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Salanca gripped Rhea's shoulder, her eyes so bloodshot they looked almost fully red. "The Paras—the council—the elders—none of them are doing a damn thing that works. Only a matter of time before this takes everyone, including them. They're evacuating the cities even now, and all of the shifter cadres have been asked to go out and start searching for the fallen and get them to care facilities."
"I didn't ask why we needed to do something," Tiehro grumbled.
Rhea tried to tug her to the sleeping pelts on the opposite side of the little house. The thin patchwork curtains that provided a little privacy had been pushed almost entirely out of the way. "Let's get a little rest before tonight, all right?"
Salanca's grip tightened as she dug her feet into the wood floor.
Tiehro strode over and lifted her up, his arm around her waist. “You aren’t going to fix anything by getting sicker."
“Don’t pick me up, you big crow.” She smacked his arm. “Don't you understand? I actually have the solution. We need to dream walk and thought project. It’s going to take all three of us though. You both have to help me.”
Frowning, he set her down in the center of the room on the edge of the woven red rug. "What? Where did you go exactly?"
"Ah ah. I have my secrets for a reason." Salanca wagged her finger at him, but she smiled nonetheless. Reaching into her cloak, she removed two items from the deep pocket on her right. A squat bottle with dark-purple liquid and a black glass bowl with a series of strange marks etched into it. "I found an incantation to apply in conjunction with dream walking and thought projection. We will ask to be shown either the source or solution to the problem."
"Either? Why not just one?" Tiehro asked, his frown deepening. "Doesn't this open us up to confusion?"
"Because we don't know what is or isn't connected to another person. There has to be someone that we reach for this. Besides, how hard would it be to sort out which one it is? It's safer this way. Trust me. I've worked it all out. You just need to do what I say."
Rhea hugged herself, uneasy. Salanca never needed help with mindreading. Her dream walking and dream weaving abilities were at such a profound level even as a child that it was a Neyeb elder who lovingly referred to her as the Tapir when he brought her to the home. In the past months, she had been expanding those skills into more arcane pursuits. A prickle of unease curled up her spine. "What exactly would we be doing?"
"Excellent question." Salanca pushed the table to the back of the room and kicked the rug aside. "It's very simple. We make the preparations and drink this special serum that will intensify our abilities. I will make the connection and send us forward to the source or solution, Tiehro will bolster it, ground it, and project it into Rhea's mind, and Rhea will interact with whoever it is and bring back the report."
"Salanca, we have no idea where this person is or if they even exist," Tiehro responded. "And if it is so simple, why wouldn't the Paras have done it or even the Council of Elders?"
"Because they didn't have this." She tapped her fingers on the black glass bowl. "Trust me. All right? Besides, it would take time to get it to them, and then you know how much time it would take for them to determine what could be done and how and whether it would be wise. And I don't know about you, Tiehro, but I don't want to go back into those dreams."
"I don't either," he said tightly. "But I don't want either of you hurt. This puts Rhea at tremendous risk. She is the one whose mind will be connected to this person."
"If there's a problem, she can end the connection, and we will pull her back. We'll pull her back regardless if it takes too long." She placed her hand on his arm, her fingers curling over his dark-green sleeve. "The only reason this is not dangerous is because it is the combination of our specific abilities. Because of you, we have far stronger power and focus. That is what your new sodiwa wants from you, yes? Because of me, that power and focus can be focused in the right place. And because of Rhea, we will see beyond the veil and understand what is happening without having to diminish either of our focuses. This is so perfect, it is as if we were destined to do this."
Rhea tightened her arms over her chest. "This isn't part of the Forbidden Arts, right?"
"Dream walking and thought projection form the foundation for so much of the Neyeb and Tiablo tradition," Salanca responded. "Without them, we would lack most of our abilities. There's nothing forbidden in using them."
"But what happens if Rhea is exposed and bound to someone evil?" Tiehro snapped. "You and I will be safe. She's the one who will be seen. There's too much we don't know. My strength and focus have been waning."
"It's better than nothing," Salanca responded.
"It could damage or kill you! Either of you. What if the answer is beyond our reach? What if it takes us beyond my ability to ground and yours to channel? I would rather die than see either of you harmed."
"Tiehro…" Salanca started, pinching the bridge of her nose as if she didn't know where to begin.
If this remained unchecked, one day her family would collapse and never wake again. Rhea hugged herself tighter. “I’ll do it.”
“See!” Salanca gestured toward her, her face brightening though her expression seemed rather crazed with her bloodshot eyes. She scooted the low table back and then grabbed for the seat cushions. “Now you have to help, Tiehro. It’ll be far more dangerous if it’s just Rhea and me.”
A muscle jumped in his jaw as he looked between them, arms folded tight over his chest. "All right. But no unnecessary risks."
Salanca scoffed as if such a thing was unimaginable. She then instructed them to help her finish moving the furniture back to give them plenty of space in the center of the room. After that, they put the sitting cushions in a triangle on the floor, and each sat. She uncorked the vial with the purple liquid and offered it to Rhea. "Each of us needs to drink this. It enhances our abilities."
The glass bottle weighed heavy in Rhea's hand. She turned it over, watching the dark liquid slosh within. It smelled like tart raspberries.
"You remember how to cut the connection in dream walking and thought project, yes?" Tiehro asked softly, his gaze fixed on her. "Always look for the walls."
She nodded. One of the advantages of having a Neyeb spirit sister and Tiablo spirit brother. "I remember." Drawing in a full breath, she took a mouthful. At first, it tasted only like raspberries, then it became muddy, then once again it became like raspberries, the final note turning to something far more acidic and similar to a bitter red wine. She grimaced. Already her mouth was uncomfortably dry. "I don't suppose we can drink anything else?" She passed it to Tiehro as she wiped her mouth.
"Afraid not." Salanca held out her hand as Tiehro took his swig and pulled a dramatically perturbed expression. "Don't be such a child about it."
