He held up his hand, the one with the ancient fire opal runestone ring that had been the repository of

Gorlois's spirit. The once-gleaming opal was now a charred lump, veined with cracks and fissures. He

removed the ring from his finger. He touched the stone set into the ring and it crumbled into dust.

He held up his hand, the one with the ancient fire opal runestone ring that had been the repository of

Gorlois's spirit. The once-gleaming opal was now a charred lump, veined with cracks and fissures. He

removed the ring from his finger. He touched the stone set into the ring and it crumbled into dust.

"You mean . . . you're not Billy anymore?" asked Wyrdrune.

"Not the same Billy I was. I've changed. I seem to have parts of their appearance . . . and their

memories, as well as mine. I—I'm not really sure what happened. How do I look?"

"See for yourself," said Wyrdrune, going to the door of the hall closet and opening it. There was a long

mirror mounted on the inside of the door. Billy stood in front of it and stared at his reflection for a long

moment. Then he turned to Wyrdrune.

"I think this is going to take some getting used to," he said.

"You can say that again," said Wyrdrune, shaking his head.

"Gomez . . ." Paul said from the couch. "He saved my life. He attacked the Dark One."

Kira glanced at Wyrdrune with alarm.

"What happened to him?" Wyrdrune asked, afraid to hear the answer.

"The Dark One threw him through the front window," Paul said.

They all ran to the front door and opened it. And Gomez came limping through the door, bleeding from a

dozen lacerations.

"Is Paul . . . ?" he said.

"Paul's going to be all right," said Wyrdrune. "He won't be able to see for a while, but . . . uh, Billy says

it's only temporary." Though he didn't have the faintest idea how Billy could tell that. "The Dark One got

away, but we'll get him."

"No, you won't," said Gomez with a snarl, his bloody fur bristling. "That son of a bitch ismine ."