Part 8 (1/2)

”No dogs allowed,” says Chet. ”This isn't my car.”

”Okay,” says Jerk; but Tom intervenes.

Tom says, ”We'll be right on the way. There won't be time for the dog to shed.”

”No, sorry,” says Chet. ”Nothing that creepeth upon four feet. That counts out the dog.”

”And you, Jerk,” Tom adds.

”Ha ha ha,” says Jerk.

I say uneasily, ”If it would be possible . . . Chet . . . maybe we should take them home. I'm just worried about that strange . . . man we saw? That he might still be around?”

Chet frowns for an instant. ”I don't think these two need to worry about him.”

I say quietly, ”It would make me feel better.”

”All right,” says Chet.

”Which man?” Tom asks.

That's how we all end up in Chet's car. Tom, Jerk, and Bongo are in the back seat. I'm in the pa.s.senger seat. I can tell Chet is mad. He starts the car, gives me a look that shows he is irritated but getting over it, and heads down the road.

We wind through the forest for a few minutes. It doesn't help that Tom is trying to embarra.s.s me in front of my parents' supposed friend by lying as boldly as possible. ”So my mother says to me, 'Horatio, I don't want you walking around at night, Horatio. Is that understood, Horatio?'”, etc. etc.

”Horatio,” says Chet, ”I wonder if you could be quiet for just a quick moment while I think.”

So Tom grins at Jerk in the back seat and winks. Jerk is embarra.s.sed. After a few minutes, Tom gets bored; so he starts to play with the electric windows.

”Window race!” he calls, and he and Jerk each try to be the first one to put his window down.

”Would you cut that out?” says Chet.

”Window race!” Tom calls again.

”Would you -?”

”Mine won't go up anymore,” says Jerk.

”You broke it!” says Chet. ”You broke my electric window!”

”Jerk!” says Tom. ”You really are a problem child.”

Things are not going well. Tom and Jerk should really not have broken the electric window on the Forces of Light's car. ”I really don't believe this,” Chet says. ”You two just sit tight back there, would you?”

We drive along. I look over to see if Chet is mad.

But now Chet is smiling some secret smile.

Jerk is sitting back there, miserable.

The trees are black against the sky. We drive by what seems like mile after mile of etched branch and silent hill. We are not headed toward town. We've headed west.

Chet is humming one note. He doesn't ever stop to take in a breath. He hums his one note, and it rings in my ears.

Tom and Jerk have fallen sort of quiet.

Chet looks into the rear-view mirror. He says in a deep soft voice, ”How are you two doing? Are you two feeling very sleepy?” No answer.

I look back. They are asleep.

Chet is looking at his watch. ”We'll wake them up later. I shall erase their memories of me. Is the dog asleep?”

I twist my head and lean over the sticky leatherette. ”It looks like it,” I say.

”That gives us something to be thankful for,” says Chet. ”Now I'll explain what you need to do.” He steers with one hand and reaches in his pocket with the other. He pulls out a blue velvet bag. ”This I just traveled halfway across the universe for. It's the Arm of Moriator. Take it.”

I take the bag from him. It's cold to the touch. When I pull open the drawstring, I see a glint of reflected light from inside.

”Look at it,” Chet orders.

I empty the bag into my palm. The Arm of Moriator does not look like an unusual object. It is a blue gla.s.s disk about three inches in diameter. There are four spidery characters s.p.a.ced evenly around the edge of it. When we go over b.u.mps, it rings lightly with the sound of someone rubbing a wet finger around the edge of the galaxy.

”What is it?” I ask, feeling confused and a little stupid.

”It is used as a lock to keep vast evil beings like Tch'muchgar chained in other worlds. Once it is activated, no evil being can touch it or shut it off. Let me explain.” While Chet talks, I turn over the Arm of Moriator and hold it up so it catches oncoming headlights. When the light glints on it, it does nothing unusual. In the blue depths of it, I see nothing I wouldn't expect. Chet is saying, ”When the vampires interrupt your town's spells of binding with their own spells, Tch'muchgar will try to leap from his world into yours. The Arm of Moriator will stop him. It will displace his world ever so slightly, which is like stopping an elevator between floors. He can step out, but there will be nothing there to step into. If he tries to leave his world, he'll walk into nothing. He will fall between realities. In other words, he will cease to exist.”

I look at Chet carefully. ”I thought that the Forces of Light didn't destroy anything. I thought that was against your rules.”

”It is. This will merely act as a deterrent. Once he knows this is activated and in place, Tch'muchgar will never dare to leap out of his world. He knows that if he tries, he will annihilate himself.”

We pull onto the highway.

I fumble with the shoulder strap to put the Arm in my pocket. ”So how do I activate it?”

”Activation is easy and can be learned in a jiffy. Once you go into Tch'muchgar's world, all you have to do is touch each one of those four symbols around the edge in turn and say, 'Light, I invoke you.' Do you have that?”

”'Light, I invoke you'?”

”Yes. You've got it. You say that four times, touching one rune symbol each time. Then you can just drop the Arm. Is that clear?”

”But how do I know how to get into Tch'muchgar's world?”

”Ah!” says Chet, holding up a finger. ”Ah! Here I have been particularly resourceful. I have approached the vampires, shown them that I am a being of great power, and convinced them that I am a demon in the service of one of Tch'muchgar's old friends, sent to help them.”

”So you'll be with me?”

”Christopher, I'll be with you all the way,” he rea.s.sures me warmly. ”You don't have a thing to worry about. I'll introduce you to some of the vampires. They know me as Chet, too. We'll talk. Then we'll ask them to take us to the portal into Tch'muchgar's world. Then I'll stand by while you go into that world and activate the Arm. I'll be right there for you the whole time.”

”But you aren't going in with me?”