by Brux, Boone
“Please tell me you guys just saw an elephant,” I said. If they hadn’t, I seriously needed psychiatric help and heavy medication.
“Yep,” Nate said, resting his hand on my shoulder. “And it was wearing a yellow and black tutu.”
“Okay, good.” I inhaled. “You don’t think he’s got other wild animals roaming around in there…” I swallowed hard. “Do you?”
“Let’s hope not.” Mara stepped behind Cam, gripping his upper arms. “But just in case, you go first.”
“This job keeps getting better and better,” Nate muttered.
We crept forward, but stopped at the entrance and poked our heads out. For my part, if this was a designated elephant crossing, I wanted to stop, look, and listen before charging into the room. With no pachyderms in sight, we inched forward.
My mind knew I was in the Venetian hotel, but my eyes could have sworn we’d been transported to a sultan’s palace. Gleaming, white marble floors stretched down arched corridors—corridors that physically couldn’t fit at the top of a hotel. White stone pillars soared upward, and disappeared into the cosmic ceiling.
“This is a lot bigger than my room,” I said. “However, I did get a nice bar of soap.”
Mara’s laugh came out as a snort.
“It sounds like the party is this direction.” Cam pointed toward the arched hall to the left. “I hear music.”
We skirted a peacock that had wandered into our path, and followed the music. The din increased, the sound of voices blending with the heavy beat of techno dance music. At the end of the walkway stretched a massive room. Already dozens of corporeal people and even more ghosts were there, mixing and mingling, as if the living and the dead socializing was the most natural thing in the world. A section of the room had been claimed as a dance floor. Bodies, both solid and translucent, bobbed up and down to the beat.
I flicked my head toward the dancers. “Well, that’s something you don’t see every day.”
“I think just about everything here we wouldn’t ever see,” Nate said. “Let’s find Charon and start schmoosing.”
The male servants were tall and thin, their skin the deepest black. Each one wore a short white skirt held in place with a wide gold belt, and carried trays loaded with drinks and food. I snagged a small square of chocolate from one of the trays and popped it in my mouth.
“Oh my giddy aunt, that’s good.” I jogged after the server and commandeered three more pieces. Then walked back. “Best chocolate ever.”
Nate gave me a look of irritation, but I ignored him. I never pass up good chocolate. We waded into the room, passing various entertainers, a fire-breather, belly dancers dressed like genies, jugglers, acrobats, and a guy with a monkey wearing a tutu. Though when the guy took the monkey onto the dance floor, I figured he was probably a guest and not an entertainer after all. Exotic birds perched on orange trees, and several deer pranced around the space, their hooves clacking on the marble. And I knew somewhere lurked a gigantic, hat-wearing elephant.
“There. Charon.” Mara pointed to the far wall. “Surrounded by his admirers, as usual.”
Dressed in purple and black velvet lounge pants and what looked like a black pirate shirt, he reclined on a gold velvet beanbag chair. To his left sprawled a scantily clad, well-endowed brunette, and between his legs stood a three-foot-tall hookah pipe. He took a long draw on the metal tip. Smoke billowed inside the green glass belly of the pipe, and then circled around his head when he slowly exhaled. His glassy gaze traveled over us and a lazy grin spread across his face.
“My friends, you made it.” He motioned to a group of large square cushions and beanbags. “Come, sit.”
Not knowing how long we’d be there, I opted for one of the huge beanbags so I’d be comfortable. Nate dropped beside me, nudging me over. I glared at him. “There are other cushions you could sit on.”
“No, this is good,” he said, laying his arm across the back behind my head. “Cozy.”
I scooted over a couple of inches. “Weirdo.”
Cam sat next to Mara, and she gave him the same irritated glare, but he didn’t move. If I didn’t know better, I’d say our partners had made a secret pact not to let Mara and I out of their sight. I guess I couldn’t blame them. They liked being in charge, and the fact that they hadn’t been invited to the meeting with Tabris had probably dented their egos.
