Page 42 of Warmongers and Wands
“The hood looks like someone took a sledge hammer to it,” Hadur commented. “I’m no expert, but I can’t say whether this happened in the wreck or not.”
“How about the line then? Grab it and gently pull on it. See if it’s not attached or cut. There should be two lines leading from the master cylinder.”
His hands vanished into the engine compartment. “Yep. They’re both cut. I can feel the edge of the hose attached to the master cylinder, then it just ends. It’s jagged and sharp, not worn or frayed.”
I let out a breath, not sure whether that was the answer I wanted to hear or not. “Okay, one more thing, please. I want to check the emergency brake line. It’s a cable line, and it’s separate from the hydraulic of the brake system. It goes from the emergency brake pedal, under the truck, to the back tires.”
He stood up, wiping grease and dirt from his hands. “If you want me to look at that, I’m going to need to flip the truck. Which means I want you far enough away that you won’t get hit by anything.”
I hobbled backward until he told me I was a safe distance. Then the demon bent down and grabbed the truck, turning it on its side. Once he was sure the truck was stable, he stepped back and sent me a questioning glance.
Before I could tell him what to do, I heard a noise, a rustle in the briars off to my right. It normally wouldn’t have sent up any alarms on my radar, but clearly the noise meant something different to Hadur. The demon raced toward me with inhuman speed, scooping me up and dashing back, depositing me on the other side of my wrecked truck. Then he vanished in a blur. Seconds later I heard a crashing noise followed by a yelp and a panicked voice pleading for mercy. By the time I’d struggled to my feet and peeked over the edge of the truck bed, I saw Hadur coming out of the woods, holding Stanley aloft by the back of his shirt.
