Lady of Misrule (Marla Mason Book 8) (33 page)
Read Lady of Misrule (Marla Mason Book 8) Online
Authors: T.A. Pratt
Tags: #fantasy, #monsters, #urban fantasy
“Yeah, I know. But in one of the few universes where she
wasn’t
terrible, she got frozen in a hunk of ice. That’s fair?”
“Ha. Well, Marla Mason, right? Look up ‘unforgiving’ in the dictionary.”
“Yeah. Thanks, Big B. I’ll be in touch.”
Bradley went to the elevator and rode up to Marzi’s room. She greeted him effusively, wearing a fluffy bathrobe. “Hey! I thought you’d be partying.”
“It wasn’t much of a party. How you feel about heading home tonight instead of waiting until morning?”
“Oh. Sure. I miss Jonathan. Are we flying?”
“I was thinking we could ride in Sierra. She can drive non-stop, so it’d only take maybe a couple of days, maybe a little longer since we’ll want to eat and pee and stretch our legs occasionally. I mean, we could get a plane, but you said you wanted to talk to me about some stuff anyway, right? We’d have plenty of time to talk on a road trip.”
Marzi nodded. “I wanted to ask you about some things, for sure. Magic. Being a sorcerer. Maybe setting up a meeting for me with your old teacher, Sanford Cole? I’m a little nervous about just cold-calling the guy, if I decide that’s what I want to do.”
Bradley smiled. “Yeah, I can definitely do that.” He looked around. “Marla’s not here? She took the shortcut through Hell, I was sure she’d beat me.”
Marzi shook her head. “No sign of her.”
“Huh,” Bradley said. “Maybe she’s sulking. She did something... I’ll tell you about it later. We’ll give her a little time, let you get ready, and if she’s not here when it’s time to go, we’ll leave her a note. She can always catch up with us – she can pop right through Sierra’s passenger door any time she wants.”
Marzi put her arm over him. “Road trip with a dead movie star. Look at me coming up in the world.”
“Oh, you could go far,” Bradley said. “In fact... I was going to leave town, but maybe I’ll stay in California for a while, and teach you a few things.” He liked the idea. He’d never been a teacher – he’d always felt like he still had too much to learn himself, whether it was acting or magic – but helping Marzi along... that would be doing good in this world, a kind of good that might ripple out through all the possible worlds that sprang from this one.
They ended up waiting a long time, into the wee hours of the morning, talking in Marzi’s hotel room, but Marla never came.
Epilogue: The Dread Queen in Her Realm
Marla stepped through the office door, leaving the icy hulk of Nicolette and her disapproving ex-apprentice behind. Her mind was a seething mass of misgivings, doubts, and even a treacherous thread of something that might have been regret –
But when she stepped through the door, cool serenity descended as always, and the part of her that fretted about the opinions of mortals receded into a tiny unilluminated portion of her mind. Her intellect became cool, vast, and not even remotely amused. She was the dread queen of the underworld, now, the bride of death, and it was just a shame there was still time left on her mortal month in the world, because there was so much
work
to be done here below –
The queen paused in the foyer that wasn’t really a foyer at all. The walls were cracked, the ceiling a moldy ruin, the floor pitted and splintered. She’d noticed the disarray the last time she passed through, but hadn’t thought much of it – the place’s appearance was just a convenience, after all, because it had to look like
something
. Now, though, without the distraction of those
living things
in her presence, in a place where they did not belong, she could sense a deeper wrongness. Something about her realm was... broken.
She looked around, and the walls dissolved, shimmered, and became her throne room, a cavern of obsidian, onyx, and black marble. There were two chairs there, carved of sapphire and emerald. Once upon a time, one chair had been smaller than the other – the smaller chair belonged to Death’s consort, a mortal raised to godhood to rule aside a creature more purely divine – but the queen had put a stop to
that
nonsense. She and her husband were co-regents, halves of a whole....
But he wasn’t here, now, and his emerald chair lay toppled on its side. She reached out for him, tried to sense him, which was normally as easy as sensing the position of her own left arm.
Nothing. Where could he be? Was
he
out, walking the Earth?
She realized the compulsion to return to Earth, normally so overwhelming when it was time to spend her month as a mortal, was gone. She felt no pull toward the mortal realm at all – as if the bargain she’d struck to spend six months of the year on Earth had been broken. The bargain she’d made with her husband, Death. But what could break that arrangement?
“Marla.”
The queen spun. There was another god here. That happened, sometimes: they could reach this place more easily than mortals, by passing through certain places that would mean death to humans. Volcanoes, trenches in the deep oceans, miles-down caves teeming with blind monsters. The other gods came for favors, or to socialize, but Death and his queen routinely turned them away, too busy with their business overseeing the cycles of death and rebirth – without which there would have been no gods at all.
