Sconces lit in every corner, yet again.There were three tables—almost like sacrificial altars made of marble.Vic, Nagi, and Eddie were strapped to one apiece.
“Are you guys okay?”I asked.
“Had better days,” Eddie moaned.
Eddie was shirtless, blood blossoming from his wrists, back flat against the altar.I bent over him, staring at his shirtless torso.He looked like he was in a great deal of pain.
“It’s a trap,” he gasped.“There’s a locking mechanism around our hearts.If you pull me off the slab, it’ll kill the other two.”
“Party foul,” I said.
“I’m serious, Stacey,” Eddie said.“This really fucking hurts.”
I walked to the other two.Vic stared up at me through fogged glasses.
“Stace,” he said.
“Vic,” I said.“I’m sorry.”
He cracked a grin at me.
“It’s fine,” he said.“You were.Worth it.All of the pain.All of the agony…”
He coughed, spitting up blood.I kissed him on the cheek and made my way over to Nagi.Nagi tried to smile at me—his face like a pumpkin glowing against the table—but his gums were red and cracked, his eyes tearing up.
“How bad is it?”I asked.
“Very bad,” he said.
“What’s the point of all this?”I asked.
“The Hag did this—she wants you to make a choice,” Nagi said.“She wants you to select one of us.”
I paused.Thought on this.
“What are the parameters of the puzzle?”I asked.
“Whoever gets pulled off the slab survives,” Vic said.“The other two get impaled from the back.”
“Sophie’s Choice,” Eddie said.
“Maybe not exactly like Sophie’s Choice,” Nagi said.“At least each of us has our own unique attributes.”
“There has to be a way around this,” I said.
“I don’t think so,” Eddie said.“They were pretty serious about all of this.”
“This is just so contrived,” I said.“Really stupid.”
“Stacey, goddamnit,” Eddie said.“Can’t you ever just go with the flow?Can you just take it as a given that we are in a railroad problem and you need to pick your favorite?”
“You guys know I’m terrible at that,” I said.
“Yeah, we know!”Vic snapped.
“Okay,” I said.“What about this.Nagi.You can shapeshift, right?”
“Correct.”
