CHAPTER 124

Dana smirked, then made a fist. Hidden in the trees, the Nirumbi chirped in fear, then went silent.

"Good. They should be afraid. Shall we?" Dana went first, ducking her head to go through the opening. Mike looked at the others, then up toward the sky. Abella hadn't bothered landing, but now circled even higher than before. It was clear she intended to keep watch.

"Time is of the essence, Caretaker." The owl-woman regarded him with mysterious eyes that reflected the starlight. "If you wish to beat the Devil of Jersey--"

"Yeah, yeah." He crouched down and moved forward into the darkness. If it meant defeating Leeds and getting home, he would walk through fire if need be.

"Well? What do you think?" Beth frowned nervously at Opal, who was perusing a copy of Risk's instruction manual and the sheet of notebook paper where Beth had written her own ideas. The slime frowned as if in deep thought, then nodded her assent.

I think it could work, she signed. But you will have to be careful with the wording. The angel will take the agreement literally.

"Indeed." She stood and moved toward the window. They were sitting in the lounge with the Egyptian artifacts pushed aside to make room for everyone. The various books and pictures had been stacked on top of each other so that they could cram the statues and assorted items onto the shelves where they would be out of the way.

With the deadline looming, she wanted to be able to see the horsemen in case they arrived early. After her lengthy discussion with Reggie and Jenny, she had chosen this room to sit down and draft out her plan. Lily had read over it and pronounced the whole thing insane, but believed it could work. Needing further assurance, Beth had brought it to Opal. Though she still had lingering doubts, she couldn't help but trust Death's instincts about the now sentient ooze.

Opal thumped on her tub to get Beth's attention. I do foresee at least one problem. Can you trust Jenny to stick with the plan?

Beth licked her lips, then nodded. "Jenny is a lot of things, but she loves this house in her own way."

But you're basing this whole thing off the Clue incident. Opal frowned, and then ripples appeared along the surface of her body. This is like playing Russian Roulette with a nuclear weapon instead of a gun.

"I know. But unless you have a better idea, this is what we've got." She looked over at Tink, who was still grinning in her sleep. The blanket they had covered her with was slipping off, so Beth adjusted it. Noticing that the goblin was still wearing her goggles, she slipped them off of her head, and sat down on the couch.

"Tick Tock, keep these safe?" She held the goggles out and the bag at her feet opened its mouth, dropping them into the unknown. She then looked at the Grimoire. She had set it on the table, a large slab of black marble with no legs that had hieroglyphics carved into the edges. It had been covered in a bunch of magazines that Death had borrowed from the Library, but Beth had put those away a bit ago. The Grimoire was next to a glass of milk and a plate of mostly frozen Eggos. The chill in the house meant that they would take forever to thaw, but she needed something to smear peanut butter on.

Sighing, she stared at the Grimoire. The cover was embossed with an apple, and the thick binding made it feel heavy. She picked it up and opened it to a random page, which was blank.

"If you had the ability to use magic," she said, directing her question to Opal, "but could only learn one thing, what would it be?"

I wouldn't mind being able to walk, Opal signed.

"That makes sense." This book held so many secrets, but it also held knowledge she could readily use. The words within would allow her to tap into the universe itself, to master the elements or maybe even reality itself. Naia and the others had explained that there were issues with taking shortcuts, but she had cast the spell in the basement without any problems. So why couldn't she just learn a few basic spells now that would speed along her growth?

Opal thumped her tub, then mimed fire coming out of her eyes once Beth was looking.

"Yeah, there was that." She closed the book again. "But I don't want to look up any Words of Creation. What about something simple, like a light spell? Or flight? Do you remember when the shadow used this book to cast that ball of light that blasted holes through everything?"

That's not a memory I have, responded Opal.

"I keep hearing that magic has a price, but I'm not really seeing it."

Not all costs are things we can measure. Opal paused for a moment, as if deep in thought. Look at Ratu, for example. Vast knowledge of enchantment. Powerful sorceress. But why is she living in the Labyrinth? Why not have her own castle somewhere?

"Hmm." It wasn't something Beth had thought of. "You don't suppose it's just personal preference?"

I doubt it. Opal paused, her face rippling violently. In a way, I am the cost of magic. You have helped create a thinking being. Are you not responsible for my well-being? Think about the basic ethics of the situation.

Beth shook her head. "I didn't cast a spell with you as a by-product. You were the result of a very strange sequence of events."

Again, you're thinking in terms of things we can measure. How do you explain Emily? Her obsession with magic led to her downfall.

"She got possessed, that's..." Beth paused. Emily had been attempting to gain magical knowledge which had led to her being possessed by the shadow, who then wore her body like a meat puppet. "Using magic doesn't always extract a price. Sometimes, it's the act of obtaining it that can lead to negative ramifications."