Page 41 of Nightshade

“And I can assure you, you are no safer there.” He stared off toward the view of Chicago’s skyline, where Willis Tower stood off in the distance. “Tell me, girl. Why is it so important to you?”

“Some things you have to see to fully believe, I suppose.”

With a huff, he set his cigar down on the parapet and turned toward a pedestal table that held a teapot I hadn’t noticed before, the one from the previous day, alongside its matching teacup. He poured the liquid into the cup and handed it off to me.

A strong, bitter scent drifted on the steam. Black swirls danced on the surface of the dark liquid, beckoning me to sip. “What is it?”

“To see, you must open your mind.”

“Is this a drug?”

“It’s a gateway.”

“And if I don’t drink it?”

“I’ve neither the time, nor the patience, for you to question. If you’re not interested, simply walk away. Nothing and no one is stopping you.”

“You certainly don’t make a girl feel secure.”

“I’m the least of your worries. Once you’re in Nightshade, there’s nothing to protect you.”

Damn the rapid thumping of my heart, reminding me how foolish I was. “How does it work? The tea?”

“You’ll feel sleepy but awake. Dead but alive. The traversing of planes can be quite traumatic, if not dulled. The tea is derived from an ancient flower.”

“Nightshade?”

“Yes. It is for which Nightshade is named. This particular species grows nowhere else but there.”

“Some species of nightshade are known to be deadly here.”

“And these are no different.”

“I’ll die by drinking it?”

“Yes and no. What dies here, lives there. Think of it as a transfer, of sorts. You still have your soul and your mind. They will remain intact. Perfect, really.”

“And what happens when I want to come back?”

“Coming back is trickier, but possible. You must essentially release your soul in Nightshade, which will invariably return back to its home. So long as you wish to return.”

“And … my body?”

“Goes with you. Only the living get to traverse in a vessel.”

A vessel. It sounded so cold. “This place … what you described sounds like Hell.”

“It is a matter of perspective. What you see as Heaven, another might see as Hell. The reverse is also true.”

“So, how do I release my soul once in Nightshade?”

“Pluck and consume one nightshade flower. The gateway for you is where rock meets sea.”

Where rock meets sea. “You’re talking about a cliff.”

“Yes. The highest cliff and the blackest sea.”

The thought of such a thing sent a shudder down my spine, as I imagined the blackest part of the sea at its deepest.