Chapter 21
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"Well?" asked Maren when Jeremy walked into the room.
Jeremy frowned. "The ferret agrees that we should steer clear of demons."
Maren crossed her arms. "That's it? No new information?"
"Apparently that ferret has two souls."
"Not exactly mission-relevant." Maren crinkled her nose and looked down at the orange ferret.
Lyrna let out a strained mew.
"Well," continued Maren, "we have to leave here, obviously. I know you said that there are demons in the Haze, but I think it's our only chance of escape. Maybe you should check periodically to see if the demons have cleared out. In the meantime, I think we should find Fedonis the Hermit. His storefront seems pretty well-guarded. Maybe he'd be willing to give us shelter until the demons pass?"
"I could take you to Fedonis," said the ferret.
Jeremy narrowed his eyes at the ferret. "I'd prefer to find him myself," said Jeremy.
"Well he's quite far from here, at least a month's journey on foot."
Maren put her hand up to silence Jeremy. "A month! Could you get us there sooner?"
"Wait!" yelled Jeremy. "This ferret can't be trusted yet. He's Mantel's courier."
The orange ferret whimpered and pawed at Jeremy's pant leg. "You have to trust me. The direction you're going will take you to what we call the Circus Tent. Demons haunt that part of the Maze. You'll die for sure."
Jeremy reached out with his awareness and felt the waves washing through the Haze. Yes, there was a darkness coming from that direction. He grabbed the ferret by the scruff of the neck and pulled it to his face. "If you lead us into some trap, I swear I'll send you straight to Hell!" He gave the ferret a violent jerk and the ferret screeched in pain.
"Jeremy!" Maren rushed forward and grabbed the ferret, pulling it to her chest.
"You're weak," said Jeremy. "Mantel's manipulating us with appearances."
"My compassion is my strength," said Maren, and she pet the ferret on the head. "First sign of the ferret's disloyalty, we'll oust him. Until then...." Maren rubbed the ferret under the chin.
Jeremy threw his hands up. "Fine, how soon 'til we get there?"
"Less than five hours," squeaked the ferret.
The orange ferret scurried in and out of doorways at a rapid pace, and Jeremy, Maren, and Lyrna were pleased to find the path free of immediate danger. Tina scurried after, looking behind her shoulder every time a sound came into earshot. At last, the ferret brought them to an oasis, and Jeremy, Maren, and Tina smiled at the site of liquid, something they hadn't quite expected given they'd almost drowned.
"Relax and drink from this pool," said the ferret. "Only a few more doors over and we'll be at a good landmark."
Tina leaned over the green water and gulped it down.
Jeremy, Maren, and Lyrna only hesitated for a second, trusting the citrusy fluid to be as safe and rejuvenating as the last time they'd refueled at an oasis. They didn't have much of a choice. They would be damned if, after all of this, they died of dehydration. When they had all had their fill, it was decided that they would rest before continuing the journey. Lyrna, being already a spirit, had no need for sleep and so stayed on watch.
Jeremy was the first to rouse from sleep. He crawled across the cold, stone floor and nudged the ferret.
"Snick!" The ferret sleepily lifted its head and the faint green of the oasis glowed in its eyes.
"How does Mantel repel the demons?" Jeremy whispered.
The ferret's nose twitched.
"How would he protect me?"
"Oh, well... Mantel has his charms," said the ferret, stretching its back legs.
Jeremy looked around at Maren and Tina, both still as stone. "Then why are there demons down here?"
The ferret's ears twitched. Lyrna had crept over to them.
"You need Haze," hissed Lyrna, raising a paw to the other furball.
The ferret hissed back, though Jeremy thought it was a sad hiss. The hisses had awoken Maren. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "I can't believe I slept."
"I can," said Tina, also now awake. "I'm exhausted. I need an espresso." She stretched her arms over her head and then made her way to the oasis. Maren followed.
Jeremy wondered just how innocuous Mantel's Maze appeared to Tina compared to Leviathan Island. He turned to the ferret again. "So Mantel has charms to deflect the demons, but he only uses them on himself? Why would he allow the demons near any of the souls if they threaten his energy source?"
The ferret proceeded to gnaw on its backside. "The demons are too powerful," it said between chews. "Mantel knows you possess powers far greater than his charms, but that you're unaware of these powers. In return for your alliance, Mantel can guarantee you freedom. This Maze is freedom from the sorting. He can capture your soul before it escapes to the Haze and infuse it in an object or creature to exist unchanged forever. Wouldn't it be better to take a sure bet instead of gambling on your own virtue? Or you can go to Hell with the demons and assume your role in the Apocalypse."
"Damn it! What is my 'role'?" Jeremy sprung to his feet.
"Be neutral. Hide out here until the dust settles." The ferret whipped its tail about.
Jeremy looked back at Maren and Tina, both talking animatedly by the oasis.
"Shall we get going, then?" blurted the ferret loud enough for Maren and Tina to hear. The ferret sidestepped Jeremy and everyone rose to their feet and shuffled out through a large, creaky door. At first Jeremy was amused at Mantel's obvious tactic. But now he saw the power of the message―after all, he did like the idea of being Jeremy Chikalto forever instead of a pawn or worse. Who was better at selling a lie, a ferret or an angel?
"Just in here," said the ferret after more twists and turns through the Maze. The party had sufficiently rested for the journey, and so kept a good pace. "We'll be emerging close to another oasis."
Jeremy pushed a large, wrought-iron door open, and three ghosts, one tall, skinny creature with green skin and a beak, and one animal that looked like a rhinoceros, were all waiting patiently in a line leading up to a canal. Maren nearly shrieked, but stopped herself after making eye contact with Jeremy. Tina, instead, let out a lusty scream.
Everyone in line turned to the young woman dressed nearly in her underwear and gave her a disinterested grunt. Jeremy pulled her to him.
"Tina, just watch the ferret," he whispered. "If the ferret's calm, then you be calm."
"But," Tina pointed at the wisp of spirit, "is that a g-ghost?"
"Just forget about being surprised. We don't have time for hysterics."
Tina buried her head in Jeremy's shoulder, and Jeremy heard the slightest sigh of annoyance escape Maren's mouth. He turned to her, but she had already changed her expression to a gentle, albeit forced, smile.
Other ghouls and beasties were filtering into the chamber.
The ferret stepped forward and stood in line. "Just in time! Here comes the sub."
A loud, rough sound came from under the water. There was a dissonant chorus of pitches, and much sloshing. Something black and shiny surfaced in the narrow canal just beyond the line of otherworldly passengers. A hatch opened.
"Just step in here," said the ferret. And sure enough, the first in line jumped into the blackness that now opened up in the canal.
"What is that? Is that... alive?" Jeremy squinted at the black shiny thing that seemed to go on indefinitely. "Is that really a submarine?"
"That's what we call it," said the ferret.
The line moved quickly and Jeremy watched as the ghost in front of him crossed himself like a good Catholic. "What was...?"
On seeing Jeremy, Maren, Tina, and Lyrna's hesitation, the ferret hopped in first.
Maren stepped in front of Jeremy and held out her hand. "Come on, Jeremy."
Jeremy looked down and swallowed. The submarine's exterior was slick like skin. He took her hand, and then Tina took his other hand. Lyrna jumped onto
his shoulder. Jeremy concentrated and emanated a beam of light from his forehead. Looking down into the sub, he saw the red black tip of what could only be a tongue. Right on cue, Maren stumbled forward, pulling him and everyone else into the creature's mouth.