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Marla’s. She was still troubled by the way she’d tried to turn B into a weapon to kill the
Celestial, and proud of him for finding another solution. Cole would continue to lead
him down the seer’s path. “Even if I were going to be around to teach him, I wouldn’t
want to. The way I do things…that’s not right for B.”
“I understand,” Cole said.
Marla gestured toward the window. “So who’s going to run things in San Francisco
now?”
“That’s an open question. I do intend to go back to sleep in a few years, and I have no
taste for leadership anyway. Several sorcerers fled, and they’ll be coming back soon, I
imagine…but they’ll be a bit surprised when they do.”
“Oh?”
“I’ve cast a spell so that they can’t come back into the city at all. They’ll reach the
border and find themselves repelled. If they try to push their way in, they’ll get sick, and
if they become truly insistent, they will die. Let Oakland have them. They deserted San
Francisco in her hour of need, and they will not be allowed back into her good graces.”
“I approve,” Marla said. She crossed her feet on the windowsill. “Where’s Rondeau?”
“Ah.” Cole squirmed. “I cannot say for sure, but I believe he is making love to the
Celestial’s apprentice, now that she is back in her proper form and feeling grateful for
his assistance. He said something about giving Mr. Bowman a try after he finished with
the apprentice.”
Marla laughed. “Same old Rondeau. He didn’t help the apprentice for the sex, but he’s
happy enough to take advantage of it.” She sucked on her cigarette, tasted the smoke,
exhaled. “So, Cole. You know lots of the old lore. I’ve been meaning to ask you, since
the apocalyptic showdown this afternoon—is there some other way I can protect myself
from Susan, now that the Cornerstone is gone?” She had to ask, but she knew the
answer.
“Is there a way to keep the erasure spell from working on you? No, I don’t think so. Not
unless you can find one of the two remaining Cornerstones, which seems unlikely,
given that your time is limited.”
“That’s what I figured,” Marla said. She wondered if she’d be able to get back to her
own city before Susan made her disappear. It would be nice, if her last sight was of her
own city. It might be heartbreaking, too, but there were some things so sad and wrong
that it was only right to let your heart break over them. “I didn’t think there was any
other way.”
“There’s not a magical way, no,” Cole said. “Though there is one thing you might
try….”