Styx & Stoned (The Grim Reality Series Book 2) (17 page)

More thuds reverberated from
underneath the pontoons, becoming more frequent. Cries from the souls in the
cabin rose and fell with each hammer against the side, and I had to wonder how
strong the hull was. If the lost souls punched a hole through the side they’d
drag everyone into the dark depths and we wouldn’t know until it was too late.

A white arm shot out of the water
and grabbed onto the float, but a second later it released the wood and sunk
into the depths. I took tiny breaths, trying to calm my racing heart, and
braced myself. Three feet from where I stood, a body shot out of the water and
grabbed hold of the wall. Its deafening screech pierced the air. I wanted to
drop the spear and slap my hands over my ears, but resisted. With measured shuffles,
I sidestepped along the deck, coming level with the screaming body. Its
white-blue mottled skin glimmered under the blazing lights like a rotting fish
on the beach, and its white-silver eyes stared up at me. I think it was a male,
but couldn’t be sure. It reached for me and I raised the spear. Before I could
jab at it, the lost soul released the boat and threw itself back into the
water, disappearing under the black waves.

I waited but no more arms grabbed
hold, no bodies shot out of the water. However, the thumping under the boat
increased in frequency and strength. I backed up toward Mara. “They’re under
the ferry. What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know. With enough of them
they could punch a hole through the side.”

“Surely Charon has dealt with this
before.” I ran up the steps and yanked open the panel. “I can’t make these
three switches out.” I pressed my finger against the red switch and glanced up
at Mara. “What do you think? For an emergency?”

She grimaced. “Try the one above it
first.”

I snapped the switch. Creaking wood
sounded from above. From the middle sail another length of pole extended and a
second sail unfurled. Instantly we picked up speed. “These—” I pointed to the
other unlabeled switches. “—must be for the other sails.” My finger slid back
to the red switch. “Here goes nothing.”

I pushed lever to the right. The
River Styx lit up. We jumped to our feet and peered over the side. Lights
burned under the water, illuminating the underside of the ferry and twenty feet
beyond.

“Oh my God!” I gripped her arm.
“That is horrifying.”

Hordes of white bodies swarmed
under the boat in a roiling mass, each one trying to escape the lights.

“But effective.” Mara gave me a
satisfied smile. “Wish we would have known about these lights on our first trip.”

“Yeah, your red pants wouldn’t have
been ruined,” I said, making light of the fact that I’d saved and almost reaped
her. “Okay.” I released her and took a step back. “I don’t think I want to see
what else lurks in Styx, so I’m going to stand here.”

“Good idea.”

Her good idea must have been meant
for me, because she remained in place, watching the water. Every so often,
she’d flinch or make an icky face, driving home the fact that only a thin layer
of wood separated us from certain torment. We kept the lights on even past the
abyss. She seemed to be having such a good time surveilling the water I didn’t
have the heart to shut it off. Finally, she gave up her watch and flipped the
switch. I inched forward. Thankfully, Styx was once again dark, its secrets and
terrors hidden.

With only a little time left until
we reached the junction, we relaxed on the couch and chair. Every few minutes
I’d stand and make sure we were going in the right direction, but for the most
part, I had this steering thing down and just needed to make sure nothing new
had cropped up in the middle of the river.

“I’m going to bring a magazine next
time,” I said, propping my feet up on the coffee table. “And maybe some
snacks.”

“We didn’t have a whole lot of
warning this time.” She mirrored my actions and flopped her arms over the sides
of the chair. “I wonder if my tablet would work down here. I could crush some
candy, jam some cookies, and pop some pandas.”

“You know, once you get past the
possible loss of life and soul, this is kind of the perfect job.”

She arched a brow at me.
“Seriously?”

“Yeah.” I held up my fingers.
“Great pay, basically you’re your own boss, vacation time.” I lowered my hand.
“And think about it. I could do this job any time because we return at almost
the same moment we left.”

“True, but I think it would get
lonely here if you were doing it by yourself.”

