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."God, I wish children came with instruction manuals.I only want to dowhat's best for you but I don't know what that is.I never have.""I'm fine," Tinker actually managed to keep her voice level this time.The teakettle peeped, a final warning before a full scream.Lain turned offthe fire and stood there a moment, watching the steam pour out of theshimmering pot.Taking a deep cleansing breath, she sighed it out and asked,"Lemon Lift or Constant Comment?""The Lemon Lift." Tinker said."The EIA made Turtle Creek off-limits when the fighting broke out." Lainmoved the teacups carefully to the table, and changed the subject with equaldeftness."No one has been able to get down to look at these Ghostlands.Whatdid you find?"Tea was only a medium to transport honey, so while Tinker coaxed it tomaximum viscosity, she told Lain about what she found."Can you fix it?" Lain asked."I'm a genius not a god.I don't even know whatit is.But by the laws ofthermodynamics, it should collapse.I had Pony score the trees around thePage 40 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmledge.Once I can back into the valley, I'll check on the rate it's decaying."Tinker sipped her tea and then changed the subject."What I really came hereto talk to you about is the monster that attacked me.It's an oni dragon.""There were warnings on the television last night and the radio this morning.Yet another beastie for us to worry about."Tinker knew that she shouldn't feel responsible but she did anyhow.She hadmade the discontinuity that the dragon had passed through to get toPittsburgh."The dragon generates a shield of magic that protects it.According to the Pony and Stormsong, Windwolf's First Hand fought one of thesethingsnae hae." The elf phrase, meaning "too many years to count" dropped outof Tinker's mouth like she had been born to the concept of living forever.Shefound it a little disturbing."Apparently the shield also protects it frommagical weapons like spell arrows.They think Windwolf will be able to kill it but he can't be everywhere at once.We need a more mundane way of dealingwith the beastie.""Do you know if it's a natural creature or a bio-engineered one?" Lain tookout her datapad and opened a new file to take notes."No.The oni didn't mention anything to me about the dragon, and thesekashadon't know.What's the difference?""The result of creatures of evolving in an environment full of magic is oftenthey can use magic to their own benefit.Take the black willow; it's mutatedfrom tree with all the standard limitations to a highly effective predator.Byin large, though, the bio-engineered creatures tend to be more dangerous thanthe randomly mutated creatures.""Like the wargs?" Tinker knew that the wolf-like creatures had been createdfor war but now ranged wild in the forest surrounding Pittsburgh."Yes.The wargs not only have the frost breath, but they show no signs ofaging or disease and their wounds heal at a speed that suggests a spellsomehow encoded at cellular level.They're massive, intelligent, andaggressive in nature.""So the question is 'how much did the oni dragon get in their DNA giftbaskets?'""Yes.But let's start with the basics.We've never encountered an Elfhomedragon we only know that they exist because the elves keep telling us thatthey do and that we really don't want to study them closely."Tinker laughed at that comment."Is this dragon mammal or reptile?" Lain asked."I'm not sure.It had scales, but it also had some sort weird mane.It waslong, and lean, with big square jaw." Tinker put her hands up to approximatethe size of the head."Short legs with big claws that it could pick things upwith."Lain made a slight amused sound and got up to put the teakettle back on thestove."Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws thatcatch!"It took Tinker a moment to identify the quote, a poem out of Alice throughPage 41 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlthe Looking Glass."We fell down the hole and through the looking glass."The sudden connection with her dream was like a slap.White's face joltedinto her mind again.With the addition of the book title, though, sheremembered where she seen White before."You know, I had the oddest dream about Boo-boo Knees."Lain whipped around to face her."Boo?""At least, I think it was Boo-boo.""H-h-how do you know about Boo's nickname?""The picture.It has her name on the back of it.""Which picture?""The one in the book." When Lain continued to stare at her in confusion,Tinker went to scan the bookcases until she found the book in question:TheAnnotatedAlice.Complete in one book was bothAlice in Wonderland andAlicethrough the Looking Glass and What She Found There with copious footnotes thatexplained layer upon layers of meaning in what seemed to be just a odd littlechildren's story.Tinker had discovered the book when she was eight.Lainapparently had forgotten the photo tucked into the book, but Tinker hadn't.It was an old two-dimensional color photo, a young woman with short purplehair.She hovered in mid-air, the Earth a brilliant blue moon behind her
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