Lee tried to do the same to me didn't make me feel better.
'Lee,' I said, tears leaking out. 'I'm sorry. God, I'm sorry.'
Lee's voice cut off as he passed out. Al smiled, turning on a heel to me. 'Ta, love. I don't like to be on the surface when it gets dark. All the best of luck to you.'
My eyes widened. 'I don't know how to get home!' I cried.
'Not my problem. 'Bye now.'
I sat up, chilled as the stones I was sitting on seemed to soak into me. Lee came to with an ugly gibbering sound. Tucking him under an arm, Al gave me a nod and vanished.
A stone slid down to roll to my feet. I blinked, wiping my eyes to only get rock dust and chips of stone in them. 'The line,' I whispered, remembering. Maybe if I got into the line. Lee had jumped from outside of a line, but maybe I had to learn to walk before I could run.
A movement at the edge of my awareness caught my attention. Heart pounding, I whipped my head around, seeing nothing. Steadying myself, I wedged myself up, gasping when white-hot knives stabbed my ankle to take my breath away. I slipped back to the ground. Jaw gritted, I decided I would just crawl over there.
I reached out, seeing Mrs. Aver's business suit coated in the dust and frost it had scraped from the surrounding rocks. Gripping an outcrop, I pulled myself forward, managing a halfway upright position. My body was shaking with cold and fading adrenaline. The sun was almost down. A sliding of rocks urged me on. They were getting closer.
A soft pop pulled my head up. A tumble of pebbles and rocks came from everywhere as the lesser demons scrambled into hiding. My breath slipped from me as, from around my hair, I saw a small figure in dark purple sitting cross-legged before me, a narrow staff as long as I was tall laying across its lap. A robe draped it. Not a bathrobe, but a classy mix of a kimono and something a desert sheik would wear, all billowy with the suppleness of linen. A round hat with straight sides and a flat top was perched on its head. Squinting in the fading light, I decided there was an inch or so of air between the gold trim and the ground. Now what?
'Who in hell are you?' I said, pulling myself forward another step, 'and will you be taking me home instead of Al?'
'Who in hell are you?' it echoed, its voice a mix of rough lightness. 'Yes. That fits.'
It wasn't hitting me with that carved black stick, or putting a charm on me, or even making ugly faces, so I ignored it and dragged myself forward another foot. There was a crackle of paper, and wondering, I tucked David's trifolded paper into my waistband. Yeah, he'd probably want this back.
'I'm Newt,' it said, seemingly disappointed I was ignoring it. There was a rich accent that I couldn't place, an odd way of saying the vowels. 'And no, I'm not taking you home. I already have a demon familiar. Algaliarept is right; you're almost worthless right now.'
A demon for a familiar? Ooooh, that had to be good. Grunting, I pulled myself forward. My ribs hurt, and I pressed a hand into them. Panting, I looked up. A smooth face, not young, not old—sort of…nothing—met me. 'Ceri is afraid of you,' I said.
'I know. She's very perceptive. Is she well?'
Fear slid through me. 'Leave her alone,' I said, jerking back as it pushed my hair out of my eyes. Its touch seemed to sink into me though I felt fingertips firm on my forehead. I stared at its black eyes as it peered at me, unruffled and curious.
'Your hair ought to be red,' it said, smelling of crushed dandelions. 'And your eyes are green like my sisters', not brown.'
'Sisters?' I wheezed, considering I might give it my soul if it would give me a pain amulet. God, I hurt all over, inside and out. I sat back on my heels out of its reach. Newt had an eerie grace, its outfit giving no hint to gender. There was a necklace of black gold about its neck—again, the design neither masculine nor feminine. My gaze dropped to its bare feet, hovering above the rubble. They were narrow and slim, somewhat ugly. Masculine? 'Are you a boy or a girl?' I finally asked, not sure.
Newt's brow furrowed. 'It makes a difference?'
Muscles trembling, I pulled my hand to my mouth and sucked at a spot where the rock had pinched me. It did to me. 'Don't get me wrong, but why are you just sitting there?'
