Free Invincible by Dawn Metcalf Page B

bed and curled a pillow into her lap. “I’m not sure it would be a good thing, anyway, having them Return, considering they’ve got an angry army at their back ready to attack the human world.” Joy buried her face in the pillow, muffling her words. “I seriously screwed up.”
    â€œYeah? I get that,” Monica said, her voice slipping into Peer Counselor mode. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
    Joy rested her chin on her pillow, her face wet. “Yes.”
    * * *
    â€œ...and when we got out, we left Stef behind with Dmitri; Kurt, Graus Claude’s bodyguard, was looking for Inq; Filly and Avery were fighting our way out and we barely made it to the car in time before Raina, Luiz and Ilhami had to shoot down some cloaking magic to cover our exit.” Joy was almost all talked-out, dimly realizing that Monica probably couldn’t follow half of what she was saying, but it was good to say it out loud, anyway. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. It was almost six in the morning. “For all I know, Briarhook led the mob straight to us.” She wrung her pillow in her fists. “We may have bargained for him to find and free the Bailiwick, but we never said anything about helping us escape Under the Hill.” Joy blinked up at the ceiling. “Or maybe we did. Kurt did the negotiations, and he’s pretty thorough. Maybe I’m just being paranoid.”
    â€œBeing paranoid doesn’t mean that everybody’s not out to get you,” Monica said wryly. “And, in your case, both sides of this thing sound like they might be itching to do just that.” Her best friend gave a deep sigh that ended in a yawn. “I tell you, Joy, you don’t do things by halves.”
    Joy rubbed her face. “Yeah. When I screw up, I go all out.” She blinked up at the ceiling and pressed her hands to her stomach. Lying on her bed made her think about how little time had passed since her family’s camping weekend, since the gala and the jailbreak and opening the door into Faeland, the last glimpse of a charging army and Ink’s bitter leaving. Time did funny things when you were zipping between the real world, Folk Heaven and the Twixt. “Just keep your voice down,” she said quietly. “I don’t want Kermit the Hutt knowing every gruesome detail.”
    â€œMiss Malone,” Graus Claude’s powerful voice called down the hall. Both girls sat up straight. “I find it laboriously inconvenient to maneuver down your narrow hallway, so might I request an audience that does not require shouting?” There was a pause as Joy and Monica stared at one another, exchanging silent questions with their eyebrows. Monica pointed a suggestive thumb out the window. Joy mimed hanging herself by a noose. “And honesty forces me to add that your walls are paper thin,” he grumbled. “I can hear the both of you breathing.”
    Joy covered her face in her hands. Monica let out a sigh. Together they stood up and crossed the hall with all the enthusiasm of visiting the principal’s office. Joy peered around the doorjamb; Monica peeked over her shoulder, keeping the ox bone blade in one fist. Graus Claude sat in a lotus position, a picture of calm serenity, until he saw them staring. A tic twitched at his eye.
    â€œI gather that we are now all up-to-date on current events?” His deep bass voice rumbled. Joy flinched. A grin softened the corners of his lips. “Very good,” he said. “Our alliances are our strength.” He pointed a claw at Monica. “You will stay here and keep Miss Malone company until such time as we can find a suitable escort for her future travels.” Monica planted her fists on her hips. She’d obviously been planning to stick by Joy anyway; she just didn’t want to be ordered to do it. She turned to Joy, ignoring the enormous frog.
    â€œAnd your boy, Ink, isn’t