I sniffed. Whatever was in the pipe smelled like cloves and burning leaves. The smoke settled around us, heavy and thick, at first making me dizzy, and then just gave me a headache. This is one of the reasons I never smoked pot in high school. While everybody else was feeling groovy, I fell asleep, nursing a headache. Back then it was a bummer. Tonight though, I was happy for the headache. It kept me focused on our goal.
The loud music made it difficult to talk and as the night wore on, the more stoned and inebriated Charon became. I couldn’t imagine spending eternity doing this. What a waste.
“Let’s dance.” Nate stood and pulled me to my feet before I could protest. He dragged me against his body and put his mouth next to my ear. “When we come back, sit next to Charon and see if you can make progress with him.”
My heartbeat quickened and I found it difficult to focus on what Nate was saying. I couldn’t help it. I always turned into a complete girl when a guy held me like that, even if just for show. Nate’s gentle grip on my arms made me feel safe, as if he had everything under control. His intimate whisper brushed against my ear and sent in pleasant tingles down my neck. The way my body pressed against his made me want to lean in even more, which was ridiculous, because he was Nate, the partner who more often than not thought I was a doofus.
“Okay,” my agreement rasped from me.
I let him lead me to the dance floor and pulled my hand from his. The music pounded, the bass louder than the rest of the melody. People and ghosts flailed about, and one blond head in particular bounced up and down to the beat. Tandy had been a party girl in life and was still rocking it in the afterlife.
It had been a long time since I’d danced anywhere besides alone in my living room, and I had to mentally command my feet to move. Nate shuffled from side to side, keeping his steps contained to a three-foot area. Eventually, Mara and Cam joined us, but both seemed to actually be enjoying dancing. Mara’s hips swayed, and she did that sexy move women with confidence do, swooping their hands up and under her hair, and then locked her arms over her head. Cam reached and pulled Mara to him. She touched her forehead to his, and lowered her arms over his head and neck before backing up.
I knew flirting when I saw it, and sparks were definitely flying between the angel and demon. I’d never asked Mara about her and Cam, figuring their relationship was a lot like Nate’s and mine. From the way Cam was watching her move, there was more to their story. Or maybe they were just high from whatever was in the hookah pipe.
The song ended. Pretending to be tipsy, I stumbled toward Charon, and dropped onto the beanbag next to him. When he looked at me, I gave him a dreamy smile. “Hi.”
“Leeeeeeesa, my reaper.” He snorted at his own joke. “Are you enjoying my party?”
I gave him my best eyes-closed, bobble-headed nod, complete with a dopey grin. “I’m having the best time.” Then I sobered. “But you really need to hire somebody to follow that elephant around with a pooper-scooper.”
It took about five seconds for my suggestion to register. Then Charon burst out laughing, his head falling back to rest against the chair. “A big pooper-scooper.” His arm slid down the swell of gold velvet, and he patted me hard on the back several times. “I like you, Lis.”
“I like you too, Char.” I propped my elbow on the beanbag and rested my cheek against my hand. “Can I call you Char? We’re friends now, right?” I slurred my words a little. “Actually, we’re family. Sure it’s like eleventy-million times removed, but we’re still related.” I poked him in the chest. “I should call you Grandpa.”
“You can call me Char, but not Grand
pa.” His brow pinched together. “That makes me sound old.”
“Okay, only Char.” I smiled at him.
His eyes peered somewhere around my forehead area before drifting downward to waver on my face. It took a second before he focused on my eyes and then smiled. “Did I tell you I like you?”
“You did,” I said, nodding once.
“You’re not like the other reapers. You’re fun.”
“You’re fun, too.” I tapped him on the chest again and then let my hand splay across it. “And I understand.”
He squinted at me. “What do you understand?”
“Why you want to retire.” I toyed with the lace dangling from the neck of his shirt. “Same thing day after day. Up and down the same river. It probably got boring.”
“No.” He waved a finger back and forth. “The job was good. I was my own boss, great pay, but I got no respect from anybody.” Turning his hand, he pointed to himself. “I was the one who saved the day when Thanatos screwed up, but did anybody say ‘Thanks, Charon. We appreciate you stepping in?’ No, they didn’t.”