The demon smiled, making me think the reason couldn't be good. 'There are a few side bets as to whether you will learn how to use the lines before sunset. I'm here so no one cheats.'
A stab of adrenaline cleared my head. 'What happens when the sun goes down?'
'Anyone can have you.'
A rock slid from a nearby pile, and I pushed into motion. 'But you don't want me.'
It shook its head, drifting back. 'Maybe if you told me why Al took the other witch instead of you, I might. I…don't remember.'
Newt's voice sounded worried, making me wonder. Too much ever-after in the brainpan perhaps? I didn't have time to deal with a crazy demon, no matter how powerful it was. 'Read the papers. I'm busy,' I said, pulling myself forward.
I jerked when a boulder the size of a car fell two feet in front of me. The ground shook and bits of rock chips stung my face. I stared at it, then Newt, who was smiling as it adjusted its grip on its staff to look pleasant and innocuous. My head hurt. Okay, maybe I had a little time. 'Ah, Lee can kindle demon magic,' I said, not seeing any reason to tell it I could too.
Newt's black eyes widened. 'Already?' it said, then its face clouded, not angry with me, but at itself. I waited for it to move the rock. It didn't. Taking a deep breath, I started to go around Newt, as it seemed the demon had forgotten I was there. The sense of danger flowing from the slight figure was growing, building on itself to tighten my gut and make my skin crawl. I was getting the distinct impression that I was still alive because a very powerful demon was curious, nothing more.
Hoping Newt would forget about me, I inched myself forward, trying to ignore the pain in my ankle. I slipped, sucking in my breath as the flat of my arm hit a rock, sending a shiver of pain up it. The boulder was right in front of me, and gathering myself, I wedged my knees under me. My ankle was burning agony as I gained my feet and held the rock for balance.
There was a brush of air, and Newt was beside me. 'Do you want to live forever?'
The question sent a shiver through me. Damn it, Newt was becoming more interested, not less. 'No,' I whispered. Hand outstretched, I limped from the rock.
'I didn't either, until I tried it.' The redwood staff clunked to the ground as Newt moved to keep even with me, black eyes eerily more alive than anyone else's I'd ever seen. My skin crawled. Something was wrong with Newt—really wrong. I couldn't put my finger on it until I realized that the minute I took my attention from Newt, I forgot what the demon looked like. Apart from those eyes.
'I know something Algaliarept doesn't,' Newt said. 'I remember now. You like secrets. You're good at keeping them, too. I know all about you; you're afraid of yourself.'
I gritted my jaw as my ankle gave a twinge as I slipped on a rock. The line was just ahead. I could feel it. The sun had sunk below the horizon, halfway gone. It took seven minutes to sink once it touched the earth. Three and a half minutes. I could hear a gathering of breath from the lesser demons. God, help me find a way out of this.
'You should be afraid of you,' Newt said. 'Want to know why?'
I pulled my head up. Newt was bored out of his or her mind and looking for amusement. I didn't want to be interesting. 'No,' I whispered, becoming more frightened.
An evil smile crossed Newt, emotions shifting faster than a vampire hyped up on Brimstone. 'I think I will tell Algaliarept a joke. And when he's done ripping that witch apart for what he lost, I'll trade for that mark you owe him and make it mine.'
I started to shake, unable to stop my hands from trembling. 'You can't do that.'
'I can. I might.' Newt twirled the staff idly, hitting a rock so it ricocheted into the dark. There was a catlike yelp of pain and a scattering of sliding rock. 'And then I'll have two,' the demon said to itself, 'because you won't be able to figure out how to travel the lines and will have to buy a trip out of here. From me.'
There was a cry of outrage from the watchers behind the rocks, quickly squelched.
Horrified, I came to a jerky stop, feeling the line right ahead of me.
'You want to survive,' Newt intoned, its voice dropping in pitch. 'You'll do anything for it. Anything.'
