Pact

Laird turned.

The Hyena prowled forward. ; Evan was perched on one tattered ear, wings spread.

“Ah, we expected that one,” Laird said. ; “Craig, take Owen and Tandy inside!”

“You expected it?” I asked.

“Yes, and you’ve made a bit of a mistake,” he said.

I looked.

The Hyena stopped short of the fence.

“Go, whelp!” Evan ordered. ; “Obey me, mutt!”

The Hyena snarled in frustration, but stopped short of the fence.

An enclosure around the parking lot.

A ring of metal, to keep a proper goblin at bay.

“I don’t know whether to respect your integrity for leaving the imp be, or to pity your lack of foresight.”

“Take it from me and Evan,” I said. ; “That thing’s no small potatoes, fence or not. ; Evan!”

Laird seemed to read something in my posture and tone, because he didn’t give me a chance to finish. ; He crossed the distance between us, and he kicked me, heel to face.

I landed on my back, stomach arched skyward, knees still fused to the ground by Ainsley’s binding.

“Hurghf and burgfh!” I managed, one finger extended.

“What?” Laird asked.

“Huff and puff!” Evan shouted. ; “Do it, ugly! ; Huff and puff, there!”

The Hyena blew.

“Ainsley!” Laird shouted.

Ainsley shielded the needle-punctured candle with her body. ; Successfully blocking the Hyena’s breath from the lit wick.

She, however, wasn’t prepared for the other effect of the Hyena’s breath.

I could smell it from halfway down the parking lot.

She staggered, doubled over, and vomited.

In the doing, she wasn’t able to maintain her focus and keep the candle close enough to stay out of the way, but far enough that she didn’t stab or burn herself.

Somewhere along the line, the candle went out.

I toppled, landing on my back.

“Don’t move,” Laird said.

I heard the cock of a gun.

Ainsley approached, staggering. ; Her eyes were watering, and she had a hand pressed to nose and mouth.

“I’m sorry, uncle,” she said.

“It’s okay. ; Keep an eye out for the gremlin.”

“I see it,” she said.

Their eyes -and mine- traveled to the fence.

The goblin was there, arms spread, gripping the chain-link, legs bent as clawed toes found purchase on the fencing.

“Shoot it,” she said.

“I’m not taking my gun off the diabolist. ; Bind it.”

“Okay,” Ainsley said.

She drew out a candle.

The goblin extinguished it with a stream of foul smelling urine. ; Much as one might hold one thumb over the end of a tap or garden hose to concentrate the stream, the workings of wire and more made for a surprising long-distance spray.

Laird shifted position, turning sideways, raising his coat with his free hand to block the stream. ; “I hate goblins.”

“If they keep this up, I may start to like them,” I said.

“It doesn’t matter,’ Laird said. ; “Conquest will be here in a moment…”

The gremlin let go of the fence. ; It raised one hand. ; I saw what it held.

“…and this will all be settled.”

A sticky note with a rune on it.

The goblin managed to activate it.

This time there was an arc of electricity.

Ainsley shrieked and Laird wobbled before dropping like a rock. ; The gremlin dropped from the fence like a stone.

Ainsle went for the gun. ; I beat her to it. ; I pointed it at her.

“All things considered, I think I played pretty fair,” I said.

She set her jaw, lips tight. ; She still had a fleck of vomit at the corner of her mouth.

“You’re going to let Rose out of the building now,” I said. ; “Or I may do something to your Uncle Laird that you’ll regret.”

She didn’t move.

“You don’t care what happens to them?” I asked. ; “That kind of makes sense to me. ; I’m not very fond of your family either.”

“Ha ha,” she said, without humor.

Did that count as a lie?

If not, I’d have to remember that one. ; Some situations mandated sarcasm.

I checked Laird’s pulse. ; It was there.

“You won’t hurt him?” she asked.

“If I was going to hurt one of you, I would have let that car hit you.

He was even semiconscious, it seemed.

Good enough.

I did what I could to drag Laird back while keeping the gun available.

Things picked up a moment later when the door opened and the Tallowman came striding out with Bloody Mary a step behind.

Ainsley backed away from Bloody Mary, giving her as wide a berth as was possible without climbing over the cars that were piled up in the parking lot.

“The Tallowman has your bag,” Rose said, from one car windshield.

The wax-crusted man handed me my backpack.

“We save Maggie from the trap first, we rescue the others from Duncan, and then we scram,” I said.

“Sounds like a plan,” Rose said. ; “Tallowman, go around to the front of the building. ; You recognize our friend?”

“Yes mistress,” the Tallowman said, his voice meek.

“Go help him.”

“Yes, mistress,” the Tallowman said.

A little creepy.

“That went screwy fast,” Rose said. ; “I blacked out for a good half hour. ; Amnesia.”

“Some trick,” I said. ; “Evan and I did too. ; They used it to split us up, separated us, we still came out ahead.”

“Be careful about lying. ; We’re not sure how this went while we were out.”

“I’m pretty certain,” I said. ; Maggie was in sight, looking very impatient inside a rectangular magic circle that was bound to the pavement by golden chains.

“You’re certain we came out ahead?”

“We got Laird,” I said, pointing to Laird’s limp body, dangling from the Hyena’s mouth. ; There was a white smear drooping from the side of the Hyena’s nose to Laird’s shoulder. ; “And I think I’ve figured out the trick.”

“Trick? ; To?”

“The Behaim’s power.”

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