And then, everything came down and there was the pie. Beautiful and perfect. Ready to slip into Larry’s lovely, domed brick oven.
With Larry standing there, his white chef’s uniform absolutely spotless. Not a single speck of sauce on him.
Hilario had always wondered if there was some magic involved. But he couldn’t detect any.
Obviously he could stop wondering. He got a pang in his heart that he’d never see his friend do that again.
“I put the pie in and Keezheekoni fired it,” Larry said, “A minute later I took it out. Put it on a plate to cool. I stood there, looking at that beautiful pie, all golden and delicious. It smelled so good. My stomach growled. I wanted to snatch it up and eat it all right there.
“But I made myself stand there. And think about what might happen. If I pleased her, would she leave or would she try to take me away to her realm, whatever it was?”
Larry ran a hand over his belly. As if he were having hunger pains again. Outside the van, the endless darkness continued to unspool. Hilario still felt the van moving. Whatever was happening, they were going somewhere.
Hopefully.
Otherwise they would be traveling together in a 1967 Ford Econoline van for all eternity.
“Finally, I cut the pie and took it out to her,” Larry said, “When I set it in front of her, she waved a hand at the opposite chair. Sit, she said, Share this with me.
“I knew this was bad. Sharing a meal means so many things. An act of friendship. A prelude to a war. An affirmation of love. An end. A beginning.
“I wanted to run. Run from my beloved Stung Sparrow. Run home to my wonderful Rachel. But my stomach twisted with hunger. Hunger so bad I couldn’t resist. I sat heavily. Somehow an extra plate had appeared in front of me.
“A slice of the pie floated over and set gently down. The woman had never moved, but there was a slice on her plate too.
“Share with me, she said, Let us be friends. Not enemies.
“My stomach growled. My mouth dripped with anticipation of food. I reached for the slice.
“Somehow I made myself stop. I looked up at her. I couldn’t see her eyes, but her lips were quirked up in amusement. I realized that I was just a toy for her. A passing entertainment.
“If I cooperated, she would eventually tire of me and let me go. At least that’s what I told myself. I had my protections. But I could sense the terrible engines of power in her. She could crush me if she chose.
“I had to make the choice. I took the slice with trembling hands. My stomach screamed for me to eat it. But I looked up at her again. I am happy to be friends with you, dear lady, I said to her, But please be kind to me. Do me no harm.
“She smiled at me. We shall be wonderful friends, she said.
“But, of course, even then I knew deep down that I was merely a tool she had acquired for the day she needed it.
26
The van stunk like rancid skunk dipped in raw sewage. Hilario would have rolled a window down but…
He feared the darkness outside the van might ooze in like a sticky, gelatinous mass that would envelope him. Smother him.
His white gloved sausage fingers clenched the steering wheel. Beyond the windshield was…
Nothing.
Not unless a complete absence of anything counted as something.
He really hadn’t thought this through. Why had it seemed like a good idea to drive the van through the arched entrance to the Eye of Malachi?
Well, there was the fact that Rachel, covered in magical green flames had rushed in with the constantly unconscious Rodney the delivery driver slung over her shoulder.
Oh, and plus that little matter of the ravenous Sea Terror coming up behind them.
And that they were in one of the bad places of the unseen world and an army of monsters was probably right behind the other monster chasing them.
So, yeah, maybe darkness was better.
At least nothing was attacking them.
So far.
Plus it gave him time to grill Larry about his relationship with the Sapphire Witch.
“What did she make you do?” Hilario asked.
Larry hunched down on the passenger seat. He was barely visible against the blackness outside the window. The blue glow that surrounded his ghostly form was nearly extinguished. The void seemed to be sapping the energy from him.
What would happen if he completely disappeared while they were here? Hilario had heard tales of spirits snuffed out forever. Places where even a ghost could find that last death that had eluded them.
A stab of panic went through him. Larry couldn’t die forever. He needed to get him to a safe place. Get his friend on the way to one of the nice places. Whatever mistakes Larry had made in his life, he didn’t deserve to be extinguished forever.
He scanned the darkness beyond the windshield. How the heckity-poop were they going to get out of here?
He racked his brain, trying to remember what he knew about the Eye of Malachi.
“She made me come to her place down by the river,” Larry said.
“Yeah, right, sure she made you, you piece of shit,” Marco said from the back of van, “If you weren’t already dead, I’d fucking shoot you right between the eyes.”
Yeah right, girly man, Marco’s gun said, You ain’t got the cojones.
Marco yanked the gun out of the holster under his left arm. “You shut
