Black London 05 - Soul Trade

person. Now go to the village square and wait for me with the Prospero Society’s agent. And Pete?”
    Pete gave up on warning Morwenna. If she and the Prometheans wanted to rush in blind, that was their problem. “Yes, Morwenna?” she said with exaggerated politeness.
    “He better be there,” she said. “If you tip him off, it’s your arse.”
    Morwenna hung up, leaving the phonebuzzing once again in Pete’s ear. Donovan was staring at her, face red and hands quivering with rage.
    “You,” he spat. “You treacherous little bitch. You dimed me out.”
    Pete spread her hands. “How else exactly am I supposed to get her here, Donovan? Like it or not, the Prometheans are probably the only ones who can get us away from here. You two can duke it out all you like when she arrives.It’s no skin off my nose either way.”
    She pointed back down the road. “I need you to go get Jack and Margaret and meet me in the village square. You better hurry, too—if you’re not about when Morwenna shows up, I’d say it’s time we bought a cottage and settled down in Overton to enjoy the zombie apocalypse.”
    “I did not agree to this,” he snarled. “I told you the Prometheans don’t care aboutyou one way or the other, but you didn’t want to listen.” He spread his hands. “I’ll get Jack to you, but then I’ve got to light out. You brought Morwenna down on us, you take your chances. I’m sorry—I didn’t want to, but you pushed me.”
    “But you did,” Pete said, surprised at how calm she sounded, given how slagged off Donovan looked. “You didn’t want to abandon Jack, but you did. Didn’t wantto get him involved in this, but he is. Your son needs you and you’re running. You’re in this for yourself, Donovan. That’s obvious. So if you want to save your arse, stop with the indignation and do as I say. Morwenna is the only one strong enough to stop this spell.”
    He stared at her, eyes burning, mouth working with too many curses to actually articulate. Then he stomped to the center of theroad and threw up his hands. “Fine! I’ll meet you back in the square. If you haven’t been chewed to bits by then.”
    Without another word, Donovan turned and stormed off. Pete started to walk back to the village as well, but she caught the raven gliding across her vision like a flicking across the sun. As quickly as it came, it was gone, but Pete wrapped her arms around herself and jogged the restof the way, keeping her eye out for wayward villagers. Many lay on the pavement and in their gardens as bloated corpses, not moving. A few reached lamely for her as she jogged past, but they were sluggish in daylight, even the diffuse, gray light of the half-day that dawned on Overton.
    The square was as deserted as when she’d first arrived in the village, and Pete sat on the edge of the St. Francisstatue, keeping the bronze monk’s feet at her back. She had a good view from the small hump of earth, and she watched white shapes wander to and fro in the fog.
    No sign of the worms, for now, but at least two of them were still out there. The thought of touching them again, of seeing that place of nothing from which they came, made Pete want to scream.
    She sat, perfectly still and quiet, countingoff the seconds in her head, and that worked for a few minutes, before her eyes started roaming again and her nerves started pinging. The pull of the void was stronger than it had been even this morning.
    How long before it spread beyond Overton? How long before it reached Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, London?
    Movement stalled her wondering, and Pete was almost thankful for it. It wasn’t theslow rolling gait of a spirit-poisoned villager, and it wasn’t the quick flicker of a raven. This was a deliberate gesture, and as a slim figure appeared in the door of the inn across the square, it grinned and beckoned to her.
    Pete’s stomach plummeted. She’d know the trim suit, the dark hair, and the permanent sneer anywhere. Of all the fucking things in existence, this was the one bastard whocould make her day even worse.
    Still, she got up and walked, because to ignore him would invite even worse consequences.
    “Hello, Petunia,” Belial said when she was close enough. “Thought it was about time you and I had a heart-to-heart.”

 
    22.
    “Look at you,” Pete said, staying out of reach of Belial’s black nails and shark’s teeth. “Swanning about England, and nobody even had to summon you. You’ve come up in