off the ground.
"I bring gift, little dead thing," the ragged man said, struggling with the words. He squeezed his fist closed, and Coyote screamed in pain. "I give you feelings." He squeezed again, and some of those in the crowd screamed along with the youth.
Rat leaped upon the ragged man then, beating upon his broad back with small fists. But the ragged man simply flexed his bunched muscles, and Rat was tossed to the hard floor. Before he could regain his breath and move, the ragged man had grabbed him as well.
Bryce, desperately trying to decide what to do, noticed that a man standing near him was leaning on a long metal pipe. The pipe was about three feet long, probably found somewhere back in the subway tunnels. The man was banging the metal onto the floor, beating out an almost-tribal tune in time with the ragged man's violence. Without hesitating, the priest snatched the pipe from the surprised man.
"Yes, this will do nicely," he said lightly, trying to calm his frazzled nerves.
The ragged man held the two boys at arms length, smiling savagely over his double catch. "Maybe I will present you as gifts to Lanala, as a sign of my love for the goddess," the ragged man said as he tightened his grip once more.
"Maybe not," yelled Bryce as he swung the pipe into the ragged man's brutish face. The sound of the impact was awful as bone and flesh gave way to the unyielding metal. The ragged man crashed to the ground, releasing the two teens as he fell.
Bryce dropped the pipe, disgusted at what he had done. He grabbed both boys and shouted, "Now we run!"
They did.
The woman and little girl were gone when Bryce and the boys returned. Only Bryce's black mass kit sat in the otherwise empty corner, alone. He picked it up and held it close.
"She left, man," said Coyote. "We should be going, too."
The priest nodded, following Coyote and Rat toward the exit.
He hesitated a moment, looking back into the empty corner.
"We never even found out their names," Bryce said quietly.
Rat put his hand on the priest's arm, and gently led him away.
Alder carried a small knapsack over one shoulder. The gray cat's head peeked out from the open flap, watching curiously to see where the police officer was taking him. Alder looked back for the twentieth time. The lizard man was still following him, ambling along at a steady pace.
Tal Tu, he had called himself, Alder remembered. He stopped to rest, leaning against a stalled van. He set the knapsack down and took a moment to study the lizard man.
Tal Tu was over six feet tall, and much bulkier than Alder. His head was reminiscent of a bird's, as the snout tapered to form a sharp beak. But the rest of his body was reptilian, ending in a long tail. He carried a knapsack as well, but he filled his with trinkets from the Radio Shack. What the lizard man wanted with wires and calculators and batteries was beyond him, but Alder hadn't been able to make much out of the happenings of the past two days.
Ignoring Tal Tu, Alder decided to check out the van he was resting on. It was a typical two-door model of American make, with a sliding side hatch and a rear door for loading. It was a New York delivery man's transportation through a crowded city. It guzzled gas and didn't worry about scratches or dents. He tried the door and found it unlocked. Now that wasn't a smart thing to do in New York. Just anybody could borrow your vehicle if you left in unlocked and unattended.
He slid into the front seat. Surprisingly, the key was still in the ignition and the gear stick was left in drive. So why was it stalled here in the middle of the street?
There was a knock on the door window and Alder jumped when he saw the lizard man's face against the glass. Then it held up the knapsack with the cat sticking out and Alder realized it was Tal Tu.
"You scared yesterday's lunch out of me," Alder yelled, and Tal Tu pulled back. He tilted his bird head to one side so that he could regard Alder with one of his lizard