Chapter 20
Chapter
Twenty
“Ithink we need a safe word.”
Jaak looks over at me with a raised eyebrow. “A what?”
“A safe word,” I repeat but because I know saying a word someone doesn’t understand again means nothing. I explain, “like a code word we can use when one of us is getting bloodthirsty.”
“But I didn’t get bloodthirsty.”
“You were well on your way with that flower frog thing.”
Jaak hums and then nods. “You have a valid point. Very well, what safe word would you like to use?”
“It has to be something we won’t say on accident, like I can’t just say something like your name or, I don’t know, candy, yeah, candy. It can’t be like that. It has to be specific enough that we’ll know right away what it means when we hear it.”
We’re outside the floral shop now and across the street near the Timeless Toys N Things.
We were about to go inside when I realized I was taking my demon husband into another business that could have its own version of Eleanor.
There needed to be safeguards against us mistaking who the head mage is and accidentally taking out a townsperson.
I rack my brain for a word that would work. “It has to be something we would never say to each other so we don’t accidentally say it.”
Jaak taps his chin and thinks. “What about gerrymander?”
“What does that mean?” I’ve never heard this word but it seems simple enough.
“I don’t really know but one of the mages knew. I only know what he knows and he loathed it. I know it’s nefarious. Very evil in meaning, which makes it apt for our mission.”
I nod and test out the word. “Gerrymander.”
Jaak makes a face. “What a truly horrifying word.” He rubs his chest. “The feeling it invokes makes me sick. Disgusting.”
I pat his arm, I can feel something now that he says he feels sick and I look at the gold bond between us. “I think I can feel you. I mean, the way you’re feeling right now through this.” I pick up the shining bond and Jaak nods.
“That’s the soul-bond.” Jaak takes my hand and starts to lead me towards the dead-eyed puppets staring us down.
“Our bond will deepen the stronger it gets. Now, come on, this toy shop must be investigated. But remember, no matter what, when the time comes for you to use your abilities you must clear your mind.”
“Clear my mind, right. Let my body take the wheel.” I take in a deep, calming breath and squeeze Jaak’s hand. “We don’t even know if we’re going to find anything in here anyways. There could be nothing in there to find other than a bunch of creepy puppets, right?”
Jaak gives me a small, sad smile. “As much as I wish for peace and that you would never have to enter the field of battle, there is no avoiding it. Even if there is no foe here, there will be one soon. Do not be afraid of a fight, Meadow. There’s much to learn from one.”
I nod and swallow hard as we walk towards the doors of the toy shop. I didn’t feel nervous entering the other stores but this one does feel off. “Right, learn from a fight. Don’t run. Just let go an-and clear your mind. I can do that.”
“And in any case, so long as we are together there is nothing we cannot defeat. You’ll see once we bond.”
That has me confused. “Didn’t we already bond? What do you mean?”
Jaak pushes open the door for me and enters a step behind me. “We will bond again in the fray. Our bodies will fight in tandem.
Tandem. That could have been a good safe word with how little I’ve heard it, or maybe not because Jaak is using it now.
“Together? We’re fighting together?”
He nods once and looks around the corner of an aisle. “Indeed and it will be a glorious fight.”
The toy shop is quiet and still when we enter. It’s a different kind of stillness to what the floral shop had. That was calm, something that felt soothing but the silence here isn’t right. It’s too heavy. It signals someone is in here with us, the way the silence and space feels too full.
“Hello?” I call out but there’s no answer. Instead, I hear someone or something rooting around in an aisle I can’t see. It doesn’t sound like steps but it’s definitely not nothing. Someone else is in here with us. “This is definitely a trap.”
“Oh verily, and a ham-fisted one at that. Stay close,” Jaak says as we continue to walk through the store.
Aisles extend on either side of us and create a walkway down the middle of the store.
It’s bigger inside than I imagined it would be.
At the far end of the store I can see a register on top of a half-counter.
At the start of each aisle, a red sign hangs with the aisle contents painted in white.
We’ve just walked past aisles one and two, plushies and pillows respectively. Aisle three promises toy cars and I blanch when I see farther on down weapon replicas waiting for us in aisle ten. Why does it feel like the entire store is watching us? Like the aisles are about to come alive and attack?
I tap Jaak’s back now that he’s moved in front of me and glance over my shoulder to make sure we aren’t being followed. “The store. I-I think it’s alive.”
