moves beneath my hand. It must be the ice melting from the warmth of my skin or something. Not that I’m very warm at this point.
I feel like we’ve been running forever until I plow into Horonius, as his human self, standing at the end of the hallway. He is about my height, but way prettier, and with his arms folded I have to admit he pretty much rocks my Grateful Dead shirt.
“You are unwieldy,” he says.
“Hey, now.” I brace my hands against my thighs and to catch my breath. “I’m a little out of my element, ya know.”
I look up, but he doesn’t reply.
“Are we there?”
He stares at me for a moment more before nodding his head almost reluctantly. His eyes regard me warily.
“Well then get the hell out of my way—let’s get her out of here!” I make to shove past him, but he stops me. He holds my arm with a force that would put any heavyweight boxer to shame. There’d be no getting out of that guy’s vice grip unless he wanted me to.
“Before you . . . get her out of there . . . I must warn you.”
I shrug, hoping he’ll take the hint and let go, but he doesn’t.
“You made a promise to the Ferryman, and that is a price you will have to pay alone. Do you understand?”
I don’t, but I nod my head anyway. I don’t even remember it, but whatever it is can’t be that bad.
“We will try to wait, but will not be able to wait long—we will need to get the young mistress out of here as quickly as possible. We cannot delay.”
“I get it” My voice rises with a distinctly I’m pissed off tenor. “So I’ll do what the old Ferryman dude wants me to do and we’ll hightail it on outta here. Got it.”
Horonius quirks his head, like he can’t make sense of what I’ve said. “The . . . dude?” He shakes his head. “If you take too long, we will have to leave without you.”
“Geez I get it already. Now let’s get our girl.”
He considers me, weighing me, sizing me up, and I don’t like it. In fact, now I really am pissed. Finally he lets go and I can’t resist giving my jacket a snap and rolling my shoulders in a show of bravado.
Horonius steps aside and gestures right this way.
I step forward only to discover myself standing on the edge of a very steep cliff. I look across from me, left and right. No Desi.
“She’s not here, dude. Are you messing with me?”
“She is there.”
“And I’m telling you she isn’t. Look for yourself.” I step to the side and imitate his earlier take a look for yourself mojo. I’m tired and scared out of my mind and I so don’t have patience for the dog-dude’s games.
And then:
What if we can’t find her?
Horonius jumps from narrow ledge to narrow ledge, faster and faster, peering into every crevice, every nook and cranny. “She has to be here.” His voice slips out of his normal zen-like detachment, rising with a panic I can totally relate to. He even kneels and looks beneath the ledge.
“Well, do you see her?”
He finally stops and stands, pressing himself to the rock wall. “I do not.” Now I’m even more scared than before because . . . we’re going to fail. Desi isn’t here. Maybe she’s dead after all. And if this place can kill someone like Desi—what the hell is it going to do to me?
Horonius pushes away from the wall, jumps to the ledge beside me and brushes past in a hurry. “Perhaps I misstepped. We must have already passed where she is imprisoned.” He strides away and I hurry to follow.
He disappears around a corner so I move into a jog to catch up, and plow into his back again. It’s like running into a brick wall. “What the hell?”
Horonius holds his hands out to his sides, keeping me back, keeping me behind him. But I can see in front of him—and I see the strangest sight. A woman stands in the corridor, holding a lantern up high.
“Ohhh goodie!” she says. She’s as pale as the bat-dragon that attacked me, with hair that splays out around her face like a halo. And she
I feel like we’ve been running forever until I plow into Horonius, as his human self, standing at the end of the hallway. He is about my height, but way prettier, and with his arms folded I have to admit he pretty much rocks my Grateful Dead shirt.
“You are unwieldy,” he says.
“Hey, now.” I brace my hands against my thighs and to catch my breath. “I’m a little out of my element, ya know.”
I look up, but he doesn’t reply.
“Are we there?”
He stares at me for a moment more before nodding his head almost reluctantly. His eyes regard me warily.
“Well then get the hell out of my way—let’s get her out of here!” I make to shove past him, but he stops me. He holds my arm with a force that would put any heavyweight boxer to shame. There’d be no getting out of that guy’s vice grip unless he wanted me to.
“Before you . . . get her out of there . . . I must warn you.”
I shrug, hoping he’ll take the hint and let go, but he doesn’t.
“You made a promise to the Ferryman, and that is a price you will have to pay alone. Do you understand?”
I don’t, but I nod my head anyway. I don’t even remember it, but whatever it is can’t be that bad.
“We will try to wait, but will not be able to wait long—we will need to get the young mistress out of here as quickly as possible. We cannot delay.”
“I get it” My voice rises with a distinctly I’m pissed off tenor. “So I’ll do what the old Ferryman dude wants me to do and we’ll hightail it on outta here. Got it.”
Horonius quirks his head, like he can’t make sense of what I’ve said. “The . . . dude?” He shakes his head. “If you take too long, we will have to leave without you.”
“Geez I get it already. Now let’s get our girl.”
He considers me, weighing me, sizing me up, and I don’t like it. In fact, now I really am pissed. Finally he lets go and I can’t resist giving my jacket a snap and rolling my shoulders in a show of bravado.
Horonius steps aside and gestures right this way.
I step forward only to discover myself standing on the edge of a very steep cliff. I look across from me, left and right. No Desi.
“She’s not here, dude. Are you messing with me?”
“She is there.”
“And I’m telling you she isn’t. Look for yourself.” I step to the side and imitate his earlier take a look for yourself mojo. I’m tired and scared out of my mind and I so don’t have patience for the dog-dude’s games.
And then:
What if we can’t find her?
Horonius jumps from narrow ledge to narrow ledge, faster and faster, peering into every crevice, every nook and cranny. “She has to be here.” His voice slips out of his normal zen-like detachment, rising with a panic I can totally relate to. He even kneels and looks beneath the ledge.
“Well, do you see her?”
He finally stops and stands, pressing himself to the rock wall. “I do not.” Now I’m even more scared than before because . . . we’re going to fail. Desi isn’t here. Maybe she’s dead after all. And if this place can kill someone like Desi—what the hell is it going to do to me?
Horonius pushes away from the wall, jumps to the ledge beside me and brushes past in a hurry. “Perhaps I misstepped. We must have already passed where she is imprisoned.” He strides away and I hurry to follow.
He disappears around a corner so I move into a jog to catch up, and plow into his back again. It’s like running into a brick wall. “What the hell?”
Horonius holds his hands out to his sides, keeping me back, keeping me behind him. But I can see in front of him—and I see the strangest sight. A woman stands in the corridor, holding a lantern up high.
“Ohhh goodie!” she says. She’s as pale as the bat-dragon that attacked me, with hair that splays out around her face like a halo. And she
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