barely contained the vibrating energy in her core.
Anthony spoke. “Well, everything in the fridge is bad. There’s cereal—oh, no, there’s no cereal. It’s really stale. Well, do you like vegetables? They’re canned, so they should still be okay.”
“What kind of vegetables?”
“There’s green beans, and…yeah, just green beans.”
“That’s gross,” Nathaniel said.
“I’ll open it anyway. It’s all that’s left.” Drawers opened and closed. Metal rattled. “So tell me again how you got to Reno.”
“I took an airplane to Salt Lake City. And then I caught a ride on a truck heading toward Fernley.”
“Are you alone?”
“Yes,” said the boy.
“What makes you think that James and your mom got taken to Hell?” Anthony asked.
“Grandma told Grandpa that James was going to visit. She was really excited, so I heard them talking about it. My mom left to get him from the airport a couple of days ago, and they never made it back to the house.”
That made Elise stop pacing. She peered into the kitchen again.
Nathaniel peeled the wrapper of another granola bar open. There were already three of them scattered across the counter top, and the empty box lay on its side. “I had felt a portal to Hell open, so I did a seeking spell and couldn’t find them. They’ve been taken. I know it.”
He popped the rest of the granola bar into his mouth.
“You felt a portal to Hell open,” Elise said.
He nodded. His cheek was pouched with food. “That’s what I’m good at—interdimensional manipulation.” Nathaniel swallowed. The slurping of saliva and responding swoosh of stomach acid was thunderous in Elise’s ears. “I’m only the second witch on record that can do it. Pretty cool, huh? It means that I can jump into Hell if I have the right tools—I did it once before, on accident. But once I get there, I’m going to need help to save my mom and James.”
His neurons were flashing, too, and his brain was full of color and light. It was all bright. Uncomplicated. Elise wouldn’t have known how to spot a lie, but he didn’t seem suspicious.
“So you came looking for me,” she said.
“Pretty much.”
“How did you even know where to find Elise?” Anthony asked. His brain wasn’t quite so uncomplicated. He had chosen to sit down between Elise and Nathaniel, just in case she tried to attack the child. She would have been offended if she hadn’t been worried about doing the same thing.
“My mom doesn’t talk about James—ever. But the rest of the coven talks.” Nathaniel’s face brightened. “He’s bound to the most powerful kopis in the world because he’s the most powerful witch in the world. He saves people. So I asked Landon—the high priest—where I could find James’s kopis, and he wouldn’t tell me. But Landon has journals. I read them.” Nathaniel touched the notebook sticking out of his pocket. “That’s also how I learned paper magic. My grandaunt, Pamela—she invented it before she died. She had a lot of journals, too. I learned a lot of things that nobody wanted to teach me.”
That was less surprising. Elise had stayed with Pamela for a few months, and the main thing she remembered about that woman was that she wrote everything down— everything . She put James’s meticulous level of organization to shame.
“How certain are you that James and your mom are in Hell?” Elise asked.
“One hundred percent.”
Elise and Anthony exchanged glances. His suspicion had been replaced by panic. Fear.
She made up her mind about what to do, even as he came to the complete opposite decision.
Anthony must have seen what she was thinking on her face, because he started shaking his head. “No, Elise. No. That’s a really, really bad idea.”
“What’s a bad idea?” Nathaniel asked.
Elise strode toward the hallway, pushing Anthony’s trepidation out of her mind.
“I’m going to Hell,” she said. “And James’s son is going to take me there.”
B
Anthony spoke. “Well, everything in the fridge is bad. There’s cereal—oh, no, there’s no cereal. It’s really stale. Well, do you like vegetables? They’re canned, so they should still be okay.”
“What kind of vegetables?”
“There’s green beans, and…yeah, just green beans.”
“That’s gross,” Nathaniel said.
“I’ll open it anyway. It’s all that’s left.” Drawers opened and closed. Metal rattled. “So tell me again how you got to Reno.”
“I took an airplane to Salt Lake City. And then I caught a ride on a truck heading toward Fernley.”
“Are you alone?”
“Yes,” said the boy.
“What makes you think that James and your mom got taken to Hell?” Anthony asked.
“Grandma told Grandpa that James was going to visit. She was really excited, so I heard them talking about it. My mom left to get him from the airport a couple of days ago, and they never made it back to the house.”
That made Elise stop pacing. She peered into the kitchen again.
Nathaniel peeled the wrapper of another granola bar open. There were already three of them scattered across the counter top, and the empty box lay on its side. “I had felt a portal to Hell open, so I did a seeking spell and couldn’t find them. They’ve been taken. I know it.”
He popped the rest of the granola bar into his mouth.
“You felt a portal to Hell open,” Elise said.
He nodded. His cheek was pouched with food. “That’s what I’m good at—interdimensional manipulation.” Nathaniel swallowed. The slurping of saliva and responding swoosh of stomach acid was thunderous in Elise’s ears. “I’m only the second witch on record that can do it. Pretty cool, huh? It means that I can jump into Hell if I have the right tools—I did it once before, on accident. But once I get there, I’m going to need help to save my mom and James.”
His neurons were flashing, too, and his brain was full of color and light. It was all bright. Uncomplicated. Elise wouldn’t have known how to spot a lie, but he didn’t seem suspicious.
“So you came looking for me,” she said.
“Pretty much.”
“How did you even know where to find Elise?” Anthony asked. His brain wasn’t quite so uncomplicated. He had chosen to sit down between Elise and Nathaniel, just in case she tried to attack the child. She would have been offended if she hadn’t been worried about doing the same thing.
“My mom doesn’t talk about James—ever. But the rest of the coven talks.” Nathaniel’s face brightened. “He’s bound to the most powerful kopis in the world because he’s the most powerful witch in the world. He saves people. So I asked Landon—the high priest—where I could find James’s kopis, and he wouldn’t tell me. But Landon has journals. I read them.” Nathaniel touched the notebook sticking out of his pocket. “That’s also how I learned paper magic. My grandaunt, Pamela—she invented it before she died. She had a lot of journals, too. I learned a lot of things that nobody wanted to teach me.”
That was less surprising. Elise had stayed with Pamela for a few months, and the main thing she remembered about that woman was that she wrote everything down— everything . She put James’s meticulous level of organization to shame.
“How certain are you that James and your mom are in Hell?” Elise asked.
“One hundred percent.”
Elise and Anthony exchanged glances. His suspicion had been replaced by panic. Fear.
She made up her mind about what to do, even as he came to the complete opposite decision.
Anthony must have seen what she was thinking on her face, because he started shaking his head. “No, Elise. No. That’s a really, really bad idea.”
“What’s a bad idea?” Nathaniel asked.
Elise strode toward the hallway, pushing Anthony’s trepidation out of her mind.
“I’m going to Hell,” she said. “And James’s son is going to take me there.”
B
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