Slawter (19 page)

“I was... dreaming, I think,” she says. “Bill-E was kidnapped. We rescued him. Then we were attacked by ninjas and had to go to a mountain in search of their lair.” She shakes her head. “I woke up in a small room. I came out and saw demons. I ran away. Then I saw you. I thought the bee was going to kill you. Something exploded inside me. Before I knew it...”

She stares at her fist again, a look of astonishment on her face.

“Seems you have a talent for magic after all,” Dervish chuckles, then sighs. “But you timed it badly. We wanted this one alive.” He quickly explains his plan to her and the children, who’ve crept across. Bo seems to be less shaken than the others. She’s trembling fiercely and her face is white with fear, but she’s in control of her senses and listens intently.

I use magic to heal my wounded arm, and watch Bo cautiously. Her father was one of the collaborators, but that’s not her fault. I’m pretty sure she didn’t know about his pact with the Demonata. Bo was never anything worse than a spoiled brat. You don’t deserve to be killed for that.

Dervish finishes outlining his plan. “So Grubbs, Juni and I will pull back, leave you kids here, wait for another demon to come along, then... ka-blooey!”

“
Ka-blooey?
” Juni repeats, raising an eyebrow.

“I liked comics when I was a kid,” Dervish says with a shrug.

“How are we going to get the demon to the barrier?” Bo asks, and though her teeth chatter, her voice sounds normal.

“Grubbs and I will drag it there,” Dervish says. “Juni can help.”

“But —”

“Here she goes,” Bill-E groans. “Always has to have her say!”

“Shut up, shrimp-breath!” Bo snaps, then appeals to Dervish. “I don’t want to be a troublemaker. I just want to get out of this alive. But it’s what you said about how you were going to alert everybody and tell them where to come.” She pauses.

“Go on,” Dervish says kindly, though if I was in charge, I’d tell her to put a sock in it. She’s being a drama queen, trying to grab the attention. Typical Bo.

“Well,” Bo says hesitantly, “if you’re able to use telepathy, I was wondering... can demons do the same?”

Dervish stares at Bo, then nods slowly. “Some can.”

“So,” Bo continues, “if you catch a demon, and it realizes you’re dragging it off to the edge of town to kill it, won’t it call for help? And bring a load of other demons down on top of us?”

Dervish scowls. “She’s right. It’ll take several minutes to get to the barrier from here. If the demon summoned help, we’d never make it.”

“Can’t we knock it unconscious?” Juni asks.

“Perhaps. But if it gets out a shout...”

He falls silent. Bo looks at me smugly, but I’m too impressed to bear her any ill feelings. She’s not entirely brainless, I’m reluctantly forced to admit.

“I have a suggestion,” Bo says. She’s stopped trembling. Confident. On a roll.

“I’m all ears,” Dervish says with a wry smile.

“Why don’t we lure a demon to the barrier before you go messing with it? Trick it into chasing after us. It wouldn’t call for help if it didn’t know its life was in danger.”

“We have a genius in our midst,” Dervish says, smile widening. Bo beams like an angel. Despite myself, I have to laugh. She’ll be more unbearable than ever after this, but right now that doesn’t seem like such a bad thing.

“There’s only one problem with your proposal,” Dervish says.

“Problem?” Bo frowns.

“Running’s dangerous. If there’s a demon hot on your heels, you can’t concentrate on what lies ahead. Very easy to run into another demon, or a pack of them. We can’t control the situation if we do what you suggest. And control is vital. Grubbs and I
must
reach the barrier. If we don’t, everybody dies. We can’t risk running into a trap.”

Bo mulls that over, starts to speak, goes silent, then says very quietly, “What if the rest of us did the running? What if you and Grubbs went to the barrier and we tried to lure a demon to you?”

I blink, astonished. I never thought I’d hear the spoiled Bo Kooniart make a suggestion like that. What she’s proposing is close to self-sacrifice. Without us, she and the others won’t stand much of a chance against the demons.

“You know what you’re saying?” Dervish’s voice is grave. “You know the risk you’d be taking?”

“Of course. But it doesn’t seem like we have much of an option, does it?”

“I’m not doing it!” Vanalee protests, bursting into tears. “I want to come with you, Mr. Grady! Please don’t make me go after demons!”

