The Stone Demon (21 page)

And then her heart stuttered as she realized that the person on the ground was wearing a familiar red and black biker jacket. He rolled over, a lock of black hair falling across one eye as he squinted up at her.

“Donna?”

“Navin!” She scrambled forward. “Oh my god, Nav. Let me help you. It’s okay, I’m here.”

He frowned and licked his lips, as though trying to pick his words carefully. He seemed disoriented and even a little afraid. “How did you get here so fast? I only just called.”

“It’s a long story. Let’s get you out of here first, okay?”

He focused on her for the first time. “I know you’re super strong and everything, but please don’t throw me over your shoulder. My manliness couldn’t take it.”

She choked on a sob, not sure whether she was laughing or crying. She was just so relieved to be with him again, and that he was okay.

“Donna?” Navin watched her with concern.

“Sorry, I just spaced for a minute. Seriously, let’s get you on your feet and worry about everything later.”

She wrapped her arms around him, using her strength to haul him into a sitting position. “Do you feel sick?” She checked his face anxiously. Maybe he’d hit his head. He might be concussed or dizzy or—

“You look beautiful,” he whispered.

Donna froze. “What?”

“You heard me.”

Okaaay
. A concussion was starting to look like a very real possibility here.

Their faces were almost touching. She could see a cut on Navin’s cheek, and his eyes didn’t look quite right. Even in the near-dark he looked sort of stoned. His pupils were huge.

“Nav, I think you might be badly injured. Is your head hurting? I think—”

“I think you should stop talking,” he said.

And then he kissed her.

It wasn’t like when Xan kissed her. Those kisses were hot and wild and tasted of sunlight. Navin’s lips were gentle, uncertain. It was as if he was testing her—testing them—wondering if this was really happening.

At least, that’s what
she
was wondering. Donna was so surprised she stayed completely still, allowing the kiss if not entirely participating in it. She closed her eyes and leaned into him, just a little. Just for a moment.

Just to see …

His hand was cold on the back of her neck and he tasted vaguely of cloves.

She pulled away, cheeks flushed. Confused.

“Nav … ”

What should she say? Should she say something about the kiss? Maybe she could pretend it hadn’t happened. That might be best all round.

“Yes!” Navin shouted. He raised both hands in the air. “First base, baby!” He jumped to his feet. “Woo!”

Donna sat back on her heels and stared.

Navin was dancing, gyrating his hips, thrusting and crotch-grabbing Michael Jackson-style. “
The girl is mine!”

Donna narrowed her eyes. Her nausea had returned, sitting like a heavy weight in her stomach. She had a very bad feeling about this.

Navin stopped thrusting and laughed down at her. “Oh, Navin,” he simpered in a high-pitched voice, “you’re so handsome. I never knew you cared. Oh Navin, your lips are so
soft
.”

Donna pulled herself to her feet, stumbling as the blade and the cup shifted inside the messenger bag. “Demian?”

“
Bzzt
!” crowed Navin. “Wrong answer, princess.”

She backed away from this crazy person wearing her best friend’s face. She touched her lips with her gloved fingers, wondering how she could have let him kiss her like that. She should have known it wasn’t even real. How had Demian fooled her? She was such an idiot.

“If this is your idea of a joke … ” Her voice trailed off. Actually, she didn’t think this
was
the Demon King’s idea of a joke. She didn’t honestly believe that Demian was capable of something as human as … humor.

Could it be a wood elf, wearing a glamour? They’d done that before, with Navin, but surely it wouldn’t have quite so much
personality
.

The being wearing Navin’s form did a slow circle, head tilted back as he scanned the sky and took a deep breath of frigid air.

“It’s good to be alive, little alchemist,” he said.

Donna paused for a stunned second. “Newton,” she whispered.

“
Ding-ding-ding
! You have won a
prize
,” the demon declared, opening his arms wide and grinning at her. “It is I, Newton: summoned by the Dragon Magus, entrapped by sheer bloody fluke on his part—appallingly bad luck I was having that day, I might add.”

Donna thought she was going to throw up. She swallowed and rubbed her hand across her mouth, only half aware of what she was doing.

Newton-Navin raised an eyebrow. “What’s the matter, princess? Didn’t you like my moves? Should I have gone with some tongue? I wondered about that, but you seemed to like the whole shy, romantic shtick … ”

“Shut up!” Donna gritted her teeth against a scream of frustration, of rage, and felt a visceral urge to punch something. “How
dare
you!”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Newton said, not sounding even re-motely apologetic. “Did I hurt your feelings? Did you wish it really was sappy Navin delivering the kiss of your dreams? Did—”

“I said, Shut. Up.” Donna fixed him with a murderous expression. “What did you do to my friend?”

Newton/Navin made a big show of looking all around. “What friend? Where?” He pulled the waistband of his jeans away from his slim belly and looked down them. “Nope, not much here.”

She just stared at him, willing reality to change and for Navin to be there with her. Where he belonged. She remembered the kiss and pushed the still-vivid feeling away. It had just been one of those things. A crazy moment of relief.

And it hadn’t even been Navin.

Newton touched his toes a couple of times, twisting his body from side to side and then started jogging on the spot.

“What are you
doing
?”

“What does it look like I’m doing? What
are
they teaching children these days? I’m exercising,
duh
. You have no idea what it’s been like all these years. Trapped. Inanimate. In constant agony.” He sounded out of breath, but he kept jogging. “Wow, this is tough. Does Sharma actually do any exercise? He’s kind of filled out lately, now I come to think about it, so maybe he’s been
working out
.”

“You can’t stay in his body,” Donna said, her voice shaking.

Newton-Navin put his hands on his hips and stared at her as though
she
were the one who’d lost her mind. “Why not?”

