by Al K. Line
How could Mithnite sleep knowing this was hanging over him? How could he rest when his life could be snatched away? I'd be manic, unable to sleep. Fighting tooth and nail to remain. But Dancer had promised he'd find a way for him to stay, and he was a man of his word.
But that didn't stop the fact that Kim could forcibly take Mithnite, did it? Why hadn't he? Why hadn't he come and grabbed him, whisked him off back to their own strange reality? I hadn't had a chance to discuss it with Faz, had fallen asleep the moment he began to talk about it, but we needed to discuss this, and soon. I didn't know what difference it would make, but still, he was like our son. We loved him and wanted to keep him safe, so should talk more.
As if on cue, two bleary-eyed men entered the kitchen, looking like zombies. I smiled and made them coffee then we sat around the table, nobody speaking, everyone glancing this way and that, looking nervous.
"So, you're a demon," said Faz as he sipped his coffee.
"Faz!"
"What? He is, isn't he? You are, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I guess," said Mithnite morosely. "Look, Faz, we went over this, I told you what I know, what I think happened. But I'm not going back. I want to stay here, with you."
"You will," I said, giving Faz the daggers.
"Course you will, buddy. You aren't going anywhere." Faz patted Mithnite on the shoulder and smiled at him. Mithnite lifted his head and wiped at his eyes then looked at me. I nodded.
"We'll figure something out," I said. "But I've been thinking. Why did Kim come to see me, and why hasn't he been back?"
"You put Kate in a dangerous situation, Mithnite," said Faz, anger crossing his face. "Kate, did this Kim threaten you?"
"No, he just wanted Mithnite. But it was odd, that he came to me. Okay, he kind of summoned me. Why not just take him?"
"I think I might know," said Faz. "What if he can't just drag you back down there? Haha, this is so stupid, I can't believe any of this."
"Me either, it's like a bad dream." Mithnite put his head in his hands, which, under the circumstance, was fair enough.
"What if he can't take you because you're here now, a human?"
"How'd you mean?" I didn't get it. "He came for Mithnite, said he wanted him, said he was just being polite by talking to me first."
"Yes, but why?"
"No idea."
Mithnite shook his head, as much at a loss as I was.
"What if you have to say yes? What if you have to say you'll go back or he can't do a damn thing?"
"You think so? That's awesome!" Mithnite's spirits lifted immediately, but I wasn't so sure.
"Or what if he really is just a nice guy and wanted to do things the right way and tell us before he hauled Mithnite off? Sorry, but he was insistent he was going to take Mithnite."
"Damn." Mithnite was back to being miserable again.
"None of you are right, and yet all of you are," said Kim from the kitchen door.
"How did you get in?" I asked, nowhere near as surprised as I thought I'd be.
"This him?" asked Faz.
"Hello, Mithnite, it's time to go home." Kim walked into the kitchen, the twins stepped out from behind him, and the "dog" sat in the doorway. Nobody was leaving that way, that was for sure.
"Sorry, guys." Defeated, Mithnite stood and sighed.
"Time to go." Kim strode forward and the air rippled like we'd been suddenly submerged in a dark pond.
"No fucking way." Faz jumped to his feet, his eyes snapped to freakish black, and purple fire spat from his hands. Kim exploded into a million pieces of...
"Dust, it's just dust," I gasped as ash rained down in my kitchen.
Pain and More Pain
"Aah, fuck." Magic fizzled, stuttered, then stopped. Faz's hands fell limp to his sides then he slammed his head into the table. His nose burst open and blood sloshed across dusty, stained wood before he smashed into the floor, curled up in a ball, and screamed.
The twins shouted, "Daddy!" and ran around with their arms out trying to catch the ash, the dog growled but stayed put, and Mithnite stood still in shock.
I bent to Faz as he dealt with the pain, but there was nothing I could do. This was his and his alone. He twitched and sweated until the blood became pale pink mixed with sweat and tears but his breathing slowed. Unstable, he nonetheless got up with a little help, unable to stand on his own. I got him into a chair and he said, "I'll be all right, it's the first real magic I've used since Paris. Give me a moment."