“That really sucks.” Even though I had a job to do I actually understood how he felt. Being a mother had a lot of the same qualities. Always putting out fires, saving the day, doing the icky stuff nobody wanted to do, and getting little to no thanks. I nodded, my fingers patting his chest. “You deserve some kudos.” If I could get him talking, maybe he’d let something slip we could use. “Well, let me be the first. Thank you, Charon, for taking over the ferry and fixing a bad situation.”
“You’re welcome.” He grinned but his gaze veered to the side of my head, and then back. “Thanks for saying so. You’re the only one who has so far.” He held up his hands and shrugged. “Is a little appreciation too much to ask?”
“No.”
“Is an atta-boy too difficult to manage every century or so?”
I shook my head. “Absolutely not.”
“That’s all I want.” He shrugged again. “A little respect.”
“You know what I say, Char?” I leaned in. “Fuck’em.” Sometime the F-bomb is the only word that will do. This was one of those times. I waved my free arm in a big arc. “Fuck ’em all.”
“Yeah.” He imitated me, nearly smacking me in the face when his arc swung wide. “They don’t deserve me.”
“Let somebody else run the ferry.” I pounded the beanbag chair, denting the velvet. “They can deal with all the headaches and disrespect.”
He waved his hand a couple of inches in front of my face, making me rear back. “I told you,” he said in an abnormally high voice. “There is nobody else.”
“Well, I did hear the board bantering around the possibility of giving the job to your brother again,” I lied, wanting to see his reaction.
Charon sobered and narrowed his gaze on me. “Thanatos?”
“Who cares?” For emphasis, I smacked the hump between us. “You’re not going to take this disrespect anymore.”
All the joy of being retired seemed to evaporate. Charon glowered at a spot across the room, and I could almost hear the wheels of his plan screeching to a stop. I glanced at Nate and gave him the let’s get out of here head flick.
“Time to go.” Nate crawled off the cushion and stood, holding his hands out to me. “Come on. You, too.”
“Now?” I groaned, dragging it out for effect. “But I was having fun.”
“We’ve got early classes in the morning.”
“All right.” Slapping my hands into his, I let Nate haul me to my feet. “Great party, Char. Thanks for inviting us.” He squinted up, but I could see he wasn’t paying attention, or maybe he was more out of it than I thought.
With a shrug, I strode away, fairly certain Charon hadn’t noticed or didn’t care. Falling in behind us, Mara and Cam followed to the elevator.
Once sealed inside, Nate pushed the lobby button and turned to us. “Well, that was interesting?”
“Did you get anything from Charon?” Mara asked.
“I don’t think he actually meant to stay retired. He hasn’t signed the retirement contract, doesn’t seem to be in a hurry, and sure wasn’t happy when I said Hal’s name had been bantered around as a possibility for a ferryman.”
Cam’s brows lifted. “Did they?”
“No.” I grinned. “But Charon doesn’t know that. Even if he’s determined to follow through with his decision now, we might be able to manipulate him into going back to work by making him jealous.” I scrunched up my face. “I’m just saying, he seems a tad shallow.”
“It’s a long shot,” Mara said, “but I’m willing to try anything at this point.”
The door opened onto the lobby and the three of us got out, needing to catch different elevators for their floors. “I think I’ll head to bed.” I gave Mara a pointed stare. “I’m in room twenty-six-nineteen, so this is my elevator.”
“We could all meet for breakfast in the morning.” The stress she put on “meet” let me know she understood to come to my room. “What time do classes start?”
“Nine,” said Nate, the convention nerd.
“How about eight o’clock in the lobby. We can decide where we want to eat then,” she said.
“Sounds good.” Cam punched the button of the elevator directly across from mine. “Coming, Mara?”
“Yep.” She climbed in the elevator and as the door shut, gave me a single nod.
Stepping back into the car, I gave a quick wave. “See you in the morning.”
