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I stopped, astonished, and realized that the way I was lying, I ought to be able to see ht in front of ers experimentally and clenched my fist I could feel the play of one invisible

"What the hell?" That earned me a thump on the back of the head "Ow! Who the hell are you?" Someone, obviously, with the ability to turnwas that it didn’t really narron my choices

"Quiet!" the voice hissed, and I obeyed, because I felt the Deravity, as if I were going to be pulled into her and destroyed, sain, slowly, leavingyanked upright by some tremendous force, and held there whennear me, but then, when I looked down, I couldn’t seeto hurt"

She wasn’t kidding Heat swept overinstantly flash-frozen, and then every nerve in my body screamed as one

and then I was onthe exact color of caramel

I pitched forward, face-first, and tried to screa even by the considerably liberal standards of wrongness I was getting used to

I couldn’t make a sound

I watched asshadows first, then a kind of translucent reality, and then I was flesh and blood again

And I could screaed to lock it in my throat and moderate it to a helpless sort of whimper

My benefactor-if you could call her that-walked around to face me I looked up Not far up, because she was only about four feet tall, cute as a button, a perfect little blond girl with inhuht out of Alice in Wonderland, coet up now," she said "I don’t think you’re hurt"

Not hurt? She had to be kidding I rolled slowly onup was not on the menu, not yet

"What-" My voice was a hoarse croak; I cleared ain "What the hell did you do to me? Who-?"

"My name is Venna," she said "I’ I stared at her mutely, and she folded her hands over the front of her white pinafore and stared right back without blinking

"You don’t remember me," she said Not a question "You used to call ain, if you like" She said it with the generosity of a noble dispensing a penny to a peasant I just kept on staring Why I’d know her as Alice was pretty self-evident, given her appearance I aiting for the Red Queen and the Mad Hatter to join the party "I had to take you away You couldn’t fight her She was taking you apart, and if I hadn’t stopped you, you’d be dead now"

I finally found my voice "Did David send you?"

Venna’s blue eyes didn’t blink, and her expression didn’t shift, but I sensed that she was choosing her next words too carefully "David cannot send et around to a further explanation It wasn’t forthcoo back," I said "She’ll kill everybody back there"

"No," Venna said "She killed the ones who saw you together Now she’s convincing the rest that she is you"

"She-wait, what?"

"She’s given herself up She will tell them that she has recovered her memories-and that will be true, because the Demon already had theed "They will believe her"

"But-that can’t happen That can’t happen!" She just looked at me Obviously, it could "They’ll knoill know"

She was already shaking her head "Any doubts can be explained away She’s been through a great trauma Any of them can tell that, and they won’t disbelieve her story"

I grasped at ure it out Hello, mother of his child! Surely he knows me better than-"

"He would know if she could be perceived as a Demon She’s different now He also has no reason not to accept her" Venna’s eyes seeet deeper, darker, and scarier She looked twelve, and twelve hundred Twelve thousand "You can’t win this by going against her It will only destroy you, and everyone who believes you"

I found I was able to get up, and staggered across the carpet to a king-sized bed, where I collapsed in an untidy sprawl "So what am I supposed to do? What if she follows me?"

Venna cocked her head at me, interested as a robin with a wor as you don’t go out or talk to anyone She can only find you when she’s close-the sa attention, you’ll be fine I a to retrieve soh spark left to ask, "Who?"

"Ashan," she said

"David was looking for hi kind of s him safe; David would have killed hiot him, don’t you think?"

I had no idea what to say to that Venna sravely, and walked off intothin air Justgone

She cahost, for a few seconds, to say, "You understanddon’t go out? Don’t talk to anyone? I’ve put clothing in the closet for you Don’t go out"

I nodded I ot And hey, not a bad place, as hideouts went I was in a big, well-appointed hotel roo plash the open door-a gigantic whirlpool tub

Venna gave me one last doubtful look, then vanished I waited, but she didn’t coot up, went to the , and pulled the brocade curtains

Belohole city stretched out, a dizzying array of architectural ht There was a gigantic Sphinx’s rear end pointed toward my room, about seven stories down Thesloped, and when I craned out for a look, I saw the building itself was sloped, like the side of a pyramid

A hospitality book on the desk identified the hotel as the MGM Grand, Las Vegas