Chapter 32: No Parking

Chapter 32: No Parking

Bael always felt like it was one step forward, another step back with Six. After they cleaned up the kitchen Maharet started making dinner and Bael was left to wonder what he did wrong. Then it hit him like a punch to the gut.

He looked out at the leaky wreck parked in front of their house. Six lost her family in a car accident. How could he have been so stupid? Seeing Murphy crumpled and damaged must have set her off. Then when Bael disappeared things must have snowballed from there.

If he stopped to think for just one blessed second Bael might have realized what he was putting Six through. But no, instead he let himself get carried away by the feelings coming to him through the traveler's bond like a big dumb brute. Now she was angry at him and he couldn't blame her. He shivered as the first cool evening breeze blew across him. It would be night soon.

Maharet sat down next to him on the wooden porch and handed over a bowl of baked pasta. “So, I ran into a succubus at the coffee shop today...”

“Oh.” Bael took a bite and looked out at the wrecked SUV. If he was in a better mood he would have made a joke about it actually being his raw masculinity that drove Maharet wild. But he hardly felt like joking. “Was it anyone we know?”

“Yeah. It was Lilah’s youngest spawn, Cherry. She really did a number on me.” Maharet gave him an appraising look. “Didn't you two have a thing way back when?”

“A long, long time ago. Before she was with Orik.” Bael said, oblivious to the implications.

“Ah.” Maharet’s tone spoke volumes. “Well I don't think Cherry is supposed to be up here. I remember Lilah being agitated about some scandal and saying she was grounding Cherry for a thousand years.”

“That sounds like something she would do. Excuse me for a moment while I fix something.” Bael set his half empty bowl down and walked over to Murphy. The SUV was leaking oil and coolant into the gutter. His damaged hood protested as Bael pried it open to reveal a destroyed engine. But a golden spark of magic remained.

He continued to loop his magic around the delicate web. So far it was holding, but the flame inside was still dying and it was beginning to get dark outside. A beam of light illuminated Bael and he looked over at the porch to find Six standing there, holding a yellow plastic flashlight.

“Would you bring that over here and help me?” He asked.

“Sure,” Six bounded down the steps with Maharet trailing behind.

“Six and Maharet are going to help.” He told Murphy. “They want you to get better too.” This time there was definitely a response. The web seemed to be growing as new threads were added. Bael didn't know what this meant but it seemed like progress.

Six climbed up the side of the SUV and aimed her flashlight inside. She wasn't good at keeping the beam aimed at any particular spot but he didn't actually need the light to see. He just liked being around her. Bael tousled Six’s blond hair affectionately then went back to work. The strengthened web was holding.

“Man, you really went fast today. I wonder how fast we were going.” Bael said, adding thicker strands of golden magic now, working quicker. A click within the engine told him that something was happening, but it wasn't enough, not yet. The spark was still dying, unable to absorb the magic it needed to survive.

He looked at Maharet and shook his head. She seemed to think for a moment. “It's alright. I was thinking of getting a Toyota anyway. These domestic brands just aren't as reliable as they used to be.”

Six looked up in shock but Maharet raised a finger to her lips and winked. “Actually I was thinking we might go all electric. Horsepower isn't everything.”

“No, I think we should give Murphy another chance.” Bael said, playing along. “Imagine how fast he could go if we got the right parts!” But besides a weak ticking noise that soon subsided nothing happened. Murphy was too far gone and the spark that sustained him was about to gutter out.