Then Mindy thought of Jane . . . the girl had been standing on the edge of sanity for many weeks, and if she were to feel threatened by Natasha's presence "Yeah, that's her. Queen of the ball, as usual," Red muttered with a mixture of fondness and apprehension.

From across the room, the two powerful warriors' eyes met, and the crowd between them parted almost instinctively. A few stuck around to see what happened, while others found ways to busy themselves. The two women approached, and Nat was smiling.

"Hey gorgeous," she started in a voice so sultry that it almost melted Red's knees.

"Long time, no see."

“Hey Natasha," Red said, keeping her voice firm, realizing she should get back to check on Jane.

“What brings you down here? Besides our obvious peril, I mean?"

Natasha's face grew a little more serious.

"Tarloh got a hold of me while he was in the area. After talking to that warlock, he thought he could use my help. Serious shit . . . I'm not surprised anything with any magical sense hasn't gotten the hell out of Springfield by now."

Red looked at Tarloh, who was standing nearby.

“What's the damage?" she asked, now highly concerned.

Tarloh sighed.

"Ever study the old magics? The sorts of shit that even immortals have long forgotten?"

Red's blood chilled.

"No. The founders of the Strays never talked about that shit much. C'mon Tarloh, what's going on?"

"Get everyone together. This is important, and everyone's going to need to have a say in what we do. Where's Jane?"

Red glanced back towards the tunnels.

"She's . . . she's in our room," she added, feeling a need to express something to Natasha without explicitly saying it.

"She had a bit of a relapse," she added. She told Tarloh everything, unsure if Natasha had been told about the newest member of the strays yet.

"Holy crap," Nat muttered.

"A slime demon? Those things are tough!

But who's "

“And she ripped it apart like it was made of twigs," Red reiterated.

“Tarloh, what the hell do we do?" she asked, feeling more than a little helpless. She knew she should be concentrating on the big picture, but she felt so responsible for the young woman.

Tarloh steeled his shoulders.