Timothy Hunter is the only one who can stop his evil Other self from doing irrevocable damage to the Realms. But in order to gain the power to vanquish his foe, Tim must enter Hell and barter with the demon Barbatos. The price? One simple memory. Unfortunately, Tim knows that the moment he sells it, he is condemned to a path that will result in the loss of his soul and will become the very thing he seeks to destroy.
Tim leads the Wild Hunt to Earth, and his mother's grave. There they search for the bottle that contains Tim's magic. They can't find it, so he uses his magic helmet to track Cyril and Barbatos, who took it, starting with Cyril.
The Hunt runs through Bardsey, and Tim briefly says hello to his former friend, Davis. They go down into the caverns below the school and find Cyril; even his glamour stone can't hide him from the helmet. Cyril says he traded the magic to Barbatos for his resurrection kettle; his resurrected mother, Holly, walks up.
Tim is angered, and disgusted, since there are clearly sexual overtones in the way Cyril treats his mother's living body. Cyril trips and falls into the cauldron, and dies (as the cauldron's curse ordains). Holly is thankful as she is allowed to die again.
Tim and the Hunt leave, and find a portal to Hell in Italy.
However, Cyril is not dead, but merely turned to a burnt, dead-like thing. He uses the glamour stone to once again look normal, taking once again his title as King of the Dead.
In Hell, Barbatos enjoys his new post as Duke of the 9th circle, with Hauptman once again in his service. However, his servants start to flee when they see the Hunt approach. Barbatos sends his armies against the Hunt, and flees with Hauptman. However, the Hunt quickly catches up.
Tim grabs Barbatos and ties him to a cross, the bargains with him for his old power. He knows he needs more than just his old bottle of power to beat the Other, who has the power of all the Tims from alternate dimensions. Barbatos agrees, but says the price is a memory--which Tim knows would lead him down the dark path to being Sir Timothy.
But Tim has no choice, and agrees.
Tim thanks Lasas for her help (he doesn't know she is Auberon). Then he says he must leave the Hunt. Cupid explains that no one can leave without losing a Challenge. He asks Lasas to challenge him, but she says no, and kisses him on the mouth. Then he asks Cupid, and he agrees. It is a challenge of love, and Tim immediately gives up, since he believes himself a failure at it. Cupid is the new Lord of the Hunt.
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