Monster - A. Lee Martinez [76]
The imp hopped close and licked Monster’s ear. He brushed it away.
“Chester, this is important.” He hadn’t received the “away” message yet, so either the spell keeping Chester at bay was still working or the gnome was considering it. Or he’d just turned off the connection altogether.
Monster risked raising his voice. “Chester! Damn it, I need you. Okay, okay. I admit it! I need you! I’m screwed without you, and this wouldn’t be the first time. You’re my secret weapon, my partner. Hell, you’re smarter than I am, and we both know it. So come on and—”
The door opened. Chester stuck in his head. “Monster, is that you? I thought I heard your—”
Monster checked the hall before pulling Chester into the room and almost shutting the door. He kept it open with his foot. As long as it was open, the containment spell was inactive.
“Are you wearing plaid with stripes?” asked Chester.
“Never mind that,” said Monster.
“What the heck is going on?” asked Chester. “Where are we? And what were you saying? I didn’t quite catch any of it.”
“Nothing,” said Monster. “It was nothing.”
19
The imp sniffed at Chester’s fingertips. It licked a paper digit.
“Careful there. This is a fresh body. I don’t need it getting all soggy right away.” Chester rolled his arm up and smacked the creature across the nose. “Why is there an imp here?”
“Judy sent it,” replied Monster.
“Why would she send an imp?”
“You’ll have to ask her. I tried asking the imp, but it didn’t feel like sharing. There will be time to figure things out after we get out of here.”
“Shouldn’t we find Judy first?” asked Chester.
“She wants to be here,” said Monster.
“Does she? The way I see it, she brought you here to help her escape, even if she didn’t know it consciously at the time.”
“Yes, and then she smacked me around when I tried to help. So screw that. If she doesn’t want to be rescued, I’m not going to waste my time trying.”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure you have a choice. Even if you manage to escape without her, what would prevent her from sending another giant purple worm or some other cryptobiological to retrieve you again?”
“Because I told her not to.”
“Because that’s worked like gangbusters so far.”
Monster heard someone coming down the hall. He put his finger to his lips as he closed the door but kept the handle turned so that the latch didn’t catch. The person walked past and kept going.
Chester stuck his head under the door to check if the person had truly gone before they dared to speak.
“Okay, damn it,” said Monster. “You’re right. It probably is smarter to grab Judy when we go.”
His original plan was for Chester to run a quick recon and then for the two of them to make a dash for the front door. Having to take Judy along meant more risk. Without his runes, Monster didn’t stand much of a chance. He sent Chester to scout the place and find some supplies. Monster sat by the door, scratching the imp on its head. Just when he was sure Chester must have been caught, the paper gnome returned. He handed Monster a notepad and two black pens.
“What took so long?” Monster took a quick inventory.
“There are only six sheets left on this pad. And I wanted a green pen.”
“This is all I could find,” said Chester. “You’re welcome.”
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks. Hold the doorknob while I get this ready.”
“Live to serve,” said Chester with blatant insincerity.
Monster scribbled a few runes from memory. Nothing complicated. Without his dictionary, anything beyond the most basic spell was bound to backfire. He had enough problems without adding the embarrassment of blowing off his own hand. The practical joke runes he’d learned were the only ones he could remember. It’d been years since he’d used them, but they were still strongest in his mind. Simple magic, meant to annoy more than anything. But without his dictionary, they were the extent of his arsenal.
“There are a lot of cats,” said Chester. “The two women are in the study. It’s at the bottom of the stairs, just to the left.”
“And the old lady?”
“Didn’t see her.”
“Did you look