Chapter 26

The talisman activatedand transported me and Moloch into the dark place with the voice.

Would this work? My hastily concocted plan had many flaws. It also relied on the unreliable.

Back so soon…

The voice surrounded me with a cold caress that might have made me shiver if I had a body.

Hey, there, I replied.

You haven't fixed a destination in your mind.

Because I didn't have a specific one, but I did have an idea. Can you send Moloch somewhere he can't bother Earth anymore? Actually, make it somewhere with no intelligent life. I thrust out the thought.

You wish a boon from me? The cold voice had a lilt to the reply.

Yes. Will you help?

And what shall you give in return?

What could I offer a disembodied voice? What do you want?

A body.

If I had eyes in the nothing place, they would have widened to the max. As it was… I stuttered, Um, I'm not sure what you mean.

I cannot leave this place without a form. You shall provide one.

Wait, you want to possess me?

You or someone else. I just wish to leave this place.

I can't just give you someone's body, I argued, even as I had to wonder how they'd lost their physical form in the first place. Had someone trapped them on purpose? I doubted they'd admit it if they were evil. Yet, what choice did I have? Moloch posed a threat now. But what if I unleashed an even bigger problem?

If you cannot agree, then you shall have to deal with this Moloch yourself.

Fuck a duck. Maybe I could give the voice the body of someone everyone hated, like a serial killer or maybe one of those annoying Hollywood actors.

Deal. I'll find you a body, but you need to promise that wherever you send Moloch, he can't return.

As you wish, messovenata.

A bright light suddenly speared the darkness, displaying a vista of orange rock and hard-packed dirt. It seemed a barren wasteland until I noticed a fortress in the distance.

Into that stark place, Moloch stumbled. It took him but a moment to straighten himself, and when he glanced around, I dare say he almost looked fearful.

What is that place? I asked the voice.

Inferis. His home.

No, that's no good. He can escape from there.

He won't. Of that, I can promise.

As the hole to Inferis shrank, Moloch whirled and snarled, "This isn't over."

Actually, it was. If the disembodied voice meant it when it said Moloch couldn't escape, then I'd done it. I'd saved the world.

Do not forget your promise to me.

I won't. But I did wonder how I'd explain to Nova and the others that I'd bargained with an entity and needed a body.

Where would you like to go? I can take you to many worlds.

How tempting to check them out, but at the same time, I'd had enough excitement for one day. I would really like to return to my friends.

As you wish, messovenata.

On impulse, I asked, Who are you?

Someone who made mistakes.

With that reply, I found myself back on the parapet.

I blinked and then gasped as someone grabbed me in a bear hug from behind. "Jesus fucking Christ, you scared the shit out of me!" Cain bellowed.

"Happy to see you too," I huffed. "But can you not break my ribs?"

"Sorry." He actually sounded chagrined as he put me down.

I didn't stay on my feet for long because Vance scooped me up next. "Glad you're alive."

"Me too," I murmured.

I no sooner stood on my own again than Nova cleared her throat. "While we're all glad you're okay, what happened to Moloch?"

How was I supposed to explain? I used the truth. "So this disembodied voice that lives in that cold place when you portal gave me a hand putting Moloch somewhere he can't escape."

"What voice?" Nova stared at me. "What are you talking about?"

"You know, when the talisman activates, and we're in that weird nothing place. The voice that lives there."

"There is nothing in there."

"Are you sure about that?"

"We've been using them for centuries. I think we'd know by now."

Should I argue and possibly find out I was crazy and hearing things? "Well then, I guess it must have been me. I opened some kind of door, Moloch got tossed through, and voila. He's gone!" I rubbed my hands in a wiping-off gesture.

Nova frowned. "You're assuming he can't come back."

"I'd be very surprised if he did."

"No shit, because he knows you'll just kick his ass again into a different dimension. Way to go!" Mizuki cheered as she joined our little group.

"Are you okay?" I noticed her hand was red and raw and most likely super painful.

"Nova blocked the nerve endings until Devika can fix me up. What about you, though? Charging at the big, bad demon. And you said you weren't a hero." Mizuki beamed.

I chewed my lower lip. "I wasn't thinking of being brave and shit. I just didn't want to see anyone else get hurt or killed."

Cain draped an arm around my shoulders. "Which is the definition of a hero."

"With Moloch gone, we should go help the others clear out the monsters that are left," Vance suggested.

"I'm coming too!" I announced.

The battle raged on below, but I didn't fear it. I stalked from the castle, magic blazing. After all, I'd defeated, even if by trickery, the baddest demon out there. These little gray bastards and the dinosaur-sized ones didn't stand a chance.

We sent their souls, or whatever the fuck they had inside them, back to Inferis. The death of the demon wizard led to the clouds overhead dissipating, making the demons even easier to spot. By the end of the afternoon, we'd cleared the valley and gone through the castle.

As bonfires were built outside to burn some of the garbage and destruction from within, Nova stood by my side and murmured, "Thank you. Thank you for showing me I was wrong. You were ready."

Gotta admit it made me puff up with pride.

An impromptu party happened that night despite the many deaths we'd suffered that day. A celebration of survival that involved food brought in by the armfuls as reapers popped out and back in with pizza, wings, beer, and cupcakes.

I found myself sitting by a bonfire, squished between Vance and Cain, a part of something for the first time in my life.

The only thing that marred it? When it came time for bed, Cain and Vance stood, and each held out a hand. Then glared at each other. Then stared intently at me, waiting for me to choose.

Mizuki saved me. "Come on. I managed to find some clean sheets for my old room."

The choice was put off to another day.

I slept without dreaming, unless a cold voice counted.

Don't forget your promise.