punch past his shoulder. “Fine. Don’t tell me. Be all cryptic.” She went to the pile that had buried the gnash and rooted around. When she returned, she carried a six-inch black crystal, thin enough Ben figured it could tickle someone’s liver without them noticing.
He nodded approval, and she went back to talk with Stewart. While she did, Ben sat near the border of the circle and pretended to study its construction. In reality, he closed his eyes and forced himself to face the very real possibility that he was about to die.
“Been a good run, ain’t it?” he whispered.
Carl gurgled in his stomach.
“I know. Fat lady ain’t sung, and all that, but you gotta admit, things ain’t lookin’ pretty.” Ben laid a hand over his gut. “Then again, I guess things wouldn’t look all that pretty where you’re at, huh?”
Bubbles fizzed and popped, and he stifled a belch.
“Regrets? Less than I woulda figured. Wish I’d gotten the stuff with Karen all sorted out. Told Destin what I really thought of him a lot earlier. Eaten more barbeque before it started givin’ me heartburn.”
Water shot up and splashed the back of his throat.
Ben grimaced. “Y’know, I prefer these little chats when you’re in the bottle.”
“Hey.”
He opened one eye. Dani crouched beside him, hands on her knees.
“Stewart says the containment circle is charged,” she said. “It’s a one-off trap, so hopefully it’ll hold long enough for us to get the hybrid under control.”
“A’ight then.” He rose, grunting as his knees popped like miniature firecrackers and sent painful flares through his thighs. “One last bit of business.”
“What’s that?”
He opened his mouth and hacked. Water shot out of his throat and glommed onto his hand, where it swirled and foamed. He held this out to her. He expected her to recoil in disgust, but she cupped both hands and received the glob.
“You’re giving me Carl?” she asked, staring at the water sprite.
“For his own good as much as yours,” he said. “If anythin’ happens to me—”
That summoned her angry look. “Why’d you have to go get morbid on me?”
“If anythin’ happens,” he repeated, “take care of him. He’s as loyal as they come in the elemental way of things.”
Dani eyed Carl, who spun into a series of geometric shapes and then subsided with a gurgle.
“I know, buddy,” Ben said. Oddly, handing over his long-time partner affected him more than the thought of his potential death. Of all his associates, only the water sprite had stuck with him after Karen’s death.
“I don’t like this,” Dani said. She looked ready to fling Carl back in his face, but cradled him against her chest.
He smiled ruefully. “Me neither. Now don’t figure on keepin’ him too long though, if I got anythin’ to say about it.”
The sprite rolled up to Dani’s shoulder, and she tried to lean away.
“Uh, where do I put him?”
“If there ain’t a bottle handy, usually I just swallow … oh … right. Guess that’s a little close to swappin’ spit, huh?”
She flushed. “Am I that obvious?”
He pushed up his wrinkled, sagging cheeks. “Ain’t ever pretended this face was gonna win beauty contests. Just let him slip into your sweat glands. That way he can pop out wherever you need.”
Hearing him, Carl did just that, gliding up to Dani’s bare neck and absorbing into the skin. She twitched once, but otherwise handled it fine. Her cheeks filled out a bit, as did her fingers, which she frowned at.
“Great. Now I’m filthy, tired, hungry, and bloated.”
“You get used to it.”
They stared at each other, and Ben searched for final words. Something encouraging, a way to help her get on with her life after this, whatever happened. Dani spoke first, however.
“Ben …”
Stewart’s shout cut between them. “You two done mopin’, or is we gonna have to start passin’ out hankies?”
Ben and Dani shook themselves from the mutual silence. Anything left unsaid could be interpreted however the other wanted. She pushed him gently back toward the others.
“Let’s go blow a bubble, gramps.”
***
Chapter Thirty-six
Dani watched from a few yards back, Sydney by her side, as Ben and Stewart prepared the spell. She’d handed the obsidian needle over to Ben, who coated it with a layer of soapy water he’d mixed up until the shard turned opalescent.
Stewart knelt by the triangular glyph and hovered hands over it. Eyes closed, he took up his muttering chants. Ben glanced back with a weary smile.
“Stay ready, kids.”
He stretched a band of water from forefinger to thumb of the same hand. Dani laughed