“I’m all ears,” he said and watched as Tally grinned up at him, a devious twinkle in his eye.
Chapter 30
Afewnightslater,Sam was grinning like an idiot. He was walking down the road, holding Tally’s hand. He had taken a night off from the bar and taken Tally out on a date night.
First, they had gone to a fancy restaurant. Tally had stared at everything in amazement and said Benji had never been anywhere like it. Sam had smiled, but the thought had made him sad. Benji really had experienced a shit life, and then it had been stolen from him. Tally had caught his look and squeezed his hand over the table.
“It’s okay, you know I’ve figured out how to talk to him. We’ve been having chats, and it’s all going to be fine,” said Tally. His blue eyes were earnest and sincere, so Sam tried to believe him. He wanted to believe him, he had never wanted anything to be more true.
Then the food had arrived and Tally had tucked in with gusto. But when Sam had asked what he thought of it, Tally had shrugged and said roasted boar and mead were better. The conversation had ended with Sam promising to figure out how to get a hold of both of those things. Apparently, he had also loved them in his past life.
After the restaurant they had gone to the cinema and Tally had eaten so much popcorn, Sam was worried he was going to be sick. Tally had also laughed with loud glee at several parts of the movie, annoying the other customers. Sam had seen little of the film, he had been too enraptured by watching Tally’s delight.
Now they were walking home and Sam’s mind was filling with images of all the things he wanted to do to Tally as soon as they got in.
They passed the mouth of an alley, and Sam froze. Zephaniah was standing in the alley by a swirling circle of dark mist, that Sam just knew was a doorway to Hell. Some primal part of himself recognized the horror, the threat, and flooded his body with terror until every small hair n his body was standing up and all his muscles were trembling.
“Time to go,” said Zephaniah to Tally.
“Run!” yelled Sam, his heart hammering as a cold sweat broke out all over his body.
Tally turned and fled. Sam knew he would be quick, and he was, but he only got a few paces away before a silver cord of something flashed out of the alley, to wrap around his ankle like a glowing rope.
Sam winced as Tally was thrown to the floor and dragged towards the alley. As he was pulled past Sam, Sam hissed, “Call Jinx with your telepathy thing!”
Tally looked up at him with wide eyes, his hands trying to prise the silver cord off of his ankle as he slid across the concrete on his ass.
“I did, I am, he is not answering!”
Sam watched him go, pulled up close to Zephaniah, who was waiting calmly. Sam swallowed and tried to quell his shaking. This wasn’t good, this wasn’t good at all. He had never felt more useless in his life. It was awful. He was caught in a real life nightmare, unable to stop the thing he feared most in the world from happening. Nothing more than a helpless bystander.
A loud whistle pierced the air. Sam winced. Several hellhounds stepped out of the shadows.
Zephaniah crossed his arms. He looked seriously unimpressed. “I am a Prince of Hell, do you really think the hounds will obey you and attack me?”
Tally didn’t answer, but the hellhounds stepped towards Zephaniah, growling menacingly. Zeph scowled and the silver rope around Tally’s ankle disappeared. Tally jumped to his feet.
They glared at each other for a moment. A thick cloying tension filling the air until Sam felt like he couldn’t breathe. Something oppressive joined with the gravity and Sam felt the weight of it pushing down on him. He really truly hoped that Tally’s plan was going to work, because at the moment it all seemed hopeless.
A blur of movement and suddenly Zephaniah was behind Sam, something cold and sharp pressing against his throat. Sam squeaked and stared helplessly into Tally’s eyes. Tally stared back at him, his outrage clear, but he stayed calm as the Prince of Hell shoved Sam down the alley to stand next to the doorway to Hell.
The hellhounds snarled, but Tally kept them in their places. Sam eyed the huge beasts anxiously. If they attacked Zephaniah, he wasn’t sure how he would stay out of the way.
“I should just kill him, then you would have no reason to stay,” said Zephaniah, conversationally, as if it were no big deal and Sam’s life was worthless.
Sam swallowed and instantly regretted it, as the movement pushed the blade further into his flesh. He couldn’t feel any blood trickling down his neck, but that wasn’t very reassuring. He thought of trying to move, trying to get away, but he dismissed it as a bad idea. There was no way he was going to be faster or stronger than an actual demon. He could only stand there, useless.
He could feel Tally and the prince glaring at each other, silently fighting and deciding his fate. It felt like an eternity passed before Tally’s shoulders slumped and a sad, weary look crossed his face. Sam’s heart clenched, he hated seeing Tally look so defeated.
“Don’t hurt him,” said Tally.
Sam felt Zephaniah move behind him, “Come with me and I won’t.”
Tally looked at Sam, his blue eyes full of so much emotion that Sam nearly could not bear it. He felt an echo of a memory from when his life had been in danger before and Tally had to choose. It wasn’t fair that it was happening again. But this time, Sam wasn’t going to decide for him.
If Tally went back to Hell, then Sam would just have to wait for him. If Tally didn’t make it back to him in this life, he would in the next. Sam knew that, he could feel it in his soul. And Sam had the option of doing some dark deed and joining Tally in Hell. He hadn’t told Tally that plan, but he was keeping hold of it.
“I will surrender if you promise to take the soul from this body to Hell and ensure no one from Hell ever hurts or upsets Sam ever again.”