“I don’t have time,” she began, and then recognized him. “Wait. You are Reva.”
He bowed his head, not that he had a head, exactly. “I am. I was... not friends with your husband, exactly... but acquaintances, certainly.”
“You
were
? You aren’t any more? Did you have a falling out?”
Reva shook his head. “Marla. The Outsider... when Death opened a door from this realm in the Outsider’s presence, on that beach in San Francisco, the monster could sense the path. The Outsider could find the passageways, and pry them open, and pass through. After I encountered the Outsider I could sense his actions, you see, because he was an exile himself, one of
my
creatures, as far from home as it is possible for anything to be. I felt him come here, and I pursued, to warn your husband, but I was too late.” Reva sat down on the stony floor and put his head in his hands. “I’m sorry.”
The rings
. In Felport, fighting the Outsider, she’d noticed its ostentatious rings. The monster hadn’t been wearing them on the beach, but when the rings appeared later, she’d thought they were merely an ornament, a refinement of its human costume. Her own husband, when he chose to appear in human form, often appeared wearing rings, each holding a precious stone from the wealth below the surface, each imbued with strange magics. The Outsider’s increased power, in the final battle... He’d stolen it from Death.
“He is dead?” she rasped. “My husband is dead?” She touched the necklace at her throat, where her wedding ring hung.
Reva didn’t raise his head. “You’re the only god of Death, now, Marla. I’m so sorry. This realm is yours alone, now... and it’s incomplete. I don’t know what happens next – if you should take a mortal consort, or if another Death will rise, or –”
In the back of her mind, the mortal part of Marla, the part that still longed to do good in the world, to care for her friends, to make amends, to make a difference, to kill monsters, to
do better
, howled in agony at the loss of her husband, and in fear at what the uncertain future might bring.
The greater part of her, the part that was now the only ruler of the land of the dead, howled in agonies of her own.
The agony of being cut in half, and left alone, to reign in Hell.
Acknowledgments
Thanks, first and always, to my wife Heather Shaw for her love and support, and to my son River for putting up with his dad spending all those hours writing about monsters. Thanks to my artists Lindsey Look (who did the cover) and Zack Stella (who did the interiors) – if you need great art, hire them. My appreciation to Aislinn Quicksilver Harvey for suggesting the title of this novel. Many thanks also to John Teehan of Merry Blacksmith Press for his continued support.
And finally, thanks to all the readers who supported the Kickstarter that made this possible: @atleb, A Anthony James, Adam Caldwell, Alex Moffatt, Alexa Gulliford, Allen L. Edwards, Alpha Chen, Alumiere, Alyssa Ritchie, Amy Kim, Andrea Leeson, Andreas Gustafsson, Andrew Hatchell, Andrew J Clark IV, Andrew Lin, Andrew Wilson, Angela Korra'ti, Ann Lemay, Anton Nath, Arlene Parker, Athena Holter-Mehren, Atlee Breland, BattleVark, Ben Esacove, Ben Meginnis, Beth Rheaume, Beth Wodzinski, Bethany Herron, Betsy Haibel, Bill Jennings, Brenda Hovdenes, Brittany, Bruce F Press, Bryan Sims, Bryant Durrell, C.C. Finlay, Caleb Wilson, Casey Fiesler, Cat Rambo, Catie Murphy, Chad E Price, Charlie Bast, Chelle P, Chris McLaren, Christian Decomain, Christian Stegmann, Christine Chen, Christine Maia-Fleres, Christopher Kastensmidt, Christopher Todd Kjergaard, Christy Corp-Minamiji, Chuck Lawson, Cinnamon Davis, Claire Connelly, Claudia Sadun Muzi, Cliff Winnig, Colette Reap, Colin Anderson, Colleen LeBlanc, Collin Smith, Courtney Ostaff, Craig Hackl, Cynthia