A snort murmured from me. “What I
wouldn’t give for some alone time. Just think, if the kids were driving me nuts
I could lock myself in the bathroom, pop down here, do a few runs, and dash
back, calm and rejuvenated.” Now that I thought about it, maybe I should
suggest it to Tabris. We’d figured out the spotlight thing, eliminating any
major threats from the lost souls and I had Hulk to help get the passengers out.
Sure, there was some danger, but a lot of benefits. “I always say I wish there
were more hours in the day, and well I’d actually have more hours, since this
job literally takes no time.”

“It sounds good in theory.” Mara
lowered her feet to the ground and sat forward. “But remember what happened to
Katrina. Styx is for the dead and to my knowledge; you don’t fall into that
category—yet.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” I’d
definitely been exhausted in a soul-weary way after our first venture into the
netherworld, and already I could feel the river’s pull, draining me. “It’s
probably better to get Charon—”

“Hello,” said a female voice,
cutting off my reply to Mara. “Are you there?”

“Tell me I’m hearing things,” I
said.

Mara shook her head. “Then we’re
both hearing things.”

“You-hoo,” the voice called again.

Simultaneously groaning, we both
stood.

A hundred feet off the left side of
the ferry stretched a thin sandbar. I was fairly certain that hadn’t been there
last time we ferried. Standing on the sandbar was young woman. She had long
dark hair, and wore an orange and white short set, but her feet were bare. When
she spotted us, she waved and smiled. “Hi.”

We both returned a weak wave and
gave an even weaker, “Hi.”

“I was wondering if you could give
me a ride.” She shuffled along the stretch of sand, keeping up with us as we
glided past. “I’m not sure how I got here. One minute I was talking to a cute
guy on the river bank and the next thing I knew I was here.”

“You were waiting for the ferry?” I
mentally slowed the boat.

“Yes.” She smiled and held up her
hands. “And then
pop
. Now here I am.”

“Just a second.” I glanced at Mara.
“What do you think? Is it a trick?”

“Oh, I definitely think it’s a
trick.” She scowled at the young woman, and I could see the conflict in Mara’s
expression. “But I’m not sure what kind of trick.”

“Do you think since the banks are
full the souls are now popping all over the netherworld?” Talk about adding
pressure to the job. Not only were souls materializing on the physical plane,
and were free for demons to snatch up, now they were scattering throughout the
Underworld. “Why didn’t she return to the human world? There’s still a lot of
room. I think.”

“It doesn’t make sense.” Her gaze
narrowed and she lowered her voice. “Remember what Hal said?”

I racked my brain, trying to recall
his pearls of wisdom. “Don’t pick up hitchhikers.”

She nodded. “Exactly.”

“But this is coming from Hal.”
Propping my fist on my hip, I copped a bit of attitude. “He also said to look
up.”

My smile faded and we both tilted
our chins upward a second before something large and pointy dove at us. I
shrieked and hit the deck. Mara ducked too, without the wussy cry.

“What the hell was that?” I
shouted.

“Oh, no, you didn’t.” Mara jumped
to her feet and glared upward. “That was a demon, straight out of Hell.”

My blood turned to ice and I
struggled to a half-standing-half-hunched position. Another scream filled the
air, and we spun to see the woman on the sandbar transform. Leathery black
wings sprouted from her back and her orange and white short set changed to
reddish brown scales. Even from a hundred feet away I could see her yellow eyes
glowing in the dim light.

“Oh, crap.” I could barely speak.
Every time I tried my words, breath, and spit lodged in my throat. “Oh, crap,”
I said again, rounding out my eloquent summation of our situation.

The demon shot into the sky,
joining its partner. They circled overhead once before dive-bombing us. I
flattened my body against the deck but Mara didn’t move. Her head swayed,
watching the creatures’ course.

“What are we going to do?” I
climbed to a crouched. “We need one of those mirrors you and Cam used against
the demons in Hall D.” I swallowed hard, keeping my gaze locked on the demons.
“Or a really—really—big cross bow.” Not that I knew how to use one, but if they
got close enough, at least I could stab them with the arrows. I pointed to the
white poles we used on the lost souls. “How about the spears?”

“I’ve got this.” Like the first
time I’d met her, Mara’s voice poured over me. But now the tone sent a shiver
down my spine. Very slowly, she faced me. Her green eyes glowed, pale and icy,
but yellow flames flickered in their depths. “You should probably step back.”

