Long Hot Summoning

“He’s not the first fainter we’ve had,” Osiris said matter-of-factly as he watched the bowl holding Lance’s heart begin to rise. “He’ll be fine once he gets his heart back. I’m getting the impression he doesn’t worry about much,” he added as the feather continued to drop. “He treats his life as a series of grand adventures; this one merely a little more grand than usual. Besides, I can feel a place where his ka was brushed by a dark ka. As long as that shadow remains, he’ll be…”

“Distracted?”

“Focused.”

Well, that explained the Meryat obsession. “Does the shadow affect…” She waved a hand toward the scales…

…which had stilled with Lance’s heart holding steady a good six inches above the feather.

“Not in the least. I judge this man to be maa kheru. He is free to go. Anubis.”

Anubis, who’d been licking his fingers, leaped forward, retrieved Lance’s heart, squatted down, and pushed it carefully back into his body.

“Bast…”

Caught between bracing herself and trying to relax, Claire missed Bast’s hand plunging into her chest, but she certainly felt it coming out. Ow! was a bit of an understatement. The cat-headed goddess frowned slightly as she crossed to the scale and Claire began to have a bad feeling about how this was going to turn out.

Of course her heart was heavy. She was a Keeper. She was responsible for the metaphysical protection of a good chunk of southeastern Ontario and upstate New York. And then there was the guest house and Diana, and being away from the segue, and dragging Lance around the Otherworlds, and not even knowing there were Otherworlds until she found herself plunged into the middle of them. Or maybe it. And she’d left Dean alone to face a reanimated mummy. Sure, Austin was with him, but he wasn’t supposed to be, and what had she been thinking dragging a seventeen-year-old cat into an evil shopping mall anyway?

“Well. This is…interesting.” All three gods were staring at the scales. The bowl holding the feather was brushing the floor. The bowl holding her heart was an arm’s length above Osiris’ head.

“Is this happening because I’m a Keeper?” Claire hazarded.

“No. This is happening because this isn’t your heart.”

She glanced down at her chest and up at the bowl. “Pardon?”

“It appears you have given your heart to another. This heart is his.”

Dean stared down into Claire’s face for a long moment before his mouth finally curved into a worried smile. “Got my heart?”

She laid a hand lightly against her chest. “Right here. Got mine.”

He mirrored the motion. “Safe and sound.”

“A most unusual young man.”

He’d lived next to a hole to Hell for six months and it hadn’t even convinced him to drop his underwear on the floor.

“He is, yes.”

The Lord of Death dragged Dean’s heart down to where Bast could reach it. “You realize you’re getting off on a technicality.”

“Yes, I do.” The return was painless. It was a pity Lance was still out; Claire had a feeling things couldn’t get much more metaphorical than this.

HEY! THIS ISN’T FAIR!

Osiris shot an exasperated look toward the shadow. “Death seldom is.”

SHE CHEATED!

“No one cheats death in the end.”

WHAT, I’M SUPPOSED TO EAT PLATITUDES NOW?

“If you like.”

And you can choke on them, Claire thought as Lance’s eyelids started to flutter. Dropping to one knee beside him, she shook his shoulder. “Come on, big guy. We’re leaving.”

“Going home?”

“Not right away. I’ve got some shopping to do first.”

“I like shopping.”

“Great. Hold that thought.”

It took Anubis and Bast helping to get him to his feet. He swayed slightly and blinked at Anubis. “Hey, who’s a good OW!”

Violence against Bystanders was permitted only in circumstances where it saved said Bystander, or Bystanders, from a greater violence. Claire figured calling Anubis a “good doggie” was definitely in the greater violence category.

“You pinched me!”

“Yes, I did.”

“Okay, then. How did we do?” he asked, rubbing one cheek.

“Neither of you were found wanting,” Osiris answered. He stepped forward, and Claire wasn’t surprised to find the three of them suddenly standing in front of the huge golden doors. Only now the doors were a standard height.

“Hey! We grew!”

Okay. That worked, too.

*   *   *

“Dr. Rebik?” The cleaned and ironed chinos hanging over his arm, Dean knocked on the door to room two. “Dr. Rebik, your pants are ready.”

“Maybe they’re having a nooner.”

Dean turned to stare at Austin in disbelief.

The cat shrugged. “Why not? They’re young and in love…oh, wait, my mistake, he’s having his life sucked out and she’s a reanimated corpse.”

“And it’s twenty after ten.” He knocked again.

“I find it disturbing that you’re more concerned with the time than the corpse.”