Pavel Konstatin ran down the alleys between candy buildings. He wondered how he


    kept getting into trouble like this. He heard Ivanoviska running behind him in his


    borrowed body. The baying of honey hounds filled the air behind the spirit.


    They were going to die in a place between places and he hadn’t even said goodbye


    to his wife. She would be furious when she found out.


    At least he wouldn’t to worry about that if he could get through the underworld fast


    enough. He might be able to move on to his next life without being summoned back.


    Running seemed good at the moment, but he needed to think of a way out. They


    couldn’t run forever. He didn’t know about Ivanoviska, but he would tire and be easy


    game for their pursuers unless he thought of something.


    He tried the doors to the buildings as he ran by them. They weren’t doors, but false


    fronts. The windows were the same way. He frowned at being in a place where


    everything was really solid gumdrops on a floor of honey and sugar.


    Would the hounds be thrown off if the two of them could get to the top of the fake


    buildings? How did they do that? He didn’t see any fire escapes, or ladders. There had


    to be a way to buy time.


    The longer they could hold out, the more likely his wife would arrive and bail them


    out. And the queen of candy didn’t seem inclined to hurry things along.


    Pavel had no doubt his wife could handle this situation with her usual brilliance.


    “We need to get off the ground,” Pavel said. He measured the space between


    buildings with his eyes. “We need to buy as much time as we can.”


    “I’m all ears,” said Ivanoviska. He looked behind them for the baying of the hounds.


    “Brace against the walls,” said Pavel. “We can get on the roof and try to stay out of


    reach.”


    “Anything is better than staying down here and being eaten,” said Ivanoviska.


    The two men braced themselves against the sides of the alley. They inched their way


    up the walls as fast as they could. Pavel didn’t like the way his feet sank into the


    construction, but felt it didn’t matter if they could still make the roof. He got to the


    top of the alley and realized he would have to turn around to reach either one of the


    roofs. He hadn’t counted on that.


    Ivanoviska made a noise and kicked out from the building they were using as a foot


    brace. He turned in midleap and grabbed the edge of the building they were using as


    a backbrace. He pulled himself on the roof. He stood.


    “Need a hand, Pavel?,” he said. His face said he was glad to still be alive.


    “That would be excellent,” said Pavel.


    Ivanoviska held out a hand for Pavel to grab. He straightened his legs and leaned


    away from the alley. That dragged the clerk on the roof.


    “That went better than I thought,” said the spirit.


    “At least we bought ourselves some time,” said Pavel. He brushed off his sleeves.


    “How do we get out of here?”


    “I don’t think we can unless we deal with the candy lady,” said Ivanoviska. He


    gestured at the floor of the alley. The hounds had poured into the space and growled


    at them.


    Pavel looked around. He frowned at the horizon of gumdrop buildings, candy cane


    trees, and patches of amber roads just visible from where he stood. He didn’t see an


    obvious exit.


    That meant it didn’t matter which way they went as long as they didn’t go down, or


    back toward the candy queen. She probably had other things at her beck and call than


    unnatural dogs.


    “We have to stall for time,” said Pavel. He took one more look around. He wished his


    wife was there. It would make some of this so much easier. “Let’s keep going along


    the roofs until we can’t go any further. The dogs can’t get to us, and we’re running


    away from that woman.”


    “How big a space do you think this is?,” asked Ivanoviska. He waved both hands at


    the city of candy around them.


    “I don’t know,” said Pavel. He frowned at the expanse. “Some of this might just be


    an illusion like putting a mirror on the other side of an empty room. I suppose a lot


    depends on the initial starting spell and how much she has invested in it since then.”


    “You’re talking about using dead people to expand this area,” said Ivanoviska.


    “Almost certainly,” said Pavel. He ran and jumped across and alley to the next roof.


    “Maybe we can lose the dogs if we’re careful enough.”


    The two men worked their way across the roofs in a straight line from the direction


    of the candy queen. The dogs were quickly lost behind them. A lone howl filled the


    air to signal the weird canines couldn’t follow their prey.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Pavel paused at the edge of the last roof. He looked behind him. He rubbed his face.


    The candy queen sat on her throne in front of him. He looked around and recognized


    the landmarks from their first meeting. The small domain was smaller than he had


    thought.


    The candy queen looked up at them and smiled. She wiggled her index finger for


    them to come down and face her. Pavel shook his head.


    If she wanted to kill them, and harvest whatever life they had left, she was going to


    have to come up and get them.


    “She doesn’t look angry enough,” said Ivanoviska. He looked around. “I don’t see


    anything she can use against us.”


    “She can shape this whole place any way she likes,” said Pavel. He frowned at the


    queen. “What’s her next move? She can’t let us live.”


    “Maybe your wife is famous,” said Ivanoviska. He readied himself for another punch


    in the face at the implication.


    “I think it works the opposite way,” said Pavel. He jogged to the other side of the


    building. He jumped over to the next building. “If this witch knew who my wife was,


    I think we would be in a lot more trouble than a game of hide and seek.”


    “So she would be actively trying to kill us?,” said Ivanoviska. He followed the clerk


    away from the weird woman on her throne.


    “And covering up that we had actually been summoned here,” said Pavel. He picked


    another building to jump to and went ahead.


