both went out Jenny heard underbrush crunching The sound got fainter It faded into a profound silence in which Jenny could hear her heart beating strong and very fast in her chest

Jenny let out her breath

Dee’s shoulders heaved slightly She reached down and picked up a long stick almost as thick as her own sli her grip It ood weapon

"-and the Wolf," said Audrey, her voice suspiciously calm She tucked stray wisps of hair into her French twist, her lips tight The three of theain What else was there to do?

"It was strange, that wolf co about one," Dee said

"Unless-" Jenny stopped dead "Wait," she said So had fallen into place with an almost audible click "Let e at all that the wolf ca about it Don’t you see? He’s taking it all from our own minds"

"Who?" Audrey said, her well-bred nostrils flared

"Who do you think? Julian The Shadow Man He’s creating the Ga it-but either way it’s hts That hallway back in the house is the hallway from the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland It always scared me as a kid-so it came from my mind And the door in the UFO was like a plane door I’d seen"

Dee’s eyes flashed like a jaguar’s "And the parlor-I saw a la here"

"Everything-every detail-is cos but little things He’s using ourto happen next?" Dee asked Audrey "You’re the one who should knohat scares youtrees or little hooded men or what? Or was that wolf it?"

"I was only eight when I lived here," Audrey said coldly "And, no, I don’t remember specifically which storydisturbed memost I had a German nurse, and she told lared at each other

"We could run into so fro could happen here You can feel it"

She knew in her heart that it was going to be sosupernatural, so it followed that whatever happened was going to be very

Remember, it’s all a dream, she told herself But she could hear Julian’s voice in her ht off that one of you probably won’t make it"

They walked Underbrush clutched at Jenny’s skirt like little fingers The fragrance of evergreens surrounded them like a thousand Christmas trees All Jenny could see was darkness and the endless tangle of forest ahead Her nerves stretched and stretched

They literally sturew there-a yew, Jenny thought It stood in front of a great juht have been left by a glacier The tree had rough bark, dark green needles, and red berries

Gathered around it was a group of youngpants and long over-tunics of leather tri Their arround beside the tree had been cleared and a circle drawn on it Inside the circle a fire burned, and red light glinted off daggers and what looked like drinking horns The whole area was decorated with flowers

"It’s some kind of secret cere on it," she added with considerable relish

"They’re certainly good-looking," Audrey murmured

They were Jenny counted seven of them, four with blond hair and three with blondish-brown They looked as if they were in their late teens or early twenties, and if what they were doing was secret, they weren’t bothering to be quiet about it Jenny could hear laughter and boisterous singing

Good grief, it’s like a fraternity party, she thought Even this far away she could smell the beer

"I think," said Audrey, "I’ to like this Game"

She stepped out before Jenny could stop her The singing fell silent Seven faces turned toward the girls Then one of the Ger horn over his head, and all the rest cheered

They all seeirls White, even teeth flashed in friendly smiles, and they bundled the visitors over to the wars caused a lot of appreciative cos

"No-no, thanks," Jenny said as one of theet her to drink the stuff in his horn The horn had angular symbols carved on it that"Audrey, what are they saying?"

"I can’t catch it all It’s not like the German I learned," Audrey said Seated between two admirers, her cool porcelain beauty contrasted with her flirtatious lashes "I think itthat you’re like Sif It’s a coolden hair"

"Oh, give me a break!" Dee backed up to sit on a rock

There was an instant stirring a the Ger their heads Dee barely allowed them to move her, not at all placated by the way they marveled over her dark skin And she only snorted when one offered her a garland of flowers to wear

"Oh, put it on," Jenny said, flicking a s to enjoy this The young men were nice, even if they did smell a bit

like sweat, they were about theyouths she’d ever seen, but several of them had braids in their hair, and they didn’t seearlands was sissy

"It’s a cere," Audrey said as one of the blonds cried, "Ostara!" and poured beer on the ground "Ostara’s the goddess of spring-that’s where we get ’Easter’"

The youngabout life being renewed," Audrey said "There’s so I can’t quite ?"

All the Gerirls to rise They were facing the huge pile of boulders

"Dokkalfar," they chanted

"That’s dark-soed completely She tried to pull away frorabbed her "Dark elves," she said wildly "That’s what they’re saying They came here to ask favors fro"

Jenny had never heard Audrey’s voice like that before-bordering on hysteria "The what?" she demanded Suddenly the white, even smiles around her didn’t look so friendly

"The gift to the Otherworld The sacrifice!" Audrey cried She was trying to get away again, but it was no good

We’re outnuht And they’ve all got muscles She looked at Dee-and felt shock ripple over her Dee was laughing Snickering, actually Chortling "Elves?" she

gasped "Little pixies in bluebells? Little guys who sit on acorns?"

"No, you idiot," Audrey said through her teeth "Dark elves-Outdwellers Oh, you don’t understand-"

Jenny heard rock scraping One of the huge stones in front of her wasin front of it A black, gaping hole was revealed in the pile A tunnel leading down

Dee’s laughter was dying-but it was too late The girls were pushed forward into the hole Jenny tried to turn, but her Capezio flats slithered on dust and grit, and she felt herself falling