"Humans believe what they want to believe," Tye said. "Of course, all bets are off if they see any violence, especially if humans start dying. Screams, blood, and death are not very paradelike."
"Not so much," she agreed. She tried to keep her voice as light as his, but her heart was pounding fast in her rib cage and her palms felt sticky with sweat.
"The faster this ends, the better," Tye said grimly.
Jogging, they caught up with the tail of their small army as it flowed through the courtyard. She noticed that the Unseeing Reader was missing from her arch. Alone on the chapel, the Chained Dragon lashed his tail against the stone vines.
Passing by a set of Gothic classrooms, Lily heard music blasting in the distance. As they neared Prospect Avenue, the music grew louder until the bass thumped against her skin.
"Clever," Tye commented.
Lily looked at him.
"It's to drown out the sounds of the fighting."
Ahead of them, campus security guards had cordoned off the intersection of Washington and Prospect. Police
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cruisers lined the street, and guards manned the barricade. They had widened a gap between two police cars for the magic creatures to funnel through. Professor Ape stood with the guards, shepherding in the army.
"Ride on me," Tye said. Dropping to his hands and knees, he transformed into a tiger. She climbed onto his back and rode toward the blockade.
When they got closer, Lily saw that some of the guards were clutching their guns so hard that their knuckle bones showed white against their skin. She tried to give them a reassuring smile, but they didn't even focus on her. They'd seen too much in the past five minutes to even notice a girl riding a tiger. She and Tye passed through the police barricade.
Down the street, in front of Vineyard, she saw a snarl of colors. She couldn't identify individual figures. It was more of a mélange of shapes, as if a parade had exploded and left behind a pile of colorful living decorations. It didn't look like a battle, and with the music overpowering everything, it didn't sound like a battle, either, which she guessed was the point.
It was only when they were halfway down the street that Lily began to hear the screams.
One car lay upside down. Up ahead, a centaur fought a fairy. He raised his front hooves and struck at the winged woman's stomach. She sailed backward and then dove forward again. The fairy swung a sword at the centaur's neck. He ducked.
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Lily was acutely aware she didn't have a sword or any fighting ability. Tye had his claws, but what did she have? She could befriend plants, that was all. She didn't belong here.
A massive wolf leaped on top of a car and howled. Lily saw a fireball shoot into a hedge. The bush burst into flames, and Lily heard the plant cry. A unicorn clattered past on the sidewalk, a streak of iridescent white, and a scorpion man scuttled across the street.
As she and Tye padded closer to the battle, Lily saw figures slumped in the street and on the sidewalk. Ahead, a griffin launched himself into the air and then slammed down hard in the yard of a cloister-style eating club. A man in orange and black was tossed like a doll over a stone wall. He thudded onto the pavement and didn't move.
Lily clutched the fur on Tye's tiger neck so hard that her nails dug into her palms. Run! her mind screamed at her. She'd never make it through the tangle of monsters between them and Vineyard Club. She couldn't even see the front door.
Three goblins charged toward them. One snarled and raised a sword. Another was drenched in blood so red that it looked like paint. He bared needle-sharp teeth.
"Tye!" she screamed.
Beneath her, the tiger boy tensed, ready to spring forward.
Suddenly, a streak of orange and black slammed into the goblins. Roaring, Tye's father knocked the creatures back. They skittered across the street. He lunged toward them, jaws wide, and the three goblins scrambled to their feet and ran.
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Tye's father transformed from tiger to man. He strode toward them and clamped his hand hard onto Tye's neck fur. He steered them back down the street toward the blockade. At the line of police cars, Tye's father ordered, "Dismount."
Lily slid off Tye's back.
"Transform."
Tye changed into his human self. "Father ..."
"You need to leave now," Tye's father said.
"I want to help." Tye said. "This is my world, too."
"If we lose you, we'll all be trapped here. We'll be forced to feed or die." The tiger man glared at Lily. "You let the new Feeders into this world. Don't compound your mistake by creating even more."
