destroy as humans might. The fae did not create so much as copy.
"We'll have to split up," Pilgrim said. "I can't fit on the trains."
"Go to the No Man's Land," Wolfgang told him. "We'll meet up there."
"Gotcha."
He dismounted and patted his friend before running off. Neither of them doubted that Pilgrim would find him again. Like most fae, he could smell his blood, see his soul. He could hear immensely better than Wolfgang, too. Finding Wolfgang had never been a problem; keeping him in one piece was. The street by the train station was busier than the last. Train stations were neutral. At least, supposed to be. Wolfgang heard a voice in his ear whispering his name. It was Marie. She bloomed from nothing to run beside him. He could tell by the slow rhythm of her pace just how much behind her he was lagging. "You're going to have to do better than that," she said. "We're not underground yet."
"What about the crowd?" he asked. "Do you think he'd risk hurting MOON just to kill us?"
"I don't know," came the unpleasant but realistic reply. Marie straightened her armband so that the symbol of SUN was clearly prominent. "Not if he can kill us without anyone noticing. If he takes us out fast enough, no one might react at all." This was true. But surely, Wolfgang thought, Johnny wouldn't be bold enough to attack us in the train station. Subtlety was not Johnny's style. As he said himself, he was a force of nature. If he damaged the station to the point that it ceased to function, or injured enough people, MOON could be in deep trouble. What would hold back any of the other factions from attacking MOON members anywhere, then, in retribution? Unless they were arrogant enough to believe that they already owned all of Doors to do with as they saw fit.
Thunder shook the panes of glass overhead as they ran into the train station; of course, Johnny could easily see them from his birds eye view, these two little rats scurrying below him in the maze. Crazy thoughts raced through Wolfgang's mind as he began to panic. He felt no better than a rat in the city. When wasn't he running for his life from something? When wasn't he having to defend himself? He slipped his hood over his head to shield his face and blend into the crowd of weak, common monsters and lesser fae, the foot soldiers of Doors. The stairs leading underground to the subway seemed to grow bigger and closer in his mind as he focused on them with all his might and plodded one foot in front of the other as fast as he could, in spite of the numbers of people, in spite of the pain. He was so close, just another few steps, when a part of the ceiling collapsed just in front of him, not closing off the stairs entirely, but enough that he could no longer make his way. "Damn it, Johnny!" he shouted. "Why?!" He wanted to look up, to find him, to curse him with his eyes as well as his lips, but the thought of a mouthful of glass made him shudder. In spite of the pain, Wolfgang kept his speed up and changed direction, running back the way he came until he reached the bottom of the street train platform. Johnny might be a spirit of the wind itself, but even the wind needed time to pick up things and gather the strength to do something with them. If Wolfgang could keep moving, he might get away.
As Johnny darted back out through the broken glass and up to the sun, Wolfgang took the opportunity to make a run for the partially-blocked stairs that led to the subway below. Just before he scrambled under the wreckage, he looked back to see that Johnny had spotted him. He would be on him in a second. Wolfgang felt his foot slipping over the hard metal shafts when a grip was upon him--the slippery yet unyielding grip of the wind, drawing him back through the scaffolding. He held tight to it and kicked behind himself like a mule, but it felt like he was striking nothing. His foot would reach something that didn't give only to feel it melt away beneath it. Panic gripping his heart in the same way
"We'll have to split up," Pilgrim said. "I can't fit on the trains."
"Go to the No Man's Land," Wolfgang told him. "We'll meet up there."
"Gotcha."
He dismounted and patted his friend before running off. Neither of them doubted that Pilgrim would find him again. Like most fae, he could smell his blood, see his soul. He could hear immensely better than Wolfgang, too. Finding Wolfgang had never been a problem; keeping him in one piece was. The street by the train station was busier than the last. Train stations were neutral. At least, supposed to be. Wolfgang heard a voice in his ear whispering his name. It was Marie. She bloomed from nothing to run beside him. He could tell by the slow rhythm of her pace just how much behind her he was lagging. "You're going to have to do better than that," she said. "We're not underground yet."
"What about the crowd?" he asked. "Do you think he'd risk hurting MOON just to kill us?"
"I don't know," came the unpleasant but realistic reply. Marie straightened her armband so that the symbol of SUN was clearly prominent. "Not if he can kill us without anyone noticing. If he takes us out fast enough, no one might react at all." This was true. But surely, Wolfgang thought, Johnny wouldn't be bold enough to attack us in the train station. Subtlety was not Johnny's style. As he said himself, he was a force of nature. If he damaged the station to the point that it ceased to function, or injured enough people, MOON could be in deep trouble. What would hold back any of the other factions from attacking MOON members anywhere, then, in retribution? Unless they were arrogant enough to believe that they already owned all of Doors to do with as they saw fit.
Thunder shook the panes of glass overhead as they ran into the train station; of course, Johnny could easily see them from his birds eye view, these two little rats scurrying below him in the maze. Crazy thoughts raced through Wolfgang's mind as he began to panic. He felt no better than a rat in the city. When wasn't he running for his life from something? When wasn't he having to defend himself? He slipped his hood over his head to shield his face and blend into the crowd of weak, common monsters and lesser fae, the foot soldiers of Doors. The stairs leading underground to the subway seemed to grow bigger and closer in his mind as he focused on them with all his might and plodded one foot in front of the other as fast as he could, in spite of the numbers of people, in spite of the pain. He was so close, just another few steps, when a part of the ceiling collapsed just in front of him, not closing off the stairs entirely, but enough that he could no longer make his way. "Damn it, Johnny!" he shouted. "Why?!" He wanted to look up, to find him, to curse him with his eyes as well as his lips, but the thought of a mouthful of glass made him shudder. In spite of the pain, Wolfgang kept his speed up and changed direction, running back the way he came until he reached the bottom of the street train platform. Johnny might be a spirit of the wind itself, but even the wind needed time to pick up things and gather the strength to do something with them. If Wolfgang could keep moving, he might get away.
As Johnny darted back out through the broken glass and up to the sun, Wolfgang took the opportunity to make a run for the partially-blocked stairs that led to the subway below. Just before he scrambled under the wreckage, he looked back to see that Johnny had spotted him. He would be on him in a second. Wolfgang felt his foot slipping over the hard metal shafts when a grip was upon him--the slippery yet unyielding grip of the wind, drawing him back through the scaffolding. He held tight to it and kicked behind himself like a mule, but it felt like he was striking nothing. His foot would reach something that didn't give only to feel it melt away beneath it. Panic gripping his heart in the same way
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