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I cautiously stepped out of the car, pausing to listen. Chase leapt out of his Taurus, and I whirled around. "Get your ass back in that car and lock the door. I can't afford to be worrying about saving your butt if the demons are inside. Face it. Chase, right now you'd be a liability in there. Fighting goblins is one matter. Demons are a whole different ball of wax."
He scowled but obeyed. Morio and I slipped up to the window that looked into the kitchen, and he boosted me up as I peeked inside. There, Iris and Delilah were poring over a map at the kitchen table. Maggie was in her playpen, and all looked well with the world. Frowning, I motioned for Morio to let me down.
"Looks okay," I whispered. "I'm going around back. You stay here."
I slipped around the back and quietly edged up the steps leading to the back porch. As I opened the door, it creaked, and within seconds, Iris was poking her head out.
"Camille? What are you doing sneaking in this way?" She looked perplexed.
I frowned. "Is everything okay in there? Nothing amiss?"
"Everything's fine, except for Feddrah-Dahns and Mistletoe being missing. What on earth has gotten into you, girl? You're as pale as Menolly." Iris started to bustle me inside, but I paused.
"I'll come through the front door. You lock the back door and the porch before you go back in the kitchen. I'll tell you why in a moment." I clattered down the steps and ran around front. Morio was waiting there. "I need you to cast a Dispel Illusion spell on them, just to make sure they aren't the Raksasa and his crony in disguise. Can you do it from out here?"
Morio frowned. "That would be difficult. Let's go in, and I'll have one prepped. If they are demons…"
"Then we're about to get our butts whipped. Ready?" I inhaled deeply and gathered energy from the air, from the sky, to form a barrier. Then I pulled out the unicorn horn. "Mistress of Flames," I murmured and instantly felt her stir within the crystal spire. "Be ready to strengthen my barrier." And to my surprise, I heard a faint voice whisper, "I am ready, Lady Camille."
"Let's go," I said, heading through the front door.
Morio was right on my heels, and the moment we barged into the kitchen, he held up his hands. "Be seen!" A flash strobed the room, and Delilah and Iris both yelled and covered their faces. As the flickering light died away, they peered out from behind their hands.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Iris almost never swore, and to hear her use the F-bomb was a surprise, although a welcome one, given she hadn't shifted form into a demon of any sort.
"It's you. It's really you," I said, dropping into a chair with relief. "We have to check the house. Now."
"What are you talking about?" Delilah said, squinting. Her eyes always took longer to adjust, considering that she was part cat.
"Demons," I said hoarsely, not putting away the horn. "Demons broke through the wards—they've been on the land. We thought the Raksasa might be here—that you might be…"
"One of his illusions," Iris said softly. "I understand now. I never thought to check the wards when I was out looking for Feddrah-Dahns. I was so worried. Damn it, how could I have been so stupid?"
"Me, too," Delilah said. "All I could think about was where the pair had gotten themselves to. And then I wondered if they'd been chased off by wild dogs or something."
"Far worse than wild dogs," I said. "Did you smell demon energy down by Birchwater Pond?"
Delilah shrugged, looking ashamed. "I didn't even try."
"Morio and I'll head down there. You go out and get Chase, help him bring in dinner. He's probably peeing his pants, worrying about you. Iris, come with us and show us where you found the blood."
While Delilah and Chase searched the house. Iris led Morio and me down to Birch water Pond. The path through the forest seemed darker than usual, but the birds were singing, and we saw a squirrel darting up a tree. A good sign. If demons were still prowling the woods, the animals would have been silent.
On the way, Iris told me what happened. "Feddrah-Dahns and Mistletoe were down by the pond. Feddrah-Dahns gets a little claustrophobic around buildings. When they didn't return for lunch, I began to worry. Delilah came home—by the way, she and Chase are no worse for the wear, considering they were poisoned—and she and I went down to fetch them."
"Good deal. I meant to ask Chase how he was feeling, but things are spiraling out of control, and I'm not exactly on top of my game at the moment."
I was tired. Bone-weary. I wanted nothing more than to hit the bed and sleep for a week, but I had a feeling it would be a long time before I'd have a chance for that luxury.
We turned the bend in the path and came out near the pond. Surrounded by a ring of cedars and firs, Birchwater Pond was in a clearing in the center of the wood. The pond was on our land and had become our home away from home—reminding us, on a much smaller scale, of Lake Y'Leveshan back in Y'Elestrial. Huckleberries and fern crowded the banks, and on one side, a grassy knoll where we held picnics. We'd started holding our rituals down here, and when I needed to talk in private to the Moon Mother, I'd meander down the path under her light and sit on the edge of the dark water that glistened in the oval-shaped crater.>I repressed the desire to clap my hand to my mouth and forced myself to keep on topic. "What about the dreams?"
"They come several times each week. Images, mainly, of demons—huge demons with horns, others are bloated and squat. Still others look like we do—like humans—but I know they're not. And they drive a wall of death and destruction before them, tearing up the land, crumbling cities in their wake. They destroy the planet, and us with it. The government responds by setting off nuclear weapons. The world goes up in flames."
Tears were flowing down his cheeks now. "I'm so tired. I can't think anymore. I just dream, and when I try to stay awake so I won't, they pump me full of drugs to make me sleep. Help me. Help get me out of here? I thought I could hide here, but I can't, and now I can't get them to release me. My family's keeping me locked up."
His voice was so plaintive that it made me want to cry. I stared helplessly at Morio. What could we do? His family would pitch a fit if they knew we took him out. But what if he were to run away—to just vanish? Would his family care? They might sue the institution, but they didn't want him back in this shape, that much was obvious.
"We'll do our best, Benjamin," I said. "I promise you—we'll try. Thank you for talking to us."
