simple twist of fate

by red-starshine

part fifteen: up in heaven (not only here)

"Gaz!" Chas shouted at the top of his lungs, turning around and slamming the door to the House of Mystery shut. His fingers were wrapped tightly around the keyring, his knuckles turning white.

John was an idiot. Chas was an even bigger idiot for allowing himself to be played so easily.

Gaz appeared behind him, standing in a spot that had been empty the last time he'd looked. His eyes went to the keys, and then his eyes got very wide. "Oh. Fuck."

That seemed to sum up the situation very eloquently. "What just happened?" said Chas.

"I'm not sure. But he gave you the keys to the House of Mystery," Gaz said. "It belongs to you now."

"What?"

"Ownership of the House is transferred by giving the keys to someone. John tried to give them to Liv like her father wanted, but she returned the keys to him before she left." He nodded towards the keys Chas still held in his hand. "Then he gave the keys to you. The House and everything inside it is yours."

"What?" It seemed to be the only thing he could say. He shook his head, tried to get his mind moving again from where it was stuck. "Oh god. John's going to do something really stupid."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. "How stupid?" said Gaz finally, sounding very tired.

"I think he's going to try to get Astra's soul back from the angel." Chas looked down at the floor. He should've seen it coming – John had brushed off the demon's words too easily. Maybe if he had noticed, he would've been able to stop John from running off to go get himself killed.

And John was going to die, or at least he seemed to think so. The only reason he could think of for John to give the keys to him, turn over the House of Mystery and everything inside it, would be if John didn't expect to come back.

Gaz remained silent, his mouth twisting into an exasperated grimace.

Chas sighed, tucking the keys into his pocket. "How do I find John?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" said Gaz dubiously after a moment.

Chas snorted. "I know it's not," he said. "In fact, I'm pretty sure this is the single dumbest thing I'll ever do. But I'm not going to let him just get killed." He gave Gaz a shrug. I mean, he did save my life. I owe him this."

A conflicted look on his face, Gaz disappeared without warning. Before Chas could start to worry if he'd somehow offended Gaz without realizing it, Gaz reappeared further away, near part of the House's collection of mystical oddities. He motioned Chas over.

"There's not much in the House that can be safely handled by a novice," Gaz said. "But if you're going up against an angel, I'd take that with you." He pointed towards the golden hilt of the Sword of Night.

Chas picked up the Sword, expecting the little electric shock that went up his arm when his fingers touched it the metal. He slid off the leather scabbard, exposing the shining silver blade underneath. "But I don't know how to fight with a sword. What good'll this do?"

Gaz gave him another enigmatic half-smile. "It's a magic sword, remember? It'll help you. But just keep in mind that you won't be able to lie while you're holding it. The Sword of Night compels truth from anyone who touches it."

"I remember," said Chas, nodding. His grip tightened around the Sword. "Where's John?"

Gaz disappeared and then reappeared near the hallway leading deeper into the House, where Chas hadn't gone yet. "This way."

Chas followed Gaz down the hall, passing by an endless line of identical wooden doors on either side. "This feels kind of like one of those cheap haunted house rides, with a hallway that never ends," he said after several minutes of walking.

Gaz gave him a perplexed look.

"Nevermind. Why are we going down the hall? Is John still in the House?" said Chas.

Gaz shook his head. "No. The House of Mystery has doorways to many different places, not all of them on Earth. Experienced mages know how to walk past the boundaries of this world, but in your case, you'll need to use a door to get where John and the angel are now."

"Where are they, exactly?" asked Chas.

"Neutral ground. The place between life and death - I think you've been there before."

Of course he had. "The Crossroads."

Gaz nodded, stopping in front of one door. "Unlock the door with one of the keys," he said.

"Let's say I'm able to save John and not die. How do I get back here?" said Chas, transferring the sword to one hand so he could pull out the keys from his pocket. "Is the door going to stay open?"

"I'll keep it open for as long as I can," said Gaz. "Which is going to be about ten minutes, so you may want to do this as fast as possible."

Chas stuck one of the keys into the door's keyhole and turned. The loud sound of the lock turning seemed to make the small hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He slid the key back out and then turned to look at Gaz as he put the keyring back in his pocket. "Thanks for this. Everything. You've been a big help."

Gaz gave a nod, not meeting Chas's eyes. "Good luck," he said wistfully, like he wasn't expecting to see Chas again.

Raising the Sword of Night, Chas pushed open the door leading to the Crossroads and stepped through.