To Hell and Back (2 page)

“I knew your inner nerd was in there somewhere,” Bill said with a sad smile, his eyes shining.

I nodded as I pulled away from him, and thought I should probably hug Delilah, but feared I might succumb to the wave of emotion that was already cresting inside me. I waved to her instead. Then I picked up my sword, and turning on my heel, headed back into the haunted wood.

***

For as bad as the Underground City was, the Dark Wood was no walk in the park. It was a haunted forest with a mind of its own, which was usually bent on making you lose your way so you could fall prey to one of the many hideous creatures that lived inside its perimeters. But, luckily for me, I’d already experienced the Dark Wood a few times so I knew what to expect. I also had my sword to help lead the way.

I’d been walking for maybe an hour, holding my sword out in front of me like it was some sort of homing device. Ridiculous as I might have looked, it did seem as if the sword knew its way around the forest. Every now and then, it would incline itself in either an easterly or westerly direction, and so I followed whatever direction it indicated.

The wind picked up and blew its icy breath through the leafless branches of the dead forest that surrounded me. “Dark Wood” was an appropriate name for the forest because it was far removed from anything light and airy. The Dark Wood bordered the Underground City, so it existed in perpetual darkness, which made traveling through it difficult because I never knew what time of day or night it was. I also never had any idea of how long I’d been walking because there was no sun moving in an arc through the sky, signaling the onset of the afternoon or dusk. There was only the darkness of night. The most off-putting part about the Dark Wood, however, was the nothingness. No birds were singing, there was no foliage or greenery to speak of, nothing but dreariness and seemingly never-ending dead tree branches that obscured the sky like myriad sharp spears.

I felt something buzzing from my midsection, and my breath caught in my throat. Seconds later, I realized it was just Bill’s phone vibrating with what I imagined was an incoming text message. I paused and glanced around myself to make sure I wasn’t about to be waylaid by some hideous creature. Not finding anything suspicious in the immediate vicinity, I unzipped my fanny pack and pulled out Bill’s phone. I flipped open the top and noticed it was, indeed, a text. It read:

I have not heard from Ms. Harper. Am I to believe that she is thus declining my dinner invitation? By nature, I am not a patient man. Please advise.

Even though there was no name associated with the text, I immediately knew who it was: Alaire, the Master of the Underground City.

“Ugh,” I said to myself out loud as my heart joined my stomach in dropping down to my feet.

Alaire had texted Bill a few hours earlier, inviting me to dine with him. I wasn’t sure why, but Alaire harbored some sort of odd fascination with me. Tallis made it sound like Alaire was more enthralled with my innocence than he was with me, but I couldn’t be sure where my innocence ended and I began. It seemed we were one and the same. As to Alaire, he was the very antithesis of anything wholesome, which was probably the chief reason he seemed to be so taken with me—being, as he was, so unaccustomed to innocence in the Underground City.

Regardless of the reasons why Alaire was interested in me, the important factor was that he basically had me right where he wanted me. He’d threatened to report me to Afterlife Enterprises when I’d offed one of his demon wolves during my last trip into the Underground City. As far as the wolf was concerned, I’d just been defending myself against its attack, but Afterlife Enterprises wasn’t much concerned with the reasons why certain events took place. Instead, it seemed like Jason Streethorn had his nose stuffed right up Alaire’s, ahem, backside, because whatever Alaire wanted, Alaire got. Which meant if Alaire pressed charges, and I was convicted of murdering one of his employees, I would be punished by an infraction. And two infractions were a ticket to Shade for the next hundred years.

I inhaled deeply and texted back:

This is Lily. I thought you said I had until tomorrow night at ten p.m. to respond to your invitation?

I flipped the phone closed just as it hummed again, alerting me to a new text. I flipped it back open and read:

I have since changed my mind. I expect a more prompt response.

I was surprised by Alaire’s quick reply, but then figured he probably didn’t have much else to do in his high-rise office building, manned by no one save himself.

How about I respond by tomorrow at nine p.m.?
I texted back as a smile curled my lips. Even though I knew I had to accept Alaire’s dinner invitation, or run the risk of earning my first infraction, I wasn’t about to let him off the hook so easily. Alaire, as Master of the Underground City, expected to get his way, which made him cocky. And those were two attributes I found incredibly irritating in any man.

Very funny, Ms. Harper,
he texted back a few seconds later.
I expect your response immediately.

As in posthaste?

I find your sense of humor vexing, to say the least,
he replied.
Shall I remind you of the infraction that awaits you?

So now he was going to threaten me?
I swallowed hard and felt my eyes narrowing as irritation began to spiral through me.
Should I suppose that dinner with you means the infraction is no longer on the table?
I typed back hurriedly, then added:
No pun intended
. The thought that I should be more aware of my surroundings flashed through my mind, and I glanced up and scanned the perimeter of the forest, although I found nothing untoward or suspicious. I returned my attention to the broken phone screen. Alaire hadn’t responded so I continued.
Because if the infraction is non-negotiable, then my reply to your dinner invitation is no.

If you agree to be my dinner guest, you have my word you will receive no infraction.

I sighed before typing my next message.
Should I trust the word of the Master of the Underground City? I confess you don’t strike me as being very trustworthy.
I knew it was a risky thing to say, and it definitely wasn’t a good idea to incite his anger, but I was worried that he wouldn’t keep his end of the bargain. Not that asking him if he was trustworthy would prove otherwise, but anyhow …

Indeed, you should. I value honesty, Ms. Harper, and as such, you will always know where you stand with me.

