by Norris Black
Without a word Dagda climbed the ladder, hooking a leg around one of the rungs for stability and grabbed the ring with both hands to turn it. Unlike the ancient wheels below, once started it spun smoothly. After about the fifth revolution, a couple of wet drops stuck me from where I was watching from below. I pawed the water from my face and gave the wetness a sniff. The stench was horrible. And familiar. A creeping suspicion came over me and I spun back to my companion with a shout.
"Dagda! Wait—" The warning came too late. With one more spin the hatch came loose, swinging down on its hinges, and a torrent of sewer water followed.
I grabbed the ladder and held on tight as the rush of water threatened to sweep me from the ledge. Opening my mouth to call out to Dagda only earned me a mouthful of toilet water for my troubles and I choked at the rotten smell.
The impromptu waterfall abated and left the pair of us sodden and a lot more aromatic than when we started out.
"I think it's safe to say you found the sewer."
"You like to state the obvious a lot, don't you? I'm not sure why you think that's helpful." She had a point, I tended to crack wise when I was nervous, and that strange underground ghost town with its brass trees had my nerves on edge. That's not even counting all the brushes with death I'd endured lately, up to and including nearly being flushed off a cliff's edge to be smashed on the unforgiving stone floor far below.
Dagda disappeared through the hatch, giving the all clear for me to follow a moment later. The concrete tunnel we found ourselves in was of much more modern construction.
"There should be a ladder up to street level around here somewhere," I said. "I don't know about you, but I'm in serious need of some fresh air." It was like trying to breathe through a wet towel down here and the smell was making my stomach roil.
Something Dagda had said earlier suddenly popped into my mind and I whipped the beam of my flashlight back and forth, trying to pierce the shadows at either end.
Dagda watched my frantic motions with bemusement. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Nothing. Just you know, checking to make sure... nothing," I mumbled as I stopped the search, but checked to make sure the Boxer was still safe in its holster.
"Were you looking for dragons?"
"We just killed something that looked like a caterpillar fucked a bucket of nightmares. I don't think a little caution is out of the question."
Dagda laughed. It was the first time I had heard her do so. It was such a welcome sound after all the horror and pain we had experienced as of late, I didn't even mind it was at my expense. "Dragons," she said, still chuckling to herself as she started off down the tunnel.
As expected, we came to a ladder leading up to a round storm drain cover soon enough. Within minutes, we were standing with feet firmly planted on blacktop asphalt. I took in a deep breath, arms wide to embrace our freedom from the city's bowels. The hot garbage smell that permeated all of Crash City never smelled so sweet.
"Where to now?" asked Dagda.
I walked over to the nearest corner and was shocked to discover how far we had traveled from Rowe's nightclub. "We should check in with Mara to give her an update on what went down at the Crowe's Nest and figure out where we go from there. Before that though, we should get cleaned up. I've tracked in enough blood and mud at Mara's this past week already as it is. I know a place nearby where we can knock at least some of the smell off."
The place was as I had left it, discarded take-out food containers and all. In truth, I had forgotten how bad it looked and was suddenly regretting allowing another person to see it.
"I think homeless people have been squatting here," said Dagda as she surveyed the dumpster fire that was my apartment.
"No... just me."
"Oh."
"I'd had a rough year, okay."
"I didn't say anything."
I scowled at her. "There's a thrift store down the block, I should be able to pick you up a change of clothes while you get showered. Speaking of which, bathroom's through there. The shower works but the hot water takes a full two minutes to kick in, so don't keep turning the temperature up just because you find the water chilly. That's a good way to get scalded when it does finally kick in. You have to give it time to warm up before adjusting it."
Dagda wandered off to the bathroom as I set about digging through my pile of laundry for anything cleaner than what I was currently wearing, with little success. The telltale sound of the shower was followed a few minutes later by a startled shout and what I'm certain was a muffled curse.
"You have to give it time!" I yelled.
By the time I got back from the thrift store with a change of clothes for both of us, Dagda had finished her shower. I found her in my bedroom, staring out the window with a towel wrapped around her. My face reddened as I set the clothes down on top of the snarled tangle of sheets covering my bed. With my foot I nudged a pair of dirty underwear laying on the floor out of sight and under the bed before turning to face the open bedroom doorway. When traipsing around monster-infested cave systems it was easy to forget Dagda was, in fact, an attractive young woman. One who didn't need me leering at her.
"So, this is where it all began," she said. It was then I realized she was looking at the remains of where my name had been drawn in ash on the brick wall opposite the window. We'd had little rain in the last week, so I suspect it was still quite visible. I had no interest in confirming that.
"Yeah. Fucking Tuesday's, right?" Without waiting for a response, I took my newly purchased clothes and hit the shower myself. By the time I was ready to go Dagda was wearing the dark gray long-sleeve shirt and brilliant blue slacks I had picked up for her. She was busy wiping down her long coat with a dampened rag.
"Sorry about the colors, I know you Seraph are partial to white, but they didn't have much to choose from in your size."
She shrugged and continued her work. "These hold up surprisingly well," she said holding up the coat and looking it over. Outside of a handful of small brown stains, that could've been either blood or shit, it looked almost new.
