Page 14 of Witch Please
I would take that as a win any day.
“That was quite impressive Miss Byrne, no wonder your grandmother has been keeping you under the radar for so long.” A low seductive chuckle sent shivers under my skin and my eyes popped open.
Shooting out of bed like an arrow, I landed in a crouch next to it with arms raised ready to punch whoever thought it was their place to be inside my bedroom uninvited. That only amused my intruder more. He full on laughed in my face.
I blinked.
I then blinked some more, because wherever I was, it was sure the hell not my bedroom. If the gothic décor was not an indication, the surfer dude with his surf board shorts and his impressive six pack was a dead giveaway. When I said dead, it was pun intended.
“Who in Hecate’s name are you?” Taken aback, I dropped my arms and took a few steps away from him. Whoever, or whatever it was, it was not human, or alive for that matter.
“Charon at your services.” The surf dude plopped his arm with flourish as if we were attending a ball in eighteenth century England.
When he lifted his head and smiled at me with two rows of shark-like teeth that split his face wider than was normal, I regretted opening my mouth at all and not playing a possum when I woke up. Locks of blonde hair flopped over his forehead covering a bright red eye which spiked my adrenaline because the other eye had nothing, and a silver coin was sewn inside the socket. Reality socked me in the head so hard I staggered backwards when I recognized that cursed coin. Pained groans bounced off of the walls as I flopped back in the bed not caring that a demon could eat me alive if he so pleased. Because that’s what he was, a resident of Hell.
“I am dead, aren’t I? It finally happened.”
Throwing a forearm over my eyes, I couldn’t even look at the guy. Another thought hit me so unexpectedly, I jerked up in the bed and rushed to ask in a panic, “You haven’t taken me across the river yet, have you. Danika can’t yank me back if she feels like it, right?
“Oh, no, no, no my dear, you are not dead.” Charon inched closer and goosebumps covered my skin. There was a chill surrounding his body that I can feel to the bone marrow, although physically I couldn’t feel the cold on my skin at all. It was that terrifying feeling as if I crossed over an open grave and Death was breathing down my neck. “Who in the worlds would want you dead? Where would the fun be in that? The Fates finally played their hand. This is almost history in the making. I’ve been waiting for this…well let’s just say a very long time for an immortal.”
At the mention of the Fates my heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t possibly know anything about the book, could he? As his smile stretched wider, my uneasiness kept growing. On its heels followed a worry that I was too afraid to voice, but I had no other option. I needed to know. Fingers curling into the covers, tangling, and twisting to a point it cut off the circulation of blood to my hands I summoned the courage to face the ferryman head on.
“Is Sissily alive? How about River? If they are dead, will you let me see their bodies, please? I will do anything you want.” Everything came out in a rush, and I forgot I needed oxygen to function.
There. I could be polite if I needed to. A lump formed the size of a fist in my throat while I waited for his answer. The thing that the ferryman didn’t know was that I was ready to claw the pits of Hell if I had to so I can get to Sissily. River was lucky that when I was freaking out, I forgot to pretend I cared nothing at all for him.
“As tempting as that may be -and believe me I would love to hold that over Danika Byrnes’s head- it is against my nature to tell you lies.” The light in his red eye increased, the iris flicking left and right across my face as if to search for something or maybe even read my thoughts. Can demons do that? I would have to ask Sissily when I found her. Please goddess make sure she’s alive. “Your companions are alive although not yet awake.” The creature informed me, all smiles and as polite as ever. “I will take you to go see them the moment they open their eyes. Until then you and I can have a little chat.”
My mouth opened to tell him where to shove it with his little chat when the alarm bells started screaming in my head. There was absolutely no reason for me to be suddenly alarmed apart from some inner feeling that I should pick my next words wisely. My very life could depend on it. Alex and his advice, what felt like years ago, came to mind that an informed predator was a smart predator, and I took notice. So, in the same fashion, I opened my mouth, I clamped it shut and eyed him thoughtfully.
“Anything specific in mind that you would like to chat about?” Casually leaning on my elbow, I flicked invisible lint off the covers pretending it was no concern of mine what he wanted to waste time on.
“There it is.” Charon crooned and grinned at me proudly like I was a monkey performing some amazing trick. “The infamous Byrne cunning. I have missed it so very much.” Clapping his hands excitedly he was practically vibrating on the spot.
“How many of us have you met?” Dropping all pretenses, I decided to be honest and open with the ferryman. At that point what did I have to lose? Dread pooled at the pit of my stomach the longer he stared back at me without saying a word.
The question gathered on the tip of my tongue but the very thought of saying it out loud sent my heart punching to the roof of my mouth before dropping and splattering at my feet. I could tell he knew what I wanted to ask; he was eager to hear it as if he was waiting his entire existence for this very moment. The coward that I am, I looked down at my feet. That is when I noticed my magic shimmering under my skin, flickering and blinking as if to remind me that I was not alone.
“Did you meet her?” Swallowing thickly, I had to blink fast to stop the tears gathering around my lashes from trickling down my face. I did not have to tell him who I was asking about. The knowing glint in his one red eye, was blinding in its intensity. But I opened Pandora’s Box, so here goes nothing. “Did you guide my mother across the River of Souls on the night I was born?”
“No one crosses the river without me knowing, if she has paid the price, I have granted passage. A curious little thing, aren’t you?” Hunching down, so he could better look me in the eye, he cocked his head to the side and stood there like that for a minute. “So young. So naïve. To have all the wisdom within reach of your little hand, but no knowledge on what to ask to acquire it. How pathetic.”
“Let’s get one thing straight.” Leaning forward, so he knows how serious I am by my body language and not just my tone, I glowered at him. “If you wanted me dead, we would not be wasting time chit chatting right now. That means you need something from me. Probably something that I will not willingly give you. Until you forcefully take what you want, we are going to play this game my way.”
He appeared more excited with each word I spoke, which should’ve told me I lost before we even started. My name would not be Hazel Byrne if I did not see things through, and I’m nothing if not determined.
“Don’t patronize me, you fucker. I almost took down an entire city in the human world thanks to the pent-up rage from years of bullying. Push me hard enough and I will blow a hole in here big enough that the archangels will come over for a cup of tea. Are we clear?”
“Crystal.” Stepping away from me he moved all the way to the wall and casually leaned on it like he was not trying to scare the life out of me two seconds ago. “Now, are you going to ask me the correct questions, or should we waste more time on useless blabber?” As if bored, he looked down at his nails, but a moment later he peeked at me through his lashes. “I had great expectations from you, Miss Byrne. Please do not disappoint me.”
“Did you transport my mother…” The question trailed off when Charon’s face fell like I kicked his puppy. My mind raced trying to recall every word he said from the moment I opened my eyes. He said it is not in his nature to lie to me, which means everything I ask, he will tell me the truth to the best of his knowledge. I just had to line up the words in the correct order.
Not well versed in the rules and laws of the demonic realm, I had no clue if he could tell me something unless I specifically asked him for the information. And who’s to say he will be accurate with the answer unless I could also read between the lines or know roughly what the truth may be. Everything was so confusing I was developing a headache behind my eyeballs that was stabbing at my brain.
“Where did you see my mother last?” I figured if he could tell me in which part of Hell, he dropped her off, I could maybe find her later. After I made sure Sissily and River were okay, of course.
The idea spread equal amounts of trepidation and exhilaration through me. Did I want to see my mother? Probably. I’ve never really thought about it but now that it was a possibility, I thought I did. I had too many questions for her and none all at the same time.
