“How far are we from the baths?”
“I don’t know. I’m not exactly sure where we are anymore.”
“Figure it out. I’d like to be home when the world ends.”
Delon nods.
“If I can find some landmarks, I’m sure I can get us there.”
“That’s fucking reassuring.”
Delon gets up without saying anything and walks away.
My head has stopped spinning and things are starting to fall together.
“Where did you find those Grays?” I say.
“Is that what they’re called? Hattie knew where to find them,” says Candy.
“Sub Rosa kids told stories about them. I didn’t know there were any left. They’re supposed to be from England or maybe Scotland or Ireland. Somewhere with bad teeth. Ancient fuckers. Old, old magic. I don’t know their real name, but don’t call them fairies or goblins or trolls or any of that Peter Pan shit. They’re real sensitive about it, especially around Americans.”
“Hattie made a deal with them. She said there was a great wizard who would owe them a favor.”
“Great. Where is she?”
“She took off before we headed back. I don’t think she cared who won the fight as long as someone hurt the Shoggots.”
“Christ.”
“All this bullshit is because of Aelita. It’s made me think. Tell me something. Why don’t you ever ask me anything about Doc?”
“Doc Kinski is dead. Why would I?”
“He was your father.”
“That was just a technicality.”
Doc Kinski’s real name was Uriel. He was an archangel and the winged bastard that fucked with my mother, left her lonely and with a kid she didn’t really want. And Aelita murdered him.
“Don’t talk about him that way. And you’re lying. You want to know but you never ask.”
“Like I said. He’s dead. Deader than either of us will ever be. When an angel dies there’s nothing left. It’s like he was never there.”
Candy looks away at the others. Brigitte looks a little past the sell-by date, though not as bad as me. Vidocq has bandaged both of her arms and her left hand. Traven has his arm around her. She leans against him.
“Doc cared about you. He never said it because you’re both idiots, but he worried about you.”
“Can we do family therapy later? I’m busy hemorrhaging.”
Candy doesn’t say anything for a minute.
I say, “I should have brought some Aqua Regia with me.”
“Yeah, you need booze with a cut-up belly. You could have died back there.”
“But I didn’t. You Robin Hooded me.”
She looks down at her hands.