All Who Wander Are Lost (An Icarus Fell Novel) by Bruce Blake

kept after him, insisted on helping. It
was the same part that had been relieved to see her wobbling across
the field toward him, but he couldn’t let her know that part
existed. He wasn’t a boy anymore. Since the church, he hardly
felt he was human anymore.
    When he was almost
to the school, he looked back and saw her crossing the field toward
the parking lot. Her shoulders were hunched forward as she watched
her feet, avoiding as much of the mud as she could. He’d hurt
her feelings, he knew, but there was no helping it lately. How could
he live a normal life after what had happened?
    He needed to talk
to someone about what happened. He needed to see his father, but he
was in hiding. They wanted to blame Icarus for the deaths, probably
for the explosion at the church, so he understood why he hadn’t
been able to see him. That didn’t make Trevor miss him any
less.
    Trevor stopped with
his hand on the door handle, hesitating before he entered the
school.
    When was the
last time I missed him?
    Years, that’s
how long. Enough time that he didn’t cry when muggers killed
his father, though by then he’d been convinced Icarus wasn’t
really his father.
    He knew better now.
    He yanked the door
open and slouched through into the hall, headed for his locker and
the dry, if not clean, gym shorts in it. He had to get out of this
place, away from these people.
    It was time to see
his father.

    Bruce
Blake-All Who Wander Are Lost

Chapter
Nine

    Getting out of Hell
turned out to be easier than expected.
    At Piper’s
suggestion, we took a left down the passageway—I did my best
to distract Beth from the arms holding the torches—and
followed it to the end where we found a heavy metal door with a
glowing exit sign above. The door opened easily and we stepped
through into the familiar patio furniture warehouse where I’d
seen Mikey.
    Who knew?
    We
passed the tallest tower of plastic chairs imaginable and arrived at
the open spot where I’d handed off the detective’s soul.
No one there. Not Mikey, not a generic, white-tressed angel dressed
like Mr. Roarke, the enigmatic host on Fantasy
Island .
    “ Where
are they?” I glanced around the patio-furniture clearing.
    “ Where’s
who?” Beth asked.
    My heart ached at
the quiver of emotion in her voice. I couldn’t have been easy
for her to leave her sons behind, even in Hell. I had an idea what
she was going through—I'd experienced it.
    “ The
esc...the courier,” I said. “This is as far as I take
you. An angel who looks kind of like Mr. Clean after he’s
joined a heavy metal band takes you the rest of the way.”
    Her eyes darted
back and forth between piles of plastic-wrapped umbrellas and boxes
of dismantled tables as she probably wondered ‘what an odd
place to meet an angel and travel to Heaven’. Couldn’t
say I’d blame her for thinking it.
    “ What
does it mean if they’re not here? Do I have to go back?”
    “ No.”
Piper put a hand on Beth’s arm and she pulled away. “They
just didn’t know we were coming.”
    I rubbed my chin:
hadn’t thought about that. Until now, angels seemed to appear
whenever I needed them. And sometimes when I didn’t. Once I’d
summoned Poe by yelling her name, but I didn’t need her this
time, nor did I want her involved. The only idea which occurred was
to hide Beth until I had to harvest someone else, then pawn her off
with the other soul; a two-for-one deal.
    “ We
may have to wait a while,” I said keeping the pawning-off plan
to myself—not very flattering.
    “ I’ll
take it from here,” Piper said. “I’ve got some
contacts. It shouldn’t take long.”
    “ Okay.”
I pulled a folding chair with thick, all-weather cushions toward us
and offered it to Elizabeth. “May as well get comfortable.”
    She took the
offered seat and I began looking for two more when Piper interrupted
my search.
    “ I’ve
got this covered, Icarus.”
    “ Ric.”
    “ Why
don’t you go get some food and rest. I’ll find