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And I did try, but I couldn’t settle back into sleep As soon as my mind started to descend intooff air and light, pulling ave up and lay shivering in the darkness

The door opened Two Old Ones ca the roo in the lidless sockets, fangs stopping just short of hastly smile Then they positioned themselves at the head and the foot of the table that held me and silently wheeled hts blinded et e room As far as I could tell, there were no s What I could see of the walls hite-painted concrete blocks Abovepanels Then I could see myself, as the Old Ones wheeledtiles

I wore a hospital gown, its ties loosely closed in the front Thick leather straps, fastened with buckles, held s, my wrists and arthe Lilliputians The table stopped The ht beside me On that table, under a white sheet, lay Pryce

This tinized his pale skin and black hair, but in the otten thin His eyes were closed, the skin under theh the roo and he was covered by a thin cotton sheet, he didn’t shiver His only movement was the slow, even rise and fall of his chest If not for that, I would’ve thought I lay next to a corpse

"Hello" Myrddin’s voice was cheerful as his face appeared above me His foul breath washed over me, and I could see the back of his head in theits way out of your syste your shape; I can prevent it Power over animals is one of one "Then why did you drug me?"

"Convenience I had preparations toOld Ones or their vampire puppets to make them for me"

He turned to Pryce, put a hand on his shoulder "My only son Do you kno difficult it is for my kind to reproduce? This boy is my most prized possession I’ve followed him with interest over the years, of course, to the extent I could But I wasaway And scrying is so passive I couldn’t help hiuide him, mold hi Pryce’s cheek "Now that I’ether, my boy and I," he murmured Then he raised his voice "You hear that, Colwyn? Gods! True gods, not skulking shadoellers like you desiccated fossils"

I guessed that Colas one of the Old Ones who’d rolled me in here He didn’t reply to Myrddin’s taunt

Myrddin returned his attention to me "And how is youraunt, I believe she calls herself?"

His question tookabout Mab?"

"Mab Yes, of course So many names, one loses track over the years At any rate, how is she?"

"None of your business"

"You think not? But your present predica, and Mab has everything to do with that You see, I don’t need your life force in particular to revive h as I said, I’ ability transfers But a hu to subject you to is excruciatingly painful" He sood news "It doesn’t have to be Your death could be quick and clean like the others’ Yet I’ because of your aunt"

He leaned overbreath hot onfor a reaction I wouldn’t give hio, she did me an evil," he said, close to ree? Your ‘Mab’ deprived me of my fa personal,a start, at least"

He ain his voice was more distant "It’s a pity the Old Ones are so camera-shy Won’t allow the He held a tangle of narrow plastic tubing He pulled a tube from the mass and coiled it as he spoke "Colwyn--he fancies himself chieftain of the Old Ones, you know--Colwyn is so unreasonable I’d love to record this procedure For science, of course, but also as a gift to your aunt The Old Ones think they’re eternal, but really they’re quite backwards" He looked to his right "Yes, you I’ "Colwyn and I have never trusted each other, so it’s rather aard to find ourselves in a position where each requires the other’s assistance I said I’d been away Colwyn broughtsupport--locations, equipive him what he wants"