Hilario swallowed. Tried to find some moisture to lubricate the words that needed to come out.
“My lady,” he said, “Are you saying the unseen world is about to push into the city? How can this happen?”
“Lords of the dark places sensed weakness,” she said, “They have longed for a foothold into the normal world. The normal world is a prize of untold value. To possess it would give them a power unimaginable. With the right sort of help.”
But…the normal world doesn’t have magic,” he said, “What good could it do them?”
The Alexandrite Witch slowed her rotation. Came to a stop right side up to him. She gave him a sad smile.
“It possesses more magic than all of the unseen world combined,” she said, “But the lords of the dark places cannot use it. They do not possess the ability. As you do.”
Hilario jerked backward. “Me?”
“You, dear clown,” she said, “You can access the normal world’s magical power. And only you can save the city of normals.”
“Lady Alexandrite, surely you are mistaken,” he said.
“Without you, a city will die and their souls shall be consumed by the dark ones,” she said.
Hilario’s insides turned to ice.
“And you must do it before dawn comes in the normal world,” she said.
Oh. Poop.
33
There was, of course, another catch.
They had to find Rachel.
The Alexandrite Witch took them from her cotton candy scented keep, down to the city with its spiked, crystal towers. They flew on the transport disk, dizzyingly fast. Detective Marco sat crouched as low as he could without actually lying down. He stared down in fixed determination.
By the green color of his face, his determination was to not spew the meager contents of his stomach on the platform.
The Sapphire Witch–with the six tailed rat demon, Queezleyan at her feet, and the two hulking guards made the trip with them also. The Sapphire Witch stood, arms folded over her chest. A sour expression sat on her face. Her protests to Mother Alexandrite had fallen on deaf ears. Apparently the Sapphire Witch felt she and her sisters could hold off the dark masters indefinitely. At least until some real help arrived.
Mother Alexandrite had merely smiled.
The platform made a stop at the base of the Alexandrite Witch’s keep before zooming off, deeper into the city. It settled in front of Hilario’s van. Larry popped up, a startled expression on his ghostly face. The Alexandrite Witch gave him a friendly little wave. Then, with a simple incantation, she made the transport platform expand.
A tongue of glowing white slipped under the van’s tires.
Before Hilario could lodge a protest, the disk lifted, van included, into the sulfur tinged air.
Oh dear.
Hilario gave the van a worried glance. The rational part of him knew that it wasn’t going fall off the platform. That was a benefit of magic.
But still…it was more than disconcerting to see the van flying through the black crystal canyons of the Gem Keep. Probably faster than the van had moved in its entire existence.
Of course, he should be thinking about his poor, discorporated friend, Larry. Though, it wasn’t like Larry was going to be any more dead if the van fell off the platform.
The platform rounded a thick set of tall, thin spires. Accelerated toward the wall that surrounded the city.
For a moment, it seemed like the flying platform would smash into the black stone wall.
But, abruptly, it slowed. It lowered itself to the ground in front of the great wall.
Hilario let out a shuddering sigh of relief. Even though the Alexandrite Witch had said they needed him, he was still waiting for the gem witches to say they were just kidding and kill him anyway.
It would have been a typical unseen world sort of prank.
“Here we are my dears,” the Alexandrite Witch said.
She waved her silly wand. Sparkles shot out from the oversized gold star at the end. The sparkles swirled out over the massive wall. Settled into the outline of a huge gate. Stone rumbled and grated against stone.
An opening appeared in the wall. A sulfurous stench rushed in. The gate swung outward. Revealed a black road leading out to a rough and blackened landscape. The road went to the edge of the fiery gorge. Took an uncomfortable turn down and disappeared.
Sparkles surrounded the Alexandrite Witch. She flapped her oversized shoes and lifted off the platform. She held her ratty and comical umbrella over her head.
“This is where we must part, dear friends,” The Alexandrite Witch said, “Sapphire and Queezleyan will accompany you on your perilous journey.”
Hilario winced. Perilous. Oh dear oh dear. He was going to die. Probably some horrible, horrible, horrible death. And it also meant he would probably fail to get Larry out of the van and moved on to nicer afterlife.
“Must I go with them, Mother Alexandrite?” the Sapphire Witch said.
For the first time, a cross expression settled on the Alexandrite Witch’s features. It made his blood run cold. And it wasn’t even directed at him.
“Why yes, daughter,” the Alexandrite Witch said, “For it was your task to keep us from getting to this point, wasn’t it?”
The Sapphire Witch turned her head away. It was hard to tell in the rudy light, but her face seemed to have darkened.
“Yes, Mother Alexandrite,” she said.
“Why do I have to go?” Queezleyan whined, “Can’t I stay with you momma Alexa?”
She gave the rat demon a look. The creature skittered behind the Sapphire Witch’s legs.
The Alexandrite Witch flapped her floppy clown shoes and swam over to Hilario.
“Now, Hilario, you dear sweet hunk of clown,” she said.
His face went hot. His heart skipped a beat, then picked up again on double time.
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you
