AN: Yes, another story rather than an update. Sorry. Basically, this is why I shouldn't have stayed up until one in the morning reading Cold Days. The basic concept of "What would happen if Harry had to run the Labyrinth for his brother?" stems from that. The rest appeared later. After some time spent going through all the lyrics to the songs from Labyrinth thinking up titles.

I'm sorry for any inconsistency with the canon of either 'verse. I did use wikis for both Labyrinth and the Dresden Files to try and pin down things I couldn't remember, but I'm bound to have missed something. This story takes place roughly around the time of Dead Beat, either before or after. Or, really, anywhere between Blood Rites and Changes. As far as Labyrinth goes, it can be before or after Sarah's run depending on what your view of post-movie canon is. I'm very unsympathetic to shippers, which is why the Labyrinth doesn't seem to have been affected by Sarah, but you can view it as before her time if you want. I also apologies for slight inconsistencies in both the Erlking and Goblin King's personalities. It's basically because I had to smush them together.

Apologies over with; on with the story.

Valentine's Evenings

Chapter One: The Path Between the Stars (and Stones)

It was Valentine's Day, and someone was trying to kill me. Worse, I was spending Valentine's Day in the company of my brother.

These two sentences pretty much tell you all you need to know about my life.

My name is Harry Dresden, wizard for hire, and I spend most of my life dealing with attempts on my life by one or the other of the many things that go bump in the night here in Chicago. That's more or less an accepted aspect of my routine, which is sad, really. The even sadder part is that on what is supposedly the most romantic day of the year, I get to spend quality time with my half-brother. In his defence, it is his birthday.

Almost every year, something tries to kill us. I suppose if you look at the number of days a year on average things try and kill both of us, you come up with a pretty high chance of this happening on a birthday, but it still feels like it just shouldn't happen.

Anyway, this particular year was the oddest one yet, because not only was something trying to kill us both, I was covered in glitter and dangling from a ridiculously high ledge above a pool of something which – let's put it like this – was definitely not perfume.

Let's back it up a little, so you can enjoy the full weirdness of this situation.

Earlier that evening, Chicago had been quiet. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that nothing had attempted to kill me or Thomas for a whole three, maybe four days. Looking back, I should have known that something was going to happen that night. Law of averages.

I figured that I could take the night off from being the Batman of Chicago, and so at around half four I fed my dog about half a cow's worth of meat (my dog, Mouse, could happily take on a stegosaurus. I think he's actually part yeti, and he weighs more than me) and opened the door for my cat, Mister, who stalked past me like the royalty I'm sure he thinks he is. I pulled on my long leather duster, because it's chilly in February, and wondered whether to take my staff with me or not.

Looking back, that's the moment that things started going wrong, because I left it leaned in the umbrella stand by my door and headed out into the city defenceless except for the heavily ensorcelled thick leather coat with reinforced magical protection that could stop everything from fireballs to bullets by way of lightning bolts. Taking the coat was about the only sensible thing I did all evening.

I unlocked my car, the Blue Beetle, and started driving. The Beetle was an old once-blue Volkswagen that I think was both older and more damaged than me, although it's a close call. It's been patched so many times that I'm not sure any of it is original any more, but it's my car none the less and I like it. It's also one of the few vehicles I can drive without it exploding due to my mere presence, and I wish I was exaggerating. It's this or a horse.

The cold February evening was already beginning to darken. The wind was chilly, and the Beetle doesn't have very good door seals, so before long I was wishing that I'd picked up another jumper. My apartment has no heating either, so I have a plentiful supply.

The joys of being a wizard.

I pulled up outside the café where I'd agreed to meet Thomas. It was small, but brightly lit, and when I'd allowed the Beetle to gently sputter to a halt (or possibly die) outside I could almost feel the heat emanating from the interior. I felt warmer just looking at it.

I could see Thomas inside. He was sitting at a table near the window, watching the road, and almost every person in the café was watching him.

Thomas is tall, and he has wavy dark hair, and very intense eyes. We share a jawline, and maybe a nose, but unfortunately not whatever makes every female in the vicinity want to marry him.

Thomas is one of the Raiths, the ruling family of the vampire White Court. They prey on humans by devouring their souls, or life energy. Usually this kills the human, but at least they die happy. Which isn't much consolation. Thomas is one of the few – or, actually, the only one – who has a problem with this and has elected to feed another way. By taking a small amount from each person, they stay alive and he stays fed.

When he saw me, Thomas rose and hurried to the door, opening it just as I reached it. A blast of warm air came my way, and I basked in it for a moment.

'Hey, Thomas. What's up?' I greeted him.

'Harry, why weren't you answering your phone?'

'I just left my apartment,' I said with a frown. 'You know I can't carry a mobile.'

'You have to get back to your apartment,' he said urgently. 'Or find somewhere else to stay, check into a hotel. No, find a friend's house, somewhere with a threshold.'

I was already unlocking the car again. The look on his face told me this was serious. 'Why, what's happening?'

He slid into the passenger's seat with his usual elegance. 'The Hunt.'

My blood ran cold for a moment. 'That's bad. That's… bad.' I fumbled the car into gear and started driving. There weren't many places around here I could go for shelter. My apartment was probably closest. I didn't have much of a threshold to speak of, since it was just me and my pets, but I had more security on the place than Fort Knox.

'Eloquent as ever,' Thomas said dryly, eyes on the road as I did my best to earn myself a speeding ticket.

'Why are they out tonight?'

Thomas shrugged. 'Who knows? But they are coming, make no mistake. I know someone who knows someone. You can feel the echoes from the magic for miles.'

I kept my eyes glued to the road as I swerved around a taxi. 'The sun sets at around five thirty tonight. That'll be when they come.'

Sunrise and sunset are important times in the magical world. It's not so much the inherent mysticism as it is the fact that many mystical beings haven't heard of Greenwich Mean Time.

'It's nearly five pm,' Thomas said calmly.

'I know. I think we can make it back to my apartment by sunset.' I flicked on my headlights, which flickered alarmingly before warming up. My being stressed isn't good for my car. It makes it more likely that it will explode from the increased levels of general wizard-ness. I tried to keep myself calm, because if the car conked out here we almost definitely wouldn't make it back in time.

It lasted about another three blocks before spluttering and dying. I suppose I should have expected that.

I managed to get it over to the pavement before it died completely, and I left it there on the grounds that if I was still alive tomorrow, I could call my mechanic, who works miracles with cars, and get it towed. We had about twenty minutes until the Hunt arrived in Chicago.

The Wild Hunt is one of the most unpredictable elements of the Faerie world. It's lead by the Erlking, who is a Wyldfae, an equal to the Queens of Faerie (both of whom also want to kill me) and yet another super-powered supernatural being that I've managed to make an enemy of.

What can I say? It's a talent.

Last time I met the Erlking, I trapped him in a magic circle. This is guaranteed to profoundly irritate any being from the Nevernever, but it's not normally a problem because most of the fae that I call up are about as big as my forearm, tops. In my defence, there was a lot going on at the time.

When I released the Erlking, he left with the stated intention of killing me next time we met. Given that the Hunt sometimes doesn't ride for years, centuries even, I kinda thought I'd have a bit more thinking time.

Naturally, I was wrong.

