"I'm on my way."
The rose bushes at the front entrance were pushing out pink tightly furled buds, and hellebores and grape hyacinths filled a large lavender vase on a table in the hallway.
Forked Lightning walked straight into the kitchen, drawn by the odor of freshly-brewed coffee.
Eva lifted the coffee jug as he entered. "Milk and two sugars, right?"
"Three. Three sugars."
Eva added a third heaped teaspoon and stirred with more energy than needed.
"You’re doing a great job. Tat would be real pleased to know the business is continuing despite her absence. Er… is he here yet?"
"Yep. Upstairs."
Forked Lightning gulped his coffee with an appreciative sigh. "The room smudged?"
"Sage and cedar, like you asked. Like always."
He grinned. “Well, you know, just checking. Jimmy ready?"
"Yep."
"Close and lock the doors, at least for the duration. Kohana's in charge and he's got a guard on the place, just in case, but I’m sure we’ll be fine."
"And I've kept Corwin in the loop to cover all the bases. Is this going to work?”
“We’re gonna give it our best.”
Jimmy entered via the back door. "Got one for me, babe?" he asked. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head, and squeezed her shoulders.
She leaned into his chest and looked up at him with affection. "Sure.”
Forked Lightning, blinked a few times, and swallowed the lump suddenly blocking his throat.
As if she read his mind, Eva turned to him, “Why don't you go on up? Jimmy and I will be up in a sec."
“Good idea.” He threw back the rest of his drink and headed upstairs.
Tatya lay as he’d seen her the last time he was here. Eva had combed her hair, and the long red-brown curls lay across her chest in a neat plait.
Vanse sat on the far side of the bed, an expression of such tender yearning on his face, that the lump rose in Forked Lightning’s throat again. The vampire looked up, and took in the pain in the young man’s gaze. “She has been unconscious for too long already.”
“I haven’t detected any signs of stress,” Forked Lightning commented. “Fill me in on how we’re going to accomplish this.”
“The first time we fought Angelus, Changing Sky suggested linking together to channel our combined energies, and we were successful. Today I propose to adapt the same strategy. I have no idea if this will work or not, but it’s worth a try. Even if we don’t succeed, by agreeing to try, you will have completed your part of our agreement.”
“Delivering justice and getting my revenge on Serkan hasn’t taken away the pain of my loss. Bringing Tatya back, if we can, might ease my grief. I know it’s what Leyla would want me to do. I miss Tat. She was a good friend.”
“She still is,” Vanse responded.
“So how do we do this? I already tried to make one spirit journey to find her. Without success.”
“Oh, I disagree. You achieved an unquestionable measure of success.”
Forked Lightning tilted his head to the side, baffled, then laughed. The previous attempt enabled him to remove the knife and the master vampire had woken from his year-long coma.
“Is your bond with Tatya active?” Vanse asked.
“Yes, but her presence is faint.”
“But it’s there?”
“Yes.”
“Good. We’re both linked to Tatya. With Changing Sky, we stood in a circle holding hands. My understanding is that physical touch amplified the bonds. I propose we lie either side of Tatya, both holding her hand, and you and I will hold hands across her body. That way we’re touching her and each other which may enable you to create a strong enough tie to me, and you can lead me to the astral plane where we search for her.”
Forked Lightning grunted as he considered the idea. “Sounds more than crazy,” he said. “But what have we got to lose? Any chance we’d be able to hurt Angelus in the process?”
“If he has taken her, that possibility will arise.”
A knock on the door and Eva and Jimmy entered. Eva carried the small drum under her arm. “We have a plan,” she announced. “I’ll start drumming, and Jimmy and I will trade off, an hour each. We’ve also got a recording of the drumming—Tatya thought it might be a market we should explore—and we can set that to replay when we rest. I guess it depends on how long the whole process takes."
“And none of us knows the answer to that question.” Forked Lightning looked at Vanse. “Ready?”
In response, Vanse lay down on the bed next to the window, stretched out his legs, made himself comfortable, and took hold of Tatya’s hand. “Say the word.”
