The girl, Luccio, abruptly put on a lopsided smile. "Donald," she said. "Dear idiot. I'm the one who trained you. I am fairly certain that you do not know as much as I do about who I am." Luccio lifted her arm and showed Morgan the silver rapier she'd carried before. She took it in her hand and whipped it in a circle, eliciting a steady, humming power, as I'd felt before. "There. Could another so employ my own blade?"

Morgan stared at her for a moment. Then his hand dropped, suddenly limp, the power he'd held draining away.

My heart started beating again, and I leaned heavily against Sue's flank.

Ramirez holstered his gun and helped the new Luccio over to Morgan's side, then lowered her gently to the ground beside him.

"You're hurt," Morgan said. His own face had gone white with pain. "How bad is it?"

Luccio tried a small smile. "I'm afraid I aimed too well. The wound has done for me. It may take some time, that's all."

"My God," Morgan said. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I saw Dresden shoot you and… while you were bleeding. Needed help."

Luccio raised a weak hand. "No time," she said gently.

Ramirez had bent over Morgan, meanwhile, and was examining the gunshot wound. The bullet had caught Morgan in the back of one leg, and it looked messy. "Dammit," Ramirez said. "It hit his knee. It's shattered." He placed his fingers lightly over Morgan's knee, and the older Warden abruptly twisted in pain, his face gone bloodless. "He can't walk."

Luccio nodded. "Then it's up to you." She looked over at me. "And you, Warden Dresden."

"What about Kowalski?" I said.

Ramirez paled. He glanced back at the apartment building and shook his head. "He was sitting on the floor when the specters rose out of it. He never had a chance."

"No time," Luccio said weakly. "You must go."

Butters came marching over to us, drum still beating, his face pale. "Okay," he said. "I'm ready. Let's do it."

"Not you, Butters," I said. "Sue just needs to be able to hear the drum. She'll hear it over there just as well as if you were on her back. I want you to stay here."

"But—"

"I can't afford to spare effort to protect you," I told him. "And I don't want to leave the wounded here alone. Just keep the drum beating."

"But I want to go with you. I want to help. I'm not afraid to"—he swallowed, face pale—"die fighting beside you."

"Look at it this way," I said. "If we blow it, you get to die anyhow."

Butters stared at me for a second, and then said, "Gee. Now I feel better."

"I believe that there's a cloud for every silver lining," I said. "Come on, Ramirez."

Ramirez's grin returned. "Everyone else who lets me ride on their dinosaur calls me Carlos."