Lily felt her face burning red. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes.
Tye leaped to her defense. "It's not her fault--"
"You must split up," Tye's father said. "Two targets are safer than one. Blend in with humans, or simply hide. But leave this area."
Lily began, "My mom and grandpa--"
"You can't help anyone if you're dead," the tiger man said, and then, to Tye's obvious shock, he wrapped his arms around his son's shoulders and pulled him into a rough embrace. "I will fight better if I know you are safe." Releasing Tye, he transformed back into a massive tiger and loped down the street toward Vineyard Club.
Openmouthed, Tye stared after him.
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"You okay?" Lily touched his sleeve.
Tye squeezed her hand. "Keep away from the monsters," he said. He reached toward her with his other hand, cradled the back of her head, and then kissed her. "And don't kiss any more knights."
Before she could think of a response, he strode toward the barricade. The security guards intercepted him, and Lily heard the Literate Ape say, "He's safe to pass."
The guards nodded him through.
She glanced back at Vineyard Club. Mom was in there and so was Grandpa, helpless as the battle raged over the street. Lily told herself she was being smart, not cowardly. Both Mom and Grandpa would have wanted her to run.
Beyond the blockade, Tye disappeared through the 1879 Hall arch. With the approval of the Literate Ape, Lily passed through the line of security guards and climbed the steps to the arch.
She looked back again and saw a column of fire shoot up from the center of the street. A red orange figure ran toward the barricade. Lily saw flames running up and down his arms. He pitched forward as he was tackled from behind by a woman with tentacles that writhed on her back.
"Hold the line!" one of the security guards barked.
Lily fled.
She ran for the gardens, but once there, she kept running. As much as she wanted to bury herself in the comfort of the petals and leaves, she didn't dare. Tulips and roses couldn't
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keep her safe from monsters. Continuing through, she heard the chants and cheers of P-rade.
Lily joined the fringes of the crowd as they shouted, "Hip-hip, tiger-tiger-tiger, sis-sis-sis, boom-boom-boom, bah! Oh-six! Oh-six! Oh-six!" A fire truck passed with its lights flashing. Alums threw candy from the ladders. A real tiger paced in a cage on the bed of the truck. Cheering with the crowd, she summoned up a fake smile.
Only a day ago, she'd planned to be here at P-rade with Grandpa and Mom. She'd intended to walk with him down the street when it was his class's turn.
She should have found a way to reach Grandpa and Mom. She could have used the chaos of the battle somehow. She could have hidden in the hedges or commanded the trees to hide her. And if you'd been killed? she asked herself. Tye's father was right. She had to stay safe. Once the Old Boys and the magic army defeated the Feeders, she could return and save her family. She just had to be patient and it would all be over soon.
She continued to clap and shout with the crowd, learning the P-rade locomotive. The marching classes shouted, "Hip-hip, tiger-tiger-tiger, sis-sis-sis, boom-boom-boom, bah! Oh-nine! Oh-nine! Oh-nine!" and she chanted back.
As the end of the parade passed in front of her, the crowd surged off the sidewalk. She was swept forward with the
alums from the Class of 2009. Some alums linked arms and spun in a circle. Others sang loudly and badly. "In praise of
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Old Nassau we sing; hurrah, hurrah, hurrah! Our hearts will give while we shall live; three cheers for Old Nassau!"
As they marched down the street, other alums peeled off the sidewalks to join P-rade, until the road between the Gothic dorms and the brilliant green lawns was filled with people laughing, dancing, and cheering.
Soon, she told herself, everything will be okay. Soon, the knights and the magic creatures would defeat the Feeders; Grandpa would wake and stop Mr. Mayfair; Mom would regain her memories; and Jake would return to the human world. She simply had to wait and march. In unison with the Class of '09, she punched her fist into the air and shouted, "Hip-hip, tiger-tiger-tiger!"
"Hello, little Key," a bell-like voice said behind her.
Lily spun around.
The fairy smiled at her and laid a perfectly tanned finger against Lily's lips. "Shh," she said cheerfully. "One scream, and I'll snap your neck."
