Pan opened his mouth like he was about to protest, but the door at the back of the lab opened, and a slender Ögonen ducked as they came in. I’d seen them plenty of times by now, but I never got used to their appearance.

They were trollian but only in a vague, androgynous way. They were totally nude always, but they were hairless and without any obvious outward genitalia or sex characteristics. Their skin was the color of burnt ochre, but it was thin enough to let some light pass through, highlighting their veins and organs. Though I could see it wasn’t true, they moved like they were made of jelly, oddly graceful and fluid.

I hadn’t been this close to an Ögonen since I had the run-in with the guardian of the catacombs back at the beginning of summer, and that had been a rather traumatic experience. I gulped down my fear and smiled up at the mouthless face towering above me.

Creepy, creepy mouthless face with troll eyes, I thought, before remembering that the Ögonen can read minds. Or something like that. I tried to think of nothing, but my mind immediately went back to the brief and unfairly chaste make-out session I’d had with Pan the previous night on the landing outside my apartment.

He’d come back over for supper, after an unsuccessful trip with Calder down in the archives. It had been a fun, chaotic dinner, and the only moment alone we could get was at the end before he’d left.

I thought we’d only do a quick goodbye, but he pulled me into his arms and kissed me passionately. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he pushed me backward, until my back was against the wall. Then I buried my fingers in his dark curls, and—

“This is Ur.” Elof interrupted my thoughts, and my cheeks flushed with embarrassed heat as he motioned to the Ögonen, who merely blinked down at me.

“Hello,” I said uncertainly, but I didn’t notice a reply from Ur the Ögonen.

“Ur doesn’t communicate much,” Elof said, somewhat apologetically. “Earlier, I arranged this all with Amalie and Ur, so they know what to do.”

With their long slender finger, they pointed to the island beside us.

“I think they want us to get on with it then,” Elof said. “So I’ll have you lie back on the island.”

“You want me to just climb up and lie down on the countertop?” I asked.

“It’ll be a bit cold, but I think that will work to your benefit,” he said.

I hopped up onto the island. Pan took my hand to steady me, even though I didn’t need it, but it made me feel better anyway. I scooted back on the counter and lay back.