Page 89 of Half Dead

“Nobody knows.”

“Am I supposed to single-handedly unravel the world’s unsolved mysteries?” I was good, but I wasn’t Hercule Poirot good.

“On the island that sank is a tablet that was buried. I want that tablet.”

And now I understood his generosity. “You actually want me to succeed this time.”

“I have a vested interest in the outcome, yes.”

“If the island is in a bottomless pit in the sea, how likely is it that the tablet stayed buried?”

“It’s a mystical place, Lorelei,” he snapped. “Use your imagination.”

I finally managed to rile the unflappable Lucifer. Score one for me. “What’s on the tablet that you’d prefer that over Kane?”

“There’s still a third trial, don’t forget. Why not have both?”

I’d never been scuba diving, let alone had any gear to use. “You’ll really let me use magic for the underwater portion?”

“It isn’t personal. Having you drown en route doesn’t serve me.”

“What’s on the tablet?” I asked again, knowing it didn’t matter. If it meant saving Kane from an eternity of suffering, I’d retrieve it.

“The destiny of the world, allegedly. It’s been said that the one who possesses the tablet will become all powerful.”

The words ‘Lucifer’ and ‘all powerful’ didn’t belong in the same sentence. “You’re already the supreme leader of hell. What more do you want?”

“Whatever there is.” His smile was so cold, I shivered in response.

“Aren’t you worried that I’ll become all powerful if I’m the one to claim the tablet?”

“You care too much for Kane. You wouldn’t choose to activate the tablet’s power. That contract is signed in both of our blood, remember.”

If I was all powerful, maybe I could null and void the contract. I kept that nugget to myself.

Lucifer pondered me. “No more questions? No concerns to express about delivering the ultimate power into my terrible hands?”

“What would be the point?” Naturally, the idea terrified me, but that would have to be a problem for Future Lorelei. The first order of business was saving Kane, then we’d tackle the Lucifer issue together.

Lucifer handed me a scroll. “The information you need to find the tablet is on this paper.” He smirked. “Try not to get it wet. I doubt the ink can withstand it.”

I unraveled the scroll and reviewed the contents. “If it’s so straightforward, why haven’t you done it yet?”

“Who said I haven’t tried? No one I’ve sent has ever returned.” The edges of his mouth curved slightly. “Then again, the stakes for them weren’t as high as they are for you.”

His words didn’t inspire confidence. “How long do I have?”

“I’ll grant you twenty-six hours for this particular endeavor. You can access the entry point through the crossroads.”

“Another door?”

“Perhaps a window this time. Keep things interesting.”

Bastard. I retreated into the house and slammed the door in his face.

I studied the information on the scroll and laughed. The only information it included was the general topography of the land and even that wasn’t particularly helpful. Without the exact location of the tablet, I’d be searching for a whisper in a storm. How could I be expected to find it in the time allotted?

Pops hadn’t lingered on Chinese mythology. His primary focus had been on Western deities, which I now understoodgiven my heritage. I hadn’t heard of a tablet of destiny either. The closest comparison was a Sumerian tablet of fate, but it didn’t make sense for a Sumerian tablet to be buried on an island for Chinese immortals. This had to be a lesser-known tablet.

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