"That's why I wear them." I saw she had already given mine a thorough cleaning. "Thanks for that."
The sun had risen while we were still underground, and the city was already in full swing. We grabbed a cab across town to pick up the Marauder. Speed was more important than keeping a low profile now. Besides, neither Rowe nor the Seraph were actively hunting me anymore, and so far, Ralph had been operating almost exclusively at night. If the assault on the Crowe's Nest was any indicator he was growing in strength and boldness, but I was gambling he wasn't quite ready for a full parade down Main Street. At least not yet.
"We should report back to the Seraph," ventured Dagda as we made the drive to Five Points Plaza.
"I don't see any point in that. Despite how big and bad you and your knights in shining armor are, it's clear they're ill-equipped to deal with this. Or did you miss the fact most of Ralph's army is made up of converted Seraph?"
"What then? Rowe was a dead end—"
"Quite literally."
"Not funny. As I was saying, we're no further ahead than when we first started."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that. Rowe said something that caught my attention, I doubt even he knew how important it was."
"What was it?"
"How about we wait till we get to Mara's place. There's something important that needs to happen before I'm ready to share with the class."
"What happens at Mara's?"
"I'm going to make a deal with a daemon."
Chapter 23
There are a few things you need to understand about daemons. They scare the living shit out of me.
I guess it's just the one thing really.
Which is why my reaction to leaving the daemon possessed gun at Mara’s had been so strange. You would think I'd be glad to be rid of it, and I was. But here's the thing, I missed it too. There was a hook in my gut and now and then I'd feel a tug on it. When I did, I'd
reach for the revolver that was no longer in my coat pocket and get hit with a wave of bone-deep sadness when I realized it wasn't there, immediately followed by a powerful urge to go get it. In some ways this wasn't new territory for me. I was no stranger to addiction. Speaking of which.
"Any chance of getting a whiskey?" Judging by Mara's disapproving glare, complete with fists on hips, I suspected the chances of my request being fulfilled were either slim or none. It was to my surprise when she stomped off before returning a few moments with a bottle full of amber liquid and three crystal tumblers. She slammed them down on the table so hard I feared they'd shatter.
"If we're going to do this fool headed thing, we might as well all be a little drunk. At least then we'd have an excuse for being idiots." She poured herself a glass and slammed it back in one gulp. She then poured herself a second before filling a glass for both Dagda and I.
"None for me please," said Dagda with a pained expression on her face. "I didn't really enjoy my last experience. I mean I did at first, a lot, but then I really really didn't."
"Fine," said Mara as she downed her second drink and then Dagda's as well.
I stepped over and grabbed mine before it too disappeared down the petite wych's throat, "Look, Mara, I'm not any happier about it than you are, but I don't have—"
"A lot of options, yes yes, I heard you the first time you said it."
"I'd like to state, yet again, my objection to this." Dagda had been shocked when I explained what exactly I had intended to do. Dealing with daemons on any level was frowned upon by the Seraph, and the only thing keeping her from forcibly putting a stop to the whole thing was whatever instructions her superiors had given her when they partnered us up.
I waved off her objection. "Again, noted." I took a sip of my drink as I squared off with Mara. "You know I'm right on this."
Mara grimaced as she finished off her drink. "Fine, but if your soul gets rent to shreds don't say I didn't warn you,"
"If my soul gets rent to shreds, I don't expect I'll be saying a lot of anything."
"Oh, you will be, but most of it will be incomprehensible screams."
Such a comforting thought.
Mara brought out a small wooden box wrapped in heavy iron bands, each strip of dark metal covered with engraved sigils. With a word, the bands snapped open allowing her to lift the lid and expose the silver sigil-etched revolver resting within.
"I don't have a binding table to use anymore so you're going to have to communicate with it through the gun, and I can offer you no protection. You need to understand that."
As I looked down at the possessed firearm, my heart raced and sweat beaded on my forehead. The hook in my gut tugged stronger than ever, warring with the fear of knowing the daemon could pull me out of my body and make me its plaything and there was nothing I could do to stop it. It was like willfully putting my head into a bear trap. I stretched my shaking hand forward, inching towards the handle of the gun. As I grew closer, so too did the pull. It was like invisible hands reached out from the box and grasped my forearms in an iron spectral grip, drawing my hand ever downward.
Louie meowed, breaking the quiet of the room along with my concentration.
"Fallen's balls Louie, don't do that!" I said as I snatched my hand back. The giant black and white cat had plopped himself down on Dagda's lap as soon as she had settled into one of Mara's numerous cushions and had proceeded to demand lots of pets. The Seraph had been so focused on me she had stopped petting the cat, which was a great injustice as far as Louie saw things.
I turned back to the gun, took a deep breath, and plunged my hand into the box.
"Well hey there partner, I was wondering where you'd gotten off to." The soft voice of Parakas, as always, sounded like someone standing at my shoulder and whispering into my ear.
"I'm not your partner."