And there it was. I didn’t know what I was expecting from him, but hoped his word was truly his bond.
Okay,
I wrote back.
Next Tuesday evening at eight p.m.
I shook my head and wondered what I was getting myself into. But having already made my bed, there was no turning back now.
Am I still to meet you at the gates of the Underground City?

Yes.
He texted immediately.
I will send a car to ensure you are unharmed by my employees.

I found it somewhat ironically eerie that Alaire referred to his demons as his employees, but c’est la vie.
Okay,
I texted back before something occurred to me.
One last request …

And what request might that be?
I realized he was flirting with me, a realization that made me sick to my stomach.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I will be stuck in the Dark Wood for a while, and as I’m sure you’re fully aware, it’s impossible to tell the day from the night.
Well, as long as I was in the middle of the Dark Wood, anyway. The sun did shine where Tallis lived, on the periphery of the Dark Wood, but I wasn’t sure how much time I’d be spending there, if any time at all …
Right now, I have no idea what day or time it is …
I accidentally clicked the “send” button even though I wasn’t finished typing.

It is Friday at midnight.

Just as I started to type my response, the phone suddenly rang. I jumped in surprise as soon as the shrill ring met my ears. “Hello?” I answered in a dubious tone, having a good idea of who might be on the other end.

“My fingers were beginning to cramp,” Alaire explained, although I was sure he was exaggerating. “As to your request,” he continued in his slight Scandinavian accent, “I imagine you would appreciate it if I alerted you when you are due to arrive at the gates of my city?”

“Yes,” I answered immediately as I started walking again. I figured I shouldn’t loiter in the haunted forest where God-only-knew-what was probably preparing to ambush me. It was bad enough that my attention was now focused on a phone call. “Otherwise, I have no way of knowing when Tuesday at eight p.m. rolls around.” But then I remembered it would probably take me some time to make the trip to the gates of the Underground. “Maybe you should text me at the beginning of each new day because I’m not sure how long it will take me to reach the gates.”

“Where, exactly, are you in the Dark Wood?” Alaire inquired, sounding bored. I could hear the tapping of his fingernails against his desk.

“I don’t know,” I answered with a sigh as I glanced around myself. “The terrain here all looks the same.”

Alaire tsked me a few times as if he were disappointed with my retort, which I found exasperating. “Not a very wise choice to be lost in the Dark Wood, now, is it?”

“Well, it’s not as though I planned to get lost!” I railed back at him. I held my sword out before me and it pointed in an easterly direction. “And for your information, I’m not lost,” I snapped back, not wanting it to sound like I was ill prepared for the trip. “My sword is doing a great job of leading me wherever I have to go.”

“And just where would that be?” he continued, his tone of voice now sounding amused.

“To where I’m going,” I spat back, not wanting him to know that Tallis could be in trouble and I was trying to find him. I had a feeling that information wasn’t safe in Alaire’s hands. Even though Tallis and Alaire appeared to share a long history, well, as far as I could tell from the last time we were in Alaire’s office, anyway, it didn’t seem as if their history was a friendly one. And any non-friend of Tallis’s was a non-friend of mine.

“Is your lover with you?” Alaire asked, going for disinterested, but not quite succeeding.

“He isn’t my lover.”

“Perhaps not yet, although I daresay he would quite like to try the role on for size?”

I inhaled deeply, then exhaled just as long. “No comment.”

Alaire was quiet for a few seconds until all I could hear was the even cadence of his breathing. “And the angel?”

“What about him?”

“Is he with you?”

“No,” I answered, immediately thinking better of it.

Alaire exhaled slowly, the only sound on the other line the tapping of his fingernails. “As I understand it, then, you are lost in the Dark Wood and all alone?”

“No and yes.”

The cadence of his fingernail tapping increased. “As the Dark Wood is not part of the Underground City, I am
sadly
unable to protect you.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to protect myself,” I responded haughtily. “I definitely wouldn’t want my death to be the reason for missing our dinner date.” I couldn’t help my acidic laugh.

“Nor would I, my lady, nor would I.”

“And on that happy note, I’m going to hang up,” I said quickly. “I should be paying attention to my surroundings, rather than this conversation.”

“On that subject, we shall agree for once,” he answered. “Please do be careful, my dear, and one word of advice if you will welcome it?”

“What?” I grumbled.

“Enable your phone’s flashlight capability if it has one—the light will keep the creatures of the Dark Wood at bay.”

“Okay,” I answered, thinking his advice was surprisingly sound. “Good-bye, Alaire.”

“Good-bye, my dear Ms. Harper.”

I clicked the button to end the conversation and then clicked on the settings icon and located the flashlight button. I turned the flashlight on and immediately felt more comfortable as soon as the phone brightened the path in front of me. If there was one good thing about the Underground City, it was that it was surrounded by a strong electric force field that enabled anything electrical, which meant Bill’s phone would maintain a full battery. At least, that’s what Tallis had told me. I could only hope the same rule applied in the Dark Wood.

I plopped the phone back into my fanny pack and felt a tug on the end of my sword, which indicated I should make a sharp right. I did as instructed and felt energy beginning to vibrate up the cold metal. I was suddenly overcome with the feeling that I had finally reached my destination.

I held the phone up and in the bright light, I tried to make out the lines of Tallis’s cabin but was only greeted with the remains of a few gnarled tree trunks. I took a few steps forward and heard the unmistakable sounds of rustling in the undergrowth. And undergrowth, i.e., bushes, could only mean one thing—I had to have reached an area of the Dark Wood which nourished life. I felt elation begin to grow in my gut because the only section of the Dark Wood which boasted anything living was the same place where Tallis lived.

“I’m here, Tallis,” I whispered.