“Oh.” Ray stepped back. “You really know your step temples.”
“Just this one,” Kammani said. “You must tell Sharrat there is nothing wrong with it.”
“Well, there is,” Ray said. “That relief was added later.”
Kammani went very still. “Yes, it was carved into the wall, much later.”
“No,” Ray said. “That wall was added later. It’s a false wall.”
“Yes,” Kammani said, measuring her words. “The chamber for the priestesses is behind it.”
“No,” Ray said stubbornly. “That wall is a new wall covering an old wall.”
Kammani smiled. “Have you told Sharrat this?”
“Who?”
“Shar,” Kammani said, keeping her temper until she knew if she’d have to kill him. “Have you told Shar?”
“No,” Ray said. “I was going to meet her here today.” He looked around. “She’s not here, right?”
“Good.” Kammani took a step closer. “So you know Shar well?”
“Uh.” Ray looked down at her and began to perspire. “Well, we used to, uh…”
“I see,” Kammani said. “You were lovers.”
“Well, yeah,” Ray said.
“Until Sam came,” Kammani said. Ray scowled. “You know Sam?”
“He is my … ex-husband.”
Ray made an exasperated sound. “Man, that guy gets in everywhere.”
Kammani let that one pass and took another step closer to Ray. “He broke my heart.”
Ray looked down at her, so close, and swallowed. “Bastard.” He frowned. “So he’s no good for Shar.”
I’m right here, Kammani thought, but she smiled and said, “I will show you the secret room behind the wall and we will talk.” She slipped her hand through his arm and pulled him gently toward the door to her chamber. “I’ve been very lonely without Sam.”
“Uh…”
“Have you been lonely without Shar?” she said, looking up at him with all the intent she could put in her eyes.
“Well, I have my work.…” Ray met her eyes. “Oh. Oh, well, yeah.”
“We have much to learn from each other, Ray,” Kammani said, guiding him toward her door.
“Okay,” Ray said. “Say, didn’t I see your picture in the paper?” He snapped his fingers. “You’re that new self-help guru with the cable show. I bet you can teach me a lot.”
Yes, and while you’re learning it, you’re going to forget about that wall. Kammani looked down at Umma. “Stay.”
Umma looked back, silent and unflinching.
Damn dog, Kammani thought, and then sent some extra energy to the rainstorm, seeing it in her mind as it swelled the rivers and lakes.
Let them vaccinate against that, she thought, and led Ray into her chamber.
Daisy hurried through the rain, holding her hand over her head, shielding herself as best she could from the downpour. She ducked under the tiny awning in front of Noah’s apartment building, hit Noah’s buzzer, and waited; there was no answer. Crap. She hit the buzzer once more, and was met with silence.
He wasn’t home. Where the hell was he?
Off with Kammani, plotting to take over the world, she thought, then sighed. Since her mother’s visit the day before, things hadn’t been right. She’d been distant, he’d been wary, and the sex had been good but tentative, as if all the things she hadn’t been saying had somehow wedged between them.
She hit the buzzer twice more, but there was still no answer. Oh, come on. I skipped out early on work to deal with this; the least he can do is be here.
But he wasn’t. She turned around into the rain, running down the empty sidewalk with her head down, hoping to find him waiting for her at the coffeehouse, and she barreled right into someone who caught her before she bounced off his chest and fell to the ground. She looked up and her entire existence lightened at the sight of him.
Noah.
“Hey, you,” he said, smiling as the rain pattered down on him, not seeming to care that he was getting soaked. What kind of guy just didn’t care if he got all wet?
A minion. Minions never care if they get wet.
Stop that.
“Hi,” she said, swiping at her face. “I left work early. … I mean, I thought I’d come over and…” A big, fat raindrop hit her in the eye, and she sputtered. “What is up with this rain?”
“Come on,” he said, taking her arm. “Let’s get you out of those wet clothes.”
She went two steps with him and the anxiety hit in her gut as she thought, No. Then there was a crack, and the thunder rolled, and she pulled her arm back. He stopped to look at her, his smile fading as the lightning flashed again.
“Daisy?”
She raised her eyes to his. This had to stop. She had to come clean, tell him everything, beg his forgiveness for all her suspicions, and get over it. If she didn’t do it now, they didn’t stand a chance, and she wasn’t willing to risk that.
“I need answers,” she said, then swallowed hard. That wasn’t what she’d meant to say, but as the relief rushed through her, she knew it was what she needed to say.
Noah took a step closer as the rain started to beat down harder and said, “What?”
“I need you to tell me what you know!” she shouted over the rain.
He watched her for a moment; then his smile disappeared. “About what?”
“About Kammani.” She looked at him, forced herself to say the words. “I need you to tell me.”
“Tell you what? Daisy…” He shook his head, ran his hand through his wet hair. “Look, come on inside where it’s dry and we can—”
“Are you working with her? Do you worship her and she needs us and so you’re making me fall in love with you to get me for her?” She sounded crazy, and from the way Noah was looking at her, he’d picked up on it. People rushed into the building past them and the rain started coming down in earnest.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“How long has your family known Kammani was coming? Did Mina bring her back? How? Why did you really teach that class? Did you know about the bees, and the measles? And where were you just now? Were you with her?”
