The Getaway God (Sandman Slim 6)

“This doesn’t make sense. I just gave her the potion.”

I carry Candy into the exam room and put her on the table.

“Could something be wrong with it?”

“I made it myself.”

“Check it anyway.”

Allegra calls to Fairuza.

“Get me the skullcap sedative.”

Fairuza opens a cabinet and paws through bottles. When she finds the sedative, she hands it to Allegra. I’ll give Allegra points for brave. She sticks her hand into Candy’s mouth and pries her jaws open enough to pour the potion into. It’s green and smells of licorice like it has an absinthe base.

When Candy starts to relax, I speak Hellion to clear the hex. Her muscles unknot and her jaw drops open. In less than a minute, she’s back to being Candy.

Allegra looks at me.

“We’re going to have to restrain her until we know what’s happened.”

“I know. Try not to hurt her.”

“I’ll try to keep her unconscious until we figure out what’s wrong.”

She looks at my bloody wrist.

“You’re bleeding. It’s like the old days. You in here all the time covered in blood. Sit down. I’ll get some gauze.”

I do what I’m told simply because I don’t want to argue. Allegra comes back a minute later with gauze and tape.

“I could stitch this up to stop the bleeding, but I know you’ll say no.”

“That’s right.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s mine and I keep my scars.”

She pushes up my sleeve, bandages my hand, and wraps gauze around it.

“Because you never want to let go of anything.”

I look at Candy on the table. Fairuza puts straps around her feet and across her chest.

“I swear, if someone did this to her . . .”

“I know. But you have to prepare yourself for something worse.”

“What?”

“That she might have developed a tolerance to the potion and it won’t work anymore.”

“Then you’ll figure out another one, right?”

She finishes my wrist and sets the gauze and bandages on the counter.

“I’ll do my best. I’m sure there will be something in one of Eugène’s books.”