When the Hunt came for you, you had two options; join or die. I didn't fancy either. In my case, though, it would probably just be "die".

Luckily, one of the few perks of my job is that I'm a really good runner. It's a survival skill. Even if I haven't had to run for my life all week, I make a point of sprinting around a park or something, just to keep in shape, because if I don't then I could be on the menu the next time I manage to irritate something bigger and stronger than me, and that happens far more frequently than should be the case for someone the size of an NBA basketball player.

Thomas doesn't do nearly as much running as me. He's still faster than I ever am even on my best day and with three energy drinks inside me. There are times when I hate my brother.

We nearly made it. There weren't very many people on the streets of Chicago tonight, although it wasn't even six o'clock. Regular humans are about as occultly sensitive as a lump of wood, but when something as big as the Wild Hunt is in town, people know. They might not know they know, but they do, and they do their best to make sure that they're behind a threshold when the sun goes down.

There were only a few people on the pavements, and I managed not to crash into them, mostly. Luckily it wasn't icy, just cold, or I would have been doing an excellent impression of a penguin on an iceberg.

Thomas dodged around the obstacles with his usual impossible speed and grace, and I swear I saw him do a backflip over a pedestrian. Show off.

We turned a corner, and we were on my street. My lungs were burning with the cold February air, and my legs were killing me. I kept going as fast as I could, though. Slowing down would not be a good idea.

I didn't have the time to check my watch, but I guessed that it was pretty close to sunset. The street was definitely getting dark, and I could feel the distinct shiver of some magic building up.

I tried to increase my speed. I could see my front door. I fumbled in my pocket for my keys.

Behind me, I heard a sound that made my blood run cold. It was the baying of the great spectral hounds that served as steeds for the Hunt.

'We're not going to make it,' I panted, as I pulled my keys out of my pocket.

I was right.

I was on the pavement outside my apartment. I live in the basement of an old boarding house, and my front door is down a set of steps. I had my foot on the first tread when the Hunt caught us.

A huge dog, bigger than Mouse (and that's saying something) bounded clean over my head and landed in the stairwell. It turned itself around, with some difficulty in the small space, and growled at me and Thomas.

I skidded to a halt, and backed away a little.

'Harry?' Thomas hissed. I shook my head.

'I can't get past it. I left my staff inside.'

'Can't you just blow it up?'

'Not without a focus,' I snapped. My evocation magic is powerful, sure, but fine control has really never been my thing. If I tried to blast it without my staff to channel the energy, I could potentially destroy the street.

'Now what?'

I turned around. The huge spectral steeds of the Wild Hunt were slowing to a trot behind us, surrounding us.

The Erlking urged his mount forwards a little way and looked down on me. I guess this is how most people feel when they're talking to me, although I like to think I have a better sense of style; the Erlking was wearing a cloak, a hunting tunic, and a hat which looked suspiciously like a reindeer's horns. It fell somewhere between "ridiculous" and "creepy", but all credit to him, he pulled it off.

This was approximately when the evening got really, really bad.

'Wizard Dresden,' the Erlking said smoothly. 'Such a pleasure to meet with you again.'

'Uh,' I replied eloquently.

Normally, I'd have been snapping off quips all over the place at this point. But I was keeping my mouth shut for two reasons; firstly, the Erlking was one of the three most powerful beings I had ever encountered – heck, he was probably the biggest threat I'd ever faced. He was strong, he was angry, and he had me cornered, which brings me to the second reason for my keeping quiet; I was trying really hard to think of a cunning plan. So far, no luck.

I was beginning to wish I'd brought Bob with me. But when I'd left this evening, I'd been operating under the assumption that the biggest problem I'd have was picking between two fast food joints.

Still, I'd done some reading since the last time I'd met the Erlking, because I have this tendency to run into overpowered enemies at really inconvenient times, and it pays to be prepared. There were a lot of stories about him, but only one I could use against him, and it involved risking not only my life, but Thomas' too. I wouldn't do that if I had another option.

Unfortunately, it was beginning to look like I didn't.

'Uh,' I said again. 'Hello?'

It was practically Shakespeare.

The Erlking smiled viciously. 'Wizard Dresden, you have two choices this eve. They are to Hunt, or to be Hunted. Make your choice, mageling. A fine quarry you would be, but a finer Hunter.'

The message was pretty clear; die now, or die later.

'What about my brother?' I asked quickly.

'The Raith outcast? He must choose also; to be predator or prey.' The Erlking smiled. 'What a hunt it would be should you choose differently!'

'Yeah, no,' I said quickly. 'Thomas?'

'I don't know, trying to kill you sounds kind of fun,' he said absently, watching the Hunt. The shadow-hound things were getting impatient. Several of them were drooling. Absentmindedly, I wondered if shadow dogs drooled shadow drool, and if it was as slimy as real dog drool.

'Gee, thanks,' I said sarcastically.

'So do you have a plan?'

'Er. A bit.'

Thomas kept his eyes on the dogs, but he was beginning to sound worried. 'A bit?'

'Look, I'm sorry about this,' I said quickly. Before he could respond, I raised my voice and took a step forwards. 'Erlking! I have made a decision.'

The Fae looked down at me. 'I am impatient to hear it before this night's end, wizard.'

I took a deep breath, turned to my brother, and then said the Right Words.

'I wish the goblins would come and take you away, right now!'

There was a flash of lightning, followed by some thunder. That might have been a coincidence, but I think it was the Erlking's way of expressing his annoyance. I have that effect.

Thomas was gone. So was the Wild Hunt. The street was empty.

I took a deep breath. 'OK,' I said quietly. 'Here we go.'

I turned and went down the steps into my apartment.

The first thing I did was to grab my staff and blasting rod. I was going to need everything I had. I moved fast, knowing I had only minutes until the effects of my spell caught up to me.

I headed down the steps into my workroom, not stopping to grab my robe.

'Bob, hey, Bob, wake up,' I yelled as I descended the ladder, lighting the candles with a wave of my hand. The skull on my shelf grumbled something, but two pinpricks of light glowed to life in its eyesockets.

'Hells Bells, Harry, what's so urgent that –'

'Shut up. Listen, this is bad, this is really bad. I need to know everything you can tell me about the Labyrinth.'

'Labyrinth?'

'Do you have a map or something?'

'Of the Labyrinth?' Bob gave the impression of rolling his eyes. 'No, Harry, it's a Labyrinth, that's what it does, it changes – you can't map it.'

'OK. Well, how do I navigate it?'

'You don't. The only way to get there is –' Bob paused. 'Harry, please tell me you didn't.'

'I didn't have an option,' I protested. 'The Wild Hunt caught us and –'

'The Wild Hunt? Stars and stones, Harry, I thought you said you were just going out for a drink!'

'I was! It's not my fault! Listen, I don't have long, he'll come for me soon, I just need to know anything that might help me get him back.'

'OK. Listen up, because this is probably going to save your life,' Bob said wearily. 'In the Labyrinth, nothing is as it seems. Literally. Use your Sight where you can, but not too often, because the Labyrinth doesn't like cheaters. Take some fairy ointment, that's allowed.'

I grabbed the jar off of the shelf and shoved it in my duster pocket. 'What else?'

