Professor Broome shifts to the other side to check on him, nudging Doc out of the way. Kneeling, she presses both palms flat against his chest and closes her eyes.
Through her soft mutterings, Baz lies completely still, his breathing shallow, his skin as pale as the moon.
Professor Broome curses, pulling her hands back.
“What’s happening?” I ask.
“His soul is trapped.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Traveling through any realm—the astral, the dream realm—it’s the soul that wanders, while the physical form remains here,” Professor Broome explains. “They’re connected by an invisible cord. If that cord becomes severed, it can be quite difficult for the soul to find its way back.”
I cling to that d-word like a lifeline. “Difficult, but not impossible, right?”
“Stevie…” Professor Broome lowers her eyes and brushes the hair from Baz’s forehead, her touch tender. “No, it’s not impossible. But itisunlikely. Not only did the soul cord become severed, but your connection to him was also lost.”
I squeeze his hand tighter. “But that’s impossible. I’m right here.”
“The three of you entered the realm together in a shared dream,” she continues. “And only two of you returned. So your connection—the bond that was supposed to safeguard you in the realm and guide you back home together—is severed. Baz has everything working against him right now, and very little chance of—”
“No. I refuse to accept that,” I say, my throat tight. “He doesn’t deserve to be stuck there. He was trying to help us. He stayed back so Kirin and I could get out. We were—”
“Let’s just focus on trying to get him back, then.” Professor Broome reaches across Baz and gives my arm a quick squeeze, apparently accepting that I’m not giving up without a fight, soul-travel rules be damned. “You can tell us the whole story later over drinks,” she continues, her tone lighter. “I, for one, am going to need something stiff.”
She winks, an obvious attempt at making me feel better. I have to admit, it works. ‘Later over drinks’ implies there’s going tobea later. A future. A moment after this one where Baz is back, and this moment becomes a distant memory we can all laugh about.
Remember that crazy night? Holy shitballs, guys…
“What do we do?” Doc asks.
“He needs heavy grounding,” Professor Broome says. “An earthly connection strong enough to permeate his physical senses, overcome the loss of the cord connection, and pull his soul back to this realm.”
Earlier tonight, Professor Broome had us remove our protective jewelry before the ritual, but now Ani retrieves Baz’s hematite bracelet and fastens it around his wrist. I offer up my Eye of Horus necklace, hoping the extra grounding power will help.
But Baz remains still.
“We need more,” Professor Broome says. “We’re not getting through yet.”
Isla hands over her necklace, then heads over to the other group to borrow their grounding jewelry as well.
Baz is fully adorned—neck, wrists, anklets, several hematite stones placed on his bare chest.
Appealing to his earth magick affinity, Ani gathers rocks from the area, piling them at his head and feet. We attempt grounding spells, way-finding spells, homecoming spells. Professor Broome whips up several potions from the contents of her bag of tricks, but nothing works.
Trying not to lose hope, I think of his affinity, the power of earth, the corresponding Tarot sign of Pentacles.
Pentacles… material realm… pleasures… sensuality…
That’s it.
“I know what to do,” I announce. Without further explanation, I lie back down and slide closer to him beneath the blanket, pressing my naked body against his. The others are gathered close, but there’s no time for modesty now. After everything we’ve tried, this is our last hope; even a second’s hesitation could condemn him to a fate worse than death.
“Come back to me,” I whisper, kissing his mouth. His jaw. His ear. “I need you here with me.”
Heat crests between us, his body already warming at my touch. I press closer, sliding my hand across his abs, kissing his neck, visualizing the moment when he wakes up and sighs my name.
Between the urgency and the fact that everyone is watching, nothing about this feels sexual, but the raw sensuality of it is hard to deny. That’s the whole point—connect him to an earthly pleasure. An intense, life-affirming, earthly pleasure to light his path back home.