He stared at her, then shook his head. He pulled a piece of paper out from the inside of his jacket and held it out to her. She took it and glanced at it but couldn’t read the handwriting in the rain. She tucked it in her jacket to keep it out of the rain and looked up at him.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“I went to see one of my saner cousins, and she gave me that. I thought it might help you, or whatever.” He shook his head. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. I’ll talk to you later.”
He turned around and headed toward his building. Daisy watched him for a moment, shock and fear running hot and cold through her. How dare he walk away? Wasn’t she important to him at all?
And the answer she’d been afraid of since that day in the courtyard hit her.
No.
She stood in the rain, staring after him, trying to process it all. She’d been right; he’d been lying. He was in league with Kammani. He’d never cared about her. He’d never—
Before she realized it, she was rushing after him. She caught the door before it closed, and slid into the lobby behind him just as two flashes of lightning cracked hard outside, followed almost instantly by sharp blasts of thunder.
“Look,” she said, grabbing his arm. “I’m sorry if I’ve offended you or whatever, but what did you expect? You lied to me.”
“When did I … ?” he started, then shook his head. “What, because I didn’t tell you that my family believed a goddess was going to rise? Seriously?”
“Yes, seriously,” she said. “Noah, you just expect me to accept everything when my whole life is turning upside down and—”
“I never expected anything. I tried to get you to talk to me, and you said everything was fine, even though it obviously wasn’t, so don’t dump all that on me.”
&nb
sp; “Well … but … you … ,” she sputtered, trying to get ahold of her righteousness, which was getting damned slippery. “I mean … I don’t know. Maybe it’s Kammani. Maybe she put the whammy on you. She made Abby go all Renfield, and she’s releasing swarms and sending plagues—”
“What?” Noah said. “The measles thing? That was Kammani?”
“It wasn’t Dick Clark.”
His expression tightened. “And you think I was part of that?”
Daisy shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t know. But that’s why I need answers from you, and it bothers me that you won’t tell me.”
“No, it’s not that I won’t tell you,” Noah said. “It’s that there’s nothing to tell and you won’t believe me. And you know what? That’s your problem.”
He slammed his thumb on the call button for the elevator and Daisy stood behind him, feeling cold and wretched as doubt started to seep in through her wet skin. Outside, the clouds gathered in tighter as the rain pelted down, darkening the lobby.
“So that’s it, then?” she said. “You’re just going to go on upstairs and leave me here?”
“That’s the plan,” he said stiffly.
“Good plan,” Daisy said. “Makes a lot more sense than staying here and talking this out with me.”
He turned and looked at her, his eyes hot with anger. “Hey, I’ve been bugging you to talk about this, and you shut me down, every time. Then you come to me and accuse me of … god only knows what. I can’t even follow your logic anymore. So what is there to talk about?”
“A lot,” Daisy said, her throat tightening in her desperation to find some solid ground she could stand on. “With everything that’s gone on, what do you expect from me?”
“I expect you to think about someone besides yourself for a minute.”
Daisy felt struck in the chest, and her breath left her. Outside, the rain seemed to silence, or became such a steady white noise that she didn’t hear it anymore. All she could hear was the sound of her own heart beating cold in her chest as Noah stared at her, looking like a man who’d finally said exactly what he meant.
“What the hell?” Daisy said when her breath came back. “I have been thinking about other people. That’s all I think about. Abby, Shar, Bun, Gen. The people in this town.” She felt her throat start to close with the emotion. “And Vera. I told her to drink that punch, I told her everything would be fine, and now … How can you say I haven’t been thinking of anyone else?”
“Exactly,” he said. “You told her to drink the punch, so even her death is about you.”
“What is that supposed—?” she started, but the elevator door opened. Two people got out, walking around them as they each held their ground. The elevator doors closed, and Noah waited until the people were gone before speaking again.
“Vera died,” he said, his voice low and even, “and that sucked. But maybe it was her time and if she hadn’t been in the temple, she would have choked on a chicken bone or gotten hit by a bus. And if she had died from something that had nothing to do with you, would you even care this much?”
“How can you say … ?” She blinked heavily, her stomach knotting. “Of course I would care.”
He nodded but didn’t seem to believe her. “Look, I get that things are confusing for you. You got power and you don’t know what to do with it. Fine. But I’ve been right here, all along, and you’ve been keeping all this stuff in, concocting scenarios in your head and slamming me with accusations when you can’t take it anymore.” He shook his head and released a breath. “I’m just a bit player in your show, Daisy, and it’s getting a little old.”
Oh my god, she thought, horror cutting through her in a fiery swath. I’m Peg.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
He held up his hand. “Forget it, okay?”
“Noah—”
The elevator dinged and the doors opened; this time, it was empty. Noah stepped inside and Daisy stood where she was, waiting for him to motion her in, but he just kept his eyes on the floor and let it close between them. Daisy stood in the lobby, her thoughts whirling around her so fast she almost forgot where she was until another crack of thunder sounded outside and suddenly the chill in the air and the sound of the thudding rain became overwhelming.
