She sounded annoyed, verging on pissed off, and I shut up. She was, indeed, the only real help I imagined we had in the bullpen, and it wasnt a very smart strategy to alienate her.

Satisfied by my silence, apparently, Whitney edged more speed out of the howling engine, and we fled into a dim, surreal day.

Judgment Day.

About an hour later, my phone pinged. It hadnt rung, but I supposed the connections were bad and getting worse as more and more panicked callers took to the cell phone skies to find their loved ones.

It wasnt a call; it was a text, from Lewis. It said LOST PARTS OF WASHINGTON STATEWILDFIRES OUT OF CONTROL. LARGE LOSS OF LIFE.

I swallowed. He wasnt telling me to ask me to do anything; I knew that. He just had to tell someone. Lewis was, right now, the man at the top, listening to all the litany of horror. It had to go somewhere. I supposed it might as well come to me as bleed- off. We were all going to need counseling before this was over, provided there were any of us left, and of course provided there were any mental health professionals left standing.

The next text said, HEADING FOR SEATTLE. LAST STAND FOR FIRE WARDENS IN THE AREA. WILL UPDATE.

I stared at it for a long, silent moment, then texted back, UNDERSTOOD.

I did understand. I knew why he was texting me, what he wasnt saying to me, all those fragile and silent things that both of us knew would never be acceptable in the light of day. My fingers hovered over the keys, and I almost added, LOVE YOU, because I did, desperately, like the brother and friend he had been to me these past few years. But I knew what he felt was different, and stronger, and I didnt want to give him false hope and wrong impressions.

So instead I said, BE CAREFUL, and sent the message.

David, watching me, said, Its bad.

Lewis and the Wardens are trying to save Seattle, I said. Its not good. I realized that the pixels on that phone screen might be the last thing I had to remember Lewis by, and a lump formed in my throat. I swallowed it, blinked away stinging in my eyes, and thought, No, it isnt. Well get through this. We always find a way.

Looming up out of the misty haze in the distance was a tangle of metal. Some kind of crash, leaking black smoke, but no visible flames.

It was a bus, flipped on its side. It had collided head-on with a carI think it had once been a car, anyway. Nothing was moving in either vehicle.

Slow down! I said. The Djinn ignored me. Stop! You have to

We flashed by the wreck at the speed of light as the Djinn expertly drifted around the debris and found open road. Not enough time for me to get all the details, but enough, and it felt like my stomach was trying to crawl out through my throat.

No survivors, the Djinn said, in that eerie chorus-like voice. No stops.

Cherise and Kevin were wide awake now in the back, but neither of them said anything. When I looked back, they were clutching hands and avoiding looking anywhere. David said nothing, either. His face was disturbingly blank.

But I couldnt let it go.

David touched my cheek. Hes right. Wherever were going, we have to get there. We cant stop. Not for anything. I know you cant accept that, so Ill take the responsibility, all right? We dont stop, not even if you scream and hate me.

I gulped. I wouldnt

Yes, Jo, you would. What if that had been a school bus? What if youd seen crying children?

I couldnt answer him. I knew he was right about me, and I knew he was right about everything, and it hurt. Badly.

Whitney, I said. Can you hear me?

Her voice came out of the Djinns mouth this time. Unfortunately, she said.

Put me back to sleep, I said. I dont want to see this. I dont want to see any of it until I can do something.

David put his arm around me and pulled me close. I let my head fall against his chest.

I was just dropping off when I saw an old man stagger out of his car, which was half off the road, and fall on his side. We passed him by in a flash. Did I see that? Yes, I did. I know I did.

Stop, I said. The Djinn once again ignored me. Whitney, Im not telling you again. Stop this car!

What for? she asked, bored and resentful. So you can go play Low- Rent Nightingale? You said we need to get to the Oracle. Im doing my best.

Please, I said. Please stop the car. Im begging you.

Whitney was silent for a second, then I felt the Djinn braking the vehicle, whipping it around in a tight turn, and heading back. You need to know when to let it go, Joanne. You really do. Thirty seconds later, he pulled the Mustang to a stop. The old man was feebly moving, trying to pick himself up, but he wasnt able to do much. I bailed out and ran to his side. He was in his seven-ties, maybe into his eighties, with a tight cap of silver/ gray curls over a face of great dignitya patriarch, for sure. African American, and hed probably been tall and broad in his younger days, but now he was lighter and more stooped, and I was able to help him up to a sitting position. More car doors slammed. The others were joining me.

Hi, I said. My names Joanne. You looked like you needed some help.

He nodded breathlessly. He was wheezing, and his hands trembled badly. I saw the devil, he said. Back there on the road. It was killing people.

I exchanged a look with David, and knew he was thinking exactly what I wasDjinn.

Im not supposed to be driving, but I had to get Mindy out of there. The whole place was going crazy. I just started feeling sick. My chest hurts. His face was taking on an ominous gray color, and he made a pained expression and grabbed for his arm. Damn.

He was having a heart attack.

Sir, whats your name? I asked. Sir?

George, he finally panted. George Templin Bassey.

Nice to meet you, George. Im going to help you lie down, okay? You take slow, deep breaths. Thats right, slow, deep breaths. I sat back on my heels and looked at Kevin, then Cherise. One of you is going to have to try to help him.

How? Cherise asked. She looked scared, and I didnt blame her. This was a fairly significant amount of responsibility to be dumping on someone.

If youve got my powers, youve also got Earth Warden powers, I said. That means healing. George here needs your help. Ill walk you through it, okay? Kevin, he said something about Mindy. See if theres anybody else in the car.

Kevin opened the car door and peered in, and almost got his face chewed off by a squat, ferocious English bulldog, who lunged off the floorboard at him with furious, deep-chested barks. Kevin slammed the door again. The bulldog continued to glare and bark. Uh, yeah, found Mindy, I guess. Shes a charmer. Looks okay, if you like fangs.

Under other circumstances, Id have laughed. Kevin had been fine with fighting toe to toe with a particularly dangerous Djinn, but give him an angry dog, and he was just like anybody else. That was refreshing.

I pushed away that momentary pulse of amusement and focused back on Cherise, who was staring at George with wide eyes.

Okay, ready? I asked. She shook her head. Yes, you are. Give me your hand.

I thought for a second Cherise was going to revert to a second-grader and hold her hands against her chest, but finally she stretched one arm out, and I took hold and guided her to place her palm on Georges forehead. He was moaning softly, and he really didnt look good. I need you to feel the ground under us, I said. Its full of energy. It feels like honey, or syrupsomething slow and golden, okay? Can you feel that?

Cherise squeezed her eyes shut, and finally nodded. Its not very strong, she said doubtfully. She was right. It was my weakest specialty, generally. What do I do?

Imagine pulling that up into your body. Once you get it started, itll just flow on its own. God, I realized I hated being a teacher. So much easier to do it than to say it. Words were so clumsy for this kind of thing. If I could just show her . . .