Jaak nods, just once. “I think you are correct. There’s a weight to this place that I have not felt in eons. The last was on the sentient planet Miram.”
“What happened on Miram?” I ask and silently pray for a happy ending consisting of the planet coming to its senses and befriending Jaak.
“War,” he says softly and looks down to the right, scanning the aisle we’ve just passed. We both see a shadow dart at the end of the aisle and my breath catches. Yup, there’s definitely going to be a rumble in here, no doubt about it. “Miram rose up to fight against us. The whole of it.”
“What did you do?”
“Destroyed it, naturally.”
“The entire planet?”
“Yes. All of Miram is gone now. Nothing but a myth.”
I don’t like thinking about having to do that here.
Yes, it’s a creepy place that feels sinister but it’s also just a toy store.
Maybe this place is someone’s favorite cherished spot in all of town.
I can’t stomach the thought that we might have to destroy it.
I know I’m alone in that sentiment with Jaak saying he destroyed an entire planet.
Above us the lights that look like replicas of gaslit lamps in jewel-tone colored shades, cast eerie throws of light down on us.
On a normal day, I bet the lights are cheery and warm, but these flicker and dim at random.
It creates a weird kaleidoscope effect that makes the entire thing look like a horror movie.
We walk forward another step when I see the first real signs of someone else.
“Is that fog?” I ask and point towards the creeping, rolling fog pouring out of an aisle ahead of us.
“So it is.” Jaak straightens up and steps forward. “Make yourselves known. We wish to speak with the owner.”
It’s not one voice that answers us but what sounds like dozens, hundreds. “And who calls upon our master?” The question echoes and reverberates around us. We’re surrounded. Fuckkkkk.
“The Bride of the Hell Maw and Master of Archdemon Jaakobah, Lord of Chaos and Destroyer of Worlds who calls your master forward.”
My mouth falls open at Jaak’s words. Bride of the Hell Maw is one thing but master? When did I become his master?
“The pair of you are not fit to look upon our master,” the voices howl. The fog becomes thicker, each second that passes it inches closer to us. “We will see your bones made into a crown for our master.”
“Threaten her again and I will unmake you.” Jaak moves, his body shifts and when I look at him I see he’s getting…bigger. His clothing strains and I hear a few seams rip. Yeah, he’s getting bigger all right.
The voices cackle, the sound echoes and reverberates through the store until the ground shakes beneath us. The ground pitches suddenly and I stumble away from Jaak. I catch myself on the side of a toy shelf and manage to keep my feet under me.
“Show yourself or are you scared?” I look around the toy store and see shadows moving and writhing in the aisles.
Something slithers out of aisle seven but I can’t see it because the fog has rolled on past it.
I look up and see Active Play on the sign.
“What the heck is active play? That can’t be good. ”
A second later I get my answer when a large tentacle rises from the fog and whips towards Jaak. Jaak turns but he’s too slow, his body is still changing. Hands are bigger, fingers slowly elongating and becoming claw-tipped.
He doubles over and with a roar. “Meadow!”
“Jaak! Run!”
He turns to me and his eyes go silver, horns start to push out of Jaak’s head and his face changes. Mouth pulling down, jaw getting bigger and longer and is that fur? I can’t get a look on account of the fog swirling up around him.
Jaak drops down to one knee with a pained moan.“Trust yourself, Meadow.” He turns his head away from me but I still see the silhouette transforming into…into…a monster? The tentacle lashes forward, it’s going to hit him.
Monster or not, he’s my husband. I took a vow and I meant it.
I turn and grab the nearest thing I can.
A dollhouse off a shelf and lob it at the tentacle.
The dream house flies through the air with deadly accuracy and hits the tentacle.
Brightly colored plastic explodes in every direction at the direct hit and the tentacle stops going for Jaak. It jerks to a stop and turns my way.
I rub my eyes and stare at it. Can a tentacle look? Is it looking at me? Above me the colored lanterns blink in and out, making it hard to see at first, but when I finally see it I can’t unsee it.
There’s an eyeball in the middle of the tentacle.
It’s absolutely staring at me. It rears up and starts coming for me, the sickening sound of a body dragging across the store floor tells me that there’s a lot more of this tentacle beast than what I’m seeing.
I back up a step and then another, and sure as shit there’s more tentacles starting to appear in the aisles.