this?” Just for a second, Donna almost forgot their current situation. Almost.
“A parting gift from Newton. He said it’s thanks to me that he’s free again.”
The demon tear was beautiful. Faultless. Like a shard of ice with all the colors of the rainbow inside it—and some colors she didn’t even recognize. She gazed at it in wonder, holding her breath.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “Nav, you did it! Thank you.”
He smiled. “I’m the best, right? Tell me I’m the best. You know you want to.”
“You’re the best,” she said. “I can’t argue this time.”
He grinned.
Donna looked at the perfectly formed teardrop in the palm of her hand. “I can’t believe Newton kept his word.”
“I’m pretty sure he thinks we’re buddies.”
“That’s … weird.”
Navin nodded. “I know. Totally weird. But, then again, now that I have a demon for a BFF, who knows where that could get me? It’s sort of cool.”
Donna stared at him for a moment. “No, it’s really not.”
“You’re just jealous,” he said, playfully punching her on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Don. You’re still my Number One.”
She fought back a smile, shaking her head.
“Either way,” he said, “that’s another ingredient down, right? How many does that make?”
This time Donna let the smile rip, as much in disbelief as anything else. “Four. Four out of five. One more to go.”
“And then we can go home?” Navin’s eyes shone.
“After the Gallows Tree.” She swallowed. “I have to go in there, and I can’t let you come with me. Demian said I have to go in alone or I’ll never find the right tree. Some kind of twisted demon magic. Curse. Whatever.”
“Maybe he was lying. I don’t want to leave you alone—not when I just found you again.”
“I don’t think he was lying about this, Nav. We can’t take the risk. Just wait for me, all right?”
He nodded, his jaw tight.
She thought of the silver pear at the center of the grove. It was the final ingredient she needed to make the Stone, but in the world above, preparations for war were already moving forward. Not to mention the tiny matter of her untimely death. She had the horrible suspicion that her resurrection would not be such an easy trick to pull off.
Donna forced herself to focus and plunged into the thicket.
Twenty-four
Navin waited by the exit from the Otherworld. He’d concluded that this was the way out because, quite helpfully, there was a huge sign marked Exit, which had appeared—along with an escalator—right after Donna had disappeared into the grove. Seriously, a freaking escalator.
He ran a tired hand through his damp hair and examined the moving stairway that supposedly led all the way up and out. It was long and smooth, shining with silver and chrome. It looked like something that belonged in a science fiction movie. Leaning against its shining metal sides, he slid down and sat on the dusty ground to wait.
He was always waiting for Donna. Not that he minded—she was his best friend, after all. That’s what you did for the most important people in your life. She always came for him when he was in trouble, and he would do the same for her. They had literally walked through Hell together (even if he’d been taken over by a demon at the time).
Newton. He thought of the moment when Demian had ripped the demon from his body and set him free. Navin had seen Newton’s true form, and it wasn’t something he’d forget any time soon. He swallowed and tried not to think about it too hard. Newton had been grateful, requesting a private “chat” with him before Demian had dragged him off to reprimand him about … whatever it was that Newton was in trouble for. Probably getting himself summoned and captured by Simon Gaunt in the first place.
But Navin’s heart was heavy. He had a suspicion—one that had been planted in his mind by Newton and growing with every moment that passed—that something was going to get in the way of a Happily Ever After.
Then Donna came bursting out of the grove, her hair wildly dishevelled and several scratches marking her face. The iron tattoos on her arms were whirling with desperate activity. She was breathless and wide-eyed, but the good news was that there was something clutched in one of her hands. Something that looked a lot like a silver pear.
Navin pulled himself out of his funk, forced a smile, and waved her over.
As she emerged from the thicket, Donna tried to get her