Page 121

Vidocq rais

es a finger.

“Don’t judge the dead so quickly. They are lost in our world. What they did could easily have been out of fear. Or for reasons we the living are simply unable to fathom.”

“That’s how Flicker talks about them. That they’re mostly like lost children. She said that one of them, a guy named Chris Stein, was back because of a woman. A lost angel who’s probably the one who murdered him. Samael wants me to find her too, but I keep running into brick walls.”

“Love is a powerful force, even after death. It may not be revenge he’s looking for, but forgiveness. For something he or she did.”

“Does ‘forever yours, forever mine’ mean anything to you?”

Vidocq gives me a vague smile.

“I’m afraid not. The workings of the afterlife are more your specialty than mine.”

“I just wish the fucking Stay Belows would stay below.”

“You’re a powerful magician, my friend. Surely you can handle a company of lost children.”

Before I can answer, a firefly dot appears in the air across the room. It quickly expands into the Thurl that I’ve seen so many times lately. What’s worse, the opening is directly in front of Vidocq’s apartment door, blocking the fastest way out. Four armed Stay Belows walk out of the passage. The only encouraging thing about the situation is that they’re all bunched up together.

Before they attack I yell, “Get behind me.”

A smart guy, Vidocq does it.

“I have potions that can help dispel them,” he says.

“Leave it to me right now.”

I’m not fucking around with these dead bastards again, so I manifest my Gladius.

I don’t know if ghosts can learn or there’s a ghost gossip network, but they freeze in place. Then, one by one, they walk back into the glowing ghost gate.

I turn to Vidocq.

“What the hell just happened?”

“You frightened them. Apparently, even specters know about Sandman Slim.”

“Maybe. Did I show you the ghostbuster kit Flicker gave me?”

As I pull the bundle from my pocket, something in the passageway moves.

Correction. Some things. Twenty or thirty Stay Belows charge at us all at once. Even with the Gladius, I can’t handle that many.

Vidocq grabs a handful of his potion vials and throws them at the mob. As each vial breaks, the spooks fall back. But the effect only lasts a few seconds. Then they’re rushing us again.

With nothing to lose but our asses, it’s time for a field test.

I yell, “Close your eyes,” and touch Flicker’s bundle to the edge of the Gladius.

It bursts into brilliant, shimmering light. The smell of burning metal, sage, blood, and other acrid scents fills the room. I can’t see but it must be doing something, because we aren’t severely dead yet.

I drop the bundle on the floor, hoping it will keep the Stay Belows away long enough for Vidocq and me to get out of here. Even with his eyes closed, the tough old bastard is still throwing potions at the dead mob. I grab him and pull him into a wavering shadow cast by the bundle’s painful light.

I lose my footing as we stumble into the Room of Thirteen Doors. When I’m back on my feet I realize that Vidocq is on the floor with half of a Stay Below on top of him, trying to sink its spook teeth into his throat. I can’t use my Gladius without killing Vidocq too, so I bark Hellion hoodoo.

It knocks the Stay Below across the room, where it bounces off the Door of Dreams. I approach with the Gladius and as I’m about to send the fucker to oblivion, Vidocq shouts at me.