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"Ouch," Si
She snarled prettily, made her guns disappear, and snatched two silver knives out of nowhere. She buried them both up to the hilt in his chest. They were magical weapons, scored with ancient runes, one cursed and one blessed. I'd known gods who would have died from an attack like that. Si
"Now that's just not fair, darling."
"Step aside, Sidney," said Pretty Poison, at Si
"No," said Si
"She tried to kill you, my darling! I can't allow that to go unpunished. It's not in my nature."
"You came up out of Hell to be with me, in order to change your nature. Remember?"
"Yes, but..."
"Hush," said Si
Bad Pe
Si
"What are we going to do with you, Pe
"We can't just let you go. You'd only carry on following us, looking for another good place to ambush us, with better weapons. You're like me; you never give up on a case."
"I am nothing like you, John Taylor! I have style."
Faster than any of us could react, Pretty Poison surged forward, grabbed Bad Pe
"Don't!" said Si
"She has to die," Pretty Poison said reasonably, her lips brushing Pe
"No case of mine has ever been worth the sacrifice of an i
Pretty Poison raised an eyebrow. "You think this is an i
"Maybe not technically, but yes. Kill her, and you're my enemy. Forever."
Pretty Poison gri
"You're trying to confuse the issue," said Si
Pretty Poison considered this for a long moment, while Bad Pe
"I knew you wouldn't let her kill me, John. You always were a soppy, sentimental sort. But I will find you again. And I will kill you."
"Not on the best day you ever had," I said calmly. "I'm getting very close to my mother now, Pe
Bad Pe
"Where are we going next?" said Madman, joining us in spirit at least. "Anywhere fun?"
"Not really," I said. "I'm pretty sure we need to go and see the Lord of Thorns."
Si
Nightside who still inhabits this level of reality, and the most powerful. I only mentioned him in Rats' Alley because Herne brought him up. I didn't really expect to be taken seriously."
"The Lord of Thorns," said Pretty Poison. "We know of him in Hell. They say he knew the Christ. They say angels and demons are forced to kneel in his presence."
"And if anyone should know the begi
"This is a really bad idea," said Madman, and we all looked at him sharply, but he had nothing more to say.
Eight - I Am the Stone That Breaks All Hearts
I had a lot on my mind as I led my companions back through Freak Fair, not least trying to remember whether I'd updated my will recently. I'd always meant for Cathy to inherit my business if, or more likely when, something happened to me, but I'd never actually got around to putting it in writing. Changing your will is one of those things you always put off because you don't like to be reminded of your own mortality. You always think there's plenty of time ... until you find yourself on your way to a meeting with the Lord of Thorns. Part of me wanted to phone Cathy, talk to her one last time, but the sensible part of me overruled it. What could I say, except Good-bye?
My companions didn't seem too worried. Si
Maybe. It wasn't like they were my friends or anything. Perhaps that's why I'd chosen them for this case—because it wouldn't matter to me so much if I had to throw them to the wolves.
The cold-bloodedness of that thought shocked even me, and I looked around for something to distract me. And that was when I finally noticed that all of Walker's watchers had reappeared, gathered together at the far end of the street and staring at us openly, not even trying to conceal themselves. They huddled together for comfort as I and my companions approached, but looked ready to defend themselves at a moment's notice. The combat magicians actually traced protective sigils on the air between them and us. They blazed brightly, sparking and dripping eldritch fires. I came to a halt a respectful distance away and considered the watchers thoughtfully.