Artur leaned forward on one knee.  “I will accept your surrender,” he said to Ivan.

“Ho, ho!” Ivan said, and I turned to keep from smiling.  “To that I did not agree!  It is the phrase you push your luck,” he pointed at the cobalt blue creature.  “I could still raze your forest, and make every living thing there turn to stone.  I could turn the trees to bone, and then salt the earth with fire!”

Eh, well, I got what he meant, anyway.  It was a mixed metaphor, but at least it hadn’t been so injured as to need to find a place away from its family to die.  Because I knew what that was like.

“And I could still twist off your head,” Artur explained, bringing his giant hands around to demonstrate.  Viktor merely coughed, and the two of them looked a little sheepish.

“It is not a time for men to say merely what they may, but what they will do.  Little girls, they play at relationships over false tea.  They point their littlest fingers up and celebrate imaginary birthdays.  We are magic!  We are not made of little tea parties.  Is it your will to destroy Artur’s home, Father Ivan?  No, or you would have done.  Is it your will, Artur, to squish our Ivan’s head?  No.  It is born of frustration and tastes like false tea without cream and sugar.”  He shrugged.  “So be men of magic born, and not little girls.”

I felt like defending my sister on principle, but the honour of little girls was not mine to bear.  Especially as both Ivan and Artur looked shamed.

It’s serious business, willpower.  Viktor had spoken well, reminding them that their errant thoughts were still significant by their being wizards.  I was small potatoes, here, not even really one of those french fries that you kind of see at the bottom of the paper container and kind of shrug off instead of eating.   I was good with that.  Survived me a shot of “wizard-kill,” which sounded nasty whatever it was, no matter what Peredur intended.

“And you,” Viktor turned around.  “You seem to have made friends with my spell.  I believe you are the one with the new pet,” he smiled.

I frowned.  My place isn’t set up for the four-legged.  I’d have to walk him and let him out, and not to mention I was courting ramen – I didn’t want to have to share dog food with anyone. Hey, I had almost forgotten!  Provided I survived a walk into the Dragon’s cave, the Red Poets had promised to pay me. And wizards, despite the absentminded stereotype, had long memories.

Seeing my reluctance, Viktor wavered.  “He is not a gifting.  You may borrow him.  Who knows, maybe he will put his teeth into a Dragon’s tail.  I will make a place for him at home.”

I nodded.  Nikolai was still ambivalent, standing and waving his tail between the two of us.

“Well?” I asked Artur.

He frowned, and concentrated, closing his eyes for a moment.  I watched him shrink down, further and further into the adolescent male I had met both in this world and in Ivan’s refuge, complete with jeans and leather jacket.

“Come on, old man,” Artur said.  “Let’s get on with it.”

Ivan frowned.  He stepped over the quiescent form of his burnt self.  “Must bring the masters out to take care of that, and our restaurant guests.”  He gestured out of the kitchen.  “Come, let us do this where I can sit my tired bones.”

We followed.  I saw light through the tinted windows of the restaurant.  The sign had been turned around to “closed” on the door, which I didn’t do.  In fact, I remembered seeing that it was open from the bus stop, which put me on guard.

Viktor caught my eye and shook his head.  “None without power could pass through the doors.”

I almost said, “I did,” but that would be disingenuous.  I replayed the words in my head and realized it wasn’t necessarily supposed to be a comfort.

Nikolai made a bit of a whine, and I saw a shadow move across the window.  I bristled along with the dog, concerned.  Viktor made a pass with his right hand.  “You need not see the masters,” he said.  “But they obey Ivan here, as with his household, and they will clean up some of what has passed in the night.”

I decided he was right, and I didn’t need to see them.  Household spirits could be quite creepy, even when they didn’t boggart on you. I focused on Ivan, instead, as he moved some tables and booths around.  I took heart in that things were quite clean, but honestly, he had magical help in keeping to the health codes.

He sat himself in a bench in the middle, kind of like as if he sat on a throne.  I watched as Ivan sighed, and then addressed us.  “I cannot wish you luck without it being a lie.  You go to confront a most different creature, and a woman besides.”   He grimaced, almost a smile.  “Hah!  Should you return and I still take breath, we are quits.  Kaput.  I will not be following you for favours, and you will not be making my doorstep dark!”

I looked as if I would interrupt, and Viktor nodded.

“We have agreed to make payment for the service,” he said.

Ivan tilted his head.  “Not with the spell dog?”

“No,” Viktor said, sounding a little aggravated.

“Oh.”  Ivan shrugged.  “It will be done,” he said, half to me.  He sighed again and stared at a place on the carpet before him.  He was quiet for a minute.

“Ivan?” Viktor asked.

“Silence!  I am concentrating.”  He took off his apron, and revealed his chest.  The silvery darkness shimmered.

“It is a devil’s mark,” Artur hissed.

Viktor agreed with a nod.  I do not know from devils, but it was certainly still a gate.  Not the same one, as the sound was different.  It was more hesitant, a minor chord, but with tenor undertones.  As the gate coalesced, I realized that the anchor was in the way Ivan set up the tables and chairs, as they were painted with the almost hematite hue of his open heart.

“After you,” Artur said, gesturing at me.  He winked.