“Night.” Nate continued to watch me as the door closed.
Did he know something was up? Suspicious, maybe, but he had no idea Mara and I were about to take command of the U.S.S. Styx, and several thousand souls. Boy, I sure hoped we weren’t going to screw this up.
Chapter Ten
Where was Mara? Twenty minutes had passed since we’d parted in the lobby. Maybe I’d misread the signals and she hadn’t agreed to come to my room after all. I picked up my phone, getting ready to text her when a knock sounded on my door.
Not checking the peephole, I yanked the door open. Relief washed over me. “I didn’t think you were coming.”
“I couldn’t get away from Cam.” Mara pushed past me into the room. “Suddenly he was Mr. Get-in-touch-with-his-feelings and wanted to talk.” She spun to face me. “Whatever Charon was smoking messed Cam up.”
“I think it might have affected Nate, too, but I feel fine.” I closed the door, bolting it and swinging the bar across. “Either that or he’s suspicious. He just stood there, staring at me until the elevator closed.”
“Well, we can’t worry about them now.” She glanced at the clock. “Midnight, we’d better get moving.”
“Yeah, we have a long night ahead of us.” The twenty minutes I’d spent sitting on the comfortable bed, waiting for Mara, allowed my exhaustion to catch hold. But now that she was here, my energy rallied. “Hal, we’re ready.”
In a rare show of punctuality, the thin beam of light appeared a second later, elongating into a door. The tension between my shoulders eased a bit. Knowing Hal was cooperating relieved some of the stress from our overwhelming task.
When the door slid open, he stood, clad in head-to-toe black. “Ladies, your chariot awaits.”
Mara looked at me and smirked. “You’ve got to admit, he’s got style.”
“Yeah.” I strode forward into the elevator. “Among other things.” She followed me in, and within seconds we were winging our way to the river. “Any words of advice, Hal?”
He folded his arms over his chest. “Don’t pick up hitchhikers.”
“I didn’t know that was an option,” I said. “Anything else?”
“Don’t forget to look up every once in a while.”
“Okay, good advice.” Despite the odd nature of his suggestions, I took them to heart. “Another question—how many souls can we ferry at one time?”
“The ferry will know.”
“What does that mean exactly?” At this point in the ga
me I needed more than cryptic answers.
“It means what I said.” He tipped his chin down and gazed at me over his pair of square black sunglasses. “Let the ferry do its job and you’ll be fine.”
The urge to argue crept up my throat and stuck. Of course he didn’t give me a straight answer. As a whole, I think paranormal beings liked speaking in riddles or vague references. “So, don’t pick up hitchhikers, look up every so often, and let the ferry do its job.” I made a checkmark in the air. “Got it.”
My stomach did a loopy-loop and the elevator slowed to a stop. “We’re here.” Hal glided forward and the door slid open. “Watch your step.” We exited the car and started down the steep stone steps. “Ladies,” Hal called. When we turned back, he propped his shoulder against the doorframe and gave us his most wicked grin. “Have fun.”
With that, he eased backward into the car and the door shut, the elevator compressing into a thin pink line before vanishing. I shook my head and continued down the steps. At the arch we both slowed. I really didn’t want to be blown off my feet again. Trusting that we’d already been vetted, I took a breath and walked under.
When nothing happened Mara followed, also without incident. She sauntered toward me way more confidently than earlier, when she’d practically tiptoed under the arch. “No problem.”
“Chicken.”
“Cautious,” she countered.
The riverbank looked the same, millions of spirits wedged tightly together, only this time their grumbling was a lot louder and terser. They shouted questions at us as we made our way to the ferry. Instead of answering all of them, I figured I’d address everybody at once when we were about to board.
Thankful to be away from the mob, we climbed up the ladder and onto the deck. “Let’s do a quick check that everything is ready.”
Mara arched a brow. “And how do we know what we’re looking for?”
“I don’t know.” I waved my hand absently. “Frayed lines, holes in the hull, stowaways. Anything that looks off.”
