The Diablo Horror (The River Book 7) Read online

  How am I going to do this? he wondered, looking around the object room. There must be three or four hundred items in here!

  He re-read the list, trying to commit the descriptions to memory. He decided he’d start with an object, and scan down the list to see if it matched. If it did, he’d put it in a box. If it didn’t, he’d move on. He mapped out a route he’d follow in the room so he didn’t duplicate his efforts.

  It was tedious and slow. At least I’ll have seen them all when this is finished, he thought as he moved to the next object. I should be cataloging them as I go, but I don’t have time. After a dozen tries, he found an object he felt matched an item on the list. It had the shape of a pine cone, and when he dropped into the River it changed to look like a flat, ovular piece of black marble. He could see tiny specks moving in the darkness of it, looking like miniature stars.

  Damn, he thought. Is that a universe in there?

  He dropped out of the River and gently picked up the pine cone, gingerly placing it into the box. It rolled a little to one side, and he imagined a billion catastrophes occurring for trillions of unknown people and planets.

  It unnerved him.

  He knelt next to the box and took a picture of the tilting pine cone. At least I can document the ones I give to him, he thought.

  Since they’d liberated Eximere from Anita and discovered all of its treasures, Steven and Roy were able to return several books from the library to their rightful owners. The objects in this room were much harder to figure out than the books. They were all stolen by James Unser, the architect of Eximere and son of Anita, a self-loathing gifted who sought to destroy the gift in others. He was successful to a disarming degree, and he kept the books and objects of the people he ruined, locking them away in here so that their heirs couldn’t find them and use them.

  Steven and Roy considered the book their ancestors had left to them to be invaluable. It bothered both of them that others had such a valuable resource stolen from them, and they felt compelled to reunite the books in Eximere with their rightful owners.

  But the objects were a different story. They had no idea what most of the objects were, how they worked, or what they did. There were no instruction manuals and nothing to read that might give a clue as to whom they originally belonged to. Aka Manah might have once owned these things, Steven thought as he observed the next object, but he might have just known about them, and put them on this list as a way to get them. There’s no trail of ownership that can be checked. I’m just going to have to hand over the ones he’s identified, whether they’re his or not. I don’t have a way to prove otherwise, and Eliza’s life is at risk.

  He found three more objects that matched the list by the time he reached what he figured was the halfway point. He turned when he heard Roy come into the room.

  “Just checking that you’re OK,” Roy said, strolling in like he was bored. “Didn’t want you lying in a coma on the floor needing help because you’d stuck yourself with a crazy contraption or something.”

  “I’m fine,” Steven said, letting the list drop to his side and taking a moment to rub his eyes.

  “You look tired,” Roy said. “By the way, I found two more books that look promising. We can see about returning them once you’re done with your demon.”

  “What time is it?”

  “Just after eight. I was falling asleep in the library, probably from getting no sleep last night.”

  “Do you want to rest until we leave?” Steven asked. “I’m nearly done, maybe another hour or so, then we can go.”

  “No, I’m up now, I’ll stay up,” Roy said, looking down into the boxes that held the objects Steven had removed from the shelves. “I want to make sure you survive this room. Lots of deadly stuff in here. It looks like we won’t have too much to carry out, if this is most of it.”

  “Unless I come across something big,” Steven said, continuing with his search.

  Roy turned and walked out of the room, leaving Steven to his business. He went back into the library, but he didn’t want to sit down and fall asleep again.

  Instead, he walked to the back doors and down the wide steps into the yard. In the distance was the banyan tree that had first captured his imagination when they’d found Eximere. He thought he’d visit with Thomas for a while. He grabbed the handle of a five gallon bucket of dirt that was sitting at the bottom of the steps and walked toward the tree.

  The branches of the tree were wide and covered dozens of graves that Unser used to trap gifteds he killed. Roy sat next to Thomas’ grave and slowly spread several handfuls of dirt from the bucket onto the spongy surface. He watched as the material gradually cleared. It was dark outside, but lights from the house and yard were enough for him to see the faint outline of Thomas, suspended six feet down in the grave.

  He found it easier to communicate with Thomas when he was trancing, so he dropped into the River. He’d communicated with Thomas many times since he’d found him; talking with his great-great grandfather was comforting.

  You’re troubled tonight, Thomas said. Something bad has happened.

  Two policemen, Roy thought. Killed because of a mistake I made.

  Yes, that is bad.

  Roy waited for Thomas to say “it wasn’t your fault,” as Steven had said so many times, but Thomas didn’t.

  You’re in deep, Thomas said. Almost deeper than me in the ground here.

  Yes, Roy replied, it feels that way.

  It bothers you that you don’t have control of it.

  Yes, I don’t like it. This demon has Steven by the balls and it’s pissing me off. He can’t talk to me about it, and there’s nothing I can do about it. So I’m frustrated that I can’t do more to help. And a little angry that I’m frustrated.

  You must change the balance. Gain some kind of leverage.

  I don’t see how, Roy thought. Everything with this demon seems very one-sided.

  Something will come along. When it does, don’t hesitate.