Forked Lightning copied the vampire and stretched out on the nearside, struck by the heat of Tatya’s hand. “Okay, let’s do this.” He reached out and grasped Vanse’s free hand. A shiver of revulsion ran through both, but faded as they rested their joined hands across her waist. “Okay, Eva. I’ll say drum when I’m ready, but I need to focus first. Give me a minute. Vanse, I suggest you do the same. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing.”
The room quietened as the vampire obeyed, inhaled a lungful of the sage and cedar scents, and coughed violently for several minutes.
Eva sat cross-legged on the floor by the door with the drum on her lap.
Forked Lightning sank into himself, and concentrated on his breathing. He waited till his errant thoughts subsided, his senses withdrew from the external world, and his mind was directed inward. “Drum."
Eva straightened and tapped a slow steady rhythm.
Forked Lightning raised his shields and extended them over the two bodies lying next to him. To his inner eye, Tatya's pale blue aura was more transparent than the last time he’d seen it—not a promising sign. He could also see where her link to Vanse shone much stronger than her bond with him, but the vampire's lack of an aura was striking. He could see Vanse lying on the bed, his body a ghostly outline but no aura. He hoped this wouldn’t create problems on the astral plane. His link with Tatya gleamed with a faint silver patina.
Strengthening his shields, he remembered Tatya’s instructions as he prepared for travel, and visualized a canvas bag filled with dried fruit, nuts and bottles of water. The first time Tatya had told him to do this, he'd laughed at the notion of his subtle body needing sustenance, but after she'd led him to her mountain top sanctuary, they'd had a picnic, and the experience had been exhilarating. Yes, he could also manifest food as he desired on the astral platform, but doing the exercise beforehand strengthened his abilities.
"Are we starting soon?" Vanse sounded impatient.
"Tatya taught me to prepare with care, and that's what I'm doing. Be patient."
The vampire grunted.
Forked Lightning gathered himself, tested the strength of the new connections, and when satisfied they would hold, he pushed up and out of his body. The physical touch, and the connection through Tatya held, but could feel Vanse’s presence as a dragging sensation, and the thump of Eva’s hand striking the drum disturbed his concentration. Usually by now, the drumbeat had faded from his awareness. Damping down his irritation, he breathed deep, and tightened the bond between Tatya, Vanse and himself by weaving strands of golden chain around the nexus, as Tatya had when she taught him how to doubly ensure their safety in these joint journeys. He focused and rose again, but his attachment to Tatya and Vanse blinked out with each strike of the drum. He opened his eyes and growled. "Sorry Eva, it's not working."
"Is there a problem?" The vampire pushed himself up on one elbow and looked over toward the shaman, his eyebrows drawn together.
"I hope not, but Tatya always led our spirit journeys.” He glanced over at Vanse. “Maybe the mix of the drumbeat and you doesn’t work? You’re a dead weight. Sorry, no offense meant."
"None taken. I’ve been called much worse in my life."
"Eva, I want to try without the drum. I know it's risky, and it'll make me depen
dent on Vanse’s connections to return, but his connection to Tatya is stronger than mine, and he has solid bonds with his family. As long as he’s alive and healthy, we should be okay. This way, it'll be easier for you and Jimmy to monitor us."
"It is a big gamble—but you're the boss. We’ll be here praying for you all."
Forked Lightning and Vanse resettled themselves, closed their eyes and breathed deep. The shaman relaxed into trance once more. Without the drum beat, Tatya's connection shone more brightly, and Vanse’s weight no longer slowed him. Pulling the vampire with him, he soared upward to the astral plane.
Chapter Twenty-Three: A Close Encounter
Tatya and Nepta blocked the entrance to the cave using one of the larger boulders nearby, with the imp—her skinny arms as solid as the surrounding rocks—doing most of the pushing. Afterward, they lay side by side on the cold floor, huddling close together for comfort and warmth, but the Barghest hunted them through their dreams. They rose before dawn, glad they could no longer hear the dreadful howling.
“What is that stuff?” Tatya asked as Nepta scattered a tiny amount of the black substance behind them.
“When Angelus gave me to that troll, she said I needed training, and if I blinked the wrong way she punished me.” Nepta lifted her jerkin and turned around.