He closed his eyes and took deep breaths, face a rictus of pain, and it broke my heart. This was the reality of what he'd given up for me, for us. He hurt like he was an apprentice, paying for his thievery in full. How terrible that must be after finally being able to use magic with no pain, just the joy and exultation of wielding such power, nothing but the addict's high after you'd blasted your enemy to dust.
I stepped away and looked around the room. Everything was coated in gray ash and the twins were licking their palms and grinning, dancing around to find more. They ran their hands across the counter top and rubbed each other's faces as they laughed. Not exactly the reaction you'd expect when daddy's been pulverized.
"Hey, that's rude," said Kim as he patted the dog and walked back in.
"Sorry, Dad," said Tom.
"It tastes so nice, though," said Ben.
"That's not the point. And what about him?" Kim pointed to Faz, who now had his eyes open, grimacing with the after-effects. "You should be avenging your father."
"But you aren't dead," protested Ben.
"It's the principle." Kim turned to face us as we crowded around Faz. "That wasn't very polite. I came here in good faith."
"Good faith!" panted Faz. "You want to take Mithnite away. Well, I've got news for you, buddy, he ain't going nowhere." Faz pushed off against the table and stood on shaky feet.
"Calm down, I'm not mad. Okay, I am, but it'll pass. Now, can we please have a conversation without anyone blasting me? Next time I won't be so gracious about it." Kim spread his arms, hands up in supplication, and then said to the boys, "Please take the dog outside. Go play. But don't go far," he warned.
The boys ran off with the dog trailing behind.
"Now, let's get down to business." Kim hopped up onto the counter and squatted. We sat on the chairs and I wondered if this was the last few moments we'd ever have with Mithnite.
A Discussion
"I don't want to go," said Mithnite.
"And you won't," grunted Faz, staring hard at Kim as if daring him to try to take him.
"Can't we talk about this?" I asked, trying to be calm when I raged inside.
"That's what we're doing," said Kim, smiling and looking fresh and relaxed even though he'd just been obliterated—how did he do that?
"Okay, so what's the deal? Mithnite ran away and you want him back. Can't it wait a while, like until he's dead or something?" I wondered.
"Oh no, that's not fair. What, you think you're the only one that fancies popping up here for a vacation, Mithnite? You have a job, you have a role to play, and you can't just decide to leave. That's not how it works. Not at all."
"Then how does it work?" I asked, sure there was something about this that was wrong, apart from the obvious that it was entirely nutty.
"None of your business," snapped Kim. His expression turned angry for a moment before the facade of pleasantness slammed back down.
He wasn't what he seemed at all, and then realization dawned.
"You're in trouble, aren't you? You've come here, playing the nice guy, because you got reprimanded for letting Mithnite leave. There's something else too."
"Of course I got into trouble!" Kim shouted. "I was in charge. I am in charge," he corrected. "Mithnite, which is a stupid name by the way, deserted his post. He has people counting on him. It's not easy dealing with all the issues, I need people like him. Especially now."
"Hmm, tell me, is there a reason you're so keen to get him back so urgently? Couldn't be something
to do with things going a little wonky could it?" I was onto something, I knew it. All this was no coincidence. Mithnite escaped because of the damage to two hells, because the energy between them was corrupted, everything in turmoil. Well, I knew something that was causing turmoil, something that was sucking energy from somewhere. I went over it in my head but it made no sense even though I wanted it to. The timing was off. Mithnite was born here years ago, this issue began days ago. But then, Mithnite had been gone mere hours for them, so maybe...
"What do you know about it?" asked Kim suspiciously.
"Wait, let me think." I was up, feeling animated, and sure this was linked. Could the machine be taking energy from the afterlife? Using it to power up, then dumping people's fear back down in there, maybe infecting the residents, or even those tasked with keeping them safe?
"Tell me, are you feeling more anxious than usual? More aggressive? Are the souls in the afterlife playing up more than normal? Fighting? Angry?"
