“An Incubus, ye say? I eat them for breakfast.”
I believed it. “Do we have a deal, then?”
The creature gave a slow nod of its head. “Yes. Yes, I suppose we do… But, wait… who owns the right to invite me into this house? Ye say the Incubus is gone…”
“Uh… yeah,” Seth said. “Being one of the Fae, you can’t enter a home without being invited in by the owner.”
“Or, a family member living there,” I said. “It won’t be a problem, Randal. Our friend, who lives there with us, is the son of the Incubus. He will invite you in when we’re done with the house.”
The creature’s wide, black eye sockets widened even further. It shook its head. “The son of an Incubus? That’s a rare occurrence.”
“Yep. We know it is,” Seth said.
“I would meet this son of an Incubus, then.” Randal stood. “Where is this abomination of nature?”
I couldn’t keep from laughing.
“What do you find so funny, girl?”
“You. I find you funny. I find it funny that a creature that looks like a cross between a hairless Sasquatch, a praying mantis, and the Scream painting come to life, would really call someone else an abomination.”
“Paige!” Johnathan hissed.
Seth laughed with me.
The black abyss of its eyes flashed red. “Ahh. I thought you could see through my glamour. It would behoove you, Paige, to keep control of the words spewed forth from your mouth. You have no idea who you’re dealing with here.”
“I’ve heard that before. Yet, here I stand.”
It stepped toward me. My face was mere inches away from its midsection. I stood my ground.
“I am deadly even as a friendly acquaintance. You have no idea what danger lies for my enemies. Don’t cross that line.” It reached down and ran a spindly white finger from my forehead, down my nose, and to rest on my lips.
Johnathan pushed the hand away from my face and stepped between Randal and me. “He’s right outside. If you must meet him before sealing our deal, let’s go get it over with.” He grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the door.
We exited the bar, Randal following closely behind us. Surpy took one look at our new companion and let out a little squeak before falling to the ground in a dead faint. Halli knelt beside him long enough to see that he was still breathing.
Mariah stepped behind Alec. I couldn’t see the expression on her face in the darkened parking area, but her actions showed fear, even though I was sure she couldn’t see Randal’s true form.
Alec and Halli met us halfway. Randal could have easily stepped on Halli and squashed her like a bug.
“So,” Alec said. “What’s the deal? Is this Randal?”
A hissing intake of breath escaped through the slit in Randal’s throat as its forward progress stopped.
“What?” Alec questioned.
“It is truly so,” Randal hissed. “The son of an Incubus. How unusual. What, pray tell, became of the woman who bore you? Did she die, screaming, as you ripped your way from her womb? Did your first meal consist of her bloody carcass? Tell me, abomination. I would have the details of this affair.”
“What. The. Hell.” Alec stepped toward the creature, fists balled, ready to fight.
Johnathan and Seth intercepted him. “Whoa, Alec. We know this thing is a big-mouthed freak, but we need some answers before you go all nuclear on it.”
While Johnathan held Alec back, I spoke to the thing. “Randal. We didn’t bring you out here so you could ask a million idiotic questions. You wanted to know who had the right to invite you into the house, and here he is. You’ve met him. It’s time to complete our agreement.”
It tipped its head down to look at me. Red embers glowed deep inside its boundless eye sockets. “Mayhap, I would change the deal a little. I will give you the answers ye seek, if the abomination will answer my queries. And… I still get the house, of course.”
“Or, we just rip you to pieces and get our answers somewhere else!” Alec tore free of Seth and Johnathan’s grasps.
With a simple flick of Randal’s wrist, an invisible and silent force met Alec square in the chest. He flew ten yards back, stopped only when he slammed against a thick lamp post, the thud of his body drowned out by Mariah’s scream.
Seth immediately threw up a force field between him and Randal, effectively protecting him and everyone else. Except me, since I stood right next to the Dark, pale creature.
The invisible blast ripped into Seth’s wall. The power with which it was so effortlessly thrown caused Seth to stumble backwards as he fought to keep the shield in place.