Even if I’d wanted to stay, my mind
forced me away. With each step I took, she changed. Her clothes seemed to melt
from her body, replaced by a ginormous set of black wings, and small black
horns. Instead of scales like the other demons, her skin looked like red
leather. A thin tail, resembling a braided whip, curled from her lower back and
wrapped around her leg. As demons went, she was the prettiest and least
terrifying I’d seen. Her eyes settled on me.

I gave her a strained smile. “No
wonder you liked those red pants so much.”

The corner of her lip pulled up,
revealing a white fang. “I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time.” I slid to a
squat, sitting on my heels, with my back pressed to the bridge wall. “I’ll
just—I’ll just wait here.”

She crouched and launched into the
air. My heartbeat so hard I could feel it in my throat. I cupped my hands over
my mouth and stared at the sky. But I’ll be honest, at that point I couldn’t
really focus on what Mara was doing. Panic raced through me, attacking my
thoughts and dredging up the worst possible scenarios. What if they killed her,
or whatever demons did to each other? Not only would I lose my friend, but
probably my soul. Those creatures would be on me and my shipment of tasty souls
like a fat chick on a cupcake.

Fire exploded above me, pulling me
out of my what-if frenzy and drawing my gaze back to Mara. The two demons
circled like sharks. She hovered in the center, her wings lazily flapping. Her
arms were held out to her side and in each hand she held a ball of fire. It was
difficult to get a clear view of her face, but I think she was enjoying
herself, and was maybe even goading them to attack.

Though I’m not Catholic, I made the
sign of the cross: forehead—chest—shoulder—shoulder. Out of habit I muttered,
“Spectacles, testicles, wallet, watch. Amen.”

My dad used to perform that every
day before he left for work to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. It might
not have been a straight up prayer, but I think God understood that I wanted
him to keep me safe.

One of the demons dove at Mara. I
screamed and she spun, nailing them with one of the fireballs, making its body
light up like a torch. The demon screeched, tucked its wings, and spiraled into
the river. No way did I think that thing had given up. It probably needed to
cool off and would be back in a second.

I rose and scanned the river. If I
saw it take flight again, I’d warn her. I might not be able to do much more,
but I didn’t have to cower in the corner. More fire burst above me, but this
time she missed her target. The demon attacked. Mara easily avoided the exposed
talons by dropping several feet before flaring her wings again. With another
push, she took off after her prey. The demon screeched, spinning in an effort
to escape the fiery volley.

They swooped through the sky,
progressively putting more distance between them and the ferry. I continued to
scout the river but kept glancing toward Mara. Pretty soon they were pinpricks
on the horizon and every so often the sky lit with a small explosion.

I gripped the top of the half-wall,
willing her to put an end to the demon and get back to the ferry—and to me. All
right, so being the ferryman was not the perfect job for me. If I couldn’t
handle a couple of demons, which I couldn’t, then somebody more capable needed
to man this vessel, and be responsible for getting those souls safely to where
they needed to be. I’m a big enough person to admit that person wasn’t me.

Splashing water sounded to my
right. My head whipped in that direction in time to see the black talons claw
at the pontoon. The first demon dragged his scaly body out of the river and
crouched on the float. It extended its wings and shook them. The edges were
frayed from being set on fire but as I watched, the membrane repaired itself. I
didn’t think the demon knew I was there—had prayed it didn’t, but then it stood
and glared at me. Cracked lips drew back exposing its black fangs, and it
hissed at me. That single noise said a whole lot of things I didn’t want to
hear.
I’m going to eat your soul. There’s no escape. Hope you enjoyed your
life because it’s over.
And I’m fairly certain there was something about my
ample thighs too.

My mind raced but my body wouldn’t
move. Why hadn’t I grabbed one of the spear poles when Mara had them both in
the air? Its gaze locked onto mine and I suddenly felt like I was being pulled
into a black void. I managed to close my eyes and the sensation faded some. I
grabbed my pendant and rubbed, freeing me completely from the demon’s hold.

I opened my eyes, scanning the
bridge for something to fight with. I could rip the handle off the kegorator
but even in my panicked state I didn’t want to do anything rash. If we
survived, I’d need a cold one. Eight-track tapes or cassettes weren’t going to
help unless I wanted to sing the demon into submission. If I were Jason Bourne I’d
be able to disembowel the beast with one of Charon’s girly magazines and a
Ziploc bag. But I wasn’t.

