Nightside 04 - Hex and the City

He must be stopped."
    "You mean killed?"
    "I'll take him alive if I can. For old times' sake."
    "Oh, Henry ... what is it that makes him so dangerous? Who could his mother be, to terrify so many powerful people?"
    "Haven't you been listening?" said Walker, almost angrily. "Whatever we called up and let loose, through the Babalon Working that was John's mother!" He turned his head abruptly to look right at me. "I know you're there, John, watching and listening. I should have told you all this long ago, but I still hoped to spare you the consequences of our sins. I'm sorry for how things turned out. But either you step back from the edge now, and give yourself up, or I'll have no choice but to have you killed. Just in case you are ... your mother's son."

Ten
    The Wife

    A fter all that, I felt I deserved a very large drink. In fact, I felt I deserved several very large drinks, followed by an extremely large drink, as a chaser. And then maybe I'd go and sit in a dark corner and twitch quietly for a while.
    Pretty Poison did her hell-fire trick, and teleported herself out of the Willow Tree and back into the Lord of Thorns' crystal cave with the rest of us. She took time out to give her Sinner a good hug, just to show she was definitely over Walker, and they exchanged gooey endearments for a while. And then she turned an accusing gaze on me.
    "Just how is it that Walker was able to see you through the vision I set up? That isn't supposed to be possible."
    I shrugged. "Hey, this is Walker we're talking about. He can do anything. I think that's actually part of his job description. What matters now is that we have to get the hell out of here, before Walker's people discover and nail down all the other exits to this place that you just happened to mention to him—Sophia."
    "You don't get to call me that," the demon succubus said sniffily. "Only Henry gets to call me that."
    I looked at Sinner. "And what do you call her, when you're at home?"
    "Darling," Sinner said solemnly. "And no; you don't get to call her that, either."
    "Dearest Sidney," said Pretty Poison, giving him another hug.
    "It's time for you all to go," said the Lord of Thorns. "I'll see if I can buy you some time by keeping Walker's people occupied. I could use the exercise."
    Sinner looked unconvinced. "How can even you hope to stand against all the armies Walker will send against you?"
    "Because I am the Lord of Thorns. I was given dominion over all who live or otherwise exist in the Nightside."
    "Try not to hurt them too much," I said. "A lot of them are just working stiffs, doing their jobs."
    "I will be the judge of that," said the Lord of Thorns. "And I make no promises. I trim the fat. That's in my job description."
    I gave him my best thoughtful look. "Why are you so ready to help us?"
    The old man shrugged and lay down on his stone slab again, arranging himself comfortably. "I told you. Because I seem to sense that things are reaching an ending, because of you, and I welcome the chance to put down my ancient burden. Don't slam the door on your way out, or I'll turn you into something."
    He closed his eyes, and I scowled so hard my forehead hurt. I didn't like the way people seemed to be lining up to inform me that The End really was bloody nigh. All I had to do was close my eyes to see the devastated future Nightside I'd encountered in the Timeslip, in all its terrible detail. The ruined buildings, the dead night, the scuttling insects. And Razor Eddie dying in my arms, as I gave him my word that I would die before I would let such a future happen.
    "So, where do we go next?" said Pretty Poison, adjusting the straw bonnet on the back of her elegant head.
    "Where is there left to go?" asked Sinner.
    "Back to Strangefellows," I said, reluctantly. Alex was not going to be a happy bunny about this. I took out my Membership Card. "If I have to go head to head with Walker, and it's looking increasingly like I don't have any choice in the matter, I'd much rather it was on familiar ground."
    No-one else had any ideas, so I activated the Card and we stepped through into the bar, surprising Alex Morrisey, who was just getting ready to go to bed. He'd shut down most of the lights, put the chairs on the tables, and was standing by the bar wearing only a long white nightie and matching floppy night-cap with a tassel on the end. He stared us all down with great dignity, then moved behind the bar to conceal his knees from prying eyes. If I'd had knees like those,