Dead Harvest

  "Merihem," I said, "I'm going to remove the shard from your mouth, now. You so much as flinch, I swear I will end you, you hear me?" Merihem nodded once. "Good. Anders?" Anders nodded as well, and coiled the rope once more around his hand, stretching the line tight between them. Just a twitch, and it'd be curtains for Merihem.

  The tape wound around Merihem's head several times, and came off reluctantly, tearing flesh and hair free as it did. He winced, but did not move. The shard was still in place – the strain on Merihem's jaw was obvious as he struggled to keep it open to prevent the sharpened tip from plunging deeper into the soft tissue of his palate and sending him to oblivion. Gripping his jaw with one hand, I reached in with the other and yanked free the shard. Beside me, Anders tensed, but Merihem just flexed his jaw a moment, and then was still.

  "I take it you found Wai-Sun, then," Merihem said.

  "What, this?" I said, holding up the shard. "No, this I got at Yankee Stadium on Kill a Fucking Demon Day." I wiped it off on my shirt and dropped it into my pocket.

  "That the girl?"

  "I'm sorry, am I the one tied to the chair? How 'bout I ask the questions for now, and maybe later we can switch."

  "Cute, Sam – real cute. I'm going to kill you all, you know. I'll start with the little one," he said, nodding toward Pinch. "Then him," Merihem said, indicating Anders, "then you. I'll make the girl watch."

  "Yeah, that's nice," I said. "But before we do that, why don't you tell me why the fuck you set me up?"

  "It was nothing personal, Sam – you of all people should know that. It's just the girl's a hot commodity. Besides, I didn't have a choice – he got to me just after we met."

  "Who? Who got to you?"

  "His name is Beleth."

  "Never heard of him."

  "That's because he doesn't often deign to meddle in the affairs of Man." Then, addressing Kate: "You, missy, have attracted some serious attention – you should be flattered!"

  "Go fuck yourself," Kate replied.

  Black flames raged for a moment in Merihem's eyes. He blinked, and they disappeared. "Ooh, she's feisty – I can see why you like her so much, Sam. Maybe I'll take a go at her myself. I mean, she'll be kind of pretty once I tear that fucking ring out of her nose. Honestly, I've no idea what these kids today are thinking."

  Kate fingered the nose ring. I shot her a look, and she stopped.

  "So this Beleth," I said, "what's his interest in me?"

  "His interest? You're in the way, Sam, it's as simple as that. That the girl will be collected is a foregone conclusion. The only one who doesn't seem to know that is you. You've become an embarrassment – you're making our whole damn operation look like a bunch of bumbling amateurs. The folks you're crossing don't enjoy being made fools of."

  "Is Beleth the one who set Kate up?"

  "Get it through your head, Sam – nobody set her up. It's been all her, all along. Every blow. Every slice. Every agonized scream. All of it the result of the depraved little creature scowling so adorably beside you. You understand, dear, that I mean no offense – I'm actually quite a fan. It's just time for you to come home, is all."

  "Thanks for the invitation," Kate said, "but I'd really rather not."

  Merihem smiled, all teeth and ill intentions – the kind of smile you feel in the pit of your stomach. "Sweetheart, you make it sound as though you have a choice."

  I interrupted. "So this Beleth – what else can you tell us about him?"

  "I can tell you that he's a ways above my pay grade. Until Blondie here came into the picture, I'd never met him – I'd only heard the stories."

  "Stories? What kind of stories?"

  "They say he's a great monarch of the Depths. That he's most favored by the Adversary. That he's got a significant role to play in the great battle to come."

  "You mean Armageddon?"

  Merihem scoffed. "I sure as shit don't mean Survivor."

  "Who says?" I asked. "What kind of role?"

  "How the fuck should I know? They say, you know? This shit's all been foretold. Beleth is a mighty and terrible king of the netherworld. His name shall bring forth the sounding of trumpets. That sort of thing."

  "That's not a lot to go on."

  "Hey, they're your books, man. It's not my fault you people take lousy notes. I'll tell you this, though: if he had any fucking idea I was telling you this shit –"

  "He doesn't."

  "Not yet, maybe, but rest assured he will – and when he does, we're both gonna pay."

  "Merihem, Beleth is dead."

  At that last, his face dropped. Gone was the glimmer of fury in his eyes. For the first time, Merihem looked scared. "What the hell do you mean, dead?"

  "Just what I said."

  "Oh, fuck – the shards – I mean, I just figured you escaped!"

  "I did. Right after I killed him."