Dead Harvest

wind of what we've done. Beleth's got to have some enemies in the demon-world – our only shot's to try and put this all on them. If it looks like he's been killed by one of his own, we can maybe avoid a war.'

  'Avoid our asses in a sling, you mean,' I said.

  'That, too. You're in no position to begrudge me my motives, Sam.'

  'You forget, I'm already in a world of shit for taking the girl. Honestly, what's a little more heat?'

  'I'm not talking a little, Sam. You're a fucking gnat right now – an annoyance. Word gets out you killed Beleth, they're gonna think you're trying to jumpstart the End Days. That'd make you priority number one for both sides. We're all happy in our roles, Sam. Comfortable. Isn't anybody on either side that wants to see the balance disrupted.'

  I fell silent a moment, mulling what he'd just told me. 'If I let you go,' I asked, 'what assurance do I have you'll do as you say?'

  Kate balked. 'Sam, you couldn't seriously be considering letting him go?'

  If Merihem heard her, though, he gave no indication. His eyes were locked on mine, his face betraying nothing. 'You have my word,' he said.

  'Your word,' Anders said. 'Some fucking use that is.'

  'Yeah, Sam – let's finish this guy,' Pinch chimed in.

  'His word is his bond,' I said, quietly. The corners of Merihem's mouth turned upward ever so slightly, almost imperceptible in the flickering candlelight. Almost.

  'What?' Kate asked.

  'His word is his bond,' I repeated. 'He's obligated to honor it. It's the way of his kind.' I didn't say the rest. That his kind is disinclined to make pacts that end well for the second party – witness my day job. I didn't mention it because the way I saw it, we were both desperate. We both stood to lose. And if letting him go bought me enough time to clear Kate's name, then the deal would have been worth it, and the consequences be damned.

  'So he'd have to help us?' Pinch asked.

  'We let you walk out of here, and you leave us be, you got me? You don't come after the girl, you don't send anyone after her – you don't let it slip you might know where she is. Same goes for any of them. These kids are untouchable.'

  Merihem nodded. 'All I'm worried about right now is my own ass. They tie me to Beleth's death, and it's all over. Far as I'm concerned, I never saw you.'

  'Anders,' I said, 'set down the rope.'

  'Are we really gonna do this?' he asked.

  'I don't see we have a choice.'

  'This is ridiculous,' Kate said.

  'Anders, the rope.'

  Anders let go of the rope. It fell to the floor. I let out a breath I didn't even realize I'd been holding.

  'Sam,' said Merihem, 'you're making the right choice.'

  I swear I never saw it coming. One minute, Kate stood fuming beside me, and the next, she'd closed the gap to Merihem. In one smooth motion, she kicked the chair out from beneath him. He teetered for a moment, his eyes wide with fear and surprise, and then he fell atop the shards. A horrid, guttural scream pierced the air and blew out windows the factory over. Candles guttered and died all around us. Anders crumpled to the floor, head in hands, and Pinch began to cry. But Kate never wavered, never flinched. As Merihem's writhing, fading form burst open, releasing the thousands of nameless scurrying things that passed for his soul, she spat on it, paying no heed to the terrible creatures that crawled, dragged, and scampered across her feet.

  And under her breath, nearly lost beneath the echoing screams, she said, 'That's for my family, you evil son of a bitch.'

18.

Finally all was silent, and the mewling creatures gone. Anders was lying on the concrete floor, his eyes clenched shut, his face twisted in pain. He held his hands to his ears, a useless gesture. The sound he sought to keep out was in his mind: the anguished cries of those nameless, scurrying things that were once Merihem as they faded from existence. I knew, because I'd heard it twice now. Just two more things I wished I could unremember. Two among thousands.

  I shambled over to where Anders lay, my borrowed body trembling, my knees threatening to buckle. I told myself that it was just a natural response to what I'd just been witness to, but I knew that wasn't completely true. Merihem's death had rattled me in a way Beleth's had not. Merihem wasn't a friend – not exactly – but we had a history, he and I, and that's not something you can easily forget. Now he was dead. Dead because of me. And it was a senseless death, at that – no honor, no dignity, no reason at all it had to happen. Demon or not, I couldn't help but think Merihem deserved better than that.

  'Anders – are you all right?' He looked up at me and nodded. Anders was lying, of course, but that he was well enough to lie was a good sign. 'We've got to get moving. Half of Staten Island must've heard those windows blow – we haven't got a lot of time.'

  I felt terrible for the kid – lacking whatever filter prevented normal people from seeing the world as it really was, only to be branded a nutcase, by them and me at first as well. Of course, if any of those so-called normal people could see the things that Anders had seen, they'd be a little twitchy, too.

  I helped him to his feet, and nodded toward Pinch, who had retreated to a far corner of the room. Pinch sat with his back to the wall, rocking back and forth with his knees hugged tight to his chest. 'Go help him,' I said, 'I'll take care of Kate.'

  Kate, for her part, was nowhere to be seen. Not that that meant much – most of