Chapter 16 #2
He looked up, eyes opened wide and horrified as he backed away from me.
“I told them where you’d be. I betrayed you.
And you’re an angel. The Zombie Queen won’t capture you.
She’ll kill you so thoroughly that not a single cell can regenerate.
I…” His eyes fell to my arm with its Frankenstein monster stitches, Frisco punctures, and bandage over my zombie bite then turned and fled out the kitchen door and into the alley.
He was so fast. For a moment, I just stayed there, paralyzed with all the feelings. My baby finally remembered me! But now he was in pain. I had to help him work through this before it broke him. I lurched after him then stopped abruptly when Regis blocked me.
“Out of my way!” I snarled. He’d set me up to deal with Maurice, like he knew what I wanted better than I did. If that’s what a steward did, I wanted none of it. He was not getting between me and my child.
He held up his hands. “Think for a moment.”
He wanted me to practice? I’d give him practice. I grabbed his arm and bit deep into his hand, grasping his thoughts as I did, hard, sharp.
Stay out of my way!
He stumbled back, a glazed look on his face while I sprinted towards the door.
Wilkie had wings. Would I be able to catch up to him?
In the alley, I looked right and then left, further from the street.
What was that sound? Wilkie kicking the garbage bin?
He wasn’t running so I could go slow, careful.
I didn’t want to scare him off, and he was clearly devastated. He’d been living a lie for so long.
As I got closer to the large bin, a bright flare of purple light shot up behind the big metal box, reflecting off the brick walls while Wilkie gasped.
A man’s voice, smooth and slippery came from around the garbage bin where I couldn’t see. “Do you have anything for me, or do you want to disappoint the queen, and your mother?”
Was Wilkie going to reveal that I wasn’t dead?
Wilkie huffed. “I told you where they’d be, even made sure we were on the right street when we left the stadium, but your zombies are weak, way weaker than Drigo and his men.
I don’t understand how you possibly took the demon lands.
If Drigo wanted to take them back, there’s no way you could stop him. ”
The man laughed softly, sounding entirely insane.
“He’s welcome to try. The Zombie Queen loves to watch demons kill themselves, almost as much as watching them kill each other.
I understand Drigo has Frisco with him. Interesting considering that Frisco’s the one who brought the last king’s head to the Queen.
None can withstand her will. Tell me something useful, or I’m taking you back with me.
” That last was thrown down all casual, more an aside than a threat.
Wilkie snapped, “Fine! Take me back. Throw me in the Queen’s dungeon or kill me! I don’t care.”
No! How could he say that? I wasn’t going to lose my baby again!
I went carefully down the alley, trying to be silent. If I could bite this guy, I could stop him. Maybe. I definitely wasn’t going to let him bite me. Why was my life suddenly all about biting?
The stranger chuckled again. “And your mother? Do you not care about her either?”
Wilkie snarled. “It would be better if we both died then keep playing the Queen’s game.”
I made it to the large green garbage bin and got close, edging along the side.
He sounded so bored. “You won’t die. Neither will she.
The Queen doesn’t kill those who want to die, she tortures them.
Endless, agonizing torture. But don’t worry.
She’ll let you hear each other’s screams. Just tell me something interesting and I can leave you here.
I’m so bored with screams. Did the vampire queen visit again? ”
“No. I’m done. I’m not—” His voice cut off with a squeak.
The stranger sighed heavily. “Something happened, or you wouldn’t have demon tear tracks running down your cheeks. Tell me, little one. Tell me your heart and I’ll…”
I sprang out from behind the garbage bin and threw myself at a pale purple skinned man in the largest tophat I’d ever seen.
I didn’t make it to him because Wilkie blocked me, sending us tumbling to the pavement, scraping my monster arm bloody.
“You can’t be here!” Wilkie’s eyes were huge, desperate, wings stretched out above us like he was trying to protect me.
“Ah, something interesting. Or should I say someone? The incubus failed to draw her out, but how delightful that the little demon succeeded. The Queen will reward you for this.”
Wilkie was yanked back, the purple skinned man with deep swirling purple eyes, holding him with a glowing leash and collar, pale purple, like his skin.
The stranger looked at me with the saddest smile.
“The demon queen. You’re even lovelier than rumored to be.
The Zombie Queen will tell me if you’re as sweet as you look.
You look very sweet, and your blood smells…
” He inhaled deeply while Wilkie struggled, but he couldn’t move in any direction, locked in place by the glowing pale purple magic leash and collar.
I had to get him free, but how could I?
“Your hat is fabulous,” I said, breathlessly, pulling myself to my knees. My arm hurt so bad, but not as much as my heart, seeing my baby collared. “I’m always looking for a new hat maker. Maybe you can recommend yours to me.”
He raised a dark brow. “I am the hatter. But my hats wouldn’t suit you…” He frowned and took another sniff, narrow nostrils flaring. His whole face was jaunt, angular, like he didn’t get enough to eat, or like someone was sucking the life out of him. The Zombie Queen, of course.
I slowly rose into a crouch. “Maybe they would. You never know until you try.”
He smiled slightly. “Like you tried to jump me? You’re not running. Are you still thinking that you can fight me? You don’t look as stupid as you’d need to be to make that assumption.”
I put my hands on my hips. “I’m much stupider than I look. And I don’t look very smart. It’s the panniers. Nobody looks very intelligent in hoops.”
His smile grew wider as he cocked his head.
“You are charming. And you still aren’t running.
Perhaps if you tried to tackle me again you’d be successful.
Perhaps you’re tired of demons and looking for an alternative.
Perhaps you don’t trust the demons to be properly representing the Zombie Queen.
Perhaps after the Vampire Queen attacked you, you feel, well, attacked on all sides.
Perhaps you’re looking for an escape.” He sighed heavily.
“But the Zombie Queen is even worse than anyone told you. You really should run.”
I jumped him.
He gasped when I hit him, knocking him back a step, and knocking the leash out of his hand.
“NO!” Wilkie screamed, loud enough to break my ears, and then he grabbed the purple top hat off the Mad Hatter’s head and ran.
He made it two steps before the Hatter was on him, jolting away from me, sending me over into the metal garbage bin.
Wilkie was still screaming as he ran with the hat towards the wall.
An enormous figure dropped from the sky, skin crackling with bubbling magma that popped and flickered like a moving hellscape.
Was that really Drigo? He was ten feet tall.
At least. And had the most ridiculous horns, curving out of his skull including his king spikes, and fire came out of his eyes and mouth.
Yep. Demonic. He roared and a stream of lava shot at the Mad Hatter.
The purple-skinned guy spent a moment looking stunned and then he pulled his hat over himself and Wilkie all the way to the ground.
It passed over both of them, swallowing them up, and then the magma bolt hit where they’d been, lighting the tip of the hat on fire before it sank, burning, through the pavement.
The demon picked me up and then launched into the air, enormous wings beating us aloft while I hoped that this was Dorian and not a different demon. He smelled like Dorian, spicy cinnamon bears, only spicier than usual.
I relaxed and curled against him, cradling my monster arm against my chest. It was bleeding from the pavement, and the zombie bite bandage had fallen off. Also my stitches hurt. But nothing hurt more than my heart.
I pressed my face against his neck, ignoring the streaks of magma because that probably wouldn’t hurt me, and if it did, I deserved it for being so stupid.
I should have gotten Dorian and then gone after Wilkie.
Also, the Mad Hatter was more dangerous than I’d given him credit for.
Also, and most devastating than anything in the world, The Mad Hatter had Wilkie, and I hadn’t been able to save him.