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Morio took hold of me and held me tight. “It’s okay, Camille. It’s okay.”
I shook him off. “I can’t have landed in the mind of a god. That means that…the ooze…the water and the creature…”
“Must be parts of him. I’m not sure about this, but Camille—” Shade held his hand up as I started to protest some more. “Calm down. You may just have netted us some very valuable information. If you did manage to mind-touch Gulakah, we can learn from what you experienced.”
Pressing my lips together, I leaned against Smoky, wanting to forget the whole thing. I wasn’t sure why the idea bothered me so much. Maybe it was that Gulakah reminded me of Hyto, only worse. Gulakah wanted to be feared and revered. He was terrifying, and his energy was warped and twisted, a lot like Hyto. The gods weren’t all that more powerful than some of the ancient dragons.
But Shade was right. If I could remember anything that might give us a clue on how to fight the Lord of Ghosts, it would help us. I strained to recall anything I hadn’t already told them, but nothing cropped up.
“I’m sorry…I told you everything I remember.”
Shade let out a sigh. “If there is any way…if we could only go into your mind and see what you saw…”
I shuddered. I’d already had someone root around in my head, and I wanted no part of that.
“Maybe you’ll remember more later,” Morio said, changing the subject.
I tossed a glance at Smoky. He pressed his lips together, saying nothing.
“I’ll do my best.” I leaned back, closing my eyes. So much had gone on today that all I wanted was a chance to go home, take a long bath, relax, and prepare for the evening ahead. Training under Aeval was difficult at best, and I needed to recharge and calm down before I headed out to Talamh Lonrach Oll.
We arrived home. I asked Delilah to phone Chase and tell him what we’d found out. She nodded, and I headed upstairs, nixing any company. I wanted to be alone, to relax. Smoky and Morio went out to work on Iris’s house, while Trillian took over in the kitchen, helping Iris and Hanna fix lunch.
As I filled the bathtub with water and poured in caramel-apple-scented bath gel, the bubbles frothed up. While the tub filled, I went into the bedroom and stepped out of my skirt, unfastened my corset, and shimmied out of my panties.
Misty was wandering around, and she looked up at me with her plume of a tail waving, then padded behind me as I returned to the bath. I sat down on the edge of the tub and petted her, my hand gliding over the silky energy that surrounded her spirit. It wasn’t the same as petting a living cat, but it felt softer, and—in some ways—her purr seemed louder, the song reverberating through my aura rather than in through my ears.
“Today freaked me out,” I told her.
She purred, leaning into my hand.
“And now I have to go out to Talamh Lonrach Oll and face another challenge. I’m tired.”
Gazing up at me with those beautiful green eyes, she let out a purp.
“Life is getting more complicated,” I continued as she jumped up on the edge of the tub beside me. I stroked her under the chin. “It’s been eighteen months since Jocko died and we first found out about the demons and Shadow Wing. Now the war is getting worse. And Menolly and Delilah and I all have our separate paths to which we also have to devote time and energy. The world is getting bigger, Misty. There’s more to do. And less time in which to do it. I miss the old days. I miss not being afraid of who’s just around the corner, waiting to destroy the world. But I guess…there’s no going back, is there?”
Misty cocked her head, then rubbed against me again and jumped back onto the floor. The tub was full, so I turned off the water, as—with one last tap on my leg for another head scratch—Misty vanished, disappearing through the door.
It had seemed odd at first, seeing her walk through the walls, but now I was used to it. Lighting several candles, I dimmed the light and dipped one toe in the tub, taking a deep breath as the heat registered through my foot. It was almost too hot, but not quite, and I sank gratefully into the mass of bubbles, leaned back, and closed my eyes.
As the warmth of the water raced through me, loosening my muscles and helping me relax, I tried to let go of my worries and just drift in the comfort and safety of being home.
Images floated through my mind—Smoky’s stern but loving embrace, Trillian’s cunning smile, Morio’s passion when the magic caught both of us up in its grasp…Then I flashed on Delilah and how far she’d come over the time we’d been Earthside. Menolly, too…
As the images became flashes of light and energy and sound, I felt myself starting to drift off and, realizing how tired I really felt, I settled deeper in the tub. Breathing deeply, I let myself slip into a light trance.
I was walking on a shore of some alien world—at least it felt alien. The sky was silver, and the water gunmetal gray. As I scanned the horizon, I realized that I knew this place. I was just seeing it from a different perspective. A dark cloud settled over my mood as I realized I was back in Gulakah’s mind.
What ties me to you, you freakazoid of a god?
I shivered, wrapping my arms around me, and glanced down. Naked, of course. Because I was naked in the bathtub. It began to register that I wasn’t feeling the overwhelming sense of fear I had before.
Am I really here, then? Or am I taking a trip down memory lane?
I prayed it was the latter—I really didn’t want to play psychic footsie with a god of dreams who had delusions of grandeur. Well, perhaps they weren’t delusions—he was powerful—but he’d abused his power and that was what got him kicked out of the Netherworld and down into Shadow Wing’s territory.
Get real. I have to be strolling through my memories, or I couldn’t keep up this sort of rational prattle. By now, if this were real, I’d be back swimming in the ocean. So, going on the theory that I’m safe, let’s have a look around.