I looked to where Alec lay, motionless, a sobbing and hysterical Mariah kneeling over him. Anger fought with concern inside my head. Concern won out and I darted toward Alec. I didn’t get far. My feet left the ground. The creature held me by the hair with one of its skeletal hands. I felt a shield of some sort close around us, drowning out the sounds of Mariah’s wailing and everything else.
I found myself eye to gaping eye with this Dark One. Dangling by my hair. I should have felt pain. I should have been terrified. But, a surge of anger overwhelmed all other feelings.
“I told ye you didn’t want me for an enemy, P…” Its eyes widened as the magic coursed through me and reached my hair—and its hand. My skin burned with the unintentional magic that radiated through me when my anger rose to dangerous levels.
Still, Randal held to my hair, the electricity of pure magic causing its thin muscles to twitch.
Maybe it can’t let go. Like when someone’s getting electrocuted. Just as that thought flitted across my mind, the Dark One smiled and white light poured from its eye sockets. And… maybe not.
I raised my hands—or started to. Randal’s free hand rose to my throat with lightning fast speed, almost completely encircling my neck with long, bone-like fingers. The pressure slowly increased as he squeezed and brought my face closer to his. I kicked my legs, feet flailing about like a puppet on a string. I tried desperately to suck in a breath, but my windpipe was completely closed. My own heart beat whooshed in my ears as it slowed from lack of oxygen to fuel it. My vision went black around the edges, closing in. Consciousness waning, I reached a hand up to grip the creature’s wrist weakly.
Fear shot through me like an arrow piercing my chest. I narrowed my eyes and shot two bolts of red energy straight from my eyes into Randal’s corresponding gaping holes. The monster finally released its grip. I dropped to the ground in a crouch, breathed in a lungful of air, and spun around in a swift turn until my right leg connected and swept Randal’s feet out from under it as its unearthly scream pierced my ears.
I jumped to my feet, facing the creature as I drew in desperate gulps of air. Randal crashed to the ground; the pressure of the surrounding shield popped as he lost control of the spell. I leapt clear of the violent gyrations as its limbs twitched in an epileptic-like fit.
Seth, Halli, and Johnathan were by my side. Without a word, we worked together to bind the possibly brain damaged creature.
On my way to Alec, I noted that Surpy had recovered from his faint, and cowered beside the large tire of a lifted Jeep.
Pushing Mariah out of the way, I knelt beside Alec, red dust puffing up around us. His eyes fluttered open. His breaths came in short little grunts. “Alec, where does it hurt?”
“Where… doesn’t… it hurt?”
“Alec.”
“Ribs,” he puffed.
I laid my hands on his right side and closed my eyes. His ribs were a twisted mess. I have no idea how nothing had been punctured by the shards of broken bone. He writhed beneath my hands as I pulled the pieces back together and healed them. I couldn’t afford to take the amount of time I should have. I just prayed I didn’t cause worse damage in the healing process.
Alec’s rugged breaths slowed. I helped him sit up and lean against the pole he’d been so savagely thrown against. “Stay here. You aren’t a hundred percent, yet.”
Mariah smiled through the tears that streaked down her face and took my place beside Alec.
I jogged over to stand next to Johnathan, who looked at me with a crooked tilt to his head. “What did you do to it, Paige? I think its brain is fried.”
“I… guess that’s what I did. I shot fiery darts into its eye-holes.”
“Effective, obviously, but not very helpful to our info gathering cause,” Seth said.
“How’s Alec?” Halli asked, not taking her eyes from the creature who still twitched with an occasional spasm.
“Better, but he could use more healing.”
“So.” Seth looked at Johnathan. “What now?”
I smoothed my messed up hair down, wincing at the tenderness of my scalp.
“It looks like we’ll have to find another informant.” Johnathan shook his head.
“What were you thinking?” Mariah shrieked as she left Alec’s side, running toward us. “You brought that guy out here and he nearly killed Alec!” She jumped a little and let out a small squeak when the leg nearest her spasmed.
