Next to her, against the wall, were three great, gaunt wolves—Will, Andi, and Marci, from the color of their fur. Next came Molly, in her rags and armor, sitting calmly against the wall with her legs crossed. Butters brought up the rear, dressed in dark colors, carrying his gym bag, and looking extremely nervous.

I went over to him and said, “Boo.”

The word emerged from the little radio in his pocket, and Butters jumped and said, “Meep.”

“Meep?” I said. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Butters muttered. “Keep your voice down. We’re sneaking up on someone here.”

“They already know you’re here,” I said. “There are about a dozen gunmen on the other side of that door.”

“Quiet!” Murphy hissed. “Dammit, Butters!”

Butters held up the radio. “Dresden says they’re right on the other side of the door.”

“Now he shows up,” Murphy muttered. “Not when we’re planning the entry. Give me the radio.”

Butters leaned across Molly and tossed the radio underhand. Molly just sat, smiling quietly. Murphy caught the radio. “So, what can you tell us—?” She hesitated, grimaced, and said, “I keep wanting to add the word over to the end of sentences. But this isn’t exactly radio protocol, is it?”

“Not really,” I said. “But we can do whatever makes you happy. Over.”

“No one likes a wiseass, Harry,” Murphy said.

“I always enjoy seeing you in gunmetal, Ms. Murphy,” I continued. “It brings out the blue in your eyes. Really makes them pop. Over.”

The wolves were all wagging their tails.

“Don’t make me bitch-slap you, Dresden,” Murphy growled. But her blue eyes were twinkling. “Tell me what you know.”

I gave her the brief on the interior of the hideout and what was waiting there.

“So you didn’t get this necromancer bitch,” she said.

“That’s one hell of a negative way to put it,” I replied, grinning. “Who’s a grumpy pants tonight? Over.”

Murphy rolled her eyes at Butters and said, in exactly the same tone, “So you didn’t get this necromancer bitch.”

“Not yet,” I said. “Pretty sure her ghost troops are done for, but I need to get back downstairs and see. Just wanted to give you the rundown. You remember how to get to the basement?”

“Down the stairs, through the hole in the wall, fifty feet down a hall that turns left, down more stairs.”

“Yeah, you got it,” I said.

“Uh,” Butters said. “Point of order? There’s a locked door and a bunch of guys with guns between here and there.”

Molly stood up. “They won’t have guns,” she said calmly.

Butters frowned. “Uh. Dresden just said…”

“I heard him,” Molly replied. “They’re going to empty their weapons at you the moment they see you in the doorway.”

“Okay. As plans go, I can’t be the only one who has a problem with that,” Butters said.

“Illusion?” I asked Molly.

She nodded.

Murphy frowned. “I don’t get it. Why that? Why not push them back with fire or make them all go to sleep or something?”