He took a ragged breath, then another, striving for calm. Lythande had told himhe must prepare himself, but his stripped nerves kept him nervously aware of theblue pulse of the Adept's presence, as he was aware of Cappen Varra, who satwith hand clasped around his amulet, and of Gilla-of her more than any,projecting a mixing of strength and fear and love.

Perhaps she simply disliked being in the Vulgar Unicorn. It was the measure ofher trust of Lythande that she had accepted the Adept's pronouncement that theUnicorn must leave this dimension by the same Gate through which it had come.

But was this really the Vulgar Unicorn, or only some drunken nightmare? It wasso very still. After a brief, explosive interchange between One-Thumb andLythande, the Adept had expelled the few customers who had braved the birthplaceof the Black Unicorn, and cleared away the tables from the booth and the centerof the room. Lalo stared at the irregular white space on the wall where hisdrawing had been, shivered and looked away, found his eyes focusing on the newdark stains that marred the floor, and shut them.

Breathe! he told himself. For Wedemir's sake-you have to find the strengthsomewhere!

"I should never have allowed it-" Gilla's whisper voiced Lalo's fears. "My poorson! How could you let him sacrifice himself? You'd let your baby bum and sendyour firstborn to be eaten by a demon from Hell-a fine sort of father you are!"

Lalo could feel her gathering steam for another diatribe and found himselfalmost welcoming the distraction, but Lythande's voice knifed through the pauseas Gilla gathered breath to go on.

"Woman, be still! There is more than one life at stake here, and the time fordiscussion is long gone. Lend some of your anger to your man-he'll need itsoon!" The Adept's snapped comment was followed by a half-heard mutteringsomething about "working with amateurs" that made Gilla's ears bum.

Lalo sighed and tried to formulate a prayer to Ils of the Thousand Eyes, but allthat would come to him was a vision of Wedemir's bright gaze.

The door opened.

Lalo jerked around, peering at the shadow that had precipitated itself from thedarker oblong of the open door. Wedemir? But it was too soon, and there had beenno sound. The figure stepped forward; Lalo recognized the dark cloak and narrow,sullen face of Shadowspawn.

"I got a message-" Hanse surveyed the odd group with disbelief. "I'm supposed tohelp you?"

His face was eloquent with resentment, and Lalo, realizing abruptly from whomthat message must have come, felt a slim stirring of hope. He got to his feet.

"Yes, you can help us," Lythande said quietly beside him. "You saw something getloose here last night. Help us send it home again."

"No." Hanse shook his head. "Oh, no. Once was a time too many to see thatthing."

"Shalpa's Son..." Lalo said hoarsely, and saw Shadowspawn flinch.

"Not even for-" he began, then whirled, hands going for his knives. From outsidecame the sound of feet running, and a deep roaring as if all the sewers inSanctuary had overflowed.

"Quick, for your life-" snapped the Adept, pointing across the room. "Take yourplace in the circle, and don't stir!"

For a moment Shadowspawn stared, then he moved.

But Lalo had forgotten him. Bench clattering over behind him, he darted pastCappen Varra to reach his place by the wall, glimpsed Gilla's bulk movingsurprisingly quickly to the spot the Adept had assigned to her. As if she hadtel-eported, Lythande was already standing, wand at the ready, at the pointbetween the door and the wall.

Then it crashed open and Wedemir hurtled through, hesitated for a moment as hesaw the place he had expected to fill already occupied by Shadowspawn, thenstumbled into the middle of the circle, blood from his arm spattering across thefloor. Lalo's stomach churned; he reached for the boy and pulled him to hisside.

"The blood-" he gasped. "Did the Unicorn get you?"

Wedemir shook his head and touched the knife at his side. Lythande darted them aquick glance.

"I told him to wound himself," the Adept said. "Innocent blood-and your blood,Lalo-the smell of it would be irresistible-"

Then a darkness filled the doorway, deeper than the shadows, in which flamed twoglowing eyes. It had grown. Lalo swallowed sickly as the Unicorn forced itsexpanding bulk through the doorway. The black muzzle bent, snuffling for theblood-trail. Wedemir swayed, and Lalo saw that blood was still welling frombetween the fingers clenched around his arm to fall smoking to the stainedfloor. Lalo's altered vision perceived the life-force radiating from each drop.That, then, was what the Unicom desired.

Us of the Thousand Eyes, look down and help me! his spirit cried. Gilla'sinvocation ofShipri vibrated in the heavy air, and beyond her Lalo sensed theblur of Shalpa's power, Lythande's blue glow, and the murmur of Cappen Varra'splea to his northern gods.

The Unicom reared back: Lalo could not tell whether it went on two legs or four.Did those red eyes see puny human victims, or did it sense the inflowing powerof the gods? The monster must not be frightened away, though his every nervequivered with hope that it would go. Lythande's stem gaze commanded him. Now wasthe time-the Adept had done her part and he was on his own.

Great Ils! He could not do it; but somehow his feet were carrying him betweenWedemir and the Unicom.

"Unicom!" Lalo's voice was a crow's croak. He tried again. "Unicom, come to me!Blood of my blood, here is what you desire!"

The dark form shuddered with thunder and deep laughter. It took a step towardhim and then another, contemptuous of the others who stood there. Its gaze waslike a horribly intimate touch upon his soul, and Lalo remembered suddenly thatit was his-his own evil had been joined to that of the rest of Sanctuary in theUnicorn's conception. Lalo's part in the creature yearned for reunion; ananswering yearning resonated in the secret depths of his soul. How easy it wouldbe to... simply give in.

Lythande poised like a beast of prey, absolutely still. As Lalo wavered, theUnicorn stepped past her; her wand flashed out like a sword of fire, and bluelight snapped across the circle to Gilla, back to Cappen Varra, over to Wedemir,occupying Lalo's old place by the wall, up to Shadowspawn and back to Lythandeagain before the Thing could move.

It roared and whirled, but it was imprisoned by the glowing lines of thepentagram. Lalo realized with horror that he was imprisoned too. Then theUnicorn grew still, senses questing outward to test the barriers. Its darknesspulsed softly; Lalo recognized faces contorted in voiceless torment, blinkedaway a vision of his own features swirling among the throng, and fumbled tounroll the canvas still clutched in his arms.

The Unicorn heard the rustle of canvas and began to turn.

The results of half a night's labor unrolled stiffly, and Lalo wondereddesperately whether it would serve. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes,seeking the Face of Ils in memory. Awareness faltered, fixed, and for onetimeless moment he was There, but this time he did not look away. The brightnessof the Divine Face blinded and burned him, searing that part of him that hadresponded to the Unicorn. And still the light grew, until Lalo realized thateven the Shining Face of Ils had been only a mask for that radiance whose leastpart burned in the sun and the other stars.

And then he was falling, spiraling dizzily back into the prison of his humanbody. Still dazzled, Lalo released his pent breath across the canvas in hisclenched hands.