Oh, yes. That little issue of Mr. Cooger.. Dark thought for a moment, tapping his fingers on his chin in idle contemplation.
"Well, you see," he began a moment later, "If what they say about this Seal is true, I seem to have left Mr. Cooger in 1962. Should he walk through the Seal to join us here then I expect he'll reprise his role as my colleague, and we shall join forces to become Cooger, Dark and Grayson's combined carnival and circus. Until then, Mr. Grayson, Mr. Cooger isn't a real concern. He's a marvelous man, I assure you. Loyal to a fault and entirely willing to listen to good reason." He had no choice. Mr. Dark controlled all of the people who worked in his carnival, and even their rebellion could be shut down with pain.
It was magic of a different sort. He had sold his soul for this carnival, and emerged as more than a man. Evil incarnate was a word thrown around, though no force like Biblical text, or prayer could stop him. He had every page, line and word in the Bible read at him his entire life. His magic was a magic that targeted human weakness. People were so damnably weak.
"If it would make you feel better, perhaps we could arrange a meeting to examine both circus and carnival at a future date." That, perhaps, would have been a prudent first step. Mr. Dark let it go with ease, and continued on down the path, tapping his walking-stick onto the ground in a light rhythm, his little tune emerging from his throat again in a low hum.