'If you fall in the Bog of Eternal Stench, it will literally never come off. Ever. I knew a wizard once, he lived for five hundred years after falling in there, smelt as strong as ever until he died.'

'Don't fall in, gotcha. What else?'

'It's a children's place, Harry. Do you know what that means?'

'Uh, no,' I said slowly.

Bob rolled his non-existent eyes again. 'Hells bells. Don't you listen? OK, there are some places in the Nevernever which have certain allegiances, the landscape itself has some characteristics. So Mab's palace is always Winter, Titania's always Summer, ect.'

'Yeah, OK, but the Erlking's a Wyld Fae. He has no allegiance.'

'That's true, as the Erlking, no, he doesn't. But he's also the Goblin King, remember? He rules the Labyrinth. His court there is associated with children, outcasts, innocents. He has to stick to the rules and so do you. Don't assume that means it's safe; it's never safe. But it is subject to its own special rules. Don't just blindly kill everything; try using your brain, try asking for help.'

I nodded. 'OK. Thanks, Bob. Listen, I probably can't put the wards back up before I end up in the Labyrinth, so I'll need you to do that, OK?'

'Gotcha, boss. Hey, try not to die, alright? Otherwise I'll be stuck down here for a couple of centuries.'

'Sure thing.' I grabbed my staff and headed back up the stairs to the apartment.

When I poked my head out of the trapdoor, the room was dim, lit only by the embers of the dying fire, which was odd. I'd left the candles lit. This was it, then.

I muttered, 'Flickum biccus,' and waved a hand. The candles spluttered into life and then died almost immediately. I tried again, with the same result.

There was movement in the shadows. I carefully closed the trapdoor before I fell down it, then took a better grip on my staff. I could hear rustling, scampering noises, like really oversized mice.

I rolled my eyes. This was designed to work on kids, not full-blown wizards like me.

I felt something scuttle over my foot and recoiled, squeaking in a fairly humiliating way. I was glad no one else was there to see that.

I lifted the battered silver pentacle from around my neck and willed some power into it. It began to glow with a soft, clear light, illuminating my apartment, which was a total mess.

I mean, I'm not the tidiest of people, but seriously. Luckily my cleaning service would be able to sort it out when I was gone.

I caught glimmers of movement around me, small creatures that didn't look quite… right. They were gone before I could look too closely.

'Get on with it,' I muttered under my breath.

The fire flared up suddenly. The curtains fluttered in the breeze which appeared out of nowhere, suddenly open, even though I'd closed them before I'd left.

A white owl appeared on the windowsill. It looked distinctly ruffled. I shrugged and waited for it to come in. Bob had put the wards back up, and I wasn't sure if that might give the Goblin King pause.

The barn owl flew straight in. Obviously I needed to up my security system. I gulped as it landed on the floor and, with a burst of magic, transformed.

I blinked. 'OK,' I said, drawing out the syllables. 'That's… not what I expected.'

I'd figured that he'd look a bit different, since he was playing a different role. I thought he'd lose the hat with the horns, maybe the cloak. I hadn't figured on a total costume change.

The Erlking was tall, lean, fairly imposing. That hadn't changed. He had messy, unstyled hair, which was a few shades blonder than I remembered, although I'd only seen him without the helmet once. The helmet probably accounted for the style, too, which was reminiscent of a dandelion.

The outfit, though, that was really striking. In a bad way. It didn't so much catch the eye as drag it kicking and screaming towards itself, then drag it into its dark lair and scar it for life.

Glitter was the simplest description. I'd give you the longer one but there are censorship rules, and I don't want to scar you.

Honestly, it was sort of impressive. I mean, the fact that the guy was wearing it at all kinda demonstrated the sheer amount of power he had. If I could pretty much erase from existence anyone who sniggered at me, I guess I might start wearing glitter. Except not that much. Or at all, really. Still, keeping in mind the "erase from existence" bit, I kept a straight face. Mostly.

'Wizard,' the Erlking hissed. 'You have displayed unexpected cunning in your choice, and I congratulate you on your use of the laws of Faerie.'

'Aw, thanks,' I said. It pays to be polite to people who can pretty much destroy you without so much as lifting a finger.

'You are clearly more of a threat than I had judged,' he continued. I gulped. That was less good. I tightened my hold on the pentacle, just in case.

'As I recall, Goblin King,' I said, still keeping a straight face, 'at this point you are meant to be making me an offer.'

He scowled, but nodded reluctantly. 'You have indeed learned the lore well.' The Goblin King flicked a wrist, and a small crystal sphere appeared. He flicked it back and forth as he talked, like the street performers around the theatre district or the travelling magicians I'd met sometimes as a kid. I'd wanted to learn, but it's a lot trickier than it looks. I'd have used magic, but that's cheating, and fine control is really not my thing. 'I have brought you a gift,' he said, in the most unenthusiastic voice possible. 'It is a crystal, nothing more. But turn it this way, and I can show you your dreams.' He sounded about as sincere as a telephone sales rep.

I frowned as he twisted it. The shiny surface seemed to grow larger, and I saw a confused proliferation of images. My apartment, for one, but bigger and nicer; the refrigerator was full, and so were the cupboards. My clothes looked more expensive as well. My friends were gathered around, and my brother too – he looked a lot less pale than usual. I saw with a pang of angst some people who I'd watched die, healthy and alive. A young woman I'd been tutoring, who was torn apart by a werewolf. Some young women who'd once worked for a vampire I'd killed – but too late for them. Several cops, some I'd only known by sight, who'd died in an attack from a loup-garou. There were a lot more. I tried not to dwell on them.

Suddenly, I felt like I was falling. One face stood out from the crowd, a face I hadn't seen for some time. Susan. She was laughing – happy. I hadn't seen her laugh in far too long. Once upon a time, we'd been together, but then she ended up as an insane killing machine poised on the brink of losing her humanity, and that put a damper on things. I don't want to talk about it.

That was when I realised just how powerful the offer was. If I took that crystal, I could save all of them. I could save Susan. I reached out for the crystal, which the Goblin King held out with a mocking smile.

A little voice in my head finally spoke up, breaking the glamour I'd fallen under. The Erlking was powerful, but not that powerful. Despite what you may think, you can bring someone back from the dead, but all magic comes with a price. Bringing back all those people – reversing the curse of the Red Court – saving so many lives – well, I'm not sure even the Erlking could do it without a ridiculous amount of effort. It would probably require some kind of energy source and the best kind for that spell would be death. Hundreds, maybe thousands of lives. More to the point, I'm not sure he would. It's a lot to offer in exchange for, well, Thomas. He was offering me my dreams, but he never said anything about making them real.

I lowered the hand I'd reached out without even thinking. The image of Susan in the crystal reached out to me, apparently crying. 'Sorry,' I said to her. Then I looked up at the Goblin King, who raised an eyebrow. 'Give me back my brother,' I said evenly.

He frowned at me. 'I am offering you everything that you could ever desire, foolish mortal.'

'Yeah, and I'm saying no. I've had enough faerie glamour,' I said calmly. 'Give him back.'

The Goblin King frowned. 'Then you must go and get him.' He smiled, and strode over to the door of my apartment. I followed him, gripping my staff in one hand and holding my mother's amulet in the other. The Goblin King threw open my door with a flourish, and a swirl of glitter. Beyond it was not the usual view, which is concrete, steps and usually rain. Instead, a fantasy landscape of dust and sand was visible, with a lopsided castle in the distance. There was a lot of glitter. I stifled a groan. I was never going to get that out of my clothes. Or me.