  If we’re lucky, he’ll complete this deal with the demon and it’ll be over, Roy thought.

  It won’t be over. Once the demon knows he can get something from you, he’ll keep coming back. It’ll never be over. You’ll have to do something to put the demon off permanently, or you’ll both wind up doing its bidding for the rest of your lives.

  Roy pondered this. It made sense to him. Thomas’ advice was usually sound. There was no reason not to believe him this time.

  When it seems like you have no options left, Thomas said, and the others around you have given up, that’s when you need to act. They will think it’s over, but it’s not. Remember that.

  Alright, Roy answered. I’ll remember.

  And you may have to let your son go his own way, if it comes to it.

  You mean part ways with him? Roy asked. I can’t do that.

  No, I mean defer to his judgment. You’ll know when it happens, because it’ll bug the hell out of you to do it. Ease up on him when it does, and be supportive.

  I’m always supportive.

  Not always. You’re a Hall, so you’re obstinate as hell.

  “Dad?” Roy heard Steven calling from the house.

  “Coming!” Roy shouted back.

  Time to go, Roy thought. Thanks for the advice.

  At least I’m doing somebody some good, stuck down here.

  You sure you don’t want me to dig you out and give you a proper burial? Roy asked.

  No, Thomas answered. I’m enjoying these conversations with you. If you gave me a proper burial, I’m afraid I might cross over and we’d never speak again until you pass. I don’t mind being right here for now. Leave me be.

  Alright, Roy said as the effect of the dirt began to fade and opaqueness returned. Talk to you later.

  I’ll be here.

  ◊

  Steven woke to the sound of someone banging loudly on his front door. He checked his watch – it was nine a.m. He got out of bed, threw on a robe, and walked to the door. It w
as Jason.

  “Did you forget?” Jason asked, walking in the house past his father.

  “I did,” Steven said, closing the door and following Jason inside. “Breakfast, right?”

  Jason fell onto the couch in the living room. “Breakfast, then lake fishing.”

  “Something came up,” Steven said. “I should have called you, but I forgot. I have an appointment this morning, so I can’t do anything until this afternoon. How about lunch, then fishing?”

  Steven rubbed his eyes, trying to wake up. Jason didn’t respond.

  “How about that instead? Jason?”

  He lowered his hands and looked at Jason, who was sitting still as a statue on the couch. As he watched, Jason began to lift from the couch, floating a couple of inches off the cushion.

  “Jason?”

  At first he thought Jason was back under the control of the Callers, from St. Thomas. Then he heard a familiar voice behind him.

  “He’s fine,” the voice said. He turned to see Aka Manah standing behind him. “He can’t hear or see us. Now, do you have my objects?”

  Steven considered exchanging words with the demon over Jason’s condition, but he thought better of it and decided to simply accelerate things along. “The boxes there in the dining room,” Steven said. “There are fourteen objects, that’s all I could find. Take them and go.”

  Aka Manah walked to the table and opened the boxes, inspecting the contents. He seemed pleased as he reviewed several of the items, but he grew increasingly upset as he went from box to box.

  “There’s only thirteen items here,” the man said, turning to Steven. “Where is the Agimat?”

  “The what?” Steven asked, walking to the boxes.

  “The Agimat? Silver, with blood markings in the center.”

  Steven thought. He removed the list from one of the boxes and began reviewing the items he’d checked off. “Necklace, necklace…a metal medallion, hanging from a leather string. Dark red markings. Yes, I checked it off, I brought it, it’s here.” He began reviewing the items in the boxes, one by one. It wasn’t there. He counted the objects, coming up with thirteen.

  “You lost it?” the man asked.

  “No, it was here,” Steven said, panicking, going back through each box, checking under some of the larger objects. “I know it was here. I placed it in the box myself.”

  “Perhaps your father took it.”

  “No, he wouldn’t do that. He only helped me carry the boxes, he didn’t touch the objects. I’m sure of it.”

  “Then give me a moment,” the man said, and his body shifted into its natural form, growing taller. Steven saw the same figure he’d seen in his bedroom weeks before, with wooden horns emerging from its head and a dark leathery skin. The last time he’d seen the demon in this form, it had an erect phallus, but this time it was soft and large. Steven immediately felt uncomfortable. He likes me feeling uncomfortable, Steven thought. It’s all about power with this fucker. Intimidation. He watched as Aka Manah closed his eyes for several seconds, then opened them. He reverted to his previous form, the man in the dark suit.

  “Once you removed it from the protection of the place you had it stored, it reverted to its previous owner,” the man said. “You’ll need to go get it.”

  “Oh, no,” Steven protested. “That wasn’t the deal.”

  “It was,” the man said. “It most certainly was.”

  “I brought every item that matched your list,” Steven said. “And I delivered them. We’re done.”

  “You didn’t deliver every item,” the man said. “You let one get away from you. That’s unacceptable.”

  “I didn’t know it would do that,” Steven said. “I don’t know what any of these things do. These are your items, you should know how they work. If anything, you should have warned me it would revert.”

  “I didn’t know it would,” the man said. “But even if I did, it wouldn’t change your responsibility to return it to me.”

