I felt my lip curl in disgust. Thank goodness harpies didn’t have to drink blood. I’d rather stick to my wine.
Limax turned to the candles flickering on the table. A low growl began to vibrate the air. It took me a moment to realize it was coming from the slug. The growl morphed into chanting. It was unlike any language I’d ever heard.
If I had to guess, it was an ancient demon language – words that were forged in hell and rarely spoken on Earth’s surface. I could feel the power in them. They beckoned to me like a mysterious light in the dark. But in my soul, I could also sense the timeless evil in them.
Limax’s body began to undulate. The three of us pressed our backs against the walls of the pipe as he shook and swung around the cavern. Just one hit from his massive body would be enough to flatten one of us like a bug on a windshield.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” I yelled.
The thrashing was becoming worse. If Limax didn’t release the spell soon, he was going to explode. I didn’t want to be within a hundred yards of a giant exploding snail.
Before we could run, Limax reared back and fell forward, vomiting out a mixture of black and green substance. It splattered the walls, oozing down the ribbed pipes into the water at our feet. I watched Limax for signs of life, but he didn’t move. The spell had taken everything from him. Even Gideon’s life force hadn’t been enough to sustain him.
“Is he…?” I didn’t want to ask the question lingering in my mind. If Limax was dead, we’d lost our hope of finding Kit and Michelle alive.
All of a sudden, Limax reared back up. Angel screeched and ran a few steps down the nearest tunnel to escape. The snail settled back down, twisting his body to look at us. Vomit still trailed down his open mouth. I tried not to look at it, and instead picked one of his five eyes to focus on.
“The child is located at a half finished building in downtown Arcana.” Limax pressed his lips together before speaking again. “I believe it’s what you would call an apartment. It’s very high. At least fifteen stories.”
Angel and I looked at each other. We were both thinking the same thing. There was a new high rise apartment building going up downtown near the new sports stadium. It was supposed to be finished this past May, but due to delays, wouldn’t be done for another year. That had to be the building Limax saw.
“We know what he’s talking about.” I turned to Gideon, throwing him his jacket. “It’s that new high rise.”
He caught the jacket in midair. “Good. I’m going there tonight. This ends here.”
Chapter Thirteen
By the time we got back home, nighttime had already shifted into the early morning hours. Gideon had rushed off to find Agent Silva, and coordinate their takedown of Theo. When Angel and I offered to help, Gideon turned us down flat. It wouldn’t help to bring in civilians, he’d said. We’d only be in danger. Besides, he had Medusa’s dagger tucked safely in his pocket.
We begrudgingly agreed to stay out of it. Gideon and Agent Silva would burst in, guns blazing, and save Kit and Michelle. We didn’t need to get in the way.
I was too pumped up on adrenaline to go to bed. After a steaming hot shower and a pot of coffee, there was no way I’d get to sleep. Instead, I headed to the museum early.
My cellphone was in my hands at all times, ringer on loud, waiting for Gideon’s call. I waited to hear from him at any moment. But the minutes ticked by as I cleaned the lobby. It wasn’t a secret that ancient trinkets required a lot of dusting to keep them looking their best.
I was unlocking the front door when my tracker phone buzzed in my purse. Dropping the keys on the counter, I rushed to dig it out. The main screen said I had a text message. I opened it up and saw Nicky’s name.
I’m sorry about the rooftop, it said. I found out where Theo’s staying. I’ll find him and end this with or without that dagger.
Closing my eyes, I held the phone to my chest. If my brother had just been a simple criminal, it would’ve been easier to swallow. But Nicky was still convinced he was doing the right thing. Who knew how many innocent lives Nicky had destroyed in his obsession to rid the world of evil?
At that moment, a couple with a small child came in to visit the museum. All three of them were wearing t-shirts with the American flag printed on the front like it was the fourth of July or something. They spoke with a slight Irish accent and mentioned being on holiday.
I stashed my cell phone and sold them tickets, returning to my cleaning efforts while they browsed. It was the only thing that could distract me from my silent cell phone. I was starting to get worried – Gideon still hadn’t contacted me.
I was cleaning out all the tiny grooves of a fourteenth century death mask, said to bring death to anyone who put it on, when I heard the couple’s little girl playing behind me. She was cooing and chattering away, giggling at her own jokes. The noise was endearing to me, even though I didn’t plan on having children of my own. It was too easy to screw a kid up. I didn’t want to take a chance with my own rug rats.
“And when we get home, I’ll show you my puppy,” the little girl trilled. “His name is Ardan. He’s so cute, you’ll die.”
I turned around to smile at the little girl, but stopped when I saw her sitting on the ground. Her legs were splayed on the waxed tile surface, striped tube socks showing beneath her blue corduroy pants. In her arms was a china doll, its shiny ringlets bouncing up and down. Roni’s brown lifeless eyes stared at me from above the little girl’s shoulders.
Throwing the mask aside, I dove for the doll and tore her out of the little girl’s grip. “Trust me, kid. You don’t want to play with this. It bites.” I smiled sweetly at the little girl.
If Roni had escaped in her arms, there would’ve been hell to pay, especially with this demon’s previous behavior with children. The little girl would’ve found out quickly that her playmate wasn’t so fun after all.
After a five second intake of breath, the little girl’s mouth opened wide in a scream. I waved my hands, begging her to reconsider, but it came out anyway.
“Moooooommmmmmmmy!”