time.”
Donatti gave him a withering stare. If she didn’t know him, she’d be afraid of that look. “She will,” he said. “And when she’s done, I’m sure Ian’s gonna be next in line. He will hear about you, and he’s not going to like it. We’ll be watching.”
“Well, if you put it that way.” Seth blanched and looked away. “I’ll stop. Really.”
“So it’s settled, then,” she said. “You’re out of here.”
“Maybe.” Seth spent a few minutes staring at the floor. Finally, his features grew resolute and he stood slowly. “I think I will,” he said. “Yes. I’ll join the world. There are so many things I’d like to see. Disney World. The Sahara desert. Strip clubs.”
Jazz laughed, and even Donatti cracked a smirk. “I guarantee you’ll enjoy at least one of those things,” she said. “But you have to stop fucking with people. Trust me, that isn’t going to go over too great in civilization.”
“I swear I won’t hurt anyone. Just a few harmless tricks now and then.”
“Really. And what, exactly, do you consider harmless?”
Seth grinned. “I was thinking of making Mount Rushmore disappear.”
“Holy shit,” Donatti said. “That’d be awesome! It’d drive so many people crazy trying to figure it out. The brilliant scientists, the conspiracy nuts, the FBI, the—”
“Donatti.”
He coughed. “Sorry. I mean, don’t do that. It’s a bad idea. Very bad.”
“All right.” Seth made a show of crossing his heart. “No vanishing national monuments.”
Jazz sighed. “I really hope we’re not unleashing the eighth plague here,” she said, and turned to Donatti. “I don’t know about you, but I’m filthy, and starving, and exhausted.”
“Ditto. Seth, please tell me you have something to get around with.”
He nodded, headed for the back wall and stopped. “Before you go, could I please have my tether back?”
“I don’t know,” Donatti said. “I’m thinking maybe I should keep it for a while. Maybe mail it to you, or send it up with the park rangers. What’s gonna stop you from fucking with us all over again if I give it back?”
The corners of Seth’s mouth twitched. “You have my word,” he said. “You’re free to go, and I won’t harm you.”
Donatti frowned. “What do you think, babe?”
“I think he’d better show us how we’re leaving first,” she said. “Besides, we can always find it again if he screws up. Akila can track those things.”
Seth went still and blinked rapidly. “The Bahari princess?”
“Yeah. She’s Ian’s wife.”
It took him a minute to recover. “You have powerful friends.”
“We’ve got a few connections,” Donatti said.
“Understood.” Seth moved to the bumpers mounted on the wall and said, “I had to have some way to bring the people off the mountain.” Reaching for the middle one, he grabbed it and pulled, and part of the wall swung out to reveal a recessed area with a tall shape draped in black canvas. He tugged the canvas away. Beneath it was a free-standing mirror. “I assume you know what to do,” he said to Donatti.
“Yup. Blood, words, and poof. Instant portal.”
His features contorted for an instant. “My tether?” he said softly.
“Here.” Donatti handed them over slowly. “Don’t worry about the blood. I’m not contagious.”
“Good to know.” Seth accepted them with a grateful nod. “I’ll get your bags for you,” he said. “I’m sorry for putting you through this. And I...thank you. For proving me wrong, and setting me free.”
“Just don’t make us live to regret it,” Jazz said.
“You won’t.”
When he walked away, Donatti raised an eyebrow. “This guy’s a little nuts,” he said. “You really think he’ll lay off the sabotage racket?”
“Probably. And like you said, we’ll be watching him.” She shivered and glanced across the room, where Seth was inspecting the trunk, grabbing loose items and tossing them in one of their bags. “I
Donatti gave him a withering stare. If she didn’t know him, she’d be afraid of that look. “She will,” he said. “And when she’s done, I’m sure Ian’s gonna be next in line. He will hear about you, and he’s not going to like it. We’ll be watching.”
“Well, if you put it that way.” Seth blanched and looked away. “I’ll stop. Really.”
“So it’s settled, then,” she said. “You’re out of here.”
“Maybe.” Seth spent a few minutes staring at the floor. Finally, his features grew resolute and he stood slowly. “I think I will,” he said. “Yes. I’ll join the world. There are so many things I’d like to see. Disney World. The Sahara desert. Strip clubs.”
Jazz laughed, and even Donatti cracked a smirk. “I guarantee you’ll enjoy at least one of those things,” she said. “But you have to stop fucking with people. Trust me, that isn’t going to go over too great in civilization.”
“I swear I won’t hurt anyone. Just a few harmless tricks now and then.”
“Really. And what, exactly, do you consider harmless?”
Seth grinned. “I was thinking of making Mount Rushmore disappear.”
“Holy shit,” Donatti said. “That’d be awesome! It’d drive so many people crazy trying to figure it out. The brilliant scientists, the conspiracy nuts, the FBI, the—”
“Donatti.”
He coughed. “Sorry. I mean, don’t do that. It’s a bad idea. Very bad.”
“All right.” Seth made a show of crossing his heart. “No vanishing national monuments.”
Jazz sighed. “I really hope we’re not unleashing the eighth plague here,” she said, and turned to Donatti. “I don’t know about you, but I’m filthy, and starving, and exhausted.”
“Ditto. Seth, please tell me you have something to get around with.”
He nodded, headed for the back wall and stopped. “Before you go, could I please have my tether back?”
“I don’t know,” Donatti said. “I’m thinking maybe I should keep it for a while. Maybe mail it to you, or send it up with the park rangers. What’s gonna stop you from fucking with us all over again if I give it back?”
The corners of Seth’s mouth twitched. “You have my word,” he said. “You’re free to go, and I won’t harm you.”
Donatti frowned. “What do you think, babe?”
“I think he’d better show us how we’re leaving first,” she said. “Besides, we can always find it again if he screws up. Akila can track those things.”
Seth went still and blinked rapidly. “The Bahari princess?”
“Yeah. She’s Ian’s wife.”
It took him a minute to recover. “You have powerful friends.”
“We’ve got a few connections,” Donatti said.
“Understood.” Seth moved to the bumpers mounted on the wall and said, “I had to have some way to bring the people off the mountain.” Reaching for the middle one, he grabbed it and pulled, and part of the wall swung out to reveal a recessed area with a tall shape draped in black canvas. He tugged the canvas away. Beneath it was a free-standing mirror. “I assume you know what to do,” he said to Donatti.
“Yup. Blood, words, and poof. Instant portal.”
His features contorted for an instant. “My tether?” he said softly.
“Here.” Donatti handed them over slowly. “Don’t worry about the blood. I’m not contagious.”
“Good to know.” Seth accepted them with a grateful nod. “I’ll get your bags for you,” he said. “I’m sorry for putting you through this. And I...thank you. For proving me wrong, and setting me free.”
“Just don’t make us live to regret it,” Jazz said.
“You won’t.”
When he walked away, Donatti raised an eyebrow. “This guy’s a little nuts,” he said. “You really think he’ll lay off the sabotage racket?”
“Probably. And like you said, we’ll be watching him.” She shivered and glanced across the room, where Seth was inspecting the trunk, grabbing loose items and tossing them in one of their bags. “I
Similar Books
