shop.

“What do you think?” said Kira. “An alarm system or a warding

spell?”

“Could be both, ” said Wyrdrune, kneeling in front of the door.

“If it’s an alarm system, there’ll probably be a switch inside, ”

said Kira. She reached into the pocket of her leather jacket and

pulled out a cased set of lockpicks. “I’ll get through this in a snap.”

“And if it’s a warding spell, it’s probably keyed to the front door

lock, ” said Wyrdrune. “If it was forced, or picked—”

The door suddenly opened from inside and they both sprang back

with alarm. Modred stood inside the shop, holding the door open, a

wry look on his face. He had simply teleported inside. ·

“Merely an ordinary alarm, ” he said, “which I’ve turned off.”

“Hell, I could’ve done that, ” said Wyrdrune, somewhat

sheepishly.

“Yeah, and with your luck, you would’ve wound up in New

Jersey, ” Kira said. “Come on, warlock. ” She grabbed him by the

collar of his cassock and pulled him inside. Billy and Fugisawa

followed.

As they entered the darkened showroom, a high-pitched voice

cried out, “Who’s there? Who’s there?”

The beam from Fugisawa’s pocket flashlight caught brilliant,

shining scales, silvery and green ana gold. It was a paragriffin,

about the size of an owl, with jeweled scales and cut jade eyes. It

shifted its weight from one foot to the other on its perch, cocking its

gleaming head this way and that, ruffling its wings and giving off a

faint, tinkling sound as the wafer-thin, metallic scales rang like

hundred of tiny wind chimes.

“Who’s there? Who’s there?”

Fugisawa exhaled heavily and lowered his gun.

“Take it easy, Lieutenant, ” said Modred. “It’s only a magene.”

There were small cages on shelves lining the walls, containing

the fascinating creatures created by Kanno and his apprentices.

Some simply sat and stared at them, others, like the paragriffin,