When my vision cleared I realized we were standing…right in the middle of the Mall. I quickly focused on nobody noticing us, because well…we rather stood out.

“I suppose that’s his sense of humor,” Kanesha said weakly. “Sorry. He scared me.”

“He can’t touch you.”

“Oh, I know that. That doesn’t mean…” She shook her head. “Let’s never do that again.”

Something still didn’t feel quite right. “Let’s not, but I’m not sure…I think something else is going on.”

“What? We’re…”

“There were three tricksters involved. Which is why I called Zaid and had him not come with us.”

“Three…”

“Anansi.” I glanced around again. “I don’t trust tricksters.”

“Your…”

“I think I trust him least of all of them.” I glanced around. “We aren’t back on Midgard.”

I knew it in every bit of my being. This was some kind of trick… “And I’m pretty sure that wasn’t Lucifer.”

Kanesha shuddered again. “If it wasn’t, then we aren’t rid of Tyz’vel.”

“No. No we aren’t.”

I didn’t even know what Coyote had asked Anansi to do. I did know what I’d asked Zaid to do.

I tapped the bracelet on my wrist.

“What’s that?”

“Magical tracker. Zaid’s particularly good at them. He knows where we are. Doesn’t mean he’ll be able to get to us, but he knows where we are.”

I looked around. It was a pretty good impression of the Mall, full of people moving around on business of their own. A very well designed illusion. And unlike in fiction, acknowledging that it was an illusion didn’t make it go away.

I glanced at Hans.

He shook his head. “You’re right. We aren’t on the Mall. We’re still in Hell, I’m pretty sure.”

I decided that as a spirit his judgment was probably better than mine. “So, we’ve been put out of the way. Any ideas on how to break out?”

“Working out where we are was a good start.” He frowned and swung his axe, then glanced at Kanesha. “You look tired.”

“I am tired. I still get tired, unlike some people,” she snapped slightly, then sighed.

“It’s…okay. If this is Hell, then…”
The church hadn’t felt right.

Had I ever actually come back from the spirit world? No. I had to have to have collected them, but I abruptly started to turn and walk north.

I didn’t look to see if they were following.