Breathing rapidly and eyes wide, Mariah looked at each of us in turn. Her wild eyes lit on Randal’s twitching body, she stepped closer and slammed the heel of her boot into his smoking face before turning to stomp back over to Alec.
hat was that all about?” Seth was the first to recover from the shock of Mariah’s actions.
I narrowed my eyes at Mariah, now ten yards away from us, talking quietly to Alec. I turned to Johnathan. He watched Mariah with much the same expression I had been.
“Remind me not to make her mad,” Halli mumbled.
Johnathan shook his head and looked back down at me. “Well. That turned into a disaster. We still don’t have the information we need. Now what?”
“We need to find someone else to get the info from.” Seth pulled his gaze away from Mariah.
“Thank you Mr. Obvious. Who do you suggest?” Johnathan asked.
Our attention all turned to the limping, grunting, Alec. Mariah held much of his weight as he shuffled over to us.
“What… what’s happening to him?” Mariah’s voice trembled. I followed her gaze to what remained of the creature. Being a creature not of this realm, Randal’s body dissolved into steaming goo that sunk into the ground.
Mariah’s face paled and beads of sweat broke out on her forehead. Her knees buckled. Alec tried to hold her up, but he was in no shape to hold himself up, much less another person. Halli jumped to her side and helped her slide down to the ground.
“He’s melting,” Mariah whispered.
“Yeah, that’s what happens when you kill a creature of the Fae or a Demon here in our realm,” I said. “I’m curious, Mariah. What did you see when you looked at him? Did you just see a normal, human man?”
She swallowed and looked down at her hands. “I… uh… yeah, he was just an ugly, tall, man.” She looked up at me. “Why? What did you see?”
I ignored her question. “So, you just stomped on the face of what you thought was a man?”
“He… I did?” Her eyes darted from my face to the body shaped slime that was quickly evaporating. “I guess I did. He… he hurt Alec.”
“Yeah, you did,” Seth piped in. “Now we have to find another goon to get information from.”
Still shaking, Mariah looked at Seth. “Ask the bartender. They know everything.”
I hated to admit it, but, Kick Boxer Girl had a point.
“She has a point, there.” Alec looked a little warily at Mariah.
“Yeah. I know.” I shook my head.
Johnathan looked back toward the entrance to the bar. “It’s worth a try. Halli, why don’t you stay out here and finish healing Alec. Me, Paige, and Seth’ll go back in and talk to the bartender.”
“So, me and Hal miss out on the fun, again.” Alec sulked.
“Sorry, Alice. I guess you shouldn’t be such a pansy.” A flying rock, thrown by Alec, flew past Johnathan’s head as he quickly jumped out of the way.
I turned and looked at Alec and Mariah after taking only a couple of steps back toward the bar. “We’ll deal with your face-smashing, amnesiac girlfriend when we’re done inside.”
The patrons of the bar barely paid us any attention when we went back in, and I took more of a look around this time. The people here were a downtrodden lot. Even those who sat with a companion weren’t talking. The two ladies who’d tried their best to seduce Johnathan and Seth must have left sometime after I sent them on their way. At least, they weren’t anywhere I could see them.
Johnathan laced his fingers through mine and clapped Seth on the shoulder as we approached the bar once again. We had our pick of stools this time, as no one else sat there. As we sat on the three stools in the center of the bar, a man of slight stature made his way to us with a barely noticeable limp. He didn’t make eye contact and his shoulders stayed slumped as he said, “What can I get for ya?”
Either he didn’t realize we were under age, or he was so consumed with apathy that he just didn’t care. My vote was the latter.
“Just some information,” Johnathan said.
The bartender’s eyes shifted to the end of the bar where Randal had been sitting. “I ain’t got nothin’ to tell ya. Either order somethin’ or don’t. I got work to do.”
“Yes, I can see that you’re nearly overrun with customers here,” Seth remarked.
“Look,” the small man said. “I don’t wanna get in the middle of nothin’. I’m just here to collect a paycheck.” His eyes wandered over to Randal’s empty stool again.
Johnathan slapped a twenty dollar bill on the counter. “I understand your concern…” He leaned down and looked at the faded nametag on the guy’s apron. “Marty. You don’t need to worry about Randal. He isn’t coming back.”
