The Deadliest Bite

gate fashioned to resemble a mastiff’s head, its snarling face daring us to enter uninvited, stood closed against us, tal er at its apex than a threestory building. Blood, fountains of it, dripped from a trough that ran along the top of the fence that bordered the gate, emptying out of the dog’s eyes, nose, and mouth and rol ing into the Moat, where it was quickly absorbed by the current.

The fence itself was built to crush the spirit, its black posts sprouting razor-sharp spikes at random intervals and angles so that any thought of trying to climb them was immediately fol owed by images of self- crucifixion. It ran so far to either side of the gate that I couldn’t see to the end of it.

And, even though this had been part of the report Astral had played for us when we wanted to know more about the Rocenz, I stil felt my heart drop at seeing the entrance to hel and knowing that what lay beyond it would come for me sooner or later. The worst part was that I stil didn’t know how to carve Brude’s name on the black metal face that growled at me like it was alive. And hungry.

Get it together, Jazzy. Granny May’s warm voice had never been so welcome in my head. I saw her standing on her front porch, hands on her hips, the way she did every time I got ready to leave.

Now I understood that she’d always despised those moments the same way she hated this one. But she’d get me through it, just like she’d helped me go back to a home ful of raised voices and mistrust. Because I needed her to.

I turned to Raoul. “I don’t suppose you’ve got an inflatable raft tucked into a secret compartment of your belt or anything?”

“No,” he said. “But I have this.” He pul ed out his sword, banged it against the ground, and voila!

It became a long staff that would be the envy of every one of Robin Hood’s men.

“Did you learn that trick from what’s-her-face?” I whispered, referring to Kyphas’s old habit of transforming a regular human item like a scarf into a local y made and lethal y sharp weapon.

He blushed. “A good idea is a good idea,” he muttered.

“Okay. But I don’t get yours.”

He sighed. “And you ran track in col ege!”

“Wait.” I held up my hands. “You want us to pole-vault over this river?”

“Not this stretch,” he said, waving at the wide water before us. “But my scout said that it narrows radical y down there.” He pointed to our left.

I looked at Vayl, expecting a slew of logical and valid objections. He stared at me quietly, waiting for me to see the bril iance in my Spirit Guide’s plan. At which point I grabbed the pole and stomped off in the direction Raoul had pointed, suddenly, unaccountably, furious. At some point Astral had jumped from her perch on Raoul’s arm, and now she trotted beside me, flicking her ears toward me as if she wanted to catch every word.

“He thinks we’re just going to graceful y vault over the water, like we’re Olympic gymnasts or something. Can you believe that? I’m trying to save my damn mind and I don’t even get the respect of a boat ride for my final mission. Because you know what’s going to happen, don’t you, Astral? My pole is going to get stuck in the mud. And if it doesn’t sling me straight down into the waiting jaws of a sharkogator, I’l just end up stuck there, Jaz-on-a-stick, until I final y lose my grip and slowly slide down into the muck, which is probably worse than quicksand, at which point I wil drown. Dumb damn Eldhayr.” And yet I stil strode on, because I couldn’t think of a better plan, and part of me thought it’d be great fun. Especial y if none of us were eaten alive.

Which led to Astral’s dilemma. “Can you pole-vault?” I asked my robokitty. She shook her head.

“I didn’t think so. Okay, I guess you’l have to ride. But if you dig in those claws, I wil have them chopped off. Just remember that. Now where the—oh. I see.”

The bank pinched in on itself before me as if it were trying to bite into a particularly luscious piece of pie. Made, no doubt, of four and twenty blackbirds just like in that craptacular nursery rhyme my mom insisted on chanting to us right before lunch every damn day until we final y screamed at her to stop.

I halted at the narrowest spot, probed the water, and found it satisfyingly shal ow while I waited for the rest of our merry band to catch up with me. Vayl came to stand beside me, brushing his shoulder against mine in the way he knew would instantly soothe me. I looked up at him. “I can’t tel you how much this is sucking. Brude is tap dancing across my frontal lobe like he’s wearing steel-soled work boots. I have no idea if we’re going to be able to open up the Rocenz, so my stomach has shrunk to the size of a walnut. And yet my intestines have shifted into ful gear, so if I don’t shit myself before this is al said and done it’l be a goddamn miracle.” He smiled at me. “I adore you.”

“Likewise.”

“I have no idea how this wil al end.”

“Me neither.”

“But we have been through other hel s and survived. I believe that raises our odds somewhat astronomical y. And as long as we are together, I think we can triumph over nearly anything.” Even death? I wanted to ask as I gazed into his eyes. And then I decided. Damn straight!

Nothing’s stopped us yet. Why should I suppose hell itself could stand in our way?

I handed him the pole. “You first, twinkletoes.”

“I never told you I was considered something of an athlete in my day.” I looked his broad, muscular body up and down. And then took another, slower tour. My mouth had started to water. I licked my lips so the drool wouldn’t escape as I said, “I’m not surprised.” Another quirk of the lips to let me know he knew what I was thinking and felt I should think it some more at a later date, out loud, when he could react in a more physical y pleasing manner. Then he backed away from the bank, ran at the sucker like he meant to overpower it with his bare hands, landed the pole in the middle of the water and vaulted himself to the other side without even a grunt to show that he’d exerted himself in the process. He pul ed the pole out and threw it across to me.

“That was a good spot I found,” he cal ed to us. “Do you think you can set it down in the same place?”