The portal to the Nevernever was exactly the same size as my door, and fitted in perfectly. It was neat work. I could see how, if I was a frightened kid, I'd be impressed. Naturally, being the hardened wizard that I am, it didn't faze me. Although the fact that I was now officially at the top of the Erlking's To Kill list kinda did.

I hadn't seen this portion of the Nevernever before. I walked over and stood next to the Goblin King, who motioned me through the door. I took a cautious step into the portal, and he followed.

It was warm and dry in the Labyrinth, a little like a desert in the evening. It was perpetually twilight here; I could see no sun, but the light was dim and orange, and also warm. That and the glitter made it look actually rather nice. I dropped the pentacle – no need for the light here – and readied the shield bracelet. I have experience with the Nevernever. You know why it's called that? It is never, never safe.

OK, that's probably not really why it's called that, but it sounds pretty impressive.

'You have thirteen hours,' the Goblin King said nastily. I turned around to look at him and noticed that my apartment was gone. I hadn't even noticed him close the portal. He pointed with irritation at a clock that was inexplicably balanced in a tree, like a Dali painting. It was also very, very glittery. I was noticing a theme. 'I do not believe that you are capable of defeating my Labyrinth, wizard Dresden. If you do not, then your brother will be one of us forever. And to think, you could have avoided this simply by choosing to hunt with us.'

'Yeah, well,' I said as bravely as I could. 'I like this option. I mean, I'm not dead, and neither is Thomas.'

'Yet,' the Erlking said smoothly. 'He will make an excellent goblin, although I regret to say that he will not recall who he was at all. The White Court are anathema to this place, and it to them. Most wished-aways are perfectly well and unharmed until the thirteenth hour strikes, but he is… incompatible. The longer you wait, the more he will begin to deteriorate – he will forget what, and then who, he is, and who you are, and everything he ever knew.'

I couldn't speak. A toxic combination of guilt and rage was choking me. Of course, this area of the Nevernever belonged to children, and the White Court – succubi and incubi – had no place within this realm of innocence. I hadn't known that at the time or I'd never have sent Thomas here. As it was, even if I succeeded in getting there within the time limit, I could lose him forever.

The Goblin King smiled mockingly. 'You had best begin. It is further than you think, and time is short!' As he spoke, he stepped backwards, gradually fading away, until his last word rang in empty space.

'Dammit,' I muttered. 'I hate it when they do that.' Then I turned and looked down the hill, at the Labyrinth and the distant castle. 'Better get going,' I muttered to myself, and started running.

I reached the gates pretty quickly. Or rather, I reached the outer wall. I frowned at it, then looked about me. The area was pretty much empty, although I could see plenty of the Little Folk drifting around the vines that covered the walls.

I contemplated asking them for help, but I didn't have any pizza for bribes and I couldn't risk going back to the mortal world to get some; with my luck, all thirteen hours would have elapsed by the time I returned and Thomas would be a permanently amnesiac goblin. Instead, I reached into the pocket of my duster and pulled out the small jar of ointment I'd grabbed from the shelves of the lab. I twisted open the top and gingerly dipped in a finger, smearing some of the salve onto my eyelids. It probably didn't look all that great; I don't have much experience with eye makeup, and anyway, it was a sort of gritty brown paste. It wasn't ever intended for cosmetic use.

I blinked. Suddenly, things seemed very different. For one thing, there was a gate right in front of me, where before there was nothing.

Faerie ointment is one of the most useful things a wizard can have, at least if he's spending any time in the Nevernever. Which, what with one thing and another, I seemed to be doing. It basically allows you to see through faerie glamour without having to use your Sight, and although I had a feeling that in this portion of the Nevernever what I would see with my sight wouldn't be too bad, I didn't want to risk it. You know how they say some things are once seen, never forgotten? Well, that's literally true of the Sight. If you see something with it, you can never forget it; it'll remain as sharp as when you first saw it in your memory. Sometimes you see things of such aching loveliness that that memory is a blessing. Other times… well, there's a reason that I tried not to use it.

I strode forwards, noticing as I did so that the gates were unlocked and a little ajar. This seemed like shoddy security to me, so I kept my eyes open, waiting for the trap to be sprung.

There was no trap. At least not here. I walked right in, and found myself in an unending corridor – no twists, no turns, just a straight line that seemed to go on for ever. It was also covered in the all-pervading glitter, and by now I was too. I made a face at the stuff, which was clinging to my duster, coating my staff, and clogging my lungs. I was never going to get clean.

Still, I'd brought this upon myself. I took a deep breath – inhaling more glitter – and began to run.

Meanwhile, in the Castle beyond the Goblin City

When Thomas opened his eyes, the overwhelming impression that he got was of glitter. This was not exactly new, but the circumstances leading up to the situation were not exactly what he was used to.

The Erlking was sitting – or sprawling might be a better word – on a throne-like chair a short distance away. The room was full of creatures – and despite his extensive knowledge of supernatural beings garnered from a lifetime of dealing with the White Court and a few years hanging around Harry Dresden (who attracted such things like moths to a flame, with similar levels of destruction) he couldn't place the species.

Still, he felt that the best assumption was that they were going to try to kill him. As a starting point, this had served him well many times in the past, since it was usually true.

Thomas stood up warily. The small creatures were taking no real notice of him, preferring to occupy themselves with playing what looked like a game of some kind, and possibly dancing, although they might just have been shaking a bit. They were certainly one of the oddest creatures he'd ever seen, even by the standards of the Nevernever.

The Erlking, however, he did recognise. After a moment. His face was the same – irregular and asymmetrical, but strong and nearly handsome despite its unevenness. His hair, though a few shades lighter than its usual brown, was also the same – if a little more unstyled. His outfit, on the other hand…

As a vampire of House Raith, Thomas had seen his fair share of dodgy and borderline illegal wardrobe choices. This wasn't as bad as some of the costumes chosen by his relatives, but only just. There was still a lot of glitter involved, which Thomas was beginning to realise was a theme in this portion of the Nevernever.

'I see you are awake,' the Erlking said coolly. 'I apologise for the lack of hospitality, but my guests are normally considerably younger.' He rose from the throne and strolled down from the dais, idly kicking one of the small creatures out of the way as he went. 'I suppose you have a great many questions.'

'How perceptive,' Thomas said dryly. He kept his eyes on the Goblin King. 'What am I doing here?'

'Ah, a direct inquiry,' the Goblin King mused. 'How refreshing.' He reached what appeared to be a barrel of beer, tipped over on its side, and produced from nowhere a tankard that he proceeded to fill. 'Drink?'

'No, thanks,' Thomas said, although his mouth was dry and he could have used a drink. 'Forgive me if I don't think taking food or drink around here is a good plan.'

The Erlking chuckled as he returned to the throne. 'Very wise. Well, the simplest possible answer to your query is that your brother wished you away.'

'Wished me away,' Thomas repeated flatly.

'I am the Goblin King,' the Erlking declared, standing to his full height. 'I am the Lord of the Castle Beyond the Goblin City, the Ruler of the Labyrinth. This portion of Faerie is mine to command.'

