Page 77 of Unruly
“There’s something Farnsworth can do about it, and he will.”
“No, he can’t. Not this time. He’ll never find the witch.”
A bit of panic spreads through me, but I vaguely remember something from the handbook, something about how tricky Horrors can be and how they lie.
I decide then and there that I’m not going to believe anything he tells me, but still, he gave me a clue, and I should follow it.
“What witch?”
“The witch who woke me. He’s a descendant of the original witch who cast the spell and allowed my soul to embody these objects. I will admit, I’m a tad surprised you found them all so easily, but Farnsworth has always been astute, if nothing else.”
Okay, this actually makes sense. It might be the truth. “What’s in it for the witch?”
“Power. Once I’m able to take over the province, I’ll grant him anything he desires.”
“Take over the province? What are you talking about?”
“I don’t know the name of it anymore, but I’ll rise to power in this region, destroy anyone who gets in my way, and then I will rule.”
His meaning sinks in and I actually laugh. A full belly laugh, too. “Dude. What year do you think it is?”
The Horror looks annoyed and even slightly embarrassed. “I don’t know how long I was asleep. I suspect it was quite a few years.”
“Yeah, like, five hundred.”
“What?”
“There’s no provinces in this country. You can’t take over and rule. It isn’t Renaissance Europe.”
“No, this is the New World.”
“Yeah, no one calls it that anymore, since it’s been around for about two hundred and fifty years.”
“Two hundred and…” The Horror turns away for a moment before swinging around again to face me. “You’re lying. Thewitch woke me for a reason. His instructions were to wake me up at an opportune time for me.”
“Maybe he got it wrong or maybe he had another reason. Trying to take over the government in this country will get you shot. Also, it’s pretty impossible for one person to pull off.”
The Horror looks completely annoyed now. “Just the same, I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. It won’t reflect well on Farnsworth if he lets his new Chaser get possessed and die, so eventually he’ll have to give up when he realizes I’m not letting you go.”
“Yeah, the fuck you’re not. If you think I’m spending an eternity as your puppet, you’re dead wrong. Pun intended.”
The Horror looks at me, tilting its head. “I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”
“Don’t worry about it. I do. That’s all that’s important.”
“I’d abandon any plans you have. Unfortunately for you, you’re going to sleep through most of it. Otherwise you’ll annoy me.”
“I’m not tired. No way am I closing my eyes around you.”
It laughs again. “Silly boy, I can make you sleep if I want you to sleep, and I do want you to sleep.”
Before I can say another word, everything around me goes dark.
My last thought is that I hope Farnsworth can save me.
Chapter 20
Farnsworth
