Tempt the Stars

started, we came under the council’s protection. And I believe you remember their security staff?”
    Caleb scowled, but he didn’t seem satisfied. “I’m going with her,” he announced forcefully.
    “You are not,” I told him, equally forcefully.
    His eyes narrowed. “Then John goes. I don’t care which of us it is, but you go nowhere by yourself. Not here.”
    “I just told you we’re under protection,” Pritkin said, looking at his friend impatiently.
    “Yeah, the
council’s
protection. Why doesn’t that make me feel better?”
    “It should. Nobody is going to test them, particularly not in their own building. Cassie will be perfectly safe.”
    Caleb hiked up one of the straps holding some of the eighty pounds or so of weapons he was carrying. “I know she will. Because she’ll be with me.”
    “This is ridiculous,” I told him.
    “I’ll stay outside the stall—”
    “You’ll stay here!”
    “This is not up for discussion.”
    “I agree.”
    Caleb crossed his arms and glared at me. I glared back. Something squelched between my toes, which grossed me out and pissed me off in about equal measures, because I should be washing it away by now.
    “This place isn’t as dangerous as you seem to think,” Pritkin told Caleb, trying again.
    Caleb transferred the glare to him. “Did you get hit over the head?”
    “Yes, several times—”
    “Thought so.”
    “—but that doesn’t change the facts. The Shadowland exists for trade. The proprietors have a vested interest in keeping some kind of order—”
    “Yeah. I’ve felt really secure so far!”
    “Most people are not being chased by an irate demon lord when they come here,” Pritkin said dryly. “The council finds it a useful meeting place because of its being neutral ground. But they’re a very small part of local life. I am not saying the place is without its dangers, but they can be navigated, even by humans. Mages come here fairly often to buy potion supplies, for example—”
    “No sane ones!”
    “Jonas gets most of his here—”
    “You’re not helping your case,” Caleb muttered.
    “—and Cassie is easily more powerful than him. If Jonas can navigate these streets on a semiregular basis, bargain for supplies, and get back out again safely, I think she can manage to go to the bathroom by herself!”
    For some reason, Caleb was looking at him as if he’d lost his mind. His voice sounded like it, too. “Cassie is more powerful than Jonas,” he repeated.
    Pritkin frowned. “Of course. She’s Pythia.”
    “She’s—” Caleb seemed momentarily at a loss for words, so I seized the opportunity.
    “I couldn’t shift before, because Mother was rerouting most of my power for . . . well, whatever she did in there. But I feel better now—”
    “Yeah, you look it!”
    “I didn’t say I’m a hundred percent,” I told him impatiently. “But I can defend myself—”
    “Good. But it’s my job to see that you don’t have to.”
    “If Agnes had told you to stay here, you’d stay here,” I said angrily.
    “Lady Phemonoe wouldn’t be here! She’d be
at court
, surrounded by a crack security team! Meeting with dignitaries and mediating disputes and—and doing anything but running around almost getting herself blown up!”
    “Did you ever
meet
Agnes?” I asked, but Caleb wasn’t listening.
    “Did you see her today?” he asked John. “Those witches were right; she doesn’t even have
shields
, and I couldn’t reach her and all she had for protection was a damned vampire—”
    “Hey, fuc’ you, too, buddy,” Casanova slurred, from behind us.
    “—and she almost got killed! I almost let her get—” Caleb broke off, fuming.
    “You didn’t let me do anything,” I told him. “We got in trouble, but it wasn’t your fault—”
    “I can see me explaining that to the old man,” Caleb snapped. “See, sir, she ended up incinerated, but it wasn’t my fault!”
    “It wasn’t! I wanted to come here—”
    “Yeah, and I should have had the sense to say no. Just like I should have the other day!”
    “You should have said no?” I repeated. “I thought war mages did what the Pythia wanted.”
    “Pythias don’t want this!” Caleb said, suddenly furious. “Pythias don’t
do
this! They don’t invade hell and fight demons and
battle gods
—”
    “They also didn’t live in these times,” Pritkin said, cutting in. “They didn’t have to face anything remotely like this. Do you think Lady