'And so you spend your time stealing children?'

'I do not steal,' the Goblin King thundered. Thomas drew back. The raw power possessed by the Fae Lord was well hidden beneath the glitter and cute minions, but it was there. 'The children who I take are wished away by their parents, siblings, friends.'

'And my brother elected to give you the chance to take me,' Thomas said slowly. He thought about it. They had been in a situation where the Erlking had offered them two options; join the Hunt, or die. And Harry had chosen… this? A third option?

The Erlking's mouth twisted. 'The wizard Dresden is most cunning,' he admitted. 'He knows of our ways, and our nature.'

'He knew that if a child – or adult – was wished away, then you would have no choice but to answer the summons,' Thomas said in realisation. 'You would have to dismiss the Hunt. And let us go.'

'It was well done,' the Erlking responded grudgingly. 'He has but thirteen hours in which to run the Labyrinth and reach my Castle. If he completes this challenge, then both you and he may return, unharmed, to the realm of mortals.'

Thomas frowned warily. 'And if he fails?'

The Goblin King smiled wolfishly. 'Then you become one of us. Forever.'

I was thinking furiously as I ran. I had thirteen hours, and that's a long time when you run as fast as me, but I was willing to bet that the Goblin King wouldn't play fair. Especially since this was the second time that I'd effectively got one up on him, something that would definitely get me put right at the top of the hit list.

But I had a couple of advantages. Firstly, I wasn't a kid who was scared out of their mind, totally out of their depth, and half crazed with fear. I was used to the Nevernever and to the odd ways of the Fae, and that meant that even though I was still out of my league and my depth at least it wasn't a new feeling. Secondly, my brother wasn't a kid either. I was willing to bet that he wasn't just sitting on his backside waiting for me to rescue him. By the time I got to the Castle he'd probably have staged a revolt. And thirdly, I had magic.

Of course, none of that was any use if I spent all thirteen hours running along this one passageway. I'd gone a fair way along it, but I still couldn't see any change. The fairy ointment would let me see through most of the glamours that might be about the place, but the magic in this place was so strong that I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that the salve wasn't helping.

I stopped for a bit to catch my breath. I'm not exactly built for distance running, and the terrain was unforgiving.

'This dump looks half ruined,' I muttered as I leaned against a wall. 'Can't the Erlking spend some time fixing it?'

'You don't want to go talking like that,' chirped a little voice next to me.

I'm ashamed to say that I, Harry Dresden, professional Wizard, squeaked girlishly and scrambled backwards, nearly tripping over a tree root.

'No need for that,' the voice said waspishly. Literally. There was a slight buzzing quality to it.

'Uh, hello?' I said foolishly. A small form moved and caught my eye.

'Over here, idiot,' the voice said. I blinked.

'Excuse me,' I said politely. 'Are you a wasp?'

It waved its antennae at me. 'No. I'm a pineapple.'

'Oh,' I said. You think that was stupid? You clearly haven't spent any time in the Nevernever.

The wasp might have rolled its eyes. 'Of course I'm a wasp, you idiot.'

'But you're talking,' I pointed out. Captain Obvious, that's me.

'We all talk around here,' the wasp said wearily. 'This is the Labyrinth. It's kinda magical. And you don't want to go being rude about the King. That kind of talk gets you automatically bogged.'

'I know,' I said snappily. I was feeling put upon and I had just been startled by a wasp. 'I'm a wizard.'

'A wizard?' the wasp said in surprise. 'We don't get many of your sort here. Normally people like you know enough not to go messing around with the Right Words when there's Fae folk involved.'

'Yeah, well,' I said grumpily. 'I need to get to the castle. Can you point me the right way?'

'Sure,' the wasp said happily. 'Look behind you.'

I looked. The wall was blank. And glittery, but that goes without saying.

'There's nothing there,' I said impatiently.

'Yes there is,' the wasp said primly. 'You've just got to look at it right.'

I stepped up close to the wall and poked it. Or I tried to. My hand went right through, and my head followed, to reveal a second corridor. I blinked.

'Right, right, nothing is as it seems,' I muttered. I really hate the Nevernever. 'Thanks!' I called over my shoulder as I headed onwards.

'No problem,' the wasp buzzed after me.

The second corridor was much easier to navigate than the first and several turnings later I was into an area of yellow stone and low walls. I could see the castle, deceptively close, and I began to thread my way through the maze of tumbledown structures.

As I strode over the uneven flagstones I said to myself, 'I wonder why anything lives here, with the Erlking being all glittery and forboding.'

'Ho, that's dangerous talk,' muttered another voice. I stopped and looked around.

'Hello?' I called.

There was a shuffle.

''e 'eard ya! What d'ya wanna go talkin' like that for, eh? It'll be the bog for you if 'is 'ighness finds out!'

'Oi, settle down. 'e ent 'eard nuffin.'

I crouched down. The voices were coming from under the flagstone at my feet. Quickly, and quietly, I withdrew a stick of chalk from my duster pocket and drew a circle around the flag. With a quick effort of will, I sealed it, and the voices began again, louder.

'Oi! There's a circle around us!'

'Naw, caint be. I caint feel nuffin.'

'Well, I can! Look, I caint move!'

There was a small zapping sound, which I recognised as the noise of something trying to get out of a circle.

'Well, I'll be. So you are! Go up top, see what's about.'

With a grinding sound, the flagstone rose, and a small creature was revealed beneath it. It was furry and approximately the size and shape of a muppet.

'Hi,' I said calmly.

The creature looked at me with wide eyes. ''ere!' it called down. 'It's the runner!'

'Get away,' came the other voice. 'What'd the runner be doin' drawin' circles?'

'I dunno, does I?'

'I'm a wizard,' I put in helpfully.

''e says 'e's a wizard!'

'Naw,' came the other voice in disbelief. 'What'd a wizard be doin' 'ere? Them knows better'n to go messin' about wi' the Right Words.'

'Yeah, I'm getting that a lot,' I said with some irritation. 'Look, I've got you in a circle, I need your help.'

The small furry creature looked at me suspiciously. I think. 'What'd youse be wantin' wi me?'

'You know the way to the Castle, right?'

'Aye,' it admitted.

'Well, I need to get there.'

'I ain't guiding yez!' With a panicked flurry, the paving stone descended and the furry thing vanished. I waited patiently. A moment later, the stone rose again. 'Would yez be so kind as ter let me out?'

'Nope,' I said calmly. 'Look, I haven't got the time to waste, I have to get to the Castle now, and I'm not letting you out unless you agree to guide me.'

The creature hesitated. 'Halfway,' it said. 'I ain't taking you in there, I'll be bogged fer sure. I'll take yez half way, and if 'is 'ighness turns up I'm scarperin', right?'

'Fair enough,' I said. Halfway is better than nothing. 'Swear it.'

The creature ground its teeth but complied.

'Thank you,' I said. 'What's your name?'

'Like I'd tell yez,' it grumbled.

'No, not your Name. Just something to call you,' I clarified. Names are a big deal amongst the occult crowd. If something gets your true Name, said exactly the way you say it, it gets a lot of power.

'People call me Aldirk,' it admitted grudgingly. 'And who'd you be, runner?'

