"Good," Clay grunted behind me.
Another few steps and the maze opened up into a second book-lined room. I tripped. Clay caught my arm, and I looked down to realize that the floor was carpeted with open books.
"Just brush them aside as you walk," Zoe whispered.
A small noise to my left drew my attention. There stood what looked like a giant white nest. Moving closer, I saw that it
was a pile of pages ripped from books. It was at least three feet high and twice that wide. Somewhere at the bottom, a happy mouse squeaked and burrowed deeper.
I squinted at the stack of dismembered book spines beside the pile--everything from cookbooks to popular fiction to history texts to automotive manuals.
"The answer is in there," a voice whispered somewhere behind me.
I spun, but saw only books and darkness.
"It's there," the voice said, as harsh and scratchy as sandpaper rasping against metal. "I haven't found it, but it's there. I know it is."
I stared down at the pile of papers, but the voice said, "It isn't in those pages. That is, I don't think it is. It's hard to tell, isn't it? How do you know if you've found the answer, when you aren't quite certain of the question? Better to keep it all, just in case."
I followed the voice to a shadow-wrapped corner. Something moved, then reared up, long, thin appendages unwrapping, like a praying mantis awakened from sleep. A face appeared in the darkness, a tangle of white hair nearly hiding the gaunt oval beneath. The head swayed from side to side, bobbing, weaving and snuffling, as the skeletal arms waved. Male or female? I couldn't tell if it was even human, this insectlike thing.
I knew then what "Tee" stood for, and why it embarrassed Zoe. T for thing. Someone's cruel idea of a joke.
Zoe stepped forward, as if to speak, but the thi--woman's gaze was fixed on me.
"Oh, oh my," she breathed. "Yes, yes, I see. It is indeed. Or so it..." Tee's head cocked, sunken dark eyes darting to an empty spot beside her. "Are you quite sure?" She squinted at me again. "No, of course it isn't. I know a wolf when I see one, and that is a woman--" She paused, then hissed. "Yes, of course. I see that now. Human form. I was confused. No need to mock me."
"Tee?" Zoe said.
A scrabbling noise. Tee's head moved higher, looming above ours, jutting forward and sniffing the air.
"Zoe?" she said. "Yes, yes, I can see. I'm not blind. I know my Zoe. Did she bring me something?" A wet, smacking noise. "A sweet morsel from my sweet Zoe?"
"Straight from me, if that's what you'd like, Tee. I have a favor to ask of you."
More smacking, then a nauseating gurgling sound. Tee's face moved back and forth, as if she was rocking.
"Oh yes, yes. You're good to me, Zoe. You never try to trick old Tee. Give and take. That's the way the world works. Give and take."
"That's the only way to do it, Tee. Now, I'm here--"
A cackle from Tee drowned her out. "Oh, I know why you're here, Zoe. Yes, I do. Been waiting for you. As soon as it came, I knew my Zoe would be here."
"It?" Zoe said.
Another cackle. "The gate opened, and out it came. Now it'll come for sweet Zoe, and she needs protection. But it's not big bad vampires this time, is it?"
Clay opened his mouth, but Zoe cut him off.
"Something has come out of that gate, Tee, but I'm not the one in trouble. It's--"
"The bitch." A high-pitched, spine-grating giggle, and her gaze flicked to that empty spot at her side. "Oh, I know it isn't nice to call our poor momma wolf that, but she forgives Tee, doesn't she? Knows she's just having a little fun. Momma wolf needs a little fun right now. All that trouble closing in, and the other wolves keep circling around her, leaving no one to watch out for my Zoe. No one except Tee."
Tee's head jerked, eyes narrowing as she stared at that empty space. "Sheep? What sheep? I'm talking about wolves. Don't confuse--Stop that. You're--" Her head whipped around, eyes going wide. "No! Not you. I said I won't talk to you." Her gaze darted about, then her head pulled back into the shadows. "I won't--I'm busy, can't you see that? No! Stop!"
Her long arms wrapped around her head and she crouched, cradling herself. An eerie noise, somewhere between keening and humming, filled the room.
"Should have known it was going too well," Zoe muttered.