His head turned. Well, it was more of an Exorcist twist, reallylike it was on a swivel, not connected to the rest of his body. Creepy. Also creepy were his eyes, which continued to blaze an unearthly fire in a color that defied description.

Out, he said. Just that. And the passenger-side door flung itself open, Davids seat belt snapped back, and I felt a supernatural shove that sent me stumbling out onto the pavement. David collided with me a second later, and we steadied ourselves as the Mustangs door slammed shut again.

Cherise and Kevin goggled at us from the backseat. Cherise tried the door. Locked. She held up her hands in defeat and mouthed, Sorry!

That was fine. The last thing I wanted was for Cherise to try her hand at slinging some power around. It wouldnt end well for anyone concerned. She was so far overmatched right now that the Djinn in that car wouldnt even have left a smoke trail in destroying her. Not that she didnt have the potential inside of hershe did, in spadesbut she had zero ability to channel and control it. Shed be more likely to blow herself, the mall, and whatever major metropolitan area we were in off the face of the Earth instead.

Right, I said, and steadied myself on my cramping legs. I guess we go in?

Seems like it, David said, and took my hand. He smiled. Remember the first time you took me to a mall?

Yeah, that ended well. I almost got suffocated.

And you drove off and left me behind, he said. Dont try it again.

Not a chance.

We looked at the glass doors of the entrance like it was the gates of Hell, and after a second to gather our composurewell, I was gathering mine, at leastwe moved forward and into the mall.

I dont know what I expected to happenmaybe that wed be transported to some other, intimidating supernatural place?but on the other side of the doors was a busy food court, full of cheap tables and flashing neon and the smells of a dozen different kinds of food. Families with crying kids in tow. Teens traveling in packs, for whom nothing existed outside of their own insulated circle of friends. Seniors in walking shoes making the rounds. It was a bustling indoor community, with snacks and shopping bags and a life of its own.

I love a good mall, I said to David, but I really have no idea what were supposed to do here. I mean, I could use a pair of shoes. . . .

If youre going to shop, youd better get Cherise, or shell kill you, he pointed out. But I think were supposed to do something else.

Well, itd be nice if someone gave us a sign. . . .

At the far end of the food court was the neon- lit entrance to a multiplex theater. The NOW SHOWING signs were giant TV screens, which I supposed was easier than the old stick-up letters.

One of them was flashing text in the biggest possible letters. It said ENTER HERE.

I cleared my throat and pointed. Would you call that a sign?

The letters immediately changed to read ENTER NOW OR DIE.

Id say so, David said. And not a welcome-to-the-neighborhood sign, either.

Didnt seem so. I tried to control the twisting of my stomach as we moved off toward the theater, threading past baby strollers and people just standing in the way. When we were still twenty feet away, the lettering changed again.

It said, in red flashing letters, FASTER.

Crap, I said, and dropped Davids hand to race him to the entrance. That drew stares. I wondered why nobody could see the sign, but then decided that the Oracle wanted it that way. It was meant for us. And it was meant to scare us.

It was working.

I plunged through the door under the flashing sign, just a step ahead of David, and stumbled into . . . fog. White, featureless fog, cool and damp and cloying on my skin. It felt thick and heavy and alive, pressing down on me as I stumbled to a stop, unable to see anything in the thick white mist.

I reached back and flailed for Davids hand.

He wasnt there.

I spun around and scissored my arms wildly, trying to find him, sure he had to be right there . . . but he wasnt. He was nowhere within reach. David! I shouted. David, can you hear me?

Nothing. It felt as if my words were swallowed up, as if the fog around me was so thick and heavy it was suffocating sound. It was like drowning in a cloud, and my breath came faster as the feeling of claustrophobia intensified. I held out my hands and took a step, hoping for somethinganythingto tell me where I was. This was worse than being blind, somehow. It felt like I should be able to see, and my eyes constantly strained, trying to focus on nothing.

Hey! I yelled. Oracle? You wanted me, here I am!

The mist around me suddenly thickened, choking me, trapping me in a gelatinous blanket, and I struggled to get a breath that didnt feel like a ball was being shoved down my throat.

A shape appeared out of the mistbut only a shape. A shadow, like glass filled with the same mist that surrounded me. No features, no face, nothing but a chilly kind of menace. It was terrifying, and I realized that I was seconds away from dying if I couldnt get the Air Oracle to stop tormenting me.

I did the only thing I could.

I gave up.

I stopped struggling, stopped trying to choke in a breath, and relaxed. The mist supported me, flowing like syrup through my clothes, along my skin, caressing me in intimate and cold ways that felt repulsively invasive.

I let it happen.

The pressure of mist inside my lungs let up, and I whooped in a breath of air just as the edge of my vision started to go dark and sparkly from oxygen deprivation.

Human.

It wasnt a voice, exactly, or a thought either. It was more of a vibration that didnt register in my ears, but in my flesh. As if the Oracle was speaking through my bones.

It hurt.

I gasped, and suddenly the mist holding me up let go, dropping me to my hands and knees on the featureless white floorexcept that it still felt like more insubstantial fog. I had the dizzying sensation that I was standing on a cloud, that only the Oracles whim kept me from hurtling through the vapor tens of thousands of feet down to my death. . . .

Weak, the thought vibration came, this time rich with overtones of contempt. Useless. As I thought.

I coughed and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. I tasted blood, but it seemed to be confined to my throat. The Mothers waking up, I said. Isnt she?

No answer. The ghostly form of the Air Oracle wavered, changing in fluid, subtle ways.

You dont want her to wake up, I said, filling in the blanks. It will take away all your power. All your individuality. The Oracles werent necessary if Mother Earth, the consciousness of the planet itself, took direct command of her Djinn. Theyd be blown out of existence, burned awayor reduced to Djinn, no more or less. The Air Oracle, of all three that Id met, was by far the most haughty and power- mad. No wonder it had taken action. Look, its not in the interest of the Wardens or humanity for her to wake up, either. Or even the Djinn. They lose their individuality to her, their ability to think for themselves. They dont want that. Not even the Old Djinn.

No answer. The Air Oracle just hovered.

David and I both lost our powers, I said. If you help us get them back I may be able to stop this. I can try, at least. The Wardens need every bit of help they can get.

You ask a favor, came the reply, in slow, measured throbs through my body.

No. Im asking you to act in your own interests, I said. Its in your interest to put back what I lost, and restore Davids powers.

That was risky. The Air Oracle had never been on the side of humanity. If anything, it was on its own side, only paying lip service to the other Oracles. There were a few times when it had intervened, but not many, and never from altruistic motives.