He looked to Larry. Who was already staring at him with beseeching eyes. Did he hear it too? Or did he just want out of the van?
“I think we better get out.”
Detective Marco. He had a distant look in his eyes. Was he receiving a communication? Was there a chink in that psychic shield of his that let someone talk to him?
“I’ses stays here’s thank’s muches,” Roger the ogre said.
The flickering green light brightened. Vines rustled and moved into the van. Tendrils wrapped around arms and legs.
“Or maybes I’ses gets out’s nows,” Roger said.
The tendrils withdrew from his limbs. Roger scrambled to the door. Hopped down. Detective Marco close behind him.
“I fear no plants,” Odom said.
“Yeah just spiders,” Marco said.
“I do not fear them,” Odom said, “I simply dislike their presence.”
“Yeah, right. You screamed like a little girl,” Marco said.
The Sapphire Witch brushed at the vines circling her ankles. The rustled away.
“What is this about spiders?” she said, “What is this place?”
She looked confused. And slightly angry. Angry was normal. The confusion was…odd?
“Lady Sapphire,” Hilario said, “Do you not remember Lord Igidbon and his razor-tongued piano spider?”
“Igidbon? Where?” she said, craning her head around.
Oh dear. That was quite the zap Detective Marco had given her. How much of her memory was scrambled?
“Dear Lady,” Hilario said, “Do you remember coming to Lord Igidbon’s realm with us? We passed through the Eye of Malachi from the Ice Realm?”
The Sapphire Witch frowned. “The hell you say. Why would I have gone to the Ice Realm? That old coot is dangerous. And crazy.”
Hard to argue that. But that didn’t stop the excitement making his fingers and toes tingle.
“Do you remember riding the barge on the River Phlegethon with us?” he asked, “Being attacked by Lord Igidbon’s ogre army?”
Her frown deepened. A delicate hand moved up. Massaged her forehead.
“Igidbon? He wouldn’t have sent an attack,” she said, “He’s completely insane. He couldn’t have formed a coherent enough thought to muster any army.”
His excitement was chilled just a little. He had no disagreement with her assessment of Igidbon. Agreed with it entirely, in fact. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was: if Lord Igidbon wasn’t in control of his ogre army, who was?
A gleam of gold caught his eye. Sitting by the brake pedal. The gold and sapphire amulet Roger the Ogre had given him. The key to Eye of Malachi that had brought them here.
He bent down and snatched it up. Held it high so the Sapphire Witch could see it.
“My lady, do you remember this?” he asked.
Her frown grew even deeper–if that were possible. If her delicate brows came down any further they were going to pop the brass rimmed goggles right off her face.
“That’s mine,” she said, “Where did you get it? Return it to me now.”
He waved his hands around it and made it disappear into his secret sleeve pocket. He honked his clown nose and did a little two step. With jazz hands.
“Do not try my patience, clown,” she said.
Hilario honked his nose again and threw some confetti from another secret pocket.
“I warn you, clown…”
It was her army. By way of the bonkers Lord Igidbon. But why had she simply sat in the van while Igidbon rode his terror spider and sung whacked out love songs about puppies and bunny rabbits? She had already made her intents clear. Her desire for power. For her own realm to be queen of. There was no need to hide it.
Unless…
“My dear lady Sapphire,” Hilario said, “Do you remember which side you are on?”
***** The Sapphire Witch simply scowled.
“What side of what?” she said, “Explain yourself, clown.”
He looked to Detective Marco. What sort of protections did the man have? Something powerful enough to scramble a gem witch’s memories, apparently.
Would her memories return? And if so, how soon?
This was an opportunity he needed to take advantage of.
“Dear lady Sapphire,” he said, “We are in dire straits. The lords of the dark places are massed at a weak point in the normal world. We have but a small amount of time to stop them. You have been helping us. The Lady Alexandrite sent you to give us aide and assistance. Do you remember?”
The Sapphire Witch rubbed her forehead. “I…do not remember,” she said. She looked up to Odom.
Hilario held his breath. Would the big metal oaf play along?
Odom reached out, put his arm around the Sapphire Witch. A benevolent smile played across his lips.
“It is true, my love,” he said, “You have been most noble in our quest to defeat the forces of darkness. And now we gird ourselves for the final battle. With you at my side, we shall overcome those foul lords.”
She looked confused for a moment. Then the frown returned.
“That really doesn’t sound like me,” she said, “Why are we in Igidbon’s realm? And why are there plants all over the place?”
Roger the ogre took that moment to pipe up: “Becauses maybes you’s the’s evil’s mastermind’s behind’s it’s all’s,” he said.
If the ogre had been close enough to slap, Hilario would have done so. Even though that would have been a bad thing to do and he would have apologized for it later. Assuming they lived that long.
The Sapphire Witch rubbed her temples with both hands. Hilario looked daggers at Roger. The ogre shrugged, a perplexed look on his tiny face.
“What’s? Maybes she’s is’ses,” he said.
The vines rustled around them. Tendrils reached out. Wrapped around their wrists. Gently pulled.
Here…here…here…
Apparently someone was getting impatient.
Hilario gave the Sapphire Witch a beseeching look. Which she either didn’t