“I won’t make anybody do anything,” Dervish says. He looks at the other children. “Bo’s risking a great deal for us. Will anybody volunteer to save her, or are you going to leave her to face the demons by herself?”

The three children look at one another. Two raise shaky hands. The third hangs his head.

“OK,” Dervish says. “Now all we have to do is arrange a meeting place, so you know where —”

“I’ll go too,” Bill-E interrupts.

“No!” I yell.

“I have to.” He smiles thinly. “I’m not magical like you and Dervish. There’s no benefit in me coming with you. I can do more good with Bo and the others.”

“But —”

“He’s right,” Dervish says. I look at my uncle, unable to believe he’d let Bill-E go like this. But his eyes are dark and firm. This isn’t easy for him, but he’s going to let Bill-E go anyway. I start to protest, but then I realize why Dervish is doing this — it wouldn’t be fair to let Bo and the others volunteer and not put forward one of our own.

“I’ll go,” I whisper. “You take Bill-E.”

“No,” Dervish says. “I need you at the barrier.”

I shake my head. “You can kill a demon without me. And you have Juni to help. The others will stand a better chance if I go with them.”

Dervish hesitates.

“We can both go,” Bill-E says.

“No. You’re sticking with Dervish, no arguing.” I lower my voice so only Bill-E can hear. “I don’t want him to lose us both. And you’re his son — you’re more important to him than I am.” I hate lying to Bill-E, but if it saves his life, it will be worth it.

“OK,” Bill-E says miserably, after a moment of tormented consideration. “But I’ll kill you if you don’t come back alive.”

“All right,” Dervish says. “We’re wasting time, and we don’t have much of it. Grubbs can go with the others. Now, you know the old hat store we passed when we tried to drive out of here?” I nod. “Make your way to that, then head due west. We’ll be waiting. Come as fast as you can.” He looks at Juni. “Ready?”

“Don’t you think I should go with the children?” Juni says nervously.

“No. They’re as safe with Grubbs as they would be with you. Safer.”

“Well...I don’t like it... but if you think that’s best...”

“It is.” Dervish looks at me steadily. “See you soon — and that’s an order.”

Then he, Juni, Bill-E, Vanalee, and the boy head west to safety. Dervish is the only one who keeps his sights set firmly ahead. The others all look back, faces dark with doubt. They think they won’t ever see us again.

I want to call after Bill-E and tell him we’re brothers. I don’t want to die without telling him the truth. But my mouth’s dry. My throat’s tight. I can’t.

I stare at Bo and the others. One’s a boy a year or two older than me. The second is a girl a few years younger. I don’t know either of them. I think about asking their names, then decide it’s better not to know.

“Are you all ready?” Bo asks, taking control, even though I’m the one who should be in charge. We nod silently and turn towards the sounds of bloodshed and mayhem. Pause a terrified moment. Then silently jog back into the death den of the Demonata.

The Chase

I
want so much not to be doing this. One half of me is screaming bloody murder at the other half, telling me I’m crazy, I should run, protect my own neck, and damn the rest. But how could I leave Bo Kooniart to save the day? I’d never be able to live it down.

We pass from one street to another. No sign of the Demonata, though the cries of the dying and the roars of demons are everywhere. I’m sweating buckets. Can’t stop shivering. I never knew I could be this scared. After all, I’ve face Lord Loss before. But it’s even scarier this time. I’m starting to understand that fear is like cancer — you can beat it back, but if it returns, it can be worse than ever.

We turn a corner and find three demons feasting on a dying man, tearing into his flesh, gulping down bloody chunks as if they were marshmallows. One of the demons is shaped like a short elephant, another a giant cockroach, the third a huge slug that’s been partially melted. Vomit rises in my throat, but I force it back.

As the elephant-shaped demon moves aside to chew on a piece of gristle, I recognize the unfortunate victim. It’s Chai, the mime artist. Even in his death throes he’s remained true to his role. He isn’t screaming aloud, but is instead miming weakly. It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so tragic.

I want to help Chai, but it’s too late. Even as I take a step forward, he stiffens, makes a few last feeble gestures, then goes still.

I study the demons again as they continue to strip the corpse of flesh. They don’t look like they’re especially swift on their feet. I check with Bo and the others. They’re terrified, but each nods to show that they’re ready.

“Hey!” I try to shout, but the word comes out as a squeak. I try again, but my mouth is as dry as a lizard’s butt.

