Our story thus far: Lord Marshal Riddick, for reasons we have not explored but likely were nihilistic and perhaps a tiny bit oppositionally defiant, ordered the entire Necromonger fleet into the Threshold of the Underverse. Subsequently, our Riddick woke, naked, in a young lady's parlor. In another universe. Susan, the young lady in question, was not pleased, as Riddick's presence signaled that her grandfather, the anthropomorphic embodiment of Death, had gone on walk abouts, leaving the family business – represented by The Pale Horse and The Scythe – to her. Mounting the Pale Horse, Binky, she brought Riddick, clothed, to Death's realm in an effort to investigate. Riddick discovers he likes Binky, who, he learns has the ability to go anywhere. Anywhere. Dramatic voice drop.
As Susan is researching her Riddick troubles in Death's Dark Study, Lobsang, Susan's boyfriend and the son of the anthropomorphic embodiment of Time arrived with grave news that Riddick's attempt to give the Necromongers what they want may be shredding the multiverse. He also lets slip that the Underverse is a real place where Necromongers go when they die. Realizing that Jack might in fact be subject to rescue, Riddick decides to ride forth and save her. After mysteriously agreeing on "nine minutes," Susan slays Riddick with Death's own scythe. Our tale then took us to the Underverse, where we learn Jack was in fact reborn in the Underverse after dying saving Riddick's life, and has sadly fallen into the hands of people who are not overly solicitous of her welfare. We returned to Death's study. Time has rolled back nine minutes. Riddick is not dead – yet – and instead is given dinner and a comfy bed.
The next day, Riddick and Susan visit a village that has suffered an attack of dragon. Riddick pulls two children from the wreckage and accompanies our Susan first to Sto Helit, which smells like cabbages, and then to a confrontation with the dragon. There, he meets a young officer of the law and borrows Binky. Our story continues . . .
Chapter Nine: A Chapter in Which There is Some Rat. And Beer.
Susan closed the book carefully, her face detached, her hair uncoiling itself around her head like a clutch of hissing snakes.
"I think I know what Grandfather was trying to tell me," she said, distantly. "I think I know why he sent Riddick to me. Why he didn't take him through the threshold."
"Why?" Lobsang asked, cautiously.
"It's just like the Hogfather. I think I'm supposed to make sure that he dies at the right time."
"Your grandfather doesn't need you for that."
"No," she said in a voice as square and sharp as a modern mausoleum, "I think we're supposed to make sure he did die at the right time."
0o0
Binky had no trouble abandoning Susan, a fact that amused Riddick to no end. They rode past giant stone hippos into a crowded city that stank worse than Sto Helit. In a show of gallantry, he let Angua take the reins. She said she knew where a good pub was.
The pub, Biers, was dark. Very dark. With people drinking alone, in that special way that people who were alone drank alone. It wasn't that the people disliked each other. They just each came with their own personal isolation shield. Angua was seen, as was Riddick, and then politely filed away as people who would not be remembered.
They found a quiet table in a quiet corner. Two beers appeared, brought by a bar tender as silent as a tomb. When he'd slipped away into the darkness, Riddick asked quietly, "So you're a cop? This doesn't seem like a cop establishment."
She smiled briefly. "I'm not just a cop. Biers is for people like us."
"Like . . . us?"
"Not . . . quite human."
Riddick gave the room another slow look. "Not human."
"There's a boogeyman over there." She jerked her head at a dark corner that Riddick had thought empty. "A couple of not-quite-reformed vampires at the bar drinking something that is not-quite-tomato-juice." She did not look at them directly. Riddick did, and noticed for the first time they did not cast a reflection in the wide mirror behind the bar. He was utterly certain they knew he was looking at them and that they were pointedly not looking back. "Some of the tooth fairies are regulars. Ghouls. Things that go bump in the night. Things like us."
"You look human."
She smiled mirthlessly. "So do you. But you don't smell human. You didn't know?"
Are Furyans human? He stared at her, suddenly feeling very alone. She took a long slow drink of her beer. Can Furyans breed with humans? Finally, she seemed to take pity on him. "I'm a werewolf. Even in human form, even in the stink of the city, I can smell the non-humanity rolling off you."
"Ah." He wondered, very idly, if Furyans could breed with werewolves. He smiled at her.
Her eyes narrowed. "So I bought you the beer. What's up? Where did the dragons come from?"
He sighed, stared into the corner where the boogeyman he couldn't see lurked. "I have no idea."
She watched him steadily. "None whatsoever?"
He hesitated. "Maybe a little. You saw the girl I was with?"
"Yeah. Death. Nice horse."
"But your hero boy didn't."
"He's not like us." She shook her head wolfishly. "He's better."
Riddick grunted. "Whatever. I'm from someplace else. Someplace bet—someplace where worlds don't ride on the backs of turtles. Long story, but I ended up in charge of an army of bat shit crazy religious fundamentalists. They wanted to go to heaven. Or something. I decided to send them all there."
Saying the words out loud was not helping them make any sense.
"Okay," Angua said, slowly. "I didn't have you pegged as a soldier, but now that you come to mention it, you've got some . . . military bearing. What's that got to do with the dragon?"
Riddick, sighed, looked at the door. There was a very familiar rat stalking through it. It raised a tiny scythe at him in a sort of salute. He gave it a brief nod and turned back to Angua. "Death-girl thinks I punched a hole in the fabric of the . . . multiverse. She thinks things are leaking from one universe to another."
Angua took another drink of her beer. "Again? Bollocks. I should arrest you."
He was momentarily distracted by a raven stalking down the bar towards a large glass jar of what could be olives. He blinked and took a drink. It was strangely sweet for beer. "You threatenin' me, cop girl?"
She took a drink herself, leaned back. "Don't worry about it. Closest charge I could come up with is disturbing the peace, and that might be hard to explain. How do you know Death?"
He smiled grimly. Oh, let me count the ways. "Recently? I woke up naked in her living room."
Angua laughed. "I love it! Any more dragons on the way?"
"How the fuck would I know?"
She stared at him unblinking. Finally, reluctantly, he conceded. "Susan thinks it's going to get worse."
"Susan?"
"Death."
Angua blinked. "Death's name is Susan? And you're on a first name basis with Death?"
Riddick smiled. "Guess it comes with the territory." The raven was inching the lid off of the olive jar. Riddick suppressed the urge to go help.
"That dragon of yours killed some good people."
"Looked like he'd been forgiven."
"Well, we do have an assassin's guild here. Broadens the mind about killing." She took a very long drink.
Cold.
Intense cold. The Biers faded away.
For an instant, he was stepping off a cliff, Vaako as a little dog, snapping at his heels. He slowly came aware of Angua. Her warm hand on his arm. "What just happened?" She asked, quietly.
Riddick shrugged. "Dunno."
"You disappeared."
"Huh?"
"Just for an instant. You weren't there." She was staring at him hard.
"Huh."
Angua took a last swallow of her drink. Riddick thought that was a very good idea, drank his down. She made eye contact with the bartender, who nodded briefly and drew them another couple of pints.
They drank in thoughtful silence. Finally, Angua asked, "where are you staying?"
He shrugged. "Crashing with Susan for now."
A piercing whistle broke the quiet of the pub. Angua went ashen. "It's All Officers," she said and she scrambled to her feet. "I have to go."
Riddick finished both beers, followed her out.
Which was a good thing, because she was trying to take his horse.