Both Keepers nodded. Probably because of the Lineage, the family resemblance had always been strong.

"Well, she's a little old for this sort of thing."

Diana hid a smile as she helped a glowering Claire stand. Since Dean and the seven-year age difference, the whole age thing had become a sensitive point.

"And, no offense," Kris continued, "but you're both too well fed."

"Too well fed. for what?" Claire demanded, smoothing her skirt over her thighs.

"For livin' rough."

"That's because we haven't been."

"Totally obvious they didn't fall in off the street," the redhead snorted.

"No, we didn't." Diana agreed, breaking in before Claire's tone got them into trouble. "We came here deliberately."

That got everyone's attention.

A very pale blond with eyes so light only the pupils showed, stepped forward. "You can do that? Come here deliberately?"

"Well, duh." A boy who might have been East Indian jabbed him with the end of his slingshot. "They're here."

"Well, duh, maybe they're lying."

"Yeah? Maybe you're an idiot."

"Yeah, well, you're a ..."

"Colin. Teemo."

Names held power. Whether Kris had known that before or had discovered it after crossing, she certainly knew it now. The argument stopped cold, both boys looking sheepish at suddenly being the center of attention.

"We can cross deliberately," Diana said into the sudden silence. "Not everybody can."

"How?"

"Did we get here?"

"Yeah. That. And why did you come? And who the h.e.l.l are you?"

Diana exchanged a speaking glance with Claire. If the, well, elves, for lack of a better word, could still swear with impunity, then they were influencing the Otherside on a subconscious level only. However they'd changed, they remained Bystanders, and the Lineage worked very hard at keeping Bystanders unaware of their existence.

"Your Summons," Claire murmured. "Your choice."

"The Rules . . ."

"Diana, there's a sign in that shoe store window advertising ruby slippers for half off. Unless they're trying to attract the Otherside drag queen business, I'd say that the Rules have already been twisted pretty far out of shape."

"Okay." Claire had been a total Rule follower her entire life. Dean had obviously loosened her up a lot more than Diana had suspected. Bad, bad mental image. Think about . . .

Kris folded her arms and glared. Her expression promised violence if she didn't get an answer soon.

Yeah, that works. "My name is Diana. This is Claire. That's Sam. Essentially, we're a sort of wizard called a Keeper."

"We're not wizards," Claire sighed.

"Okay," Diana muttered sotto voice, not the least surprised Claire'd had to stick her two cents in regardless of what she'd said about choices and whose they were. "You explain to the mall elves exactly what we are in three thousand words or less."

Claire's eyes narrowed, then she sighed again. "Essentially," she told their fascinated audience, "we're wizards. It's our job to make sure that metaphysical balances are kept."

"That the magical stuff between the worlds doesn't go out of whack," Diana clarified as half a dozen pairs of eyes stared at them blankly.

Kris shook her head, dreadlocks bouncing. "You're wizards?"

"Essentially wizards," Claire amended reluctantly.

"They're wizards," Sam snorted. "I'm a cat."

"Right." Kris acknowledged him with a quick smile and turned her attention back to the Keepers. "Well, since you're here and since we're here and since our candle throwin' friends with the negative number IQs are here and since this is a f.u.c.kin' shopping mall, I'm guessin' that the magical stuff between the worlds is way whacked."

"Good guess."

"Yeah, well, we're not stupid."

"Kris." One of the others, a skinny, dark-haired, androgynous kid probably no more than fifteen jumped the barricade. "The meat-minds have retreated back past the food court."

"Thanks, DK. All right, the rest of you go back to what you were doing before Jo gave the alarm. Me and Will'll take these guys in to Arthur." She jerked her head down the concourse toward the anchor store at the far end. "Let's go."

Will turned out to be the redhead.

"Actually," Claire announced in a tone that suggested she'd neither forgotten nor forgiven the earlier too old and too well fed observation, "we've got to get back to the other end of the mall. We appreciate your a.s.sistance, but we have a job to do here."

Kris shrugged. "So do I. And my job says I take new people in to see Arthur."

"Claire . . ."

"Diana?"

She flashed Kris a smile, grabbed Claire's arm, and yanked her close enough to mutter into her ear. "I know that time is a factor, I mean, it is my Summons and all, but these guys are a factor, too, because whoever's running this segue isn't going to be able to finish it while they're still here. I mean, we weren't expecting indigenous life."

"They aren't indigenous!"

"Maybe they didn't used to be, but they are now.'"

"All right, fine." Claire pulled her arm free. "But if this thing goes critical while we're talking . . ."

"Then we'll be in the right place because it can't go critical until the forces of darkness attack and destroy this last bastion of the light."