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"Trust me, Bluebel isn't like Wisteria was. That veg-head was a freak." The floraed--an offshoot of the dryads--had been out to kil anybody who stood in the way of wiping out humanity so the plants could take over the world again.
Which brought up thoughts of the demons and the spirit seals. Again. "Tril ian, Vanzir, Morio--what did you find out about the address Marion gave us for the coyote shifters?"
Morio pul ed out a digital camera and handed it to me. "Can you download these pictures? We thought it might be easier than just going by description."
I grinned at him. "Geek boy! I'l teach you yet."
Pul ing out my laptop, I fired it up. As they continued to chat, I plugged in the USB cable to one of my ports on the laptop, then into the camera and punched the "On" button. We'd picked up several cameras of the same type so we'd only have to deal with one brand of software, and kept one at the house, one in each of our cars, and one stayed in Morio's SUV. I was determined that we'd learn to use technology along with our innate magic--it would be the only way we could survive in this society.
As the pictures downloaded, I motioned to Iris. "How long til sundown?"
She glanced at the chart we had tacked up on the wal . "Another two hours--shortly after five. In a week or so, we'l be switching back out of daylight saving time, and she'l be able to get up an hour earlier."
"Then maybe we'd better get some rest. As soon as I finish downloading the photos, we'l take a nap, then go over them when we get up. Menol y wil be awake then."
I opened a window and pul ed up the folder into which they'd downloaded. The JPEGs were huge, but my computer had been upgraded to handle bigger tasks, and I opened them up, zooming out so I could line them up side by side. Then I plugged in the wal monitor we'd had instal ed to yet another USB port so the images would feed onto it instead of just my smal er screen. That way everybody could see them.
"Okay, this is al set up for when we need it. Nobody touch my computer, got it?" After they al nodded, I said, "So let's hit the sheets for three hours.
Wake-up cal at seven P.M., Iris. Camil e--you be sure to get some sleep."
And amazingly, they listened to me, and we trudged upstairs for a catnap.
I looked around and realized I was roaming through the streets of Seattle. It was late, and a cold wind was howling in off the bay. I pul ed my leather jacket closer around my neck. The stars shimmered overhead in the chil night, and I wished that I'd asked Menol y to come with me.
I was heading toward a building up ahead--why, I wasn't sure, I didn't remember ever seeing it before, but I knew that there was something waiting for me, and I had no choice.
"Hel o. You know you're out of body, don't you?" The voice beside me was familiar, and as I turned I saw Greta, walking beside me. She inclined her head.
"We're fast-tracking you. After the incident this morning, we can't wait too long, or you won't be able to control your powers. The Panteris phir is helping you learn to control shifting into your panther form, but it won't prevent you from losing your temper and using your Death Maiden abilities before you've been instructed in the proper rituals."
I stared at the sidewalk as we walked. The cracks were fil ed with snippets of grass and weeds. Nature always found a way. It broke through al man-made structures in time; it reclaimed even as it was destroyed in the never-ending war.
"He kil ed that woman and her baby. He had to die." The look on the murderer's face stil haunted my thoughts. I wasn't sorry he was dead. As Menol y would have said, "One less slime in the gene pool."
"Yes, but when you use your powers as a Death Maiden, you must always wait for orders. Either from our Master, or from me." She caught my eye.
"Unless His Lordship gave you leave, and I didn't know about it?"
I gazed steadily ahead, not speaking. It wasn't that I wanted to be obstinate, but I didn't want to discuss my relationship with Hi'ran with her. I was his only living emissary, I was the one he wanted to get with child, and I didn't want to think about him touching the rest of them, even though I knew that I was simply one in a harem of women.
But she must have seen it on my face. "You wil never have him al for your own, and he cannot touch you until you are dead. Accept the reality. He's one of the Harvestmen--an Immortal. He's beyond even the gods."
"I know," I whispered. "I'm just lonely. And he makes me feel . . ."
"Please, trust me when I tel you that you're special to him. You are his chosen one. He won't let you remain alone. There are wonderful things waiting for you--long before you enter the realm of the dead. Don't begrudge the rest of us what joy we have. We can never receive the chance he's offering you.">It was simply the sting of letting go.
"He doesn't know how you feel, does he?"
She shook her head. "And I'l never tel him if you are just on a break. I'd never step in and try to take him from you. And if you are truly through as a couple, I promise you that I won't say a word until he's ready--and that won't be for a while yet. If ever. "
Taking her gently by the shoulders, I gazed into her gamin face. She real y was beautiful, in a pale and breathless sort of way. Ethereal, even as she was practical. She was brave and strong, but gentle enough to make a man like Chase feel secure.
"Sharah, Chase and I have run our course. We learned from each other, and we'l always be friends. I'l always love him, and he'l probably always love me, but . . . I don't think we'l ever go back to being in love. If you feel the time is right, don't stand back because of me. Take a chance and talk to him. You might just be the woman he needs, because I'm not that person."
Her eyes lit up and I thought she was going to cry, and I knew I'd done the right thing. Inside, whispering in my ear, I could hear the boreal wind and on it, Hi'ran whispered, "Don't fret, my love. You'll never be alone." And then he fel silent again. I gave her a sad smile.
"I'm going to miss having him around the house as much, but sometimes, no matter how much you love someone, it's just not going to work."