Instead, I held the wheel and
kicked at one of the spindles sticking from it. My hand slipped and instead of
breaking off a viable weapon I received another punishing bruise, this time on
my anklebone.

“Mutha!” I grabbed my leg and
hopped around, unable to care if there was a demon ten feet away.
“Fargen—fricken—fracker.”

I’m renowned for my creative and
colorful use of F-words that weren’t actually swearing, and at that moment, the
netherworld was getting an earful. I grabbed the wheel, intent on giving the
kick another try despite the high odds that I’d be injured again, but my knee
halted mid-lift.

The demon landed with a heavy
thud
on the wall. With its wings fully extended, its talons curled over the side and
dug into the dark wood. At that point, any pretense of cool and collected
evaporated. A blood-curling cry I didn’t know I could produce exploded from me.
In turn, the demon screeched. As I backed away, the thing hissed at me again.
Time seemed to slow, even though time didn’t exist there, and my life passed
before my eyes. In the next second everyone I loved, and who loved me, would be
ripped away. The demon crouched, preparing to lunge. I wanted to scream again,
but nothing could get past the block of fear clogging my throat.

I think it smiled at me, if it
could be called a smile, and then launched from the wall. I did scream then,
crossing my arms over my head and dropping to the deck. However, no collision
came. Only a loud
thud
, the rush of wings, and a demon’s scream.

Keeping my arms over my head, I
lifted my chin and peeked up. The demon was gone. Slowly, I lowered my arms but
remained crouched. Was it some kind of cruel trick? Was it toying with me? If I
stood, would it attack me from behind?

After another minute and still no
demon, I braced my hands on the floor and began to stand. Out of nowhere, Mara
dropped onto the bridge, still decked out in her demon persona. I screamed
again and fell onto my rear end.

She grinned at me. “That’s right,
bitches, you’ve just been Jimmied!”

Though I loved her enthusiasm for
which she used our new favorite word, her fanged smile and the whole demon
persona was more than a little intimidating.

“Holy crap, you scared me.” I
stood, unsure if transforming to a demon also changed her attitude, or if she
was still the same Mara I knew. “So, they’re gone?”

“For now.” She sashayed toward me,
stopped, and propped her hands on her hips. “I’ll admit…” She inhaled. “That
felt good.” Her wings expanded behind her. “It’s nice to stretch my wings
sometimes.”

“That was quite a stretch.” My eyes
tracked up and down her body, lingering on her horns. I nodded. “Cute.”

“Thanks.” She smirked. “Want to
touch them?”

I snorted. “Duh.” I took a step,
but stopped. “You’re not going to set me on fire or possess me, or something
demon-spawnish are you?”

“No, but thanks for thinking I
could.” She tipped her head. “Go on, I won’t bite.”

The horns were about eight inches
long and twisted once in the center and again at the tip. Though the ends
weren’t sharp like needles, they certainly could do some damage. Small
striations ribbed the horns but other than that, they were smooth. I lowered my
hand. “Those are so badass.”

She turned and flared her wings.
“Check these out.”

I ran my hands over the leathery
ridges along the top. They were thick, and I could feel the strength in them
when they flexed. “Don’t you miss these?”

She folded them against her back
and turned to me. “Yes and no. They’ve been a part of me for six-thousand
years.” The reddish hue of her skin faded to pale pink, then to her tan skin
tone. The horns, tale, and wings shrunk until they’d disappeared, and Mara’s
clothes reformed. She was human again. “But having wings also means I’m part of
something I don’t like.”

“You mean demons?”

“Yeah, and evil.” She held her arms
out. “When I’m like this things are easier.”

It was difficult for me to
understand how she felt. No doubt there was a constant pull between her demon
self and working for GRS. “What do you mean, easier?”

Her shoulders lifted in a single
shrug. “Easier to know the right thing to do. That’s why I like being in human
form on the physical plane. For Cam, it’s difficult to connect to the heavenly
realm when he’s human. The sensations and temptation block his angelic radar so
to speak.” She gave me a sad smile. “But for me it lessens the pull of the
Underworld. Decisions are easier to make and paths are more clearly defined.”