He snapped his head up, finally making eye contact with Johnathan. “What… what happened? What’d ya do?”
“That doesn’t concern you. What does concern you is this twenty dollars. If you can answer a few questions for us, it’s all yours.”
Marty eyed the money and licked his lips. He reached for the bill, only to have Johnathan pull it away. “Answers first.”
“Okay. I’ll help ya if I can.”
Johnathan looked at me and I nodded for him to proceed. “How long has Randal been coming here?”
“A few weeks, I s’pose.”
I decided I had a question for him, too. “What’s up with these people? I mean, not that I’ve been in many bars, but, shouldn’t they be a bit more lively than this?” I gestured to the half dozen or so pitiful, quiet patrons.
Marty looked me in the eye and frowned deeply. “This is where souls come to die, ma’am.”
I looked at my companions and swallowed hard.
“Not just here,” Marty continued. “There’s places like this all over. Garbage dumps for hope. This one’s just a lot worse ‘n it used ta be. A lot worse.”
Johnathan must have felt the same urgency as I did to get out of there. His next question was to the point. “What can you tell us about a ‘get together’ next week? Randal spoke of it before he… left.”
A shudder shook Marty’s drooping shoulders. He stared off, again in the direction of Randal’s unoccupied stool. “The Gathering,” he whispered.
After a moment of silence, Seth asked, “What’s the Gathering? Tell us what you know.”
“I don’t know much. Just what I’ve overheard. People tend to treat bartenders like they ain’t there. Or, like they’re deaf and blind. Lots ‘a people been comin’ in ta see Randal.” He swallowed. “Scary folks. Not necessarily that they looked so scary. They just… I don’t know exactly. They just ain’t right. Somethin’ about ‘em. Gave me the creeps, ya know?”
“Yeah. I think we do.” I said.
Marty nodded. “Anyways, I heard Randal tell some of ‘em about a ‘Gathering’. Told one gal her desires would be fulfilled there. Told another guy to make sure he brought his ‘payment’ with h
im. I don’t think he was talking about money. All these people come to Randal because they want something… ‘cept no money ever changed hands.”
The little bit I knew about Randal made me believe that he wasn’t in the business of getting rich. His fee exacted a much bigger sacrifice than money. I wondered briefly if the losers we’d sent to the Netherworld would say it was worth the cost.
“Do you know when and where this Gathering is taking place?” Johnathan asked.
He looked around, a nervous tick causing his upper lip to twitch. He leaned in close and whispered, “Yeah. I know. I thought Randal was gonna kill me when he thought I’d overheard him. It’s Friday. This Friday. Over by that double arch. By the elephant rocks.”
“What time?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. I heard him say midnight to one of ‘em. Not positive he was talkin’ about the Gathering, though.”
“Thanks, Marty.” Johnathan slid the twenty dollar bill across the bar. “You’ve been a big help.”
The Five of us walked the still slightly in-shock Mariah back to her car at the restaurant. She still didn’t seem to want to talk about what had just happened, so we let her walk in silence. Her actions worried me. I hadn’t known her long, but what she’d done seemed out of character for what I’d seen of her up to this point. I’m going to have to keep a close eye on her.
Surpy had gone on ahead of us, stating that he was hungry and planned to stop and hunt for some mice on his way home.
“Halli, you did a great job finishing up where Paige left off,” Alec said. “My ribs feel much better and the broken arm she completely missed is as good as new. You’re really getting good at healing.” He moved his arm up and down and swung it around a couple of times.
“Thanks, Alec. It takes me a lot longer than Paige, though.” Halli tried to hide a shy smile.
“And,” I said, “just for the record, I didn’t miss your broken arm. I was only concerned with life threatening injuries at that moment. The rest could wait.”
We trudged up the hill to Trey’s house. It had been a long day. My stomach growled, reminding me that it was hours passed dinner time. Seth bound up the front porch stairs first. He threw the door open and stepped—right into an invisible wall.
Five: Out of the Pit (Five #2) Page 24