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"Tom will forget," Morio said, lifting my chin so that I was staring into his eyes. "He always does, you know, each time she wipes his memory. Perhaps your healers will be able to free him from the wine of life, or they may be able to send him to his final slumber."
Rip Van Winkle, only sleeping for a thousand years instead of twenty. Or, they might just kill him—swiftly and without pain. The Court and Crown seldom concerned itself with humans, and this would be another blot on our history when the truth came out.
"All right, let's take him and get back home. I'll go as escort when we ship him through the portal. I just wish Trillian were here," I said, rubbing my head. What I wouldn't give for some ibuprofen. "I'd feel a lot safer with him around." Trillian had no compunctions about defending himself and those he was sworn to protect, even if it meant fighting dirty. And now, we didn't even know if he was going to live.
Morio seemed to understand what I was thinking. "As much as I resent his presence, I wish only the best for him. We'll find out how he's doing. I promise you that. And if necessary, I'll go with you to Otherworld to deliver Tom to the OIA."
We turned back to Titania, who reached up on tiptoes to kiss Tom gently on the lips. "Farewell, my brave knight. We've had a long run of it, but the play is over, the curtain falls, and it's time for the actors to go home." She cocked her head, looking me in the eye. "Take care of him, please. Don't let anything happen to him."
I nodded, my mood plummeting even farther into the black. "I'll do my best to keep him safe. Titania, know that you're helping to save two worlds by letting us take him. He carries a vital secret, even if he doesn't know it. I'll let you know what happens to him."
She shook her head. "No, it's better that he just be cut out of my life. Go now, please just go, and leave me to my silence."
Morio took Tom gently by the arm and, with me leading the way, we headed out of the cavern, leaving the ancient Queen behind. I hadn't thought her capable of love, and perhaps I was right, but apparently she had more feelings than I gave her credit for.
The trek back seemed quicker than finding our way into the barrow. The pits that guarded the passageway were still an obstacle, but together Morio and I helped Tom make it past without incident. I wanted to touch the spirit seal, to feel the power that resided within, but was smart enough to keep my fingers out of the cookie jar.
Tom seemed rather chipper for leaving his ladylove. At first, he acted like he'd been drugged, but the farther away from Titania we got, the more alert he became. As we approached the entrance to the cave, he stopped, staring at the opening.
"I don't want to go out there," he said, his gaze locked on the entrance.
"Why? What's wrong?"
"They'll be coming to get me," he said.
I glanced at Morio. Just what did we have here? "Who's coming to get you, Tom? Is somebody after you?"
He hesitated, then—like a child deciding to put his trust in an authority figure—shrugged. "I don't know who they are, but early this morning, somebody was sneaking around outside the house, and I got scared. So I ran through the woods and hid with Titania."
I stared at Tom for a moment. He wasn't as out of it as I'd thought. Maybe being near Titania acted like a drug in his bloodstream. "Did you see what they looked like? Do you know how many were out there?"
Tom scrunched his lower lip, thinking. After a moment he said, "I think there were three of them. Two men and a woman."
Two men and a woman. I looked over at Morio. "Has to be Bad Ass Luke, the Psycho Babbler, and Wisteria. Once the harpy died, they must have recruited Wisteria for more than helping them slip through the portal. I'll bet they threatened to kill her if she didn't do what they wanted."
Morio concurred. "You're probably right." He turned to Tom. "They were outside your house?"
"Yep," Tom said, shaking his head. "I was out in the woods fishing for breakfast. The trout run real good in a stream that I found. When I was coming back with my catch, I heard something in the driveway. I snuck up along the trail first to see who it was. I don't like strangers. I saw three people near my place. It was still too dark to get a good look at them, and I didn't stick around 'cause they felt nasty," he said, almost apologetically.
I sighed. Obviously, the demons had come looking for him. We were lucky that Tom had been foraging for his breakfast. Otherwise, they'd have the spirit seal and be on their way back to the Subterranean Realms. But where were they now? They'd left Wisteria in the house, but what about Bad Ass Luke and the Psycho Babbler? Would we be able to smuggle Tom back to the city before they tried to snatch him from us? I bit my lip, trying to decide what to do next.
Morio peeked out of the cave. "Smoky's still out there," he said.
I glanced at the dragon. "I wonder… Titania gave us an emblem to pass as friends. I wonder if that might be enough to convince him to guard us while we hustle Tom back to the car?"
"Can't hurt to try. Or rather, we don't have a choice, so we might as well ask him." Morio turned to Tom. "Are you afraid of that dragon out there?"
Tom shook his head. "Nope. He's a good sort, for a dragon. I always come out here and have a chat with him when I'm lonely. He threatens to eat me a lot, but since I belong to Titania, he won't do it."
"Well, we can't just stay here all day," I said. "You two wait while I go have a talk with Mr. Fire-breath." I stepped out of the cave and whistled to Smoky. "Hey you, dragon!"
He swiveled his head to stare down at me. "Where's the pest?"
"Inside the cave." I held up the emblem. "Titania said to show you this."
That had an effect. Smoky blinked and reared back. "She gave you her pass? Well then, little Witchling, you must be special indeed. Go on your way, and I won't make you my dinner."
All the talk about dinners and desserts was beginning to annoy me. "Listen, Smoky—"
