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“Which house is it?”
“The Blackburns. Have you heard of them?”
What a fucking surprise.
“Everyone’s heard of the Blackburns. They run the California Sub Rosa here these days.”
Arawn nods. Looks at my cigarette. I hand it to him. He takes a pull and nods. Starts to hand it back.
“Keep it. I have more.”
He smokes contently for a minute.
He says, “The family was strong-willed and the Sub Rosa so full of themselves. I’m not surprised that the kingdom is theirs.”
“It isn’t exactly a kingdom. And it’s in kind of a mess right now. But they have a lovely Victorian with indoor plumbing and everything.”
“You know, we weren’t going to come at first, but then Hattie said it was you who rescued poor Teyrnon.”
“He was the kid in gray? I don’t like three against one. It upsets my delicate sensibilities.”
“I took from that that you were a man of honor, but you refuse my simplest requests.”
“What I’m telling you is that you and me together, my friends, your mariachis, and Patton’s Seventh Army couldn’t take down the Blackburns. The entire hoodoo population of California would come after us.”
He throws down the cigarette.
“Powerful wizard. You’re all talk. Typical Sub Rosa. Damn the lot of you.”
“Why don’t you just go home?”
“Our kind can’t cross the open water. We’d perish.”
“How did you get here?”
“Magic, you dolt.”
I offer him another Malediction. He hesitates and then takes it. I light it for him.
“Okay. That’s something I can do. I can take you home without going over the ocean.”
“How would you go about that?”
“Ever heard of the Room of Thirteen Doors?”
“A child’s tale.”
“I have the key. We step into a shadow and I can take you anywhere you want. Where are you from?”
“Cambria.”
“Okay. I might have to look that one up on a map.”
His eyes narrow.
“If you truly have the key to the Room, why are you wandering down here?”
“I have to have some idea where I’m going before I know which door to open,” I say, and nod toward Delon. “And I don’t want that one to know that I can do it.”