Tatya gasped, sickened at the sight of the imp’s scar and scab-covered back, where several slashes were too recent to have properly healed.
“I'm a slow learner, but see—not a single mark on my face, arms or neck. She was a thoughtful, if spiteful, bitch. Anyway, one of my jobs was trimming her claws, and I decided to keep them. I ground them down into powder, and I was going to slip them into her drink, you know, just for fun. But, here, smell, the stink is strong enough to cover any scent we leave.” She waved her hands in Tatya’s direction.
“No, thanks,” Tatya took a quick step backward, her nose wrinkling at the fetid stink wafting toward her, “I’m sure it works.” She remained silent as they tramped away from the cave, appalled at Nepta’s treatment, and not surprised the imp was eager to escape. The wonder was she’d put her life at risk to help Tatya. They nibbled on a few paltry crusts, ignoring the urge to run as fast as they could. Instead, they maintained a steady pace and conserved their energy.
During the morning, the high steep ridges reduced to small hills, and at last they stood on the edge of a flat bog of ruddy moss that stretched to the horizon. Behind them lay the dark ominous mountains they’d just crossed, their tops crowned with crimson clouds.
“The portal is on the other side of this bog,” Nepta said, peering anxiously around. “I’ve heard the guards talk about this place.”
“Anything in particular we should watch out for?”
“I know my mistress disliked being on patrol out here.”
“Oh well, frying pan and fire and all that. Here goes.” She stepped gingerly on to the ruddy moss, noting the bright red patches riddling its surface. If the nights were freezing, the heat of the day was stifling, and sweat dripped down into their eyes as they plodded eastward.
“Don’t tread on those bits,” Nepta warned, pointing at a spreading red plant. “They’re not poisonous, but they give you a rash that spreads over your body, and itches like crazy.” She giggled. “You should have seen her face the day she tripped and fell face forward into the stuff.”
The next minute Tatya stepped onto what she thought was firm land and found herself waist deep in muddy slime.
“Oh, and watch out for those mottled patches of red and green. That scum grows on top of the mud holes.” Grasping Tatya’s wrist, she dragged her out, accompanied by a loud sucking noise as the muck reluctantly released her. “Many of those holes are only ankle deep, but there’s others we’d never climb out of.”
The mud dried in the warm air, cracked and flaked off, but the sense being watched weighed heavily on Tatya’s mind.
“What's that?”
Tatya looked to where Nepta pointed and spotted a dark cloud moving toward them. “Rain?” she suggested.
“A solitary cloud? And I don’t know much about your world, but on mine normal rain clouds don’t move that fast, nor in a straight line like that.”
They squinted into the sun, watching the black shape grow larger.
“Listen,” said Nepta, tilting her head sideways.
As the darkness expanded, an ominous buzz increased in volume.
“You’re right. It’s not a cloud. That noise reminds me of insects we have on my world.”
“Insects? What’s an insect?”
“A little creature with lots of legs, sometimes wings and they often bite. But ours are tiny, and from what I can make out, those look huge”
The humming grew, filling the air and setting their teeth on edge.
“Run!” Nepta grabbed Tatya’s arm, and they fled before the horde of flying creatures. Splashing in and out of shallow pools of mucky glop, they ran, slipping and sliding, and dominated by the urge to get away before the creatures caught up with them, Careless of where they put their feet, they stepped into a mudhole, and the next minute were sinking rapidly. The thick slop soon rose to Tatya’s chest. As Nepta was smaller, the muck reached her neck in no time.
Tatya managed to raise one arm out of the mud, and hold it above the surface.
“Don’t move. The more you struggle, the faster you sink,” Nepta said as the sludge crept up her chin.
“Where’s the bottom?” Tatya yelled, frantic as she sank deeper, watching the sludge reach Nepta’s lips. Her toes touched the bottom, and she stretched out her free arm and clutched the only available part of the imp not covered by the mud’s obsessive grip—her thick springy curls.
Nepta let out a high-pitched shriek. “Ow! Let go!”
“If I let go, you’ll sink underneath. I’m already standing on my tiptoes.”
The horde drowned out her words as they arrived.
