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Morio took hold of ht "It’s okay, Camille It’s okay"

I shook hiod That means that…the ooze…the water and the creature…"

"Must be parts of him I’m not sure about this, but Camille--" Shade held his hand up as I started to protest some more "Calm down You may just have netted us soe to mind-touch Gulakah, we can learn froether, I leaned against S I wasn’t sure why the idea bothered me so much Maybe it was that Gulakah reminded me of Hyto, only worse Gulakah wanted to be feared and revered He was terrifying, and his energy arped and twisted, a lot like Hyto The gods weren’t all that ons

But Shade was right If I could reht the Lord of Ghosts, it would help us I strained to recall anything I hadn’t already told the I reh "If there is any way…if we could only go into your mind and see what you saw…"

I shuddered I’d already had someone root around in my head, and I wanted no part of that

"Maybe you’ll re the subject

I tossed a glance at S

"I’ll do one on today that all I wanted was a chance to go ho ahead Training under Aeval was difficult at best, and I needed to recharge and calm down before I headed out to Talamh Lonrach Oll

We arrived home I asked Delilah to phone Chase and tell him e’d found out She nodded, and I headed upstairs, nixing any company I wanted to be alone, to relax Smoky and Morio went out to work on Iris’s house, while Trillian took over in the kitchen, helping Iris and Hanna fix lunch

As I filled the bathtub ater and poured in carael, the bubbles frothed up While the tub filled, I went into the bedroom and stepped out of my skirt, unfastened my corset, and shi around, and she looked up at , then padded behind e of the tub and petted her, y that surrounded her spirit It wasn’t the sa cat, but it felt softer, and--in soh h my ears

"Today freakedinto o out to Talae I’reen eyes, she let out a purp

"Life is getting e of the tub beside hteen months since Jocko died and we first found out about the de worse And Menolly and Delilah and I all have our separate paths to which we also have to devote tier, Misty There’s more to do And less ti afraid of who’s just around the corner, waiting to destroy the world But I guess…there’s no going back, is there?"

Misty cocked her head, then rubbed against ain and jumped back onto the floor The tub was full, so I turned off the water, as--with one last tap onthrough the door

It had seeh the walls, but noas used to it Lighting several candles, I di a deep breath as the heat registered through ratefully into the mass of bubbles, leaned back, and closed ho ofho eic caught both of us up in its grasp…Then I flashed on Delilah and how far she’d come over the ties becay and sound, I felthow tired I really felt, I settled deeper in the tub Breathing deeply, I leton a shore of some alien world--at least it felt alien The sky was silver, and the water gunray As I scanned the horizon, I realized that I knew this place I was just seeing it from a different perspective A dark cloud settled over my mood as I realized I was back in Gulakah’s od?

I shivered, wrapping lanced down Naked, of course Because I was naked in the bathtub It began to register that I wasn’t feeling the overwhel sense of fear I had before

A a trip down memory lane?

I prayed it was the latter--I really didn’t want to play psychic footsie with a god of drearandeur Well, perhaps they weren’t delusions--he was powerful--but he’d abused his power and that hat got hi’s territory

Get real I have to be strolling through my memories, or I couldn’t keep up this sort of rational prattle By now, if this were real, I’d be back swi on the theory that I’m safe, let’s have a look around

I had only seen the faint outline of the shore when I’d actually been in Gulakah’son it Which meant that either I had to know about it so, I turned to the open sea The gray waves crested against the shore, leaving a sickly foam behind I knelt down and stared at the lacework residue Why gray? But I knew the answer During the tih, and the sky was an unending silver

There was never any change, from what Shade had told us Since Gulakah had been the Lord of Ghosts there, of course his energy would be filled with the silvery mist The sa about that thought registered as important I tried to reason it out

Ghosts…Ghosts are left over and out of place--spirits who haven’t moved on They’re unnatural, out of step with the Eternal Return

As I knelt on the edge of an ocean of nightod out of step--a god who didn’t belong in the natural order He’d sought to increase his pohich would have put him even more out of sync with the Netherworld, because all realot out of balance…

"Very good, Cahtnext to ant as a diamond necklace She was a little taller thana beaded corset in shades of ivory and silver Her skirt was long and flowed to her ankles--the color of mist Beneath a headdress--silver and croith crystal antlers--her hair flowed to her knees, its color caught bethite and ice, and her eyes were deep black, with silver flecks