"You wouldn't dare." Lily couldn't stop the quiver in her voice. "We're in a crowd."
"Ahh, but I have wings," the fairy said.
She's right, Lily thought. The fairy could kill Lily, flash her wings, and then fly away in the confusion that followed. They might as well be in an empty alley.
"Come walk with me, sweet cakes." The fairy wrapped her arm around Lily's shoulders.
"I'm too valuable to kill," Lily said. "I'm rare."
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"Oh, sweetie, don't overvalue your importance," the fairy said, half hugging her shoulders. "My allies are already here, and as for my enemies ... If you die, either they become my allies or they die. Either way suits me. You might be useful to me, sugar, but only if you cooperate." The fairy beamed at her. "Now, smile, lovey-dove. Show these nice people that we're friends."
Lily plastered on a fake smile as the fairy guided her up the street, in the opposite direction from the parade. She tried to think of a plan. If they veered closer to the trees, Lily could touch a branch or leaf ... but the fairy kept them to the center of the paved road and wove among the marching alums. Smiling like a deranged mannequin, Lily avoided catching anyone's eye. Last thing she wanted to do was cause another innocent's death. The fairy waved at the thinning crowds and cooed at the babies until at last they were beyond the end of the parade.
The fairy led her past Nassau Hall. With all the alums marching in the parade, the heart of campus was deserted. "Please, tell me what you want," Lily said. "Maybe we can compromise. I know you aren't really evil. We just want different things."
"Aw, you're so sweet," the fairy said. "But really, honey, I am evil." She smiled prettily as she dragged Lily up the chapel steps, beneath the sleeping dragon, and into the chapel foyer.
"What do you want?" Lily asked, her voice a high squeak. The fairy didn't need the solitude of the chapel to kill her. As
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she'd pointed out, she could kill Lily anywhere and no one would stop her. So why bring her here?
"I want what everyone wants, of course: To be safe. To be free to pursue that which makes me happy without fear of persecution or a messy, icky death. And you, my dear, will ensure that safety for me."
The fairy propelled her to the marble steps and unhooked the rope. Lily dragged her feet, trying to delay reaching their destination until she had a plan. Any plan! But the fairy simply tugged harder, and Lily stumbled up the stairs behind her. At the top of the steps, the fairy opened the door to the choir box and thrust Lily in before her.
A man knelt in one of the pews, his hands clasped in front of him in prayer.
"I have brought you a gift," the fairy said.
The man turned his head.
It was Mr. Mayfair.
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CHAPTER Sixteen
"She isn't dead," Mr. Mayfair said. Raising his eyebrows, he regarded Lily as if she were a specimen in a lab that had survived a dip in formaldehyde. "Very curious." His voice was so calm and urbane. Lily shrank back and felt herself start to shake.
"She can be," the fairy said, "but I thought perhaps you'd wish for a way to return that pesky magic army to its home before she dies."
"How thoughtful of you," he said blandly.
"Accept her as my apology to you," the fairy said. "I hope you will not count my one small instance of disobedience as a breach of our arrangement."
Oh, God, Lily thought. I'm going to die.
"Indeed, it was not in our agreement for me to lose warriors at Vineyard today," he said. Lounging against a pew,
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he continued to sound as if he were pleasantly discussing the weather.
Lily felt herself start to cry. She choked back tears and told herself it wasn't over yet. She could still escape. The fairy patted Lily's cheek fondly as she said to Mr. Mayfair, "I bring you this gift to show I wish to continue our old arrangement: I will be at your beck and call if you will ensure I am not hunted."
"Your numbers have swelled considerably," Mr. Mayfair said.
"If you wish to guarantee their safety too, those Feeders will be loyal to you," the fairy said. "Think of it: a whole army at your disposal. A few civilians may fall to pay for your army, but isn't your noble goal worth a few sacrifices?"
"Noble!" Lily shouted. "You--"
The fairy clamped a hand over Lily's mouth. "Hush, child, the grown-ups are talking."