  “I’ve acted in good faith here,” Steven said.

  “That means little to me. Meanwhile your friend in California is getting worse, I hear.”

  “If you kill her, I’ll never do anything you ask. And you’ll have an enemy for life.”

  “Why does that leave me so unimpressed?” the man asked. “Is it because you can become ill as quickly as she did? Maybe that’s why.”

  Steven stopped arguing. He knew it was pointless and would just make the demon angrier.

  “Where is it?” Steven asked. “The object?”

  “The Agimat?” the man said, enjoying that Steven had acquiesced. “You mean the Agimat?”

  “Yes, the Agimat, whatever the hell it is. Where is it?”

  “It’s an ancient object, from the Far East. Very important to me. And it’s powerful right now, because it’s recharging.”

  “It’s recharging?”

  “That means its owner will be active. You’ll want to use caution.”

  “Where is it?”

  “A hundred and twenty miles north of here, in a little town called Diablo.”

  “Where in Diablo?”

  “Your friend in California will continue to worsen until I get the Agimat. Bring it back here, to your home, by tomorrow. No later.”

  “Where in Diablo?” Steven yelled.

  Before he’d finished the sentence, Aka Manah was gone – disappeared along with the objects in the boxes. Steven saw Jason fall back to the couch and over on his side.

  “Are you OK?” Steven asked Jason as he helped him up.

  “Yeah, fine,” Jason said, shaking his head. “I think I need food.”

  “We’ll go get food,” Steven said. “But I have to call your grandfather first.”

  Chapter Three

  Roy grumbled as coffee spilled onto his shirt. Steven just crossed the Ship Canal bridge, and the bump as he hit the bridge deck caused some coffee to spill up and out of the container.

  “Goddamnit,” Roy said under his breath, grumbling quietly. “Sorry, I wasn’t listening, I spilled. Start over.”

  Steven backtracked. “There’s an object somewhere in a town north of here. We’ve got to get it back, by tomorrow.”

  “Is this an additional task from you-know-who?” Roy asked. Jason, who was in the back seat, leaned forward and tried to hear Steven’s answer.

  “Yes,” Steven replied. “And no. It’s to finish up from a task last night.”

  “Is this an object from you-know-where?” Roy asked.

  “I’m right here,” Jason said. “I can hear what you’re saying.”

  “Yes,” Steven said to Roy, “and apparently once it was outside of the protection of you-know-where, it reverted to its owner.”

  “Well, that’s a handy way to return them,” Roy said.

  “Return what?” Jason interjected.

  “Well, it didn’t go to the proper owner,” Steven said to Roy. “At least, according to you-know-who.”

  “This is really irritating,” Jason said.

  “There are some things I can’t tell you,” Steven said to Jason. “I don’t have a choice in the matter. If I tell anyone, I’ve violated an agreement and it would make matters worse. So you’ll just have to trust me and be patient if I talk in code.”

  “Grandpa Roy seems to know what you’re talking about,” Jason said. “So it’s just me who’s in the dark.”

  “No,” Roy said, turning to Jason. “I know who he’s talking about, but I don’t know the details of what he has to do. I’m as much in the dark as you on that.”

  “You mentioned an object,” Jason said. “What is it?”

  “It’s called an Agimat,” Steven said. “No idea what it does.”

  “It wards off evil spirits,” Jason said. “It’s Filipino. They call them anting-anting.”

  Roy turned to Steven, surprised. He turned back to Jason. “How’d you know that?”

  “I dated a Filipino girl once,” Jason said. “She had one. Wore it around her ne
ck, even during sex. It was bugging the hell out of me, so I asked her what it was and why she wouldn’t take it off. She said there had been an evil spirit that followed her family for generations, making them sick and poor. She was very sincere about it. And she would not take it off.”

  “Well, this particular Agimat,” Steven said, “seems to have the ability to return to its owner. And I was warned that it was recharging.”

  “Oh yeah, the holiday,” Jason said.

  “What?” Roy asked. Now he felt like the one in the dark.

  “Supposedly Agimats recharge every year between Good Friday and Easter,” Jason answered. “Or so she said. I’ll bet there’s plenty of info about them on the internet. I could pull it up on my phone and show you, but I forgot to bring it.”

  “That’s got to have something to do with his accelerated timetable,” Steven muttered to himself, hoping Roy would hear him but not Jason. Jason had insisted he come along, and Roy supported the idea. But both Steven and Roy agreed Jason wasn’t ready to know about Eximere, and Steven was under obligation to the demon to keep the terms of their deal secret. Talking to Jason about anything they were currently doing was proving to be very difficult.

  “So we’re going to Diablo to hunt for this thing?” Roy asked. “Do we know what it looks like?”

  “It’s a square, flat metal piece about an inch wide, with red markings,” Steven said, “attached to a leather necklace. So I assume, like Jason said, it’s meant to be worn around the neck.” For some reason he involuntarily thought of the Agimat being worn by a naked woman, the amulet dangling between her breasts. Must be Jason’s story, he thought, shaking his head.