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last twenty-four hours, leaving her open and raw to every emotion.
She was afraid of the power she was about to gain, but at the same
time, the myriad possibilities that power created diluted her fear
with a breathless giddiness. She felt guilty about abusing the old
couple in order to gain the invocation, but perhaps with her new-
found power she could repay them. In any case, it would be over
soon and they would be going home.
The actual nature of the Earth spirit bothered her as well. Why
did it seem& well& so impious? And why did it seem so male?
The Ford pulled up in front of the cabin and stopped. Rachel
watched a frail old woman get out of the car holding two ornate
candlesticks. The woman clutched the candlesticks to her and stood
by the car looking around, waiting. She was obviously terrified and
Rachel, feeling a stab of guilt, looked away.  She s here, Rachel
said.
Catch said,  Tell her to come in.
Effrom looked up from the bed, but he could not rise enough to
see out the window.  What are you going to do to the wife? he
demanded.
 Nothing at all, Rachel said.  She has something I need. When
I get it, you can both go home.
190 / Christopher Moore
Rachel went to the door and threw it open as if she were welcom-
ing home a long-lost relative. Amanda stood by the car, thirty feet
away.  Mrs. Elliot, you ll need to bring the candlesticks in so we can
inspect them.
 No. Amanda stood firm.  Not until I know that Effrom is safe.
Rachel turned to Effrom.  Say something to your wife, Mr. Elliot.
 Nope, Effrom said.  I m not speaking to her. This is all her
fault.
 Please cooperate, Mr. Elliot, so we can let you go home. To
Amanda, Rachel said,  He doesn t want to talk, Mrs. Elliot. Why
don t you bring the candlesticks in? I assure you that neither one of
you will be harmed. Rachel couldn t believe that she was saying
these things. She felt as if she were reading the script from a bad
gangster movie.
Amanda stood clutching the candlesticks, uncertain of what she
should do. Rachel watched the old woman take a tentative step to-
ward the cabin, then, suddenly, the candlesticks were ripped from
her grasp and Amanda was thrown to the ground as if she d been
hit by a shotgun blast.
 No! Rachel screamed.
The candlesticks seemed to float in the air as Catch carried them
to her. She ignored them and ran to where Amanda lay on the
ground. She cradled the old woman s head in her arms. Amanda
opened her eyes and Rachel breathed a sigh of relief.
 Are you all right, Mrs. Elliot? I m so sorry.
 Leave her, Catch said.  I ll take care of both of them in a second.
Rachel turned toward Catch s voice. The candlesticks were shaking
in the air. She still found it unsettling to talk to a disembodied voice.
 I don t want these people hurt, do you understand?
 But now that we have the invocation, they are insignificant. The
candlesticks turned in the air as Catch examined them.  Come now,
I think there s a seam on one of these, but I can t grip it. Come open
it.
 In a minute, Rachel said. She helped Amanda get to her feet.
Practical Demonkeeping / 191
 Let s go in the house, Mrs. Elliot. It s all over. You can go home as
soon as you feel up to it.
Rachel led Amanda through the front door, holding her by the
shoulders. The old woman seemed dazed and listless. Rachel was
afraid she would drop any second, but when Amanda saw Effrom
tied to the bed, she shrugged off Rachel s support and went to him.
 Effrom. She sat on the bed and stroked his bald head.
 Well, wife, Effrom said,  I hope you re happy. You go gallivant-
ing all over the state and you see what happens? I get kidnapped
by invisible moon-men. I hope you had a good trip I can t even
feel my hands anymore. Probably gangrene. They ll probably have
to cut them off.
 I m sorry, Effrom. Amanda turned to Rachel.  Can I untie him,
please?
The pleading in her eyes almost broke Rachel s heart. She had
never felt so cruel. She nodded.  You can go now. I m sorry it had
to be this way.
 Open this, Catch said. He was tapping a candlestick on Rachel s
shoulder.
While Amanda untied Effrom s wrists and ankles and rubbed
them to restore the circulation, Rachel examined one of the candle-
sticks. She gave it a quick twist and it unscrewed at the seam. From
the weight of it, Rachel would have never guessed that it was hollow.
As she unscrewed it, she noticed that the threads were gold. That
accounted for the extra weight. Whoever had made the candlesticks
had gone to great lengths to conceal the hollow interior.
The two pieces separated. A piece of parchment was tightly rolled
inside. Rachel placed the base of the candlestick on the table, slid
out the yellow tube of parchment, and slowly began to unroll it. The
parchment crackled, and the edges flaked away as it unrolled. Rachel
felt her pulse increase as the first few letters appeared. When half
the page was revealed, her excitement was replaced with anxiety.
 We may be in trouble, she said.
 Why? Catch s voice emanated from a spot only inches away
from her face.
192 / Christopher Moore
 I can t read this; it s in some foreign language Greek, I think.
Can you read Greek?
 I can t read at all, Catch said.  Open the other candlestick.
Maybe what we need is in there.
Rachel picked up the other candlestick and turned it in her hands.
 There s no seam on this one.
 Look for one; it might be hidden, the demon said.
Rachel went to the kitchen area of the cabin and got a knife from
the silverware drawer to scrape away the silver. Amanda was
helping Effrom get to his feet, urging him across the room.
Rachel found the seam and worked the knife into it.  I ve got it.
She unscrewed the candlestick and pulled out a second parchment.
 Can you read this one? Catch said.
 No. This one s in Greek, too. We ll have to get it translated. I
don t even know anyone who reads Greek.
 Travis, Catch said.
Amanda had Effrom almost to the door when she heard Travis s
name.  Is he still alive? she asked.
 For a while, Catch said.
 Who is this Travis? Rachel asked. She was supposed to be the
one in charge here, yet the old woman and the demon seemed to
know more about what was going on than she did.
 They can t go, Catch said. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]