Page 20

“With a slight chance of bloodshed,” Ben adds with a nod.

“No!What is wrong with you guys?They lost two people from their House. Who are still missing, by the way.The worst we should have is a lack of tissues for all the tears.”

I can feel them both judging me as they stare.

“If you two can’t behave, go back to the car,” I snap and walk underneath the arch.The flowers entwinedwith the wooden slats are beautiful and in full bloom… in chilly October.That’s a little weird.

I dismiss the thought.I’m not a flower person, so I have no idea what blooms when.

It isn’t until I’m halfway down the cute cobblestone path that I realize Mitri and Ben aren’t directly behind me. Did they seriously go back to the car? I was kidding! I might need some help asking intelligent questions. Shit!

I turn back and see them both standing in the archway together.Ben looks pissed, and Mitri’s face is blank again.

Damn, I guess I have to apologize. I don’t want to, just on general principle. Ihateapologizing.

As I go back with a huff, I notice Ben is mouthing something to me.Not in a quiet way, either.His lips are over enunciating as if I was hard of hearing, and I frown at him.

“What?” I hold out my hands, frustrated with them both.

They look at each other and then back at me.Ben urgently gestures me back to him, talking the whole time without sound.Mitri is knocking on thin air in the worst mime imitation I’ve ever seen.

Rolling my eyes, I quicken my pace, which is a mistake because I trip over a loose cobblestone and land on my knee, my hands stopping me from face-planting entirely.

“Damn it!” I hold my hands up to see my scraped palms.My knee hasn’t fared any better, and my new pants have torn.I knew they weren’t enough protection.

I look at them both to give them a piece of my mind, but their expressions stop me with my mouth open.

Ben’s lips are curled up in a snarl, pulling away towards his jaw to display his gums, his body hunched down as if ready to pounce. Mitri has both guns drawnand aimed in my direction, expression empty as he focuses.

Oh, shit.Can a hex turn your party members against you?

“I’m sorry, ok? Relax!” I squint my eyes and brace for the shots, but they never come.

Ben doesn’t jump at me to rip me apart. They aren’t frozen because I can see Ben breathing harshly. They’re just… waiting? For what?

I’m totally not going out there to face their wrath. I’m crazy but not that crazy. Today. For right this second.

I feel a tap on the bottom of my shoe and turn to see what caused it.A gnome statue stands there, face smiling sweetly.It’s about a foot tall with a miniature trowel in its hand.It was not standing on the cobblestones when I passed this way earlier.Was it?

I look out over the lawn and notice that the gnomes seem closer.

I’m officially freaked out.I am no longer disappointed, Karma Goddess. Your service for thinking of me!Not!

I slowly stand, and the cobblestones shift underneath me, some rising and some falling in alternating patterns that knock me onto both knees as I misbalance.Screw this.

I start crawling towards the two people I probably should have listened to instead of harassed. Hindsight is a bitch.

Some stones rise high enough that I knock my knees several times during the trip. I follow horror movie rules and don’t look back as I crawl/crabwalk my way to the arch.

Then I hit my head.On nothing.

I look up, and Ben is crouched down, frantically trying to tell me something, hand pressed flat against thin air.

Whelp, I’m screwed.

I can’t hear what he’s saying, and his hand keeps banging on thin air with no sound.I tap my head against the same thin air and groan in frustration.I’m about to get killed by lawn gnomes.How humiliating.

Something sharp stabs into my ankle, and I twist around to kick off a gnome with a red hat.The rest of them have lined up on either side of the path, keeping me corralled.The stones haven’t stopped shifting around, either.This is bullshit, and I quit.