Slawter

“What about problem adults?” Dervish asks.

“I don’t think you’d be any problem,” Juni responds with a shy smile.

“I’m not so sure about that,” Davida grumbles. Then she suddenly turns the full force of her smile on Dervish. “Hellfire, Grady! I don’t care if you’re a problem or not. I want you on my team. What can I do to convince you?”

Dervish starts to say there’s nothing she can do, then hesitates, glances at Juni and frowns. “Do you have a copy of the script?”

“No,” Davida says. “And I wouldn’t show it to you if I did. But I’ve got some excerpts on disc, along with a rough plot outline and descriptions of some of the demons—I needed something to grab the interest of potential investors. But I don’t like revealing even that much, especially to someone who hasn’t signed a contract.”

“I understand,” Dervish says. “But if I could have a look, I’d be able to tell you whether or not you need me. I don’t want to waste your time or mine. If there’s no reason for me to be there—nothing I can help you with— then…”

Davida doesn’t look happy. “I have a few copies of the disc,” she says, nodding at her handbag on the floor. “They’re digitally protected, so you shouldn’t be able to copy the material or send it to anyone by e-mail. But…”

She thinks it over, then reaches into the bag and produces a boxed disc. “I don’t know why I’m trusting you with this. You’re not that important to me. But you’re the first person to turn me down on this movie and I don’t like it. People aren’t supposed to say no to the fabulous Davida Haym.” She laughs shortly, then rises.

“You can have it for twenty-four hours. Juni and I have that interview tonight. We’ll be passing back this way tomorrow. We’ll drop in to collect the disc. I’ll ask—just once—if you’ve changed your mind. If you don’t want to do it, fine.” She beams at Dervish, nods at me, then heads for the door like a person of noble birth.

Juni gets up, smiling. “She’s a drama queen, isn’t she?” Juni says when Davida is out of earshot.

“And then some!” Dervish laughs.

“But she’s sweet,” Juni says. “And a natural with the children. She treats them like a mother. Not a bad bone in her body, despite the horrible films she makes.”

Juni starts for the door. Pauses. Looks at Dervish. “I hope you change your mind. I…” She stops, clears her throat, smiles quickly and exits.

Dervish hurries after her, to see the pair out. I remain in the TV room, staring at the disc on the couch, sensing trouble of the very worst kind, though I’m not sure why.

DON’T GO DOWN THE CELLAR

Dervish is humming when he returns. “Nice people,” he says.

“Especially Juni,” I note drily.

“Yes.” He picks up the disc and looks at it silently.

“What made you change your mind?” I ask.

“I haven’t,” he says.

“But you’re thinking about it, aren’t you?”

“Yes. This is probably nothing to worry about, just a filmmaker conjuring up the usual smorgasbord of hysterical fakes. But I got the feeling Davida knows too much for her own good. She wants the film to be realistic. Maybe she plans to dabble where she shouldn’t, use old rites that might backfire. I’m a hard man to find. I’m worried that she was able to root me out. It makes me wonder what else she might know.”

“So you want to check the plot and demon descriptions, make sure there’s nothing dodgy going on?” I ask. Dervish nods. “Except I got the impression you only agreed to think it over when Juni smiled at you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Dervish protests. “She had nothing to do with it.”

But by the strength of his reaction, and the way he storms out of the room in a huff, I’m sure she did!

Having shrugged off my foolish sense of unease, I try convincing Dervish to let me have a look at the disc. I want to know what a David A. Haym film looks like at this early stage. But he refuses and locks himself in his study. Back downstairs, I fall asleep on the couch. Wake some time during the night, cold, shivering. Think about hauling myself up to bed, but I’m too lazy. Instead I grab a few pillows and stack them around me for warmth. Starting to drift off to sleep again when I suddenly snap wide awake.

Dervish is in trouble.

Not sure how I know—gut instinct. I slide off the couch, scattering the pillows, and race upstairs. Dervish isn’t in his bedroom or study. Nowhere on the second floor. Or the first. I wind up back on the ground floor. A quick scout—no sign of him. That means he either went out… or down to the cellar.

Before descending, I go to the kitchen and make sure Dervish hasn’t broken into the cutlery cupboard and stocked up on knives. Then I head down the stairs, automatic lights flickering on as I hit the bottom steps. The cellar’s where Dervish stores his wine. I don’t come down here much. Nothing of interest for me.

Listening to the hum of the lights, watching for shadows, trying to pinpoint Dervish’s position. After a minute I take the final step and explore the rows of wine racks, fists clenched, anticipating an attack.

I don’t find Dervish in the cellar. Search complete, I want to go back upstairs and try the area outside the house. But there’s one place still to look. It’s the last place I want to try—which makes me suspect that’s where Dervish is.

One of the walls houses a secret doorway. I make for that now. It’s covered by a giant wine rack, mostly containing normal bottles. But one’s a fake. I find it and press hard on the cork with a finger. It sinks in. The rack splits in two and both halves slide away from each other, revealing a dark, narrow corridor.

“Dervish?” I call. My voice echoes back to me, unanswered.

I start down the corridor, breathing raggedly. The halves of the wine rack slide back into place. I’m plunged into darkness. But it’s temporary. Moments later, lights flicker on overhead, the glow just strong enough to see by.

The corridor runs to a secret underground cellar. It’s where Dervish keeps his most magical and dangerous books, where he goes if he wants to practise magic. It’s where we fought Lord Loss all those months ago. Where I almost died.

I come to a thick wooden door with a gold ring for a handle. The door stands ajar and there’s a pale light coming from within. “Dervish?” I call again. No answer. I really don’t want to go in, but I must.

I push the door all the way open and enter, heart pounding.

A large room. Wooden beams support the ceiling. Many torches set in the walls, but none are lit. A steel cage in one corner, the bones of a deer lying on the floor within. Two broken tables. A third in good repair. Chess pieces, books, charred pages and other bits of debris brushed up against the walls. A stack of weapons close to the rubbish, lined with dust, riddled with cobwebs.

And Dervish, squatting in the middle of the room, a candle in one hand, a book in the other.

I approach cautiously. Freeze when I catch sight of the book. There’s a painting of Lord Loss on the cover. Just his face. And it’s moving. His awful red eyes are widening, his lips spreading. Dervish is muttering a spell, bending closer to the book. Lord Loss’ teeth glint in the light of the candle. His face starts to come off the page, like a 3D image, reaching for Dervish, as though to kiss him.

I hurl myself at Dervish. Knock him over and punch the book from his hand. The candle goes out. We’re plunged into darkness. Dervish screams. I hear him scrabbling for the book. I thrash around, find Dervish, throw myself on top and pin him to the floor, yelling at him, keeping him away from the book, calling his name over and over, using all my weight to keep him down.

Finally he stops fighting, pants heavily, then croaks, “Grubbs?” I don’t reply. “You’re squashing me,” he wheezes.

“Are you awake?” I cry.

“Of course. Now get off before…” A pause. “Where are we?