Chapter 24
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR
Seymour!” Sariel screamed.
Seymour dropped the sword as he watched blood pour out of the wound. He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t move. His feet no longer touched the ground as the wyrm convulsed and swung him around. There was an odd ringing in his ears, and the weird world was fading into darkness.
He hit the ground, having been flung off the wyrm’s tail. He heard more screaming—Day? Maybe. He couldn’t be sure, and he let his eyes close. The agony was consuming him, his hands icy and numb, and it was difficult to focus.
He didn’t understand.
Had he not changed his fate?
What had he done wrong?
At least…
At least Sariel and Day were okay.
Sariel could take the Inro. He would take care of Day and then maybe Day would eat Mr. Heiss. Sariel would finally be free, and Day wouldn’t have to be alone ever again. They’d be all right…
Even without Seymour.
Seymour wanted to smile.
Hurt too much.
“Ugh. A wyrm? Really? How utterly fucking basic.”
Seymour knew that voice.
There was no way…
It was Zolrya standing over him with a disgusted sneer. He had a floral silk robe on and nothing beneath it, his bright wings fluttering in clear annoyance. He clapped his hands, and time stopped.
Everything froze.
The writhing wyrm, Sariel with Day in her sword form raised high, and the blood gushing from Seymour’s chest.
And then…
Time moved, but…
Backward.
Seymour flew into the air, the spike went back into his chest, and Day was in his hand again. The spike vanished away as time continued to shift, the battle completely rewound to the moment before Seymour first struck the wyrm.
Zolrya moved normally as he approached, and he wiggled his fingers at the wyrm.
It exploded in a fantastic burst of—what else?—flowers. Petals rained down like confetti, completely covering everything in a colorful layer of fluff.
The lantern men scattered, seemingly confused as their target was now gone. They looked around, shrugged, and one by one vanished out of sight. Choco gave a departing wave before he disappeared.
Seymour waved back weakly.
Day reverted to her kitty girl form, climbing up Seymour’s chest and hugging his neck. “Seymour! You’re okay!”
“Yeah!” Seymour hugged her tight, his mind still reeling. “I, I don’t understand—”
Sariel tackled them both and swung them up into his arms. He was human once more, though still bloodied. He didn’t seem to feel his injuries, though, as exuberantly as he embraced them.“Stella! My beautiful stella. You are all right.”
“I’m sorry! Oh, Sariel.” Seymour gasped, fighting back a sudden sob. “I’m so fuckin’ sorry—”
“It is all right. I forgive you.” Sariel squeezed tighter. “I am not angry.”
“Okay,” Seymour wheezed. “That’s great! But… Ugh! Need to… breathe!”
“Oh! My apologies.” Sariel grinned sheepishly and eased his grip.
“What happened?” Day demanded. “I saw you die! I…! I don’t understand!”
Seymour looked down at the sunflower pinned to his vest. “The flower.”
“When the wyrm stabbed you, it damaged the flower,” Sariel realized out loud. “It summoned the king.”
“And he came! He actually came. He saved me. He…” Seymour blinked. “He is tearing Jerry into pieces and making flowers out of him.”
Jerry could not scream because he no longer had a mouth. It was sealed up and gone, though he kicked and flailed as Zolrya plucked parts of him off. As he dropped each body part, a new sprig of flowers bloomed. There was no blood, even as Zolrya ripped off his fingers, his hand, his arm…
Christ, it was hard to watch.
“Now, you have been very, very naughty,” Zolrya was saying. “Taking my beloved’s brain? That was quite foolish of you.”
“Uh, Your Majesty?” Seymour cleared his throat. “We, uh, we may need to talk to him? Pretty please? With sugar on top? He might have technically killed my dad and—”
“Oh, don’t worry!” Zolrya scoffed, leering as a chunk of Jerry’s arm turned into a patch of pink daisies. “I can turn him back later. Right now, he needs to learn a lesson.”
“What in the fuck?”
Seymour turned to see Lou standing there, fully wolfed out and looking quite confused. Seymour laughed and waved. “Oh, hey. Welcome to the party.”
Lou lumbered toward them. “Do I even want to know what the hell is going on?”
“Big wyrm. Got turned into flowers. Jerry, asshole squonk. Also being turned into flowers, but Zolrya says he can turn him back. But hey! We found the brain.”
Lou sagged in relief. “Good. Fuck. Hopefully that means it’s over now. Without the brain, the mostri ribelli shouldn’t be able to play any of the music and—”
“What the fuck?” It was Mr. Heiss. He’d come through the doorway as Lou had, and he was in his demonic form, the flames of his crown crackling as he took in the chaotic scene.
“That’s what I said.” Lou snorted.
“It seems it’s a very good thing Sariel messaged us,” Absolis cooed.
“Yes,” said Vilanos. “A very good thing indeed.”
The twins were simply there as if they’d been present the entire time, smiling smugly.
“The brain.” Mr. Heiss narrowed his eyes. “It’s been found.”
“Yes,” Absolis said with a scoff. “No thanks to you.”