“You just can’t!”

“That ain’t no good reason, baby,” he said. “I was Simon Gaunt’s bitch, and now I’m not.”

Donna let out an angry breath. “I realize that must have been hard for you. But taking someone else’s body isn’t—”

“You realize
nothing
,” Newton snapped. He stopped moving and glared at her from Navin’s eyes—only they weren’t Nav’s eyes. She’d known there had been something wrong. She should have trusted her instincts. Instead she’d allowed him to kiss her and now, here they were, in a cemetery in Ironbridge. Navin was … who knows where, and a demon was running around (literally) in his body.

Her whole world was falling apart.

“Newton,” she said, trying to get his attention. “You have to give him back. Please. I’m asking you.
Begging
you. Let him go and I’ll help you find another body. I’ll help you find your
own
body—wherever it is.” She frowned. “If you have one.
Do
you have a body of your own?”

He ignored her, jogging a few steps and then throwing what was presumably meant to be an invisible ball. “
Howzat
!”

Donna buried her face in her hands. Could this get any worse? She peeked between her fingers at the person who used to be her best friend.

“Newton … ”

“It’s alive!” he yelled to the skies, delight radiating from him. “Aliiive!”

“
Newton
!”

“No, no, no. Don’t call me that anymore.”

“You’re going to tell me your real name?”

“No. I changed my name. You can call me the Artist Formally Known As Navin. Get it?”

Donna suspected that Nav was still in there somewhere, what with the wacky humor and all. She simply had to hang on to the hope that he was okay—but that hope was a slippery thing, and it was fading fast.

As she stood shivering in the chill air, and the moon seemed to wink at her from between a gap in the clouds, she watched the figure of Navin Sharma raise his hands above his head.

“I’m the king of the world!”

Donna was so busy watching what was left of her friend, and wondering how the hell she was going to fix it, that she didn’t notice the huge shape swooping down on her until it was too late.

Nineteen

S
trong hands hooked beneath her arms and lifted her up—then kept on lifting. Her whole body rose into the air. Donna froze, holding herself rigid for several moments before her instincts kicked in. She shrieked and thrashed wildly, watching in horror as the cold earth became more and more distant. Newton-Navin seemed very far away, and it had all happened so quickly she could hardly even begin to process it.

“Stop struggling,” a familiar voice said in her ear. “I’ve got you.”

Xan?

“But …
how
?” She could barely speak as the wind rushed past her face and froze her cheeks. Her mind seemed stretched too tight, almost as though it might snap. She honestly believed she was good at handling crazy shit, but this could be one step too far. One giant crazy leap too far, even for her.

Her legs swung out and hit tree branches, and she gasped.

“Hold still. I’m not very good at this yet.”

“Xan, what happened to you?” Her teeth hurt in the cold air each time she opened her mouth, but she couldn’t help it. Xan was flying!

“What do you think?” he asked.

“I … I don’t know. I can’t see you.” She tried to twist in his arms, but it was impossible.

“Just turn your head to the side.”

Donna glanced left and then right, very carefully, trying not to break Xan’s concentration. She could see the arc and swoop of wings as they gained altitude, moonlight flashing on the metallic edges and razor-sharp tips.

They looked beautiful. But they also looked deadly, like weapons.

Xan wrapped his arms more firmly around her. She could feel the warmth of his chest pressing into her back.

His voice was filled with joy. “I’m flying!”

Confusion made her head spin, adding to the sense of unreality that already had her off-balance. Not to mention the fact that she was
flying
above Ironbridge. “How did Maker do something like this so quickly?” It didn’t make sense; her own operations had taken weeks. Even months.

Xan held her more tightly. “They’re not real, not yet. This is just a prototype that Maker’s working on. They’re not organically attached or anything, it’s just a harness—but it’s a step in the right direction.”

Donna knew she should feel happy for him, but she’d just lost Navin and there was still so much to do.

“Where to, my lady?” he asked.

“Take me to the Frost Estate,” she said. That was where she could confront Simon—and hopefully find a way to get Newton out of Nav’s body. After all, he was the Magus’ pet demon. Surely he’d know what to do.

“Your wish is my command,” Xan said.

She gritted her teeth against the cold air rushing at them. She would
make
Simon free Navin.

They began to fly lower, heading back into the tops of the wintering trees. Donna’s heart lifted even as their altitude dropped.

“Thank you,” she breathed, thinking that Xan wouldn’t hear her.

“You’re welcome,” he replied, his lips so close to her ear that she felt the warmth of his breath.

She could hear the smile in his voice. This was just so incredibly … wild. She couldn’t comprehend it. How could she? They were holding a freaking conversation while flying over the Frost Estate.

They landed after what seemed like only minutes, and Donna wished they could have flown forever. This was one of those times when she knew it was totally inappropriate to be focusing on how romantic something was—what with the fate of world hanging in the balance and all—but, honestly, how could it
not
be considered romantic?

Xan had literally swept her off her feet. Swooped in at the last moment and whisked her out of harm’s way. Not that she’d really needed rescuing. For one thing, she believed she could take care of herself. For another, she didn’t truly think that Newton would have hurt her. It wasn’t just that the demon was wearing Navin’s face, or the hope that Nav could influence Newton’s actions in some way. Donna just had a feeling that, for all his bluster and bravado, the demon wasn’t all bad.

For a demon.

Xan took her hand and they knocked on the door of the mansion. Donna knew that everybody would still be there, preparing for war, but she had a plan. A plan which she hadn’t exactly thought through and that could have potentially fatal consequences. But she already had almost all of the ingredients she needed to make the Philosopher’s Stone, and she wasn’t going to fail now.