“Goddamn it,” she muttered, and reached inside her jacket, pulling out the paper Noah had given her. In the light, out of the rain, it was easier to read.
Banishment Chant—Ereshkigal was scribbled across the top in a woman’s handwriting. Daisy read the rest of it, twice, not really sure what it was, but pretty sure Shar would have a good guess.
“Hey,” a voice said, “are you going up?”
Daisy looked up to see a man and a woman, drenched but happy, holding the elevator door open for her. She knew she needed to go up and see Noah, to thank him and beg his forgiveness and tell him that she was the stupidest human being on the planet, but she was too close to tears and she didn’t want to see him like that. It wouldn’t be fair to him, and the least she could do after all this was be fair.
“No,” she said. “Not yet.”
“Oh.” The woman smiled. “Okay. Be careful if you go out. It’s damn near apocalyptic out there.”
The man laughed and took her hand, and the two of them grinned at each other as the elevator doors closed on them. She and Noah had been happy like that, for the nanosecond before she’d screwed everything—
Apocalyptic.
Daisy blinked and looked outside; the rain was coming down in sheets now, the puddles running down the street so large that they almost joined together.
Swarm. Plague.
“Flood,” Daisy said, then shook her head. No. Storms like this happened all the time in the summer. But still … She folded the banishment chant and carefully tucked it in her back pocket, then pulled out her cell phone and dialed Shar.
“You’ve reached Professor Summer—” the voice mail said, and Daisy shut her phone and took a breath. Being crazy and paranoid had caused enough problems; she needed to go home, take a bath, and gain some perspective. If, in the morning, things still looked bad apocalypse-wise, she’d get Abby and they’d find Shar together. And then, if Kammani didn’t kill them all, she could work things out with Noah.
One thing at a time.
She pushed out of the lobby and walked out into the rain, trying to convince herself that it wasn’t the end of the world.
She was only marginally successful.
Kammani heard the doors to the temple scrape again, wrapped herself in her robe, and left Ray sleeping as she went to see who it was, some of her rage spent on him in sexual fury.
But not all of it.
“I did what you asked,” Mina said, coming to stand before Kammani, her chin up and her dog under her arm.
Mort said, “Heh heh heh,” and Kammani waited for Umma to snarl at him, but the little dog was silent.
“You went to the coffeehouse,” Kammani said.
“It’s not a coffeehouse; it’s a temple,” Mina said, sounding fed up. “They even have a painting on the wall for worshipers. I took a picture with my cell phone. Look.”
Kammani took the phone and looked at the tiny screen. The picture was small, but it didn’t have to be big; she could see the three figures in the mural, see how they were posed, Three-as-One with bowl, spindle, and sword, and her blood ran colder than it had while she was sleeping under the sand.
“Destroy it,” Kammani said, looking out into the distance. They must not find out. “Destroy that place.”
Mina blinked. “Did you take your pill?”
“Do not do this,” Umma said.
“There will be no more pills,” Kammani said, thinking of her waistline. “Destroy that temple before the sacrifice at dawn tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Mina said. “Look, it’s a bad idea to quit those pills cold turkey. They—”
“Destroy that temple.”
Mina nodded. “Sure, you bet. Uh, they’ve got an ope
n mike night tonight, so it’ll have to be after midnight, and it’s a storefront, so there are, like, stores on each side of it—”
“This is wrong,” Umma said.
“Level it,” Kammani said. “Make it dust and ashes.”
“No,” Umma said.
“You got it,” Mina said. “Now seriously, about this flood—”
“Go,” Kammani said, and Mort hehed as they left, leaving the door open behind them.
It was not wrong; it was good. A people could not stand with competing temples; it led them to destruction and war and desolation—she felt the desert within her stir again—it had led to her downfall the last time, and the world had gone to hell. She had to destroy the temple to save herself; she had no choice.
“It is good,” she said to Umma, still staring at the door. “This will bring the Three to the temple for the sacrifice tomorrow. They’ll be angry, but they’ll come, and it will all be as it was.”
When Umma didn’t answer, she looked down and realized the little dog was gone.
Bikka and Umma. Both gone.
“It doesn’t matter,” she whispered. “I don’t need dogs.”
And then, for the first time in four thousand years, she walked up the steps to the altar. Alone.
SEVENTEEN
Shar came out of the history building after her last class and found that the gentle drizzle had changed to a downpour. She thought, Oh, hell, and then walked through the rain, letting it hit her skin and make her blue sundress heavy, breathing the heavy wet smell, her feet pattering on in the gleaming, wet stone as she went down the steps. It was lovely, warm, real, it set the beat in her brain moving again, and her blood pounded in her ears as the pressure built and twisted inside her, and even though she’d learned to control herself in the past three weeks, now she looked around and thought, Nobody’s looking. I could have this one. Then she thought about Sam, maybe waiting for her in her stone bedroom, and banked up all that good stuff to keep her tingling on the way home.
A good long walk home in the pounding rain. Maybe she wouldn’t wait.
She held on as she went down the last flight of steps—coming on stone steps could be fatal—and then she saw Sam at the bottom, leaning against a blue Toyota Highlander as relaxed as if it weren’t pouring.
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