Herald shook his head and tutted. “You guys are weird.” He traced his finger in a circle. “All of you at the Boneyard.”
“Listen. Igarashi. You’re way meaner to me than Asher and Sterling could ever be to each other.”
Asher stuffed his hands back into his jacket pockets, then smiled broadly at the two of us. He elbowed Herald in the ribs. “It’s just tough love. Right, Herald?”
“Yeah,” Herald said, nudging his glasses up his face. “S-sure.”
“I hate this,” I muttered, scratching at my chest. “I feel super gross. And it’s cold, too.”
Herald frowned. “We’ll hose you down or something. I’ll loan you my jacket. We’re about the same size anyway. Big deal. Listen. You can come with us, and we can pretend that for a blip in time, things in our lives can be totally normal. No mad elder gods from outer space, no blood sacrifices to be made.”
I twisted my shoe in the dirt, biting my lip.
“Quit pouting,” Herald growled. “Your other option is to shadowstep home to the Boneyard and mope all on your own, and Asher and I will drink terrible coffee and grab some of that pecan pie that received a five-star review from an actual goddess.” He folded his arms. “So. Which will it be, Graves?”
I wrinkled my nose, trying to get rid of an itch. “I can borrow your jacket? Really?”
“Just make sure it’s nice and clean when you give it back.”
The diner was a fair distance away from where we defeated the White Mother. The original plan was to hang out there and get some pie after I acquired the Crown of Stars. The guys figured I’d need a little cheering up after I gave up my soul, but as we all know, things don’t necessarily go quite as planned in our world.
To my surprise, the diner had a small complement of early morning customers already huddled over the counter, regulars, by the looks of it. Either the Lorica had already sent Mouths there to wipe their minds clean, or no one in the diner had taken notice of the huge pulsating white rift in the woods.
Or the massive beam of crimson light sent to destroy that rift, or any of the other exceedingly noisy and flashy things we’d done to yet again prevent the world’s wanton destruction. I peered into the restaurant, only just catching sight of a pair of men in black suits disappearing into thin air. Aha. A Wing and a Mouth, most likely. Mind wipes it was, then.
Asher and Herald did as they promised, mercilessly spraying me clean from a pipe behind the diner. I didn’t know that Herald could manipulate water, too, blasting me with a powerful, freezing-cold jet that could have ripped my skin off. But that’s all that ice is anyway, isn’t it? Water in a solid state.
I dried my clothes and my body off by gathering a smoldering, low-temperature clump of fire in my hand and passing it over myself. Got me nice and toasty, too. I put on my shirt, then the jacket Herald promised.
And fine, Herald was right. I didn’t think of the Eldest for at least the entire span of time we spent at the diner. A couple of hours was a welcome reprieve from the fucked up reality of what my life had become, and I was glad I had Asher and Herald to keep me company.
For two hours, we were just three guys in a diner, cracking terrible jokes and talking video games as the sun lazily picked its way over the treetops. A little shaft of sunlight struck our table, the first real sign of warmth after a cold, wet night.
And okay, the pie was amazing, too.
We took the long way into town. Sure, we could have called for a rideshare, but it was a nice day out. Plus at that point I felt that safety wasn’t that much of a concern anymore, considering the battle we’d just gone through, and, not to brag, considering the amount of arcane firepower we carried between the three of us.
I guess I wanted to be sure I’d be dead tired by the time we got home. I didn’t want to think anymore. I just wanted to throw myself into bed and sleep for, oh, maybe three consecutive days. But my legs were aching, the sole of my foot still sore despite healing magic closing it up. By the time we made it to Herald’s apartment, I felt just about ready to call it a day.
“We’ll see you around,” I said, clapping him by the shoulder. “And don’t worry, I’ll make sure to wash your jacket for you.”
He stood back, tilting his head to appraise me, then shrugged. “Actually, you know what? It suits you. Keep it.”
I mean, I won’t lie. It was comfy, and I looked good in it. Then again, I look good in everything. Right? Right. Plus it was a gift from Herald. I wasn’t going to say no. I puffed my chest out, grinning. “Thanks, man.”
Herald stepped into Parkway Heights’s lobby, scratched the back of his neck, waved a last goodbye, then slipped into an elevator.
“I kind of feel like the third wheel here, but I really wanted to stick around for that pie.” Asher scratched the tip of his nose. “So. Where to now?”
I shrugged. “Home, I guess.” I reached for my phone. “Let me call a car.”
“Or,” Asher said, placing his hand on mine, lowering my phone back into my pocket. “Or, we could take the express train through the Dark Room.”
“Sorry, I must have misheard you.” I stuck a finger in my ear and wiggled it around. “You can’t be serious.”
Asher lifted his hand to mime tugging on an invisible chain, then grinned. “Toot, toot.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” I said. “After what happened in the forest? The Dark Room betrayed me. You aren’