Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey

Author:Richard Kadrey
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Fantasy
ISBN: 9780061976261
Publisher: Eos
Published: 2010-04-27T07:00:00+00:00

“I knew something was up that night. I knew Mason had something waiting for you. I thought he was just going to hit you with a leech charm or something. Suck out all your power and keep it for himself. But when those Lurk-ers showed up . . .”

“Kissi. They’re called Kissi.”

“I didn’t know he was going to do that.”

“What did you know about Alice?”

“Nothing. I’m not into doing stuff like that to women. And a civilian? That’s messed up.”

“Would you have told me if you’d known?”

He shrugs. Looks down. Shakes his head.

“Come on, man. That’s not even a real question. Going against Mason feels like you’re going against the devil.”

I can’t read a dead man like a living one. No heartbeat. No breath. Fixed pupils. But I don’t need any of that now.

“I believe you,” I tell him. “And Mason isn’t the devil. He just likes to play dress-up. Tell me where he is and I’ll get him for both of us.”

“I don’t know where he is exactly. It was sort of like here. Spooky and wrong, but a lot weirder. Somewhere far away and dark. Not regular dark, either. Dark like it had no idea what light even was. Like light was Kryptonite to the place. There was no one there, but it wasn’t empty. In fact, it was crowded. But it was full of nothing.” He holds up his hands in frustration. “If any of that makes sense.”

Thunder rolls down the mountains again. A dot of light appears at the base of one a couple of miles away. A door has opened. I take Kasabian by the arm and start walking him that way.

“Listen, when you get to Hell, look up a guy named Belial. He’s one of Lucifer’s generals. Tell him I sent you and ask him for a job. Tell him I said not to send you to the pits.”

“The pits?” asks Kasabian. “What pits?”

“When you tell him who sent you, make sure you tell him it was Sandman Slim. And remind him that the Sandman knows where he lives.”

Kasabian gives me a look.

“What the fuck is Sandman Slim? It sounds like a Japanese cartoon.”

“Just tell him,” I say, and let go of his arm. “This is as far as I go. I have things to do back in the world.”

Kasabian looks at the door and then at me.

“I know,” he says. He turns and heads for the mountain. “I’ll see you around.”

“Probably.”

Flat on my back again. I gulp and the crow feather almost goes down my throat. Rolling over, I spit it onto the floor. Home again, home again, jiggity jig.

I’m not bleeding anymore, but I’m a mess. Again. Besides getting my ass kicked, my main accomplishment on this trip has been to massacre an incredible number of completely innocent clothes. I’m the Joseph Stalin of laundry. I take off the shirt, toss it onto a pile of other junk, and slip on the silk overcoat.

My ears are still ringing, but I’m pretty sure

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