"Of course they're angry. They're dead. And they're in hell. Wouldn't you be? That's the whole point."
"You know what I mean. Are things different? Is that why you're in such a rush to get Mithnite back?"
"Kate, what are you on about?" asked Mithnite. "I've been away for over twenty years."
"Not according to him." For some reason I pointed at Kim as if I could have been talking about anyone.
"Ah, the time head-fuck," said Faz.
"Faz!"
"What? Oh, sorry, didn't mean to swear."
Kim sighed and hopped down. "Yes, souls are being, shall we say, troublesome this last day or so, not that we have days. And Mithnite, you have only just left us, mere hours ago. You probably don't recall it, leaving has that effect, but we were very busy, energies were disrupted, people were playing up and we were getting tears in afterlives all over. You were meant to repair them, not come swanning off up here for a good time."
"Good time! If you knew what I'd been through, what it was like growing up. I ended up homeless." Mithnite threw his arms in the air and wandered around the kitchen dramatically.
"Bet it's better than being a demon Creator, though. Am I right?" asked Kim.
"Well, yeah, obviously."
"So, come on, time to go." Kim held out his hand and the air crackled between him and Mithnite. Without Mithnite moving, he was dragged toward Kim and the fear in his eyes was too much to witness.
"Faz, do something," I screamed.
Faz got up, not exactly Mr. Speedy, and I knew he wasn't up to it. Hell, I wasn't up to it and I was brimming with magic and nasty vampire juices.
Mithnite slid across the floor, Kim bent his index finger and the air between them became a semi-transparent goo.
Ectoplasm. Like we hadn't had enough of that already.
The gap closed, the children and dog appeared and ran to Kim's side. They all held hands, and paws, and the air shimmered as they were enveloped in the goop that turned from silver to gray.
We were going to lose Mithnite.
"Just say no," whispered Faz.
I turned and stared at him in confusion but he wasn't looking at me, he was staring at Mithnite.
"Just say no," he repeated, nodding to Mithnite, telling him it was okay.
"Um, no?" mumbled Mithnite.
"Louder, like you mean it," shouted Faz. "If you wanna stay, then you better bloody well mean it. Use every ounce of magic inside of you, draw all you can, and bloody well refuse to go."
Mithnite breathed in deep then screamed, "No, I'm staying here," at the top of his lungs. The air burst apart into shreds of goopy black stuff, coating the entire kitchen.
Guess I'd need another shower.
Turning Ugly
Mithnite collapsed but crawled to us even as the pain took him. He fought for consciousness, for life, and nothing would stop him. As the worst passed he got to his feet and was as shocked as we were when Kim spoke.
"I tried to do this the nice way," growled the demon. He waved his hand lazily and the children and the dog vanished, three piles of smoking ash on the floor all that was left. "Sorry, boys," he shouted, "be home soon."
"Eek," I may have said, but only because I was surprised, not because I thought we were going to get smashed to dust or anything and sent to some nasty hell for being naughty humans.
"Now," said Kim, turning his attention to us. Somehow we'd all crowded together and were holding hands. "Where were we? Ah, yes, you disobeyed me. Me!" Kim's human form was replaced with something darker, certainly more impressive, and much, much bigger.
"Hey," said Faz, "is that what you looked like, Mithnite?"
"Um, don't think so. I was just a person. I think I looked like this, maybe with more hair and less clothes. Not sure."
"Quiet, mortals!" boomed Kim, looking all kinds of nightmarish.
Faz just laughed. What was wrong with him? Had he lost the plot after using magic? I turned to him but he just winked. I trusted him; he knew what he was doing.
Maybe.
"Look, dude, can we forgo the drama? I know this is just pretend, that you don't look like some kind of demon freak with horns and a tail and all that. You're a Creator for human afterlives. Um, let me rephrase that. You're a janitor for human afterlives and Mithnite was your dogsbody. You're nothing special."