“Some hero you are,” Bo mutters. Then she cups her hands over her mouth and bellows, “
Hey!
” The demons look up. “Come and catch us, uglies!”

She turns and runs. The rest of us follow. The demons shriek and give chase.

Running as fast as I can. With my long legs, I quickly pull ahead of the others. Start to leave them behind. Feeling good, like I’m going to survive. Even if the demons catch up, they’ll have to chew through the other three before getting to me. Maybe they’ll stop there, happy to have one human each, leaving me free to race to safety and...

But that’s not the plan. I’m supposed to be helping, not outpacing the others. I keep the speed up for a few more seconds, wrestling with my conscience. Then I curse and slow down, letting Bo and Co. catch up with, then slightly overtake me.

I look back. The demons are close, only ten or twelve yards behind. They can move a lot faster than I thought. If I don’t stop them, they’ll be on us long before we make it to the edge of town, never mind the barrier beyond.

I stop and force magic into my fingers. Try to think of the best way to stall them, when they suddenly stop, stare at me hatefully, then turn and shuffle off.

“What the...?” I squint at them, thinking this must be a trick, but they keep going.

“What’s happening?” Bo asks. The three of them have stopped. They’re staring dumbly at me and the departing demons.

“I don’t know,” I mutter. “Maybe they sensed my magic and decided there were easier pickings elsewhere. Or —”

Something barrels into the boy whose name I don’t know. He screams once, then is silenced. The girl and Bo leap away from him. I see a squat, long demon, like a dog, but with spikes sticking out all over, and no legs. It’s munching on the boy’s head. I start towards them. Come to a halt when I hear a familiar voice high above me.

“You did not think I would leave you to the whims of my familiars, did you, Grubitsch?” I look up and spot Lord Loss, hovering above the roof of the building to my left. He descends slowly, gracefully. “I gave orders for you, your uncle, and brother to be spared. I plan to finish you Grady boys off by myself.”

Lord Loss comes to within half a yard of the ground and stops, his eight arms extended, smiling viciously. “What now, poor Grubitsch?” he murmurs. “Have you the strength of character to fight a demon master, or will you run like a cowardly hyena?”

“
Run!
” I roar, then race away from him. Bo and the other girl hurriedly join me.

Lord Loss laughs and sets off in pursuit of us, savoring our fear and flight. He doesn’t have the slightest clue that I’m running for a reason other than sheer terror, that I’m trying to lure him into a trap. He glides along after us, calling to me, the usual crap, telling me how desperate the situation is, how I’m going to let myself down, the pain I’ll suffer, the tears I’ll shed. He says I’ll betray Dervish and Bill-E, abandon my friends, beg for mercy.

I know he’s messing with my mind, trying to stoke up my fear, to wring more misery out of me. But it’s hard to ignore him. I feel myself losing hope, seeing the future through the demon’s eyes. Part of me wants to surrender and accept a swift, painless death. And perhaps I would — except I Remember his look of hate when I beat him at chess, his vow to make me suffer before he killed me. There will be no quick, easy death if I fall into Lord Loss’s hands.

A strange skittering sound. I look over my shoulder. The dog demon is chasing us too. It’s almost upon us. It uses its spikes to move, a bit like a centipede crawling, only a hell of a lot quicker. It has a head like a dung beetle’s, but dog-sized.

“Go, Malice,” Lord Loss says, and the demon leaps high into the air, coming down on Bo’s head, mouth opening wider than its narrow body, fangs glinting.

I shoot a bolt of magic at the demon called Malice and knock it sideways. It squeals, hits the ground, twists sharply, launches itself at my face. Without thinking, I turn my right hand into a blade, drop to one knee and slash at the demon’s underbelly. Malice sees the threat but can’t change direction. My hand slices its stomach open from neck to tail. It’s finished by the time it hits the ground, entrails spilling out, whining feebly as it flops into the dust.

“Fool!” Lord Loss snorts at his dying familiar. “I am ashamed that one of my servants should be defeated so pitifully.” He spits on the dying demon, then looks at me and smiles. “You are stronger than the last time I saw you fight. You were unable to kill Vein or Artery then, yet here you have killed two just as powerful. You must be feeling confident, like you could even defeat
me
?”

“Maybe,” I growl, magic bubbling up within me, picturing the demon master dead at my feet, tasting the triumph of revenge.