    Ivanoviska followed silently. His new gift of spirit riding didn’t seem that useful in


    this place. There were only two people he could possess and Pavel was untouchable,


    and he was sure the candy queen had a similar shield to keep ghosts like him away.


    And he suspected that he was closer to what she wanted to use for her realm of sweets


    than Pavel. He didn’t want to think what would happen if she managed to get her


    hands on him. The man he was riding, and his own spirit, would be turned into some


    licorice tree judging by what they had seen so far.


    The sound of something soft hitting something hard rushed to their ears. They looked


    back. One of the buildings of the maze had slumped over on the next one in line. The


    baying of hounds on the hunt followed the sight of the fused gumdrops.


    “I guess she wanted to make things more exciting,” said Pavel. He ran to the next


    gumdrop building and jumped the narrow alley.


    “I can do without that,” said Ivanoviska. The only good thing about his new situation


    was he didn’t seem to get tired from exertion. He could run forever.


    He doubted the hounds were going to give them that much time.


    Another building slumped over to the fugitives’ right. It fell away from them to


    prevent them from jumping to it was what Pavel thought at first. Then more of the


    living honey surged up the new ramp. He groaned as he veered to the left.


    They needed a place to make a stand. Where could they find such a place when the


    whole place was at the command of their enemy. Any weapon they might pick up


    would be fodder for the queen’s command.


    He wished he had time to say goodbye to his wife. That would make dying easier in


    his opinion. Now he felt like he had unfinished business.


    At least he had fixed those double dealers in his department. He could count that as


    a win.


    The sky opened up above with the ringing of a bell filling the air. The stranded men


    looked up. Figures fell out of a hole in the blackness above.


    “What is this?,” Pavel asked. He ran to the edge of the building and jumped the next


    alley. Ivanoviska landed heavily beside him. When the big man looked up, his eyes


    were different.


    “Where am I?,” said the stolen body’s owner. “Who are you?”


    “Explanations will have to wait,” said Pavel. “We’re in a lot of trouble, and you’re


    going to have to run until we figure out what is going on.”


    “I can do that,” said the stranger. “I’m Piotr Wulf.”


    “Pavel Konstantin,” said Pavel. He looked behind them. The hounds had paused in


    their pursuit. They started barking, and then started fleeing toward the ramp to the


    street. “I think we should follow them and see how bad things are.”


    “All right,” said Wulf. “I don’t remember anything. I must have had a lot to drink


    considering all of this.”


    “An acquaintance of mine roped you into this,” explained Pavel. “I’m afraid he


    abandoned us.”


    “He doesn’t seem like much of a friend,” said Wulf.


    “He’s not,” said Pavel. “I know him from the old neighborhood. He came to me when


    he got into trouble, and roped you in along the way. There was a magic user we were


    running from when those fancy dress people showed up from the sky. Maybe we can


    use them to get out of here.”


    “All right,” said Wulf. “I am going to want to talk to your friend after this.”


    “I’ll see what I can do,” said Pavel. He doubted he could get Ivanoviska together with


    his horse after this. The spirit probably thought they were going to get killed by


    whatever was happening.


    Pavel paused when he reached a point where he could see the street. Five girls in


    costumes attacked the candy maker with weapons of light and metal. She defended


    herself with the surrounding park. The girls hadn’t even come close enough to make


    her throne move in his estimation.


    Then the hounds entered the combat, harrying the girls with candy corn teeth. More


    oozed from the pavement as the pack tried to get close enough to bite without being


    stabbed or crushed out of existence by the weapons in hand.


    The sound of a gong filled the air. Pavel looked up. A hole punched through the sky.


    A woman in a pink dress floated down to the ground. Her dark hair was braided so


    it fell to her waist instead of the ground. Jewelry she had created herself covered her


    hands and forearms.


    “Who’s this?,” said Wulf. He gestured at the new arrival.


    “That’s my wife,” said Pavel. He rubbed his chin. “Will you be all right up here by


    yourself? I have to get down there and help her.”


    “Go ahead,” said Ivanoviska. “I think I have done enough to save the day.”


    “You’re the devil, Ivanoviska,” said Pavel. “The owner of the body you’re wearing


    wants to talk to you.”


    “I’ll worry about that when we’re clear of this, Pavel,” said the spirit. “Take care of


    your wife.”


    Pavel ran to the edge of the building. He braced his body between the gumdrops and


    slid down to the ground. He dropped to the ground and ran out to where his wife


    stood.


    He could feel the glare she was giving off as he closed on her. The girls in costumes,


    hounds, and the candy queen all looked at her like they had found a dragon in a box.


    “So which of you dead women are going to start telling me what’s going on?,” asked


    Mrs. Konstantin.


    “Hello, beloved,” said Pavel, reaching her side.


    “This is a mess, husband,” said Mrs. Konstantin. She waved her hand at the


    assemblage against her. “Dead women, Alvas constructed space, and dogs that will


    rot your teeth if you try to eat them.”


    “Don’t forget Ivanoviska being turned into a body stealing ghost,” said Pavel.


    “Don’t remind me,” said Mrs. Konstantin. “I almost sent him to the underworld


    before he could explain his dragging you into this quagmire. Now, that I’m here, let’s


    see what we can do to fix things. Who wants to tell me what’s going on here other


    than my clueless husband and his more clueless and even more worthless childhood


    friend?”