New York City, The Upper West Side
4:10 p.m.
Sophie forced back a rising tide of panic as she hurried down the sidewalk. She’d wasted far too much time talking to policemen who couldn’t do anything because this was way beyond their jurisdiction. If she’d known that the dog was being cared for, she could have gone to a hotel instead of to Emily’s apartment and avoided the police entirely.
Then again, it would have looked awfully suspicious if she’d been in town while her sister was missing and she hadn’t contacted the police. It wasn’t as though the police were likely to get in her way, since they’d be looking in all the wrong places.
In the meantime, she had other things to worry about. She didn’t think the waves of fear assaulting her senses were just her worry-fueled imagination. Wherever she was, Emily was in danger and afraid. Sophie bit down hard on the inside of her lip to keep herself from screaming out loud from the frustration of not being able to act immediately. Sitting through that police interview while feeling that fear had been sheer torture.
It was hours before twilight, when she might be able to find a way into the Realm, so she couldn’t stage a rescue immediately, but she could buy some time. Emily knew better than to eat the food where she was, and she might be able to hold out longer if she had human food. Sophie stopped at a corner grocery and bought a couple of energy bars, a packet of roasted peanuts, a bottle of water, and a half-pint container of cream, then hurried to Central Park, the most likely place in the city to have what she needed.
She doubted she’d find what she was looking for too close to the street, so she walked until the traffic noises faded and looked for an oak on a hilltop. When she found one, she investigated the roots. The ground was muddy after a day of rain, and she slipped and skidded as she searched. At last she found a hole in the earth under one of the larger roots.
She lifted her skirt, wrapping it around her thighs to keep it from dragging in the mud, then knelt on the ground and opened the cream carton. She poured a small amount on the ground inside the hole and set the open container nearby. “Good Neighbor, I bring you this offering,” she said softly, hoping this worked. She hadn’t ever tried it, but she’d read a number of mentions in her research. As she waited for a response, she considered whether she might be able to squeeze through the hole and make it directly into the Realm without having to find a gateway. It would be messy, and it would require braving the Borderlands, but it would mean less waiting.
Before she could convince herself to try, a small, gnarled creature emerged from the hole. The creature lapped at the cream on the ground, sniffed greedily, found the carton, and asked, “Who brings me this offering?”
“I do, Good Neighbor,” Sophie said.
The creature looked up at her, then fell on its knees. “Your gift is welcomed, my good lady. What has one such as I done to merit your favor?”
“It’s what you will do for me. My sister has been taken to the Realm. I need something brought to her, and I ask you to take it through for me.”
“I could do that, my lady.” The creature sounded surprisingly eager.
“Oh, good,” Sophie sighed under her breath. She’d expected more haggling, based on her research, but she had no quarrel with doing things the easy way, and this task was minor enough that she didn’t feel the need to look for traps or loopholes. She took a sheet from the memo pad in her purse and scribbled a note, then put it in the plastic grocery bag with the food. In the depths of her purse she found a ribbon from an old pointe shoe. She wrapped the ribbon around the neck of the bag, tied it in a bow, and handed the bag to the creature. “Please see to it that this gets to the human girl who just entered the Realm.”
“I will do that, my lady,” the creature said with a bow.
Taking care not to give direct thanks—which would have implied an obligation to the creature—she said, “Your assistance is gratifying. Please enjoy the cream I leave for you.”
The creature dragged the package into the hole, then returned for the carton of cream. That mission accomplished, Sophie stood and let her skirt fall so that it hid most of her mud-streaked legs. A few good puddles would take care of her shoes and ankles. She hurried back toward the street. Now she really did need to find some dinner, because she hadn’t been lying about feeling starved.