CHAPTER 42

"I should have been there." The kitsune's eyes glowed for a moment, and then she let out an exasperated sigh. "It really doesn't matter, though. He finds trouble no matter what he's doing."

"He's like a magnet for it." Beth set down her cup. "Are we ready?"

"I think so. Come." Ratu set her cup down as well, and led the group back up to the room with the magical hourglass. Once inside, she had Beth wait by the device, then spoke in low tones with the others.

Beth craned her neck, trying to catch any additional info, but all she caught was bits of magical jargon she didn't understand, and a level of seriousness from all three of them that made her nervous. She pulled Jenny out of her sling and held her tight against her chest.

"You wouldn't let anything happen to me, would you?"

The doll's head rotated a hundred and eighty degrees to look Beth in the face, then winked.

"Okay, remember the 'do fewer creepy things' talk? This is a creepy thing."

Jenny's head swiveled forward, and Beth shivered.

"Okay, we're ready." Ratu walked up to Beth, then looked down at Jenny. "Yuki is going to help me regulate the flow of magic into the device. I estimate that her assistance will triple the chances of success. Sofia's unique ability to tap into the future will be used to prevent the device from overloading, which eliminates almost every other potentially bad outcome."

"I get to stand next to the device and yell at them if it's about to explode," the cyclops grumbled.

Ratu waved a hand dismissively. "Any questions before we begin?"

"No." Beth handed Jenny to Ratu. "But this is the fucking weirdest girl's night ever."

"It isn't night time, but we're getting close." Ratu took the doll. "I'm not certain what you may experience while in spirit form, but do your best to hang on."

"Let's just get it over with." Beth looked at the doll. "That's your cue."

Jenny's eyes glowed, and the world became a gray mist until all that was left was Jenny and Beth.

A shadow stretched itself out of the doll, and Jenny stepped free, her long hair obscuring her face. She took a few lurching steps toward Beth, then rolled her head to one side to reveal a macabre grin. Jenny lifted her arm and poked Beth in the shoulder.

"Tag. You're it." Though her voice was just a whisper, the whole world imploded, and then went dark.

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"We're sure this is the room she came from?" Mike stood in the second floor hallway, his eyes on the door in front of him. The hallway used to be L-shaped, but with the appearance of the latest addition, it now split at the end.

"Quite sure, Lord Mike." Reggie stood farther back, a rat guard on each side. "Her scent trail comes to this room."

"Oh boy." He put his hand on the door, then looked at Tink. "You sure about this?"

The goblin's goggles were over her eyes, but he knew that they were both bloodshot from the fight earlier. He had practically dragged Tink to the centaur village for some quick medical care, and she had dragged him back after they declared her ornery, but fine.

She now wore fierce grin and held a crossbow aimed at the door.

"Tink ready."

He pushed open the door and stepped aside, allowing Tink to rush in. The rats followed, and he and Reggie brought up the rear.

"Huh." The room was practically empty. Tink was surveying the perimeter, but unless there was a secret door hidden away, there wasn't anything to be seen. A broken harp had been tipped over in the corner, and the floors were made of wood. "What is this place?"

"Empty. Room good for music and dance." Tink pushed her goggles up. "Tink remember, Emily play music box in here."

"What music box?"

"Tink no see." The goblin touched the walls, then looked out the window. "No place for sneaky cat bitch to hide."

"Do you suppose she was trapped?" He looked around the room, then turned at the sound of footsteps.

Dana stepped around the corner carrying a small toolbox.

"There you are. So far, nothing major to report. Some roof damage and you need new windows. There was a temporary clog in the fountain, but Naia and I fixed it." She paused and surveyed the room, then looked at the harp. "So this is where she came from?"

"Yeah. I didn't get the sense that she was after me or anything. It was more like she was trying to run away."

"Makes sense. Maybe she got locked away in here and wanted her freedom." Dana set the toolbox down. "I took a peek in the room downstairs. Didn't see anything lurking about, but you should probably come down and check it out with me."

"Why?"

"Because it's full of all sorts of things. Easier for you to just come see it." Dana took a look around. "Far more interesting than this room. This place looks like it's been cleaned out."

He nodded, then headed for the door. Tink looked up from the harp, then set it down to follow. Reggie stopped at the stairs, then looked up.

With a series of grunts and squeaks, he sent the rat soldiers up the stairs.

"If anybody comes out of the third floor, we will know." He adjusted his plastic glasses and followed them down the stairs, holding Tink's hand to walk on his back legs.

At the bottom, they turned into the office and Mike saw Death standing outside the new room, bony fingers stroking his chin and a cup of tea in the other.

"Ah, Mike Radley, you have found a most interesting space. I have been waiting for you to join me, and—" Death's fiery orbs looked beyond Mike. "Is that a magical toolbox?"

"What?" He looked at the toolbox Dana was holding. "Why do you think it's magical?"

Death pushed Mike aside and knelt down to inspect it. "What sort of magic makes it float like this? And it seems to be following you, Mike Radley."

Dana frowned. "He has a weird sense of humor, doesn't he?"