Page 4 of Somnium

CHAPTER TWO

CADI

The next day, Cadi tugged at her shorts as she passed the information desk on her way out of the hospital. She had swapped her scrubs for something much more casual and accommodating of the summer heat—a pair of jean shorts and a loose-fitting blue t-shirt that definitely brought out her eyes. It wasn’t until the hem of her shorts started to stubbornly creep up her thighs, revealing the swirling orange and yellow lines of the phoenix tattoo inked against her skin, that she began to second-guess her choices.

Zoe had made the whole event seem pretty casual, but Cadi couldn’t help but wonder if her inseam would be considered inappropriate for a religious establishment.

The water nymph was waiting for her at the bottom of the steps just outside the hospital entrance, leaning against the metal railing and tracking a group of squirrels bickering over a tree across the street. Now that she wasn’t in her work clothes, Cadi could see that Zoe’s scales were even more eye-catching than she had realized. The early evening sun caught the shimmering blue-green that dusted the tops of her shoulders beneath the straps of her tank top, climbing the side of her neck to disappear beneath her hairline. Cadi cleared her throat as she approached, trying not to startle her.

Zoe turned, the motion sending droplets of water raining from her damp curls as a bright smile spread across her face.

“Hi!” she exclaimed, her eyes flaring wide for a moment when they skimmed Cadi’s outfit, lingering for a beat on her tattoo before flicking back up. “You ready?”

Cadi nodded, pulling at her shorts again as she descended the steps, though she knew it was a losing battle.

“Why is your hair wet?” she asked, eyeing the water still beading on Zoe’s shoulders.

Zoe just shrugged. “Water nymph. I was feeling a little dry.”

“Huh,” Cadi said in acknowledgement, falling into step for the two-block journey to the Central Transit Station.

When the dimly lit concrete tunnel came into view, Cadi noticed with no shortage of satisfaction that the crowd around them was markedly thinner than what she was used to, with even the slight delay in her departure time allowing the evening rush to die down to a much more tolerable density. The cool air beneath the city pricked against the exposed skin of her arms and legs, its bite a welcome relief from their balmy walk as they descended the steps toward the sublevel.

A mechanical squeal echoed off the tile as they reached the bottom of the stairwell, and Cadi’s eyes widened, exchanging a panicked look with Zoe before they both broke into a run. They wove through the crowd, with Zoe cutting a quick path to the metal barricade to scan them through, then dashed across the platform and through the open doors of the waiting train.

Cadi lowered herself onto the plastic seat as the car lurched forward, crinkling her nose at the thin layer of sweat that instantly formed beneath her legs. Shorts were definitely the wrong choice. She dug through her bag for her scrub top and was trying to wedge it beneath herself for a much-needed barrier when Zoe suddenly leaned over and gripped her shoulder, yanking her attention away from her task.

“Okay, prep time,” Zoe said. Her excitement was palpable, and the air practically buzzed through the small space between them. The eagerness in her eyes had Cadi’s stomach flipping, and she wasn’t sure if that level of enthusiasm was encouraging, or terrifying. She hadn’t realized she had agreed to something that required prerequisites.

It wasn’t until Zoe giggled that Cadi realized she was still staring, eyes wide with something that fell between suspicion and anticipation.

“Don’t worry, it’s not that deep,” Zoe teased with a small wink. “I just want to make sure you’re ready. The first Somnium can be … intense.”

Cadi swallowed past the sudden dryness in her throat. “How so?”

“Nothing bad,” Zoe added quickly, “it just isn’t a normal experience. My advice: don’t fight it. Let yourself feel everything.”

Cadi nodded slowly, a growing sense of apprehension making her question her earlier agreement. She was definitely in over her head.

“Also, the priests—” Zoe continued.

“They’re lizard people, aren’t they?”

Zoe’s eyes bulged in shock as her hand flew to her chest. “What? Oh, gods no, I was just going to say they’re hypnotic!”

Cadi tipped her head back in a small gesture of understanding, a tiny smirk tugging her lips in quiet acceptance of her failed attempt at humor.

“What is it about them that has everyone so obsessed?” Cadi asked, unable to temper the doubt bleeding through her words. “Is it just the whole mask and mystery thing?”

Zoe let out a breath of laughter, her features shifting to a soft reverence as her hand lowered to rest against Cadi’s knee.

“Not entirely, although that does add to the appeal, don’t you think?” She leaned closer, pulling Cadi in until their faces were only a breath apart, her eyes bright with intrigue. “The real draw is the story of the high priest. He’s Oneirios’s right hand. I heard that when Oneirios found him, he was just a broken man with nothing. Now he’s easily the most powerful mortal alive.”

Cadi frowned. It was so easy to forget that beneath the fame and opulence, beneath the mask, the high priest was still just a man. A man who had been given an impossible chance. She hated to admit it, but in another life, she might have found it inspiring. In this life, however, she knew that impossible chances rarely came for free.

“Is it the same for the other three?” she asked, surprised to find that she was actually curious.

Zoe sat back, lifting her shoulders. “Honestly, I don’t know much about them. No one does. I have a theory that they’re different people each week, but I have no way to prove it.”