Anne Cofer, D-Rock, D. Potter, Dan Percival, Dan Walma, Dana Cate, Dani Daly, Daniel and Trista Robichaud, Daniel Brady, Daniel Lyon, Danielle Benson, Danielle Ching-Yi Kong, Danielle Church, Dave Lawson, Dave Thompson, David Bell, David Bennett, David Martinez, David Rains, Dean M. Roddick, Deanna Stanley, Deb “Seattlejo” Schumacher, Denise Murray, DoorGirl, Douglas Park, Duck Dodgers, Ed Matuskey, Eduardo Tubert, Edward J Smola III, ejhuff, Elias F. Combarro, Ellen Sandberg, Elsa, Emily Agan, Emma Bull, Emma Larkins, Emma Marston, Emrya, Enrica, Ferran Selles, Fred Kiesche, Gann and Constance Bierner, Gary Singer, Gavran, Glenn Seiler, Glennis LeBlanc, Glyph, Greg Levick, GrumpySteen, Guillaume, Gunnar Hagberg, Hathway, Heidi Berthiaume, hipployta, Hugh Berkson, I.Z. aka IDzeroNo, Ian Mond, Iysha Evelyn, J Quincy Sperber, J. Croisant, J.R. Murdock, Jacqueline H. Kessler, James Burbidge, James M. Yager, Jamie Grove, Jasmine Stairs, Jason D Wilson, Jay G, Jaym Gates, Jean Marie Ward, Jeannette Lane, Jeff Huse, Jeffrey Krauss, Jeffrey Reed, Jen Sparenberg, Jen Warren, Jen Woods, Jenn Ridley, Jenn Snively, Jennifer Berk, Jennifer Howland, Jennifer Theis, Jeremy Rosehart, Jim Crose, Jim Lewinson, JM Templet, Joanna Fuller, Joe Rosenblum, John Blankenship, John Curley, John Dees, John Devenny, Jon Eichten, Jon Hansen, Jon Lundy, Jonas Wisser, Jonathan Duhrkoop, Jose Rafael Martinez Pina, Josh Lowman, Juli McDermott & Rob Batchellor, Justin Morton, Justine Baker, Karen Tucker, Kate and Andrew Barton, Kathlyn Luliak, Katie Douglas, Keith Hall, Keith Teklits, Keith Weinzerl, Kelly A. Hong, Kendall P. Bullen, Kenn Luby, Kerim, Kevin Hogan, Kevin Tibbs, Kiara Pyrenei, Konstantin Gorelyy, KorieK, Kris Downs, Kristin Bodreau, Laura A Burns, Laura Hobbs, Laura McIntyre, Lavendermintrose, Lexie C., Lianne Burwell, Lilly Ibelo, Logan Waterman, Lori L. Gildersleeve, Lori Lum, Lukas Bürgi, M.K. Carroll, Magentawolf, Mara Jade Smith, Marc Carnovale, Margaret Klee, Margaret Taylor, Marie Jones, Marius Gedminas, Mark "The Guitartist" Loggins, Mark Rowe, Martin S. Hesseling, Martin Wagner, Matthew Sheahan, Matthew Wayne Selznick, Max Kaehn, Maynard Garrett, Melissa Tabon, Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno, Michael Bernardi, Michael D. Blanchard, Michelle, Mike, Mike Bavister, Mike, Jen, Keira & Rowan Schwartz, Miles Matton, Mitch Anderson, Morgan McCauley, Mur Lafferty, Natalie Luhrs, Nathan Bremmer, Nellie, Nicole, Nicole Dutton, Ori Shifrin, Paul Bulmer, Paul Echeverri, Pedro Arjona, Philda, Philip Adler, Phillip Jones, Poppy Terwilliger Lammergeier, Rachel Sanders, Ragi Gonçalves, Reed Lindner, Renee D. LeBeau, Rhonda Parrish, Richard Leaver, Rick Cambere, Ro Molina, Rob Steinberger, Robin in Vermont, Robin0, Rodelle Ladia Jr., Rodrigo Martin, Roger Silverstein, Ron Jarrell, Rosie, Rowan A., Ryan Rapp, Ryan Spicher, S. Nasiri, Sally Novak Janin, Sam Courtney, Sarah Kingdred, Sarah Livingston Heitz, Scott Drummond, Scott Serafin, Sean Brennan, Shadow, Sharon Wood, Sheryl R. Hayes, SJ Elliott, Skyler Spurgeon, Smith Roberts, Sophia Fisher, Stephanie Langdeau, Steve Dean, Steve Feldon, Steven Desjardins, Steven Saus, Su Lem, summervillain, Sy Bram, T.Thaggert, Tamara L. DeGray, Tania Clucas, Tara Rowan, Tara Smith, Tara Yoshikawa, Ted Brown, Thomas Zilling, Tim & Meredith Hines, Tim Uruski, Timothy Moore, Tina Kirk, Tom Bridge, Topher, Travis M. Dunn, Trey Wren, Vincent Meijer, Von Welch, Yoshio Kobayashi, Younjee Shon, ZenDog, Joey Shoji, Armi Guerilla, Evan Ladouceur, Richard Ludwig, Heather Richardson, Keith Garcia, Edward Greaves, Cailtin Savage, Michelle Bourne, Lucinda Bromfield, and Duncan McNiff.
Table of Contents
Bradley in the Gazebo at the Center of the Multiverse
Rondeau and Pelham in (and Under) Vegas