"After today, many of my knights again will view magic creatures as allies," Mr. Mayfair said. "Separating the worlds will now be even more difficult. You have set me back a decade's worth of careful work."
"Please accept my apology," the fairy said, "with this gift." Removing her hand from Lily's mouth, she laid both hands on Lily's shoulders.
Mr. Mayfair rose from the pew. "Your apology and gift are appreciated." In one hand, he held a sword.
He's going to kill me, Lily thought. "You need me alive," 267she said. Mr. Mayfair crossed the choir box. His expression was still casual. He might as well have been approaching to merely shake her hand. "The magic army ... they'll return peacefully to their world if they can. But if you kill me, they'll be trapped, and you'll have new enemies." She tried to back away, but the fairy held her firmly in place.
Mr. Mayfair raised his sword.
Lily tried to throw herself to the side, but the fairy's hands were like shackles. Lily kicked and flailed, but the fairy held on without budging.
As the sword sliced through the air, the blade caught the blue light of the stained glass. It flashed on the stone walls of the chapel. Lily felt wind in her hair. She heard a wet thunk.
The hands on her shoulders loosened and then slipped away.
Behind her, the fairy fell to the floor.
"Our alliance is ended," Mr. Mayfair said in his gentlemanly voice. He wiped his sword, now red, on a black choir robe that hung from the coatrack. He selected a second robe and lifted the fairy's head up by her blood-soaked platinum blonde hair. He wrapped the head in the robe as if it were a Christmas present.
Blood seeped around Lily's shoes. It soaked into her sneakers, and it stained the white marble floor. She heard roaring in her ears, and her vision swam with black spots.
Mr. Mayfair spread a third robe across the body. Only the tips of the fairy's wings remained visible. They looked
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like broken cobwebs. "Sit, my dear," he said to Lily. "You look pale, and we may have a long wait." He sounded as concerned as an ordinary grandfather.
She wet her lips and tried to ask, "Wait for what?"
Despite her cracking voice, he understood her. "For the battle to end."
"Are you"--she couldn't stop her voice from shaking--"going to k-kill me?"
He sighed. "Eventually, I probably will. You are a danger to mankind, as well as an abomination in the eyes of God, though perhaps less of one than she was." He nodded at the fairy's wrapped-up head. It lay on a pew. A tendril of blonde hair had esca
ped the binding.
Lily bolted for the door. She slipped in blood, but she threw herself forward anyway. Moving faster than any ordinary human being could, Mr. Mayfair sprinted in front of her. He leveled the sword at her chest. "I said, sit." He gestured with the point toward a pew, and she retreated until a pew bumped the back of her legs. She sat with a thump.
Mr. Mayfair fetched some ropes from a pile of what looked to be more choir robes. Returning, he wrapped them around her, encasing her like a fly in a web. The ropes bit into her skin, and she yelped.
A streak of orange and black fur dashed behind the coatrack. Tye!
He'd come to rescue her, again her knight in shining fur. Lily felt her heart soar, but she kept her eyes focused on Mr.
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Mayfair. She had to keep him from noticing Tye. "You're psychotic," she said. "You're an egomaniacal psychopath with delusions of heroism."
Mr. Mayfair secured the last knot. "You should take a few psychology classes once you enroll here," he said. He coiled the remainder of the ropes beside Lily. "You'll find them beneficial, regardless of your major. Have you given any thought to your major?"
Speechless, she stared at him. A corpse lay three feet from her, her sneakers were soaked in blood, she was hog-tied to a pew, and he wanted to talk about her major?
"Perhaps economics?" he suggested. "Your grandfather claims you have a knack for business. I believe you assist with the accounts for the florist shop?"
"I'm going to live long enough to have a major?" she asked.
"The situation has changed, and I'm capable of flexibility," he said. "So long as your life benefits humanity more than your death, you will continue to live. Of course, I need to be certain that I can trust you."
"You can trust me," Lily said. "I am totally trustworthy."