Page 30 of Generally Hospitable
“Ask Earl to help us find Pandora,” he said. “Please.”
Maybe I should’ve been the one sent outside. Why in the actual hell hadn’t I thought of that? If Pandora had perished in the last hour, that shit was fully on me.
“Earl? Earl, can you hear me?”
“Ask,” he replied in his gentle voice. “Ask what you want from me.”
I glanced over at Tiny and Abaddon. It was clear I was the only one who could hear him. That made sense. It was my castle.
“Help me find Pandora,” I begged. “She’s a Goddess of the Darkness, and is being held by Decatalian. We need to find her before he harms her.”
“The evil one has already harmed the Goddess,” Earl told me. “I’m so sorry to share that with you. I know she is your friend.”
My gut tightened and my head pounded. “Is she alive?”
“Barely,” Earl shared. “If you find her soon, she will live. If not…”
“Can you help me?”
“As you wish, Bitch Goddess Cecily,” he said. “Down the hallway in front of you, all the way to the end. Take a right, then an immediate left.”
I started running before Earl had finished the directions. Abaddon and Tiny were right on my heels.
Earl continued. “Go three doors down. That is where you will find the Goddess. Be careful. The room is filled with traps.”
“Thank you, Earl,” I said.
“You’re welcome. Earl, out.”
“There!” I said, coming to an abrupt halt right in front of the door Earl had described. “She’s in there. I don’t know if Chub Chub is with her or not, but I don’t care. Let the bastard get away. I’ll find him later and destroy him.”
Tiny went for the knob, and I placed my hand over his. “Earl said the room is filled with traps. We have to be careful.”
Tiny nodded jerkily. Abaddon gave my shoulder a squeeze.
“I apologize for not believing you, Cecily,” he said softly.
“No worries,” I told him. “A talking castle is a little out there even for me.”
It was time to go in and put an end to the madness.
The door opened on its own, but it was impossible to see inside. When Tiny went to enter, he was thrown back. His huge frame slammed into the wall with a painful-sounding thud. Same with Abaddon. Tiny tried three more times without success. We were back to square one. Only I was allowed to enter. It started with me and Pandora in the castle, and it would end that way. It was fittingly terrifying.
“It’s all good,” I told Abaddon who looked like he was about to freak the hell out.
“It’s not,” he insisted. “What if the Higher Power is in there, knowing full well you’d come back for Pandora? It could end both of you. Have you considered that?”
I had not.
Tiny walked over to me and handed me a jewel-encrusted dagger. “Cut me,” he insisted, holding his palm out. I have strength that you do not. You are far more magical than me, but I have the stamina of twenty Demons. Let me give that to you. It would be my honor to serve you in that way, Bitch GoddessCecily. Please, take some of my blood. Take my magic. Take my power. Save the woman I love.”
Abaddon took the dagger from me and sliced both of my palms open. Bright red blood gushed from the wounds and dripped down my arms. It was macabre and stunning at the same time. He made quick work of his own palm and then Tiny’s. Without any words, we knew what to do. Abaddon took my right hand and pressed his palm to mine. Tiny took my left. The rush of power that danced through my veins made me lightheaded. We stayed connected for several minutes as their magic intertwined with mine. When it was over, the gashes closed quickly. This had to be what it felt like to be pumped up on steroids, speed, adrenaline and a vat of coffee. It was surreal.
“You okay?” Abaddon questioned. “Looking a little off.”
I rolled my neck and cracked my knuckles. “I think I’m good. Never had this much mojo before. Hang on a sec. Lemme test it.”
Walking a couple doors down, I found the perfect spot on the wall to test my strength. There was a large, famed painting of Chub Chub Wang sitting on my throne. That shit had to go. I reared back and punched it. My hand went clean through Chub’s face and about seven inches deep into rock-hard plaster, turning the painting to dust and taking out a large chunk of the wall. I pulled back and looked at my hand. Not a single mark on it, and it didn’t hurt at all.