'Name's Harry Dresden,' I said in a friendly way. As much as I could manage. 'Listen, Aldirk, get this right and there's a pizza in it for you.'

Aldirk squinted at me. 'Pizza? What's that?'

'You know what, never mind,' I said. I didn't have time to explain pizza. 'Just find me when I'm back in Chicago and I'll give you some.'

The small gremlin nodded, still a little bemused, and I broke the circle with a sweep of my hand. He jumped up, dropping the paving stone with a clatter, and emerged onto the surface.

Aldirk was about as tall as my boots. He didn't even reach my knee. He was also covered in red fur, or perhaps "fluff" would be a better description. He was roughly humanoid, and probably bipedal. But mostly he was fluffy.

'OK, Al,' I said brightly. 'Let's go storm the castle.'

It really wasn't as simple as that. Al guided me all the way out of the section of the Labyrinth that was paved with the turning flags, which ended at two doors. They were guarded by some weird playing-card creatures that belonged in Wonderland, and apparently that was as far as he could go.

'You said halfway,' I reminded him.

'This is 'alfway, Wizard,' he said truculently. 'As the crow flies, that is.'

Dammit. I knew I should have been more careful. 'And as the route to the castle goes?'

'Oh, you're about a quarter of the way there. Best o' luck, Wizard, an mind yez don't find yerself in the Bog!'

With that, Al left, and I fumed briefly before turning back to the playing cards.

The one on the left spoke up. 'Behind one of these doors lies certain death. Behind the other lies the castle. One of us tells the truth and the other one lies, and you must ask one question -'

'Oh, shut up,' I said with irritation. 'Get out the way before I set you on fire.'

After a moment's confused deliberation, the playing cards shuffled aside, and I raised my staff. 'Forzare!' I shouted, and a wave of force hit both doors, forcing them open.

They weren't even locked. I could just have pushed them. Feeling a little bit silly, I peered through each one.

One door appeared to lead into… nothing. Just darkness. I waved a hand through it, and it looked almost like it was underwater. It didn't feel like anything.

The other one led to a path, which meandered towards the castle.

I took a few steps onto the path and shrugged. 'Well, that was easy.'

These, unquestionably, were not the Right Words. I should have known better than to tempt fate that way.

Behind me I heard one of the guards whispering. 'He chose the path! He chose the path!'

I was about to turn and ask them what the hell that was meant to mean when the ground beneath my feet vanished.

I'm telling you, I never should have said that it was easy. That's up there with phrases like "What could possibly go wrong?" and "It'll be a piece of cake".

I found myself plummeting down some sort of shaft. I didn't exactly have much time to take in the details because I was screaming and grabbing at the air reaching for a handhold.

Suddenly, my hand caught something. Or rather, something caught my hand. I probably would have let go, except that I was falling to my potential death and that kind of thing tends to rearrange your priorities list, fast.

After a moment, my brain registered that I was no longer falling. As well as catching my hand, I was being held up by one leg, the tails of my coat and the scruff of my neck. It was not dignified.

Somewhere during my brief period of war with gravity, I'd dropped my staff. I could hear it clattering and thumping its way down the shaft, and it was a disconcertingly long time before it thumped to a stop.

I hung for a moment, trying to get my breathing and heart rate under control, and as I was doing so I noted with an air of detachment that I was being held up by hands. Not people. Hands. Just sticking out the walls of the shaft.

'You know, it says a lot about my life that this doesn't even register as weird anymore,' I said out loud.

'Well, if you're going to be like that, we can let you go,' said a voice from opposite me. In the dim light, I could see some of the hands had formed what looked like a face.

I felt myself drop a few meters and grabbed at the hands that went past me. 'No! Stop that!'

'Well, you'd best keep a civil tongue in your head, young man,' the hands chorused. 'Now, which way do you want to go?'

'What?'

'Up or down?'

'Um,' I said intelligently. 'If I go up, what do I find?'

'We don't know. We're stuck here,' the hands chorused.

'OK. What about down?'

'How are we meant to know?'

I hung there for a moment as I thought. 'I guess… I dropped my staff so I'd better go down. I'm not leaving it here.'

As I said it, I felt the hands release me, letting me drop. I fell down the shaft to a chorus of "He chose down!"

I swear, everything in this portion of the Nevernever seems to think it has the right to make fun of me.

Thomas was bored. And afraid for his life, but the boredom seemed to creep in around the edges of the adrenaline.

The Goblin King had explained that most of the wished-aways were young enough to enjoy playing with the goblins. Thomas had declined.

Worse still, he could feel… something. It was lurking on the edge of his mind, just out of sight. A feeling of unease and disquiet, like he wasn't welcome here.

The Goblin King glanced over from where he was lounging on his throne. 'I see it has begun, Raith.'

'What has?'

The Goblin King appeared not to notice the question. 'Tell me, do you feel the malaise yet? The feeling that one should not be where one is?'

Thomas staggered to his feet warily. 'It feels like… like something is trying to push me out.'

'Your kind is unwelcome in the Labyrinth,' the Goblin King said with supreme disinterest. 'Those of the White Court have no place in a land of children. Particularly House Raith. The very fabric of the land of Faerie rejects thee.'

'Gee, thanks for making me feel welcome,' Thomas muttered.

'I would not worry overmuch. The discomfort will lessen soon.'

Thomas cocked his head. 'I get the feeling that there's a catch.'

'By then, you will be unable to remember who or what you are,' the Goblin King said carelessly. 'Then the land will have eliminated the… unwelcome imposition.'

'Well, that makes me feel better. How long?'

'Until you succumb? It may be merely hours. Of course, in eleven and a half hours it will be immaterial in any case.' The Goblin King indicated a large clock that stood by the throne. 'I wonder if your brother has given up yet.'

Thomas grinned. Or at least, his teeth were showing. 'I think you might find that Harry is a little tougher than the frightened children you usually get to fight.'

The Goblin King threw back his head in a bark of laughter, but did not reply.

I woke up in a dim, dark room that I'd never seen before. I wasn't restrained, so probably I hadn't been captured, but I hadn't walked in there.

I looked up. A dim shaft of light was coming through a grate in the ceiling. The last thing that I remembered was the Hands dropping me down –

Of course. They'd dropped me, I'd hit the ground, and I'd blacked out for a bit. I groped around on the floor, feeling for my staff. That should be here too.

My fingers closed around the smooth wood and I breathed a sigh of relief. It was my only weapon. Well, apart from the blasting rod I carried in my duster and the .44 holstered on my hip. Just because I'm a wizard doesn't mean I can only use magic to fight. That kind of predictability gets you killed.

I stood up, or tried to. I'm tall, and the ceiling of this place was clearly intended for children and goblins. I caught my head a nasty whack, after which I resorted to kneeling. Holding up my mother's amulet, I willed enough power into it for it to light and scanned the room.

It was a cell. There were no doors or windows beside the grate in the ceiling, the floor was barren and sandy, and the walls were bare rock. I rubbed my aching head thoughtfully and wondered what to do now.

I wondered how long it'd been since I started my run. An hour, at least, probably more. Time didn't seem to pass the same way here as it did in the real world, but then that was true of most of faerie.

I wondered if Thomas had begun to forget who he was yet.

