Page 173 of House of Pain
“Jolene, you have your athame with you by any chance?” Blaze asked.
Jolene lifted her pleated skirt to reveal the ritual blade sheathed to her thigh.
“Good girl,” Blaze remarked, throwing a glance at the Grothic whose face he burned. It still wailed in pain, trying to scramble to its feet. “Here is what we’ll do. I’ll draw the attention of the last monster while you’ll get to Alecto and rub her blood over the blade. You follow me?”
Jolene looked at him for a moment before realization flickered in her face. She nodded.
“Try to stab it before it steals my soul. Deal?” Blaze conjured the bolt of light in his palm.
“If you promise to be a good boy.”
Blaze snorted and threw the ball of light at the creature, drawing its rage to himself.
“I’m always a good boy.”
The Grothic growled and advanced towards him, baring its sharp teeth. Blaze barely managed to move away from its path.
He hit the wall, pushed off it, and whirled around to find the creature advancing towards him once more.
The back of his head hit the hard stone as the creature pushed him against the wall, and Blaze closed his eyes.
“Don’t rush,” he called. “Take your time, ladies. I’ll just wait here.”
The creature hissed again, but its grip loosened.
And then it was gone.
Blaze opened his eyes to find the creature slumped at his feet, a dagger with a ruby-encrusted handle stuck in its back.
As his gaze moved up, he met Alecto’s eyes.
“You okay?” he asked.
She just nodded, pulling the dagger out of the creature.
“Should we finish the others?” she asked.
“Just to be safe,” said Jolene.
They worked fast and in silence.
When all three bodies were dead and stacked together, they turned to get back to the tower where Val and Andro hopefully had Rogue cornered.
When they emerged from around the corner, they found Val and Andro both standing by the door to the tower, pacing.
“What’s the matter?” Jolene asked.
Val whirled.“The fucking door won’t open! The fucking riddle is impossible to solve. I’ve never heard of shit like that in my life!”
Blaze narrowed his gaze, walking up to the face in the door.
“Door, are you being rather sinister tonight?” he asked.
The door chuckled, its large lips curling into a grin.
“It starts withTand ends withK, and if you ever get in its way, you’re off to meet a tragic end,” it croaked, amused.
Blaze turned to the rest of the group.
