Chapter 16. The Red Panda's eyes opened slowly. He struggled to focus on the unfamiliar ceiling for a moment, to recall just why he...

He sat up with a start and immediately wished he hadn't. His head throbbed and he felt a hot rush of blood to his cheeks.

He felt a sharp pain in his side that made him gasp a little

for breath and a rush of nausea set in. He steadied himself with his hand against the mattress

beneath him and pushed himself further up. He had to try and remember what had happened,

where he was. He stopped suddenly as his eyes focused on Kit, sitting in a hard wooden chair at the end of the bed.

Her feet were propped up on the end of his cot, and she looked for all the world like she had been in the same position for hours,

which he supposed she probably had.

Her chin was resting in the palm of her left hand, which covered most of her mouth,

but not enough to hide the crooked half-smile that played about her face as he rose. She was wearing an oversized black sweater rolled up at the sleeves.

Her large brown eyes seemed to look straight through him unblinking.

Her hair was piled atop her head in a shape something not unlike a red mop. It was a phenomenon

she called cowlhead, and it happened whenever she'd had the costume on for a long while. She did her

best to keep him from ever seeing it, mostly because she didn't have a clue how appealing he found it.

At last she blinked slowly. You're looking at my cowlhead, aren't you?

He sighed and fell back onto the hard cot without a word. This is the thanks I get, she smiled.

He stared at the ceiling, hoping quietly that it would stop spinning soon and began to quiz her,

rapid fire. Where are we? One of the safe houses? Which one? Above the black horse. How long was I out?

About seven hours. Feel fresh as a daisy? No, me neither. One of those monsters knocked me out.

I noticed that. How did I... I carried you. And you might want to think about ditching some of the anvils in your pockets if we try that again.

"'I'd look lousy in a truss.

"'It'd mess up the lines of the suit.'

...