I pulled the jar of faerie ointment out of my duster and reapplied it to my eyes. The effects are variable and can last for anywhere from an hour to a day, and I had a feeling that it was going to be the former. The Labyrinth seemed to exude some kind of fail-field that made everything I tried go wrong. That might have been part of its "challenge" ethos, I don't know. I'd have to ask Bob when I got back.

I opened my eyes and looked around again. The bare walls and rock were still much the same. I grimaced and cast about for anything in the chamber that might possibly help me.

There was nothing. I only had one more option, and it mainly relied on hoping that things worked, which wasn't exactly reassuring. Maybe I'd get lucky, but in all likelihood, I would be throwing away my remaining time and putting Thomas in more danger.

It looked like "No other option" was the theme for today. Besides glitter and bad luck.

I took a deep breath. 'Hey, Goblin King,' I said loudly. 'Your Labyrinth is rubbish. It's all falling to pieces. I mean, do you not bother to maintain it? Surely you have enough magic to keep it fixed up, or maybe you're just too lazy?'

So it wasn't my best ever taunting. I had a head injury, I was a little off my game. Irritating powerful entities was normally a strength of mine.

'And what's with the glitter? Seriously? I mean, it's great that you're secure enough in your masculinity to go around wearing glitter, but this is getting ridiculous. I can't move for the stuff. Where is it even coming from? And the outfits, I mean, I've seen vampires of the White Court who dress more conservatively than you. Is it an eighties thing, because it looks like an eighties thing. I'm not being judgemental, but it really might be time for a wardrobe cha –'

I was cut off by a sudden lack of ground under me. Luckily I'd picked up my staff before beginning my make-the-powerful-fae-lord-angry spiel. I held onto it tightly with one hand and tried to block my descent with my feet. I seemed to be sliding down some sort of tunnel which, thankfully, was designed for goblins and children. For once my size seemed to be a helpful factor. I managed to slow myself down enough that when I exited the tunnel, I was going slow enough to catch myself on a ledge with one hand before I plunged into the Bog below.

So here we are. Valentine's day, hanging from a ledge, covered in glitter and dangling over the most vile smelling thing I have ever encountered. My life, hell's bells.

I managed to get myself onto the ledge somehow, don't ask me how. That smell is a powerful motivator. This entire outfit was going to have to go in the bin when I got back.

Luckily, the ledge led to a pathway down, and soon I was able to cross the swamp and begin heading away from it. I could see the castle in the distance, as well. It was closer than it had been before, or at least it looked closer. Not that that meant anything here. I began to trudge towards it, into a sort of forest thing. The trees didn't look quite… right. As though they weren't exactly real. It was almost as though they were painting themselves into reality the closer I got, like in a video game where the things furthest away from you are just pixelated blobs.

Or it might have just been the glitter. Even the trees were glittery here.

The forest was quiet. Way too quiet. The trees didn't even rustle, there were no birds, no wildlife. If nothing else, that worried me, because that probably meant something had scared the fauna off, and it probably wasn't me.

'Wizard Dresden,' said a smooth voice behind me. I stopped and groaned. 'How are you enjoying the Labyrinth?'

'Well, quite frankly,' I said, turning around, 'I think it could use a clean. Where is all the glitter even coming from?'

The Goblin King didn't deign to reply. He was leaning against a tree, spinning a couple of crystals around one hand.

'That's pretty impressive,' I said, nodding at the crystals. 'You could easily make a living out of that, people pay to watch that.' I don't really know what I was saying. I talk when trying to avoid the sheer terror of taking on a being that could pretty much swat me like a fly. It's probably a bad habit.

The Goblin King smiled in a vaguely creepy fashion and plucked one of the crystals that he was spinning from his hand. He held it up and began to roll it back and forth over his palm, which I maintain is just showing off. I eyed it with distrust.

'Your brother is…' the Goblin King quirked a humourless smile. 'Doing well. Considering.'

I tried to not get angry at him. It wouldn't help. 'What do you want?'

'I'm simply making sure that as a guest in my Labyrinth, all due hospitality is accorded to you,' he replied. I gulped. That was a fae way of saying that he was here to make my life difficult. 'After all, you have… let me see…' He threw one crystal into the air. It expanded and flattened to form a large clock, with the usual thirteen numerals and glitter. 'You have only eight hours remaining.'

'Eight?' I said angrily. 'I can't have been running for more than an hour, maybe two! You have to play by the rules, Erlking!'

'You have been running for three hours. Two were deducted as… reparation for your little outburst in the oubliette.' He was smiling in a very unpleasant way. 'Nobody ever said that the rules were fair, Wizard.'

'Dammit,' I muttered. I hadn't thought about that. And if he was playing by the rules, then not only was he perfectly in the right – and he was telling the truth; the fae couldn't lie, and I couldn't think of another way to interpret his words – but the odds were heavily skewed in his favour, and had been all along. 'This is ridiculous. The Labyrinth is meant to offer a fair chance.'

'Oh, but it does, wizard,' the Goblin King replied, idly playing with the one remaining crystal. 'Every runner has the chance to reach the castle. It is not easy, but what would be the point if it were? Besides, every child I take was wished away by a thoughtless, selfish wish. If the wisher could undo their action so easily, what would they learn?'

'Bull,' I decided loudly. 'This isn't about teaching valuable life lessons to the children who wish away their siblings or whatever. This is your idea of fun.'

The Goblin King caught the crystal in one hand suddenly. 'You would be wise to watch your tongue, wizard. You are in my domain, on my soil.'

'And you have to play by the rules,' I said with more confidence than I felt. 'Let me leave, and I'll see you at the castle.'

The Goblin King just smiled. 'I think not.'

I was running before the crystal hit the ground. It missed me by a few feet, and I hastily shook the shield bracelet on my wrist free of my coat sleeve, creating a shield behind me – a clear, semi-translucent dome that would stop anything from a gust of wind to a hail of bullets. I wasn't exactly sure what those crystals were and I didn't think that I wanted to find out.

I kept running, the uneven terrain of the forest vanishing underfoot. I had to keep watching the ground ahead to make sure I didn't stumble on one of the knotted tree roots, which suddenly seemed a great deal more obstructive than they had before. I had a nasty feeling that this realm of Faerie was sort of alive, and when its master was angry, it was too.

Low branches whipped across my face, shedding glitter all over me. I grimaced and forged on, pumping all my energy into the shield at my back. The twigs that were smacking me as I ran were definitely increasing in frequency. I glanced up to check that I was still heading for the castle, and was relieved to find that I was, although it had grown no measurably larger.

More explosions were hitting the ground behind me. I stumbled a little and kept running, eyes on the treacherous tree roots.

I should have been looking ahead. A crystal rolled across the ground in front of me, looking about as dangerous as a snowglobe. I jinked sideways, trying desperately to avoid it, to get my shield in front of me, but I was too slow. My foot came down on the ground only a few inches shy of the crystal, and I saw – as if in slow motion – it begin to glow brightly.

I swore and desperately began to push myself away from the thing, bringing my shield around, summoning my will to push the crystal away from me, scrambling for a focus word – but I was too slow, even with the adrenaline pumping through my veins and making the world move in the super-high-def slo-mo of fear.

The glow increased to a level where I could no longer look at it, the whole of my vision was white, I couldn't see a thing. The trees were all blanked out, no more than outlines, and I could barely see a foot out of my apartment windows. I sighed and turned away, surveying the crowded room.