"You dare talk to me like that? Pesky human, I'll swat you like a fly. I'll rip your insides out and shove them up your a—"
"Enough!" Faz grew serious, and angry. Releasing my hand, he stepped forward. "Be civil or I'll report you."
With those words, Kim morphed back to human form and glared at Faz. "You wouldn't dare. I'm just doing my job, Mithnite has to return."
"Report him to who?" I asked.
"Never you mind. But I've heard all about you lot, I know how it works." Faz sounded confident but I knew he was bluffing. He had no idea how any of this worked, but Kim didn't know that.
"One last time. Let's go," ordered Kim.
"No, I'm staying." Mithnite stepped back and Kim stepped forward, and this time he didn't look like he'd let anything stop him.
"He's staying." Faz stepped between them and the two men stared at each other. Hard. "You can't make him, not if he wants to stay. This is your mess, you let it happen, and that's that."
Kim seemed to halve in size and presence, shoulders hunching forward a little and the luster of his energy drifted away. "He has to come back. If he doesn't then I'm in deep trouble. We don't get to leave, we aren't allowed to."
"What if I tell you what the problem is?" I ventured. "What if I tell you how to stop all the hassle you're having, all the issues with your, ah, guests? Could he stay then?"
"If only it were that simple. He has to return. If he doesn't come with me voluntarily then I'll have to use force. And nothing you can do will stop me. Yes, he can refuse to come, and that means I can't just take him, not like this, but there are other ways, worse ways."
"Um, like what?" asked Mithnite, trying to hide his gulp.
"Like I don't give you the chance to refuse. Like I wait for you to sleep and I slide into your dreams and you die. Or you die while awake. Maybe a bus hits you or you crash a car or a different accident happens. And then you're back with us, where you belong. I'm trying to do the right thing here. This is for the best, painless. Just come voluntarily and it won't get nasty."
"And if he doesn't you'll arrange an accident?" I asked, knowing it was true.
"I'm afraid so."
"Um, how about this?" asked Faz.
Kim turned to reply, so Faz smacked him over the head with a cast iron frying pan so hard it broke in two.
Kim slumped to the floor, unconscious.
"That went rather well," said Faz, whistling as he picked up the frying pan pieces.
The phone rang and I answered it, too numb to register what I was doing.
"Where are you? Have you seen what's been happening?" screamed Dancer.
"Um, no, I'm at home."
"At home!" he splu
ttered. "Get here, now." He hung up.
"That was Dancer," I said, staring at the prone figure of Kim.
"I heard," said Faz. "Go, don't worry about us. We'll take care of Kim."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. But shower first."
I nodded and in a daze went to clean up.
I hadn't even finished my coffee.
On the Road Again
Within ten minutes, I was out of the house. Faz and Mithnite promised everything would be fine and that they'd handle things. I got the sinking feeling this was the last time I'd see Mithnite but smiled even though I hugged him a little tight and kept kissing his forehead. I'm sure he didn't notice how anxious I was.
I told Faz to explain to Kim that I thought the goblins' machine was what was causing all the problems for him, that they'd been tapping into the afterlives to power it and that's why things were so batshit crazy. If he agreed, he was to come and help, come to Hidden HQ and help us deal with the goblins. That way, he could report back that he was the one who'd solved the problem and maybe he'd get a promotion or however it worked down there.
But it was on the understanding Mithnite got to stay, and he'd simply have to square that with his bosses. Call it an exchange. And if he didn't agree, Faz said he'd deal with it another way. I didn't know what that meant and didn't ask, but he seemed confident he could handle it.
It was all bravado. He could hardly stand let alone fight an angry demon he'd smacked on the head, but I figured this was worth a shot. Mithnite was sure it would work, and I gave him an extra hug for being positive then was on my way.
I raced through the country lanes, hit bad traffic because the annual fair was still arriving, massive vehicles crowding the city streets, my stress levels rising, then answered a call from Dancer who told me to call in at the Hidden Club on the way as there were reports. Bad reports. As I asked him what the problem was exactly, he hung up while shouting at someone in the background.
