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everyone liked to do magic. With so many unknowns factored into the equation of the vampires
and wers, we didn t dare check everyone into a motel as it d cause too much stir and be too easy
for someone looking for us to track. It also created too big of a risk of innocents getting hurt if
something happened. We couldn t move everyone over to my place, since either Tom, Estaben,
or Marcella knew where my temporary residence was. In my eyes, that left one alternative. I
didn t like it a whole lot, but to keep everyone safe I was willing to do it, just this once.
Every time I set up a temp residence, I always have a gate back to my place in the
mountains. It s there so that if things get messy, which they obviously do sometimes, I can go
through, bring things back and not have to waste the time and energies setting the spell and
keeping it up while I cross back and forth. It also helped with not having to rent a moving van,
just activate and walk my belongings through a doorway. A long time ago, I had taken a black
silk drape, cast the gate spell on it and then made it permanent. Now when I travel, I just hang
the drape over a doorway and activate the spell. For the first time in many long years, my
mountain library would host visitors.
It took a bit of talking to get Geri to agree to withdraw to gather information and strength
before bringing the battle back to Estaben and Marcella. I also hoped that it d cause them to let
their guard down, thinking that they had succeeded in driving us off. Finally, with the help of her
students backing me, Geri agreed that it was a good idea. I showed them the gateway, leading
them through with Alex s hand in mine. The gate was set to open into the front hall next to the
coat closet. That way I had the same access as if I came through the front door.
This was the first time anyone had come through the gate with me. Alex gasped as he
stepped through and into the long hallway. I guess the richness of it all surprised him. The few
people who ve seen it were amazed that I d take the time to do such labor-intensive work. True,
it had taken a lot of time. And the welding of the magics that went into it were as tiring as any
physical labor, but the results, when done properly as I had, were breathtaking. There is also the
fact that due to my youthful physical appearance, most people don t think I ve had the time to do
the years of work that went into the place.
 Tal, this is your home? Alex s voice held the same wonder as I saw in his face.
 Yes, Alex, this is where I live most of the time. But this is just the main hall. I caught
his arm and led him a couple of steps further in so that the others wouldn t bump into him as they
stepped out of the gate.
 Then I, for one, cannot wait to see this library that we ve heard about, Geri said as she
and Janie stepped across the threshold of the gate.
 Then come, I said, starting down the hall as Stan and Bernadette cleared the gate in
front of Terry and Larry.  We need to get some of you settled there. I need to confirm some of
what I think will remedy the wer problem. You can look there, while I take care of some other
things. I paused long enough to close and lock the gate so that nothing could follow us. I d let
that happen once in my life and vowed it d never happen again. Home invasion wasn t
something that I d ever tolerate.
I led them down the long hall past the rooms that I designed for greeting rooms and living
rooms. I d always collected things during my travels. When I built my permanent residence, I
started getting things back, but even now, I still haven t made it back to all the places and
retrieved all the items that I d collected and cached in various banks, homes and secret places
around the world. Back in the days of my youth, travel was not as easy as it is today, so I was
always very careful to sequester my things away where I thought they d be safe, unless they
were small enough to carry along. This was also true of many books that I had wrapped in
oilskin and magic to keep them safe from the passage of time. When it came time to go back for
the things I was amazed how many of them were where I d left them, untouched by time or
human hands. I d lost a few items, like an old tome buried near a well in a small town in present
day Germany. When I went back the well was gone and the whole area was now a much larger
town, and where my book should ve been, a large mansion stood. The really irritating thing was
that I could sense the book was still there, somewhere under the foundation, taunting me. Due to
the magical protections I put around it, I couldn t call it to me. Unless I wanted to destroy part of
the mansion, the book was lost.
During the construction of my house, I planned each room out around a particular theme
that I collected for. The formal greeting room was a formal Romanesque theme that had a couple
of pillars from the Parthenon standing on either side of the doors and actual benches from the
Roman senate for seating. I didn t design it for comfort, but for effect. I heard several comments
from each person as we walked passed its door.
The French doors to the living room had been pulled closed, but through the paned glass,
the majestic stone fireplace partnered with a pair of modern recliners and matching sofa and
loveseat. I spent more of my own time in this living room than I did most of the rest of the rooms [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]