they cannot follow through the Portal, not without a Rider to help them. Even with my help,” he added when she still hesitated, “you cannot kill them all. It may be that you have no choice.”
“Wait a minute, no choice about what?”
Diggory grinned as Cassandra looked back and forth between them, frowning.
“You’ve said that the Prince’s safety had value above all other things,” she said finally. “Do you hold to that now?”
“Younger Sister, I do. I will guard your back, Sword of Truth. But we must go now.”
Cassandra waited a long moment before nodding. “Very well.” She turned to Max and laid a gentle hand on his arm. “Please, trust me.”
“But—” he turned back to the Troll, and wasn’t really surprised to find the boy Diggory back, skateboard and all.
“I see you are full of questions, my lord Prince, but I advise you to follow your Warden. The time for answers has not yet come.”
“That’s what she keeps telling me.”
With Diggory right behind him, Max caught up with Cassandra just as she reached the iron ladder that would let them up onto the platform. He could tell from the color and shape of the tiles, even before he was close enough to read the signs, that they were already at the subway station at Union, only two levels and maybe a hundred yards away from the train station proper.
At first he was surprised to see the platform empty, but once they were all off the ladder and he could make out the platform clock, he understood. Somehow it had gotten to be after two in the morning; the theaters that kept the downtown streets crowded were long closed, and the bars would have given last call. The train that almost got them must have been empty, on its way to bed in the yards.
As Cassandra headed for the exit at the far end of platform, Max edged closer to her. Maybe there were some questions that could be answered now.
“Why does he look like a little boy?” Max kept his voice whisper quiet.
“The better to lure my prey, my lord Prince.” Though he’d reverted to his boy shape, Diggory’s voice was still gravelly and booming.
“What kind of . . . oh.” It didn’t take much imagination to figure out what could be lured into dark alleys by a young child. “So is it children or child molesters?”
“Ah, I had not thought of that.” Max could swear the Troll was laughing. “Has to be the one or the other, does it?” The Troll made a gusty sound that Max realized was a chuckle, but said nothing more.
“Ignore him,” Cassandra advised. “That’s all the answer you’re going to get. He’s trying to distract you.”
“And he’s good at it,” Max said, shaking away the images in his head.
Cassandra had almost reached the exit, with Max close on her heels, when she skidded to a stop, reversed her direction, grabbed Max by the elbow, and propelled him back the way they’d come.
“What the—” Max looked back over his shoulder, and what he saw encouraged him to run faster.
“Go,” Diggory growled as they passed him. “These are mine.” As he spoke, he was already changing, and by the time Max looked back again, the little boy was gone, and the Troll was back.
They rounded the corner on the platform’s other exit and were pounding up the stairs when the screaming started.
Max stopped, hesitated, and took two steps back.
“Max.”
He looked up to Cassandra, above him on the stairs. She was smiling a grim smile.
“Trust me, that’s not his voice.” When Max still didn’t move to follow her, she added, “He’s buying us time to get away. Let’s not waste it.”
It didn’t seem right to run away. Smart, but not right.
Max followed Cassandra up the stairs to the street level, and through the one-way turnstiles. She banged through the plate glass street doors so fast he almost didn’t realize they’d been locked. They ran across
“Wait a minute, no choice about what?”
Diggory grinned as Cassandra looked back and forth between them, frowning.
“You’ve said that the Prince’s safety had value above all other things,” she said finally. “Do you hold to that now?”
“Younger Sister, I do. I will guard your back, Sword of Truth. But we must go now.”
Cassandra waited a long moment before nodding. “Very well.” She turned to Max and laid a gentle hand on his arm. “Please, trust me.”
“But—” he turned back to the Troll, and wasn’t really surprised to find the boy Diggory back, skateboard and all.
“I see you are full of questions, my lord Prince, but I advise you to follow your Warden. The time for answers has not yet come.”
“That’s what she keeps telling me.”
With Diggory right behind him, Max caught up with Cassandra just as she reached the iron ladder that would let them up onto the platform. He could tell from the color and shape of the tiles, even before he was close enough to read the signs, that they were already at the subway station at Union, only two levels and maybe a hundred yards away from the train station proper.
At first he was surprised to see the platform empty, but once they were all off the ladder and he could make out the platform clock, he understood. Somehow it had gotten to be after two in the morning; the theaters that kept the downtown streets crowded were long closed, and the bars would have given last call. The train that almost got them must have been empty, on its way to bed in the yards.
As Cassandra headed for the exit at the far end of platform, Max edged closer to her. Maybe there were some questions that could be answered now.
“Why does he look like a little boy?” Max kept his voice whisper quiet.
“The better to lure my prey, my lord Prince.” Though he’d reverted to his boy shape, Diggory’s voice was still gravelly and booming.
“What kind of . . . oh.” It didn’t take much imagination to figure out what could be lured into dark alleys by a young child. “So is it children or child molesters?”
“Ah, I had not thought of that.” Max could swear the Troll was laughing. “Has to be the one or the other, does it?” The Troll made a gusty sound that Max realized was a chuckle, but said nothing more.
“Ignore him,” Cassandra advised. “That’s all the answer you’re going to get. He’s trying to distract you.”
“And he’s good at it,” Max said, shaking away the images in his head.
Cassandra had almost reached the exit, with Max close on her heels, when she skidded to a stop, reversed her direction, grabbed Max by the elbow, and propelled him back the way they’d come.
“What the—” Max looked back over his shoulder, and what he saw encouraged him to run faster.
“Go,” Diggory growled as they passed him. “These are mine.” As he spoke, he was already changing, and by the time Max looked back again, the little boy was gone, and the Troll was back.
They rounded the corner on the platform’s other exit and were pounding up the stairs when the screaming started.
Max stopped, hesitated, and took two steps back.
“Max.”
He looked up to Cassandra, above him on the stairs. She was smiling a grim smile.
“Trust me, that’s not his voice.” When Max still didn’t move to follow her, she added, “He’s buying us time to get away. Let’s not waste it.”
It didn’t seem right to run away. Smart, but not right.
Max followed Cassandra up the stairs to the street level, and through the one-way turnstiles. She banged through the plate glass street doors so fast he almost didn’t realize they’d been locked. They ran across
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