"After all we've been through together? Such a hurtful thing to say. Ah, but I see you've found another partner to replace me. I can't say as I blame you, though I think she might be a little out of your league."
"It's not like that," I said, realizing belatedly the others in the room were only hearing my half of the conversation.
Parakas sniffed. "Is that antediluvian I smell? Why Gideon, have you been crawling around in the dark places of the earth? Such a brave man. You'd better hope none of the Dwellers catch scent of your trail."
I thought of the strange underground city with the brass trees. I was tempted to ask what he meant about Dwellers but as my father always said, 'don't ask for a second helping of trouble until you've cleaned your plate'. Of course, that was one of the few pieces of advice he never followed himself.
"Let's cut the shit alright? I want to offer you a deal," I said.
"A deal?" I had the distinct impression of ears perking up. "Now that's a language I do love to speak. What kind of deal are we proposing here?"
"Mara here will release you from your prison and send you home to the wyrd." I felt an excitement so intense the gun practically thrummed in my hand. I took a deep breath and then said the second part. "In exchange, I want to talk to your boss."
The revolver went still. "Are you sure you want to do that?" asked Parakas, his tone unreadable.
"Do we have a deal or not?"
A long moment passed before the daemon responded. "We have a deal." Those words were followed by a peculiar sound, like someone slamming a stamp down on a piece of paper.
"Alright," I said as I looked around the room. "Is... is he just going to pop up somewhere?"
I heard a breezy chuckle in my ear. "Oh no, he's not some dog that comes when I whistle. I will have to take you to him. You're going to want to be sitting down for this, and be sure to tell these lovely ladies that, no matter what, you cannot let go of the gun. If you do, I won't be able to return you to your body."
"What do you mean, 'return me to my body'?" I asked as a creeping dread washed over me.
"Gideon," said Dagda, the warning in her voice clear.
"I can't take your physical body silly. I have to take your mind. Don't fret, I'll return it not the worse for wear... though, given your mind, how would you even tell?"
Taking a seat on the ruffian cushion I rested the hand gripping the gun on my lap in a way that was secure even if I were to fall asleep. I looked back and forth from Mara to Dagda, seeing concern in both amber and emerald eyes. Concern for me. I would've been touched if I wasn't too busy being terrified.
"He's agreed, and he's going to take my consciousness to go have a little parlay with the boss. He says in order for me to make it back, the gun has to stay in my hand, so no moving me about." I gave a stern look at Louie who appeared to be dozing now on Dagda's lap. "And keep an eye on him. The last thing I need is for the furball to decide he wants a new lap to warm and picks mine."
"You have an hour," said Mara. "If you're not back by then I will find a way to come in there and get you. Trust me when I say no one is going to enjoy that, especially your little, green-skinned friend."
"Tell the little lady there that I don't much appreciate threats," said Parakas.
"Buddy, if you think that was a threat you don't know Mara Valentine. That was about as ironclad a promise as you're ever going to get. Of course, that doesn't matter because you will be bringing me back to my body, right? Right?"
"A deal is a deal."
"Good. Great. Fine." I took a deep breath. "Let's get this over with."
I had the odd sensation of falling away from my body, like a giant hole had opened up beneath my seat. Light narrowed to a pinprick then disappeared completely. Before I knew it I was standing instead of sitting, a familiar urban wasteland spread out before me.
"I fucking knew it."
"I've been waiting for you," said the toothy apparition that had been haunting my every move for the past week. I had been calling it a 'he' for convenience, but neither look nor voice gave any indication if it was a he or a she, or if indeed either one.
I didn't
enjoy game playing under the best of conditions, and these were far from the best of conditions. "I think it's time for some straight talk. You set me up. Something put that ritual in Rowe's head through a dream. The ritual that set loose whatever that fucking thing is that's been tearing up the city. That same thing that has a murder hard-on for yours truly here for some gods damned reason, by the way. Considering the only dream-traipsing asshole I know of is you, well, that does lead one to a certain conclusion doesn't it?"
"Is that the conclusion you've come to?" There was something different in its voice this time around. It was masking it well, but pain and I were old friends and I could spot it a mile away.
"For a minute there, yeah it was. But then, why intervene when I was trapped under a re-animated corpse in the Underground? Without that, I would've died right then and there. Then, you stick me with a little imp bodyguard in, from what I've been told, a complete violation of the rules of magic."
"I wouldn't call it a violation, more like a revision. I'm the one who wrote the laws in the first place after all."
Interesting, I made a mental note of that before continuing. "So, I'm going to start flinging darts at the board and you let me know which ones stick, alright? This creature, the one inside Raggedy Ralph, it's like you, isn't it? The first time you brought me here you called him your brother, and that's truer than you let on. It’s what sent Rowe that dream. How am I doing so far?"
The Thing With Many Teeth stood silent.
"I thought so. This thing puts an idea in Rowe's head, a ritual that'll give him the power to topple the Seraph. However, that's not what it does, it was the key to a prison the crow-faced idiot was tricked into turning. So out pops Banana Bus, or whatever the hells its real name is, and into our poor friend Raggedy Ralph. Cue never-ending terror for the city in general and for me in particular."