“No thanks to you at all,” taunted Vilanos.
“Obviously the human found it,” snapped Mr. Heiss. “Which means our deal is still on. Don’t you dare back out right now.”
“We just barely saved the city from musical slaughter and you’re worried about some damn deal?” Lou drawled.
Mr. Heiss glared.
Seymour wobbled and leaned against Sariel, sighing heavily. “I could use a drink or ten. How ’bout you?”
Sariel smiled. “I do not drink alcohol, but I can understand the appeal.”
“We really did it though?” Day meowed and clung to them both. “We saved the city?”
“Looks that way.” Seymour’s heart thumped. “I can’t believe it. It’s actually over.”
“But what happens now?”
“What do you mean?”
“Can I eat Mr. Heiss?”
“No, you cannot eat Mr. Heiss.”
“I don’t think he’d be very tasty,” Myrna said as she materialized beside them with a soft giggle. “Plus the horns do appear a bit crunchy.”
Seymour chuckled. “Trust me. She’s had worse.”
“Here,” Absolis said, holding out his hand toward Mr. Heiss.
Vilanos mirrored him, his hand joining Absolis’s. “Enjoy.”
A skull with a crown appeared in their palms.
It was King, his glowing eyes darting back and forth frantically. “Hey! What’s going on? Whoa. Lots of new faces. Ugh. Fierce ugly ones too.”
“Hey!” Seymour huffed. “You assholes stole him from my dad’s place?”
“Of course we did.” Absolis smirked. “And we didn’t steal him.”
“We have simply found him a new home,” Vilanos said. “Such a rare treasure is very valuable.”
“Very valuable.”
“Very valuable indeed.”
Mr. Heiss turned his hateful gaze on Seymour. “You knew where the talking skull was this whole fucking time?”
“Yeah, and?” Seymour scoffed. “How the fuck was I supposed to know that’s what you were lookin’ for? It’s not like you made me a fuckin’ list!”
“It is no matter.” Mr. Heiss plucked King away from the twins.
“Hey!” King blinked. “What’s going on now? You sound like a real arsehole. In fact, had I an arsehole of me own, I’d tell you to kiss it.”
“Charming,” Mr. Heiss drawled. He snapped his fingers. “Come, Sariel. We’re leaving.”
Sariel tensed, and he held Seymour tighter. “I…”
“Now.”
“Yes, master.” Sariel reluctantly pulled away.
“Hey, that’s bullshit!” Seymour shouted, grabbing Sariel’s arm. “We just saved the whole fuckin’ city, you got your stupid talkin’ skull—”
“How fuckin’ dare you!” King gasped.
“—and now you’re still tryin’ to take him? What the fuck?” Seymour tried to pull Sariel back. “I almost fuckin’ died doin’ your damn dirty work and I swear to fuck I will let my cat girl eat your stupid ass!”
“Yeah!” Day cheered.
“Seymour, no,” Sariel pleaded, gently prying Seymour’s hands away. “I am so sorry, but I must—”
Mr. Heiss pulled at the air.
It was the invisible chain connected to Sariel’s collar, and Sariel was pulled forward with enough force to send him to his knees. He was weak from his old injuries and the strain of battle, and he collapsed almost immediately.
“You motherfucker!” Seymour ran at Mr. Heiss, but he was stopped short when a familiar squeeze seized his heart. He couldn’t breathe, and he gasped brokenly, still trying to take a step forward.
No…
Not after all this.
“A reminder that Sariel is my property,” Mr. Heiss said sternly.
“He is not your beau, your boyfriend, or your Daddy. He is mine to command and do with as I please. If I wanted to fuck him right here in front of you all, I would. If I wanted to have him kill you so I could watch, I would. He is nothing but a tool for me to command, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.”
“Fuck… you!” Seymour wheezed. “You ass… fuck…!” He searched those gathered around him, hoping to find help.
Someone—fucking anyone.
Lou had looked away, as if he didn’t want any part of this.
Myrna watched sadly, clasping her hands together.
Flanders—wait, when did he get there?—was sniffing at the flower confetti and otherwise ignoring them.
Zolrya had reduced Jerry to a head and torso and was currently plucking out his other eye as Jerry silently convulsed in pain.
King appeared to be grimacing, though it was difficult to really judge since he was a skull.
But Absolis and Vilanos were smiling.
Like, a really creepy happy smile.
“Seymour,” Vilanos purred.
“Oh, lovely Seymour,” said Absolis.
“You should let us make that request right now.”
“Just one little, tiny request.”
“After all, you did agree. And you thanked us before.”
“Such good manners! We love that.”
“But it means you owe us. So, perhaps this is a good time to start repaying those debts.”
“And we want an answer to a question.”
They both grinned.
“Debts? As in more than one? For fuck’s…! I’m a lil’ tiny bit busy!” Seymour glared at them. “Tryin’ to—”
“Save your lover,” Absolis teased.
“Oh, we know,” Vilanos chimed in.
“We know all about you two.”