'Well,' I said sardonically, 'looks like I'm stuck with you guys tonight. Yay me.'

Murphy, who was standing nearby, punched me in the arm. It hurt way more than you'd expect, given that Murph's only about five foot. 'It can't be that bad, Dresden. It was fine when I came in.'

I moved aside and lifted the curtain. The view was mostly obscured by flurries of white and cold eddies of air were seeping in at the joints of the frame. Murphy took a look and scowled.

'You'd better have some decent food around, if we're going to be stuck here.'

'Don't worry,' I said. 'I have a whole set of Christmas dinner leftovers. Of beers and chips. Also pizza.' What can I say? I've never exactly been overly concerned about calories. When you're as tall as me, you burn them off just walking.

Murphy groaned, but she didn't look too upset. Thomas, who was lounging on my battered couch with my dog (the traitor) resting his head on my brother's stomach (or as much as would fit. Thomas is big, but Mouse is bigger), snorted derisively. 'Classy, Harry. Classy.'

'You shut up,' I said warningly. 'I don't notice you honourably offering to go out in the storm to get food.'

'I'm not suicidal,' Thomas grinned. 'If you're so honourable, you do it. Get the ladies home.'

'I don't know about anyone else, but I'm quite happy here,' Susan said, from where she was curled in an armchair.

I threw my hands in the air. 'Thank you! Someone who appreciates my offer of hospitality!'

'Hospitality, chips and pizza,' Thomas pointed out. Justine, who was curled against the side that wasn't occupied by Mouse, looked like she was struggling to keep from laughing.

'You are all ungrateful wretches,' I pronounced, heading for the kitchen. 'I'm getting a beer.'

The expected chorus of "thanks" and "yes please" followed me into the kitchen, where I retrieved a case of Mac's best (which I was keeping under the sink. No need for a fridge in my apartment in winter) and hurried back to the warmth of the main room, which was lit by a fire.

A fire, and overhead lights, lamps and various other bulbs. I frowned at that for a moment, and the Christmas tree which was still standing in one corner of the room. There were fairy lights over it, twinkling in a homey and Christmas-y fashion. It was all very… New Years-y.

'How long is the storm going to last?' Murphy asked. I shrugged.

Thomas pulled a phone out of his pocket – a high end smartphone, sleek and silver, and probably worth more than my entire apartment. He flicked it on and dragged his finger across the screen.

'How have you got signal in this?' Susan asked.

Thomas grinned. 'My sister owns most of the satellites. And phone networks.' He tapped the screen and frowned. 'Storm came out of nowhere. It's scheduled to last until tomorrow at least.'

Murphy groaned. 'I'm meant to be in the next state tomorrow. Can I use your phone, Dresden? I'm going to have to cancel.'

'Sure,' I said, and pointed at the handset propped on the table. Murphy grabbed the cordless phone and dialled, heading towards the kitchen. I flopped down on the sofa, forcing Thomas to move his legs or be sat on, and invoked growls of disapproval from my brother and my dog. 'This is my house,' I said to both of them, 'and I'll sit where I like.' I threw another log on the fire, which sent up a burst of sparks, and frowned. Something wasn't right.

Murphy returned from the kitchen and swiped a beer from the case on the table. 'My family now think I'm making an excuse to get out of spending the holidays with them.'

'I'm sure you're heartbroken,' Justine said sweetly.

'Absolutely. I miss out on seeing my sister and my ex, plus my mother asking me when I'm getting married again, plus the inevitable fight. Instead, I'm stuck here drinking beer.' Murphy sat down on the arm of the sofa. 'Heartbroken.'

'Don't say I never do anything for you,' I told her, and received a glare in return. I stared into the fire as the others began an argument about dinner. Something was still… off. Maybe it was because some of my friends weren't here. The Carpenters were spending the holiday at their house, with innumerable relatives, increasing the number of people in the place to critical mass. Charity had planned a truly epic Christmas Dinner, with three turkeys. Billy and Georgia, and the other Alphas, were spending the holidays at their various families. Ebenezer McCoy, the closest thing I had to a father figure, was away on urgent Council business in Edinburgh. Ivy and Kincaid were, at Ivy's insistence, having a traditional Christmas somewhere in a village in England. So on New Year's Day it was just me, my brother, and the closest things we had to family.

Still, something was definitely wrong.

'Harry?' I came back to reality with a start and realised that everyone was staring at me. 'Are you OK?' It was Susan who was trying to speak to me.

'Yeah,' I said, my voice a little uneven. 'Yeah. I just…'

'What?'

'Something's not right,' I said slowly. Bits and pieces of fragmentary memory were returning. 'Susan, what are you doing here?'

She blinked. 'Harry… you invited me for New Years. Remember? You phoned me up and said that if I wasn't doing anything else I should come around.'

I shook my head. 'No. No, you were in South America somewhere. You left. You said…' New fragments of memory were pouring through the cracks, ice water in my brain.

She shook her head again, cradling my face in her hands. 'Harry. Harry, I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm here. Remember? We're engaged. You saved me, Harry.'

I shook my head and pushed her away. 'Thomas. You and Justine, you shouldn't be able to even be near each other.'

Thomas frowned at me, clearly worried. 'Harry…'

'No, you shouldn't. You're a vampire, Thomas, or have you forgotten that too?' I was on my feet now, looking around the room. 'This place is wrong. Electric lights? They'd burn out in days. I don't even have a phone. You guys shouldn't be here.' I was on the verge on panicking now. More and more memories were flooding in like melt water, dumping an icy shock on my warm dream of New Years.

They were standing too, crowding around me, all concerned looking. The clock over my mantel – and since when did I have a striking clock? – began to chime midnight. The quarter chimes rolled out over the room, and I stared around wildly.

'Harry.' Thomas was concerned. 'You're ill. You should just sit down, have a beer, calm down.'

'No.' I shook my head, drew myself away from their concerned hands. 'No.'

'Harry!' Susan's voice was concerned, clear, heartrendingly real. I paused. I hadn't heard her voice in so long. 'Harry, wait!'

The clock was striking now. One. Two. Three.

'Dresden?' Murphy's blue eyes were concerned, her hand drifting to the holster at her hip. And that was odd, too, that she should carry a gun to a friend's New Years. 'What's going on?'

Four. Five. Six. I strode to the door. 'This isn't real.' The recall was slamming into my brain now, a cold hand of rage and pain gripping my heart.

Seven. Eight. 'Harry!' Susan was holding onto my arm, eyes beseeching me, an all-too-familiar look of sadness and confusion in her eyes.

Nine. Ten. I threw open the door, and found nothing but blank whiteness. Not even the white of the snowstorm. Just… nothing.

I looked across the room and found the window, the only other avenue, and I grabbed up my staff from where it rested by the door as I ran towards it.

Eleven. I looked back. Twelve. 'Sorry,' I said, to all of them, but mostly to Susan, and then I swung the staff at the window and it shattered. The whole wall seemed to crumple, the room cracking up about the edges, and everyone yelled and screamed as the clock on the mantel struck thirteen, and the world fell down.

I found myself kneeling in the forest, in a different place to where the Goblin King had caught me, and there was something wet running down my face.