They were similar to mosquitoes, but had heads the size of melons, abdomens as long as her arm, with serrated proboscises that would drain her in seconds. The whirr of their iridescent wings pushed waves of hot sulfurous air into their faces.
“Hold on!” Tatya yelled, as the swarm flew over them.
Minutes later the creatures disappeared into the distance.
“That was close. This disgusting stuff stinks so bad it must have hid our smell.”
“Tatya, please, do something. Your arm’s dropping, I’m sinking, and you’re about to remove a chunk of my scalp.”
They both wanted to forget the next half hour as soon as possible. Tatya had, step by tiny step, on her tiptoes, crept toward the edge of the mud hole, dragging Nepta by her hair. She hadn’t dared let go or try to grip any other part of the imp's body or clothing, because she was afraid once she released her grasp, Nepta would sink below the surface, and she wouldn’t have enough strength to pull her up again.
At last they lay gasping for breath on the dry mossy bog, as Nepta massaged the tender spot on her scalp.
The giant mosquito-like creatures had long departed, and silence reigned except for the wind blowing eerily over the empty land.
"We've got to get moving." Tatya muttered but as she looked at a bedraggled Nepta, the spectacle of the mud and slime covered imp with her curls sticking out on one side, she burst into a fit of giggles.
"What’s funny?"
"You." Tatya couldn’t speak she was laughing so much. "You look like a worm that's just wriggled to the surface."
"Well, you're no better." Nepta grinned her eyes widening as she stared at Tatya. "Look at yourself. You're glowing."
Tatya looked down to see her body blazing with light. She gasped. Her whole body shone, and her link to Vanse blazed with potency. A wave of joy flushed through her at the thought of him. At once she became aware of another familiar presence joined to Vanse's—Forked Lightning, and she knew what they were doing. Somehow the knife had been removed, Vanse was awake and whole, and he and Forked Lighting were making
a spirit journey together. They must be on the astral plane searching for her. If she got to the portal before Angelus caught her and Nepta, she would find them, and they could go all go home.
"Tatya," Nepta cried, "stop doing whatever's making you glow. You're a like a great big beacon telling Angelus where you are. Please, turn it off, or at least turn it down. That glow is hurting my eyes."
Tatya damped her power. Nepta was right, but it wasn’t easy to deny this essential part of herself, and she craved the warmth and love of the connection with Vanse. Now she felt complete, invigorated and grabbed the imp, squeezing her in a bear hug. Vanse was alive, and he and Forked Lightning were looking for her. During the brief flash of connection, she sensed a disturbance within Forked Lightning. She briefly wondered if Leyla had given birth by now, and hoped Leyla and the baby were healthy. She now had access to her power, but the Bandrui hadn’t returned. She shivered. Here, with Angelus not far away, she wished she had their comforting presence. At the thought of the demon, the urge to move before he or any of his minions captured them returned in force.
"Hey, I can see the glow of the portal. Come on, it’s not far now, Nepta. Quick, let's move."
Tatya grabbed Nepta's arm and they stumbled forward, hurrying as best they could. The gunk from the pool had dried in a thick layer from their necks to their ankles, hindering their movements, and small chunks sloughed off as they quickened their pace.
"What's that?" Nepta glanced behind her.
"What's what?" But Tatya heard it too. The ground vibrated as something heavy thundered across the land.
"Look. There." Nepta pointed behind them.
Tatya looked at where the rosy rays of the engorged wine-colored sun illuminated a fluid shadow moving toward them at an unnatural speed.
They lurched on, ignoring the terror behind them, desperate to reach the portal, but it stood some distance away.
Tatya glanced back to see their pursuers gaining on them, and froze as the nebulous darkness resolved into shapes.
Dullahans.
A memory of standing on the roof of St. Raphael’s with Vanse and Changing Sky, surveying Angelus's hordes, rose in her mind. Now, two dozen or more of the gruesome harbingers of death bent low over their black horses riding them hard. The heads they held under their arms hypnotized her, their eyes flicking here and there, and their gruesome smiles stretching wider as they homed in on her.
The Kala Trilogy: An Urban Fantasy Box Set Page 60