The crimson witch

or might not believe. It would take up time, anyway. “It started with PBT,” he said, and spent the next thirty minutes summing up his adventures in the other worldline where King Lelar was even that minute planning domination of his own parallel world, planning to cross the gorge and annihilate the Sorceress Kell and those opposed to him.
        When he stopped, the FBI man was pacing the room, looking out into the parking lot now and then at the looming mass of the dragon where it shuffled around before the guns of the nervous police. “It's ridiculous!”
        “Give me another explanation for Kaliglia.”
        Conners opened his mouth, closed it without saying anything. He paced some more, his hands locked behind his back, his feet clicking in a military manner against the cold tile floor. “No, it must be like you said. As crazy as it sounds, it must be something like that. Though I think you're holding out on me.”
        He was, of course. He had not mentioned anything about Cheryn's powers, had not told Conners that she was a Talented. “Well, that's it. Believe it or not,” Jake said. “When my lawyer comes-”
        “You won't be here,” Conners said abruptly.
        “What?”
        “This is too important. Turnet, don't you see what this could mean? Do you see where this would put us if we could just reach into this other worldline and get a few of these Talenteds to cooperate with us against the Russians?”
        Jake saw. “But they wouldn't cooperate.”
        “This Lelar sounds like he might.”
        “He'd take you over after he had used you,” Jake said.
        “I doubt that,” Conners said. “They may have ESP, but you said they live in a primitive world. No cars, television. I doubt he could take us over.”
        “You idiot,” Jake said, pounding his fist into his palm.
        “Come on,” Conners said.
        “Where?”
        “You'll find out. Come on.”
        “What's to be done with the girl? The dragon?”
        “The girl comes with us,” Conners said. “The dragon? Well, there's more like him where he came from. I guess we can feed him some narcotics, truss him up, and hand him over to some biology nuts. Seems to me a lot of universities would like to get their hands on him.”
        “I won't go,” Jake said.
        Conners drew his pistol. “We only need one of you. You or the girl. In fact, maybe we could do without both of you. I know how much PBT you had taken. You told me. I could recreate the scene now and go into this other worldline. So if you don't cooperate-”
        Jake cursed himself. “I'll cooperate,” he said.
        “Let's go.”
        Conners pushed open the door, still holding his gun, and they went into the main duty room of the station-house. All Jake wanted now was to see Cheryn, to say one word to her, one important word. They stood waiting until the matron brought Cheryn out. She was flushed and angry-probably from a search by the matron and from the questioning of the second FBI man that was with her.
        “Let's go,” Conners said. “We have a car outside.”
        One word.
        Cheryn looked at Jake beseechingly.
        “Magics!” Jake shouted. “Quick!”
        Conners whirled with his gun.
        The second FBI agent drew his own pistol.
        And both guns dissolved in their hands,
        “Let's get to Kaliglia,” Jake said, grabbing Cheryn's arm.
        The stationhouse erupted in pandemonium. Conners grabbed for the girl, but his fingers struck something solid half a foot from her, and he could not get through it. The same thing happened when he reached for Jake. The desk sergeant was shouting. An alarm bell was ringing. A young officer, one of those who had ridden Kaliglia to the parking lot, ran for the weapons rack. But before he got there, every gun had turned to ashes.
        “Quickly,” Jake said, taking her hand. The invincible invisible shields did not obstruct him like they obstructed everyone else.
        They ran out the door into the early evening coolness. Darkness was slowly creeping across the city, and the far edge of the sky was a dull orange from the sunset. Jake wished the people of his worldline were half as charming as their surroundings. They took the steps two at a time and ran around the building, down the alleyway toward the parking lot and the dragon.
        “Halt!” an officer yelled from the end of the alleyway, his gun leveled at their