13

“I feel like I’ve just participated in a Star Trek episode,” Uncle Damian said.

I shook my head to clear the muzziness, regretting the action when my temple collided with the sharp corner of a shelf next to me. “Ow! Star Trek? You mean one of the episodes when the Enterprise was being attacked, and everyone was shaken off of their seats?”

“Who am I? Where am I? Do I still have all my toes? And why am I on top of a fridge?” Jim’s voice wafted down from above my head. I pushed myself away from the wall I was slouched against and looked over to where the demon was splayed out across the top of an ancient refrigerator.

“No,” Uncle Damian answered my question, the word accompanied by the clatter of several metal pots and pans as they were shoved out of a low cupboard. He followed them, uncurling himself awkwardly from the cramped space. “I’m talking about how one of the characters always protested having his atoms beamed around the universe. I think I liked it better when we used an airplane.”

“Sorry. There wasn’t time to get a flight and take care of visas and everything.”

“Hrmph. I’ll take my chances with any dragons watching the airport next time, thank you.”

“Rene?” I looked around the small room. Faint light was coming in via a dirty window, revealing our landing spot to be an untidy kitchen. “Has anyone seen Rene?”

“I’m here,” his voice answered, muffled and somewhat strained. I peered around the room as Jim slid off the top of the refrigerator to land on the floor with an audible “Oof!”

“Here where?”

“Under the bags.”

“Oh. You OK?” I asked as I pulled my two leather suitcases off of the mound of luggage that turned out to have a Rene core.

“Oui. Although I, too, believe I will make my own way out of Tibet rather than use that portal company again,” he answered as I helped him to his feet. I dusted him off before shivering in the chill air of the room.

“How many toes did I have when we left London, does anyone remember?” Jim asked, examining its feet. “I think one is missing.”

“Stop fussing about a missing toe. We have more important things to focus on, like finding Drake and saving him from whatever trouble he’s in,” I answered, straightening my clothing and zipping up my heavy parka.

“Oh, man, I am missing one! I know I had four on this foot! What sort of place was that company you used, demon-haters or something?”

“Budget Teleporters is a perfectly good company. Didn’t you listen to their warning about keeping your arms and legs in the portal at all times? And although I admit the landing was a bit rougher than I had imagined it would be, we’re all here in one piece, and considering the red dragons are watching every normal portal channel, that means we’re one step ahead of the game.”

“Does anyone else think it’s not going to be such a good idea to be just a stone’s throw from Chuan Ren and all the rest of the red dragons?” Jim grumbled, shaking out its fur and licking a spot on its shoulder.

“You don’t have a choice, buster. Uncle Damian and Rene did, and they chose to come with me, so let’s keep the mutinous rumbles to a low din,” I answered, slinging a bag over my shoulder. I reached for the other piece, but Rene got to it before I did, with a meaningful glance at my midsection. “And this town is probably more safe than London since no one would expect us to come to Tibet in the first place.”

“Uh-huh. Like we’re not going to stand out at all?”

I straightened the demon’s drool bib with a tweak and strapped on the doggy coat I’d gotten it for the cold. “That’s what you think. Zhangmu is one of the towns mountain climbers visit before they hit Mount Everest, so the place is crawling with tourists. Now, stop complaining and lift your feet so I can put your doggy boots on.”

“Now that we’re here, where are we going?” Uncle Damian asked, collecting the rest of the luggage as I got Jim cold weather–proofed.

I pulled out a small notebook from my pocket. “Gabriel said he’d meet us at the Friendship Bridge. It’s a tourist spot about six miles out of town. Rene?”

“I will find a car to rent, yes,” he said, giving us a brief salute before pulling on a hat and disappearing out the door.

“And that’s another thing,” Jim complained, examining itself in the reflection from a cracked mirror. “How come you’re trusting Gabriel all of a sudden?”

“I don’t really have a choice, do I? Drake is in trouble; he wouldn’t have been so cryptic in my dream if he wasn’t in trouble. The green dragons are all too busy coping with the attacks orchestrated by Chuan Ren to come on a rescue mission, even if it is for Drake, and I’ll be damned if I let Fiat know there’s trouble. Bastian is busy trying to reestablish his old contacts, and there’s no one at the Guardians’ Guild who can help me. Gabriel offered his help, so I took him up on it.”

Jim didn’t say anything, but the look on its face just ramped up my worry. I turned to my uncle, who was checking over his gear. “What do you think of Gabriel? Is he trustworthy or not?”

“Didn’t talk to him long enough to know for certain,” he answered. “Never trust anyone you haven’t known for a long time, that’s my policy.”

“You trust Drake,” I pointed out. “You haven’t known him for more than a week.”

“He’s different,” Uncle Damian said curtly.

I smiled a sad, melancholy smile. “Yeah, he is. Damn his dragon hide. Why couldn’t he have told me where he was going? We only have Gabriel’s best guess to go on—we could be in the wrong place altogether.”

Uncle Damian was saved from having to answer by the arrival of the owner of the kitchen, a short, squat woman who looked startled to see us there.

We made our apologies as best as possible with our limited knowledge of Tibetan, finally resorting to shoving a wad of money in the woman’s hand before hauling our things outside. I slipped on the icy stone sidewalk, almost falling, but righted myself before I could bruise anything more than my dignity.

“Holy cow! This place is wild,” I said, wrapping my scarf tighter around the lower part of my face as I gazed at the expanse that spread out before me. My breath hung in the thin, cold air, the light from the sunny day almost blinding after emerging from the dim room. Red stone buildings intermingled with white, clinging to the side of a mountain, one long road winding back and forth up its steep slopes. The town was busy enough, even in the dead of winter, a bustling bazaar visible down the street. I turned to look in the other direction, down into a gorge. “It looks like one good earthquake will send the whole place sliding down into the valley there. Oooh, there’s Mount Everest! It’s so close. And big. Damn, I wish I had my camera.”