Page 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
I blinked at Lucifer. “Scuba gear,” I repeated. Not a question I expected to hear.
“On second thought, if I were in your shoes, I suppose I would consider a form of magical enhancement for a visit to Kuei-Hui. Manmade materials might not cope with the journey.”
My stomach roiled. “Why do I get the sense this isn’t a tropical island with tiny umbrella drinks?”
“No such luck, Lorelei, my sweet. Are you familiar with the Han?”
A memory surfaced. “Chinese in origin. The waters where the five islands of the immortals were located.”
“Yes, the key word there is ‘were,’ past tense. Kuei-Hui is a bottomless pit in the sea where one of the islands sank.”
“What happened to the others?”
“Nobody knows.”
“Am I supposed to single-handedly unravel the world’s unsolved mysteries?” I was good, but I wasn’t Hercule Poirot good .
“On the island that sank is a tablet that was buried. I want that tablet.”
And now I understood his generosity. “You actually want me to succeed this time.”
“I have a vested interest in the outcome, yes.”
“If the island is in a bottomless pit in the sea, how likely is it that the tablet stayed buried?”
“It’s a mystical place, Lorelei,” he snapped. “Use your imagination.”
I finally managed to rile the unflappable Lucifer. Score one for me. “What’s on the tablet that you’d prefer that over Kane?”
“There’s still a third trial, don’t forget. Why not have both?”
I’d never been scuba diving, let alone had any gear to use. “You’ll really let me use magic for the underwater portion?”
“It isn’t personal. Having you drown en route doesn’t serve me.”
“What’s on the tablet?” I asked again, knowing it didn’t matter. If it meant saving Kane from an eternity of suffering, I’d retrieve it.
“The destiny of the world, allegedly. It’s been said that the one who possesses the tablet will become all powerful.”
The words ‘Lucifer’ and ‘all powerful’ didn’t belong in the same sentence. “You’re already the supreme leader of hell. What more do you want?”
“Whatever there is.” His smile was so cold, I shivered in response.
“Aren’t you worried that I’ll become all powerful if I’m the one to claim the tablet?”
“You care too much for Kane. You wouldn’t choose to activate the tablet’s power. That contract is signed in both of our blood, remember. ”
If I was all powerful, maybe I could null and void the contract. I kept that nugget to myself.
Lucifer pondered me. “No more questions? No concerns to express about delivering the ultimate power into my terrible hands?”
“What would be the point?” Naturally, the idea terrified me, but that would have to be a problem for Future Lorelei. The first order of business was saving Kane, then we’d tackle the Lucifer issue together.
Lucifer handed me a scroll. “The information you need to find the tablet is on this paper.” He smirked. “Try not to get it wet. I doubt the ink can withstand it.”
I unraveled the scroll and reviewed the contents. “If it’s so straightforward, why haven’t you done it yet?”
“Who said I haven’t tried? No one I’ve sent has ever returned.” The edges of his mouth curved slightly. “Then again, the stakes for them weren’t as high as they are for you.”
His words didn’t inspire confidence. “How long do I have?”
“I’ll grant you twenty-six hours for this particular endeavor. You can access the entry point through the crossroads.”
“Another door?”
“Perhaps a window this time. Keep things interesting.”
Bastard. I retreated into the house and slammed the door in his face.
I studied the information on the scroll and laughed. The only information it included was the general topography of the land and even that wasn’t particularly helpful. Without the exact location of the tablet, I’d be searching for a whisper in a storm. How could I be expected to find it in the time allotted?
Pops hadn’t lingered on Chinese mythology. His primary focus had been on Western deities, which I now understood given my heritage. I hadn’t heard of a tablet of destiny either. The closest comparison was a Sumerian tablet of fate, but it didn’t make sense for a Sumerian tablet to be buried on an island for Chinese immortals. This had to be a lesser-known tablet.
My shoulders sagged as I entered the kitchen, where the ghosts immediately swarmed me.
“What did he give you?” Ray asked.
“A treasure map.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Nana Pratt said.
“I need to find a lost island in a bottomless pit and dig up a buried tablet that gives the possessor unlimited power.”
The elderly ghosts wore matching frowns.
“Okay, that sounds pretty bad,” Nana Pratt amended.
“I’m allowed to use magic for the underwater part, so I’ll need to ask Phaedra for another favor.” I pulled out my phone and clicked her name; I didn’t have time to spare.
“Hey, how’s it going?” Phaedra asked.
“Trial two. This one requires magical intervention.”
“Tell me how I can help.”
I did. Phaedra promised to deliver the result to me personally as soon as possible.
“Thanks, Phaedra. I couldn’t do this without you.” I couldn’t do any of this without help. Love was a chain reaction; my willingness to act out of love for Kane resulted in others acting out of love for me. A verb, just like I told West.
My next call was to Kane to update him on the details of the trial. He listened wordlessly to the point where I thought the call had been disconnected.
“Hello?”
“I’m here.”
“You’re quiet.”
“Picture me biting my tongue. ”
“Say what you need to say, Kane. Communication is the key to a healthy relationship.”
“There will be no communication if you’re dead.”
I sighed into the phone. “I’d much rather hear that you believe in me.”
“You know I do, but this is too risky. The island has been abandoned since ancient times. You know what that means.”
“No indoor plumbing?”
“Monsters, Lorelei. The island will be overrun with powerful creatures that have lived unchecked for centuries. That’s likely the reason no one Lucifer has sent has ever returned.”
“I have experience with monsters, Kane.”
“Forfeit the trials. Let him take me. You can work on a plan with Josephine and Dantalion to set me free. Rope in the Assassins Guild if you have to.”
“You think trying to rescue you from Lucifer’s territory would be easier than this? He’ll be ready and waiting for us.”
“Dantalion and I managed it once.”
“Exactly. Lucifer wouldn’t let it happen again. His ego won’t allow it.”
Kane fell silent.
“If this tablet is what he says, maybe there’s a way I can use it against him.”
“I doubt that very much.”
“Worth a shot.” When he didn’t comment, I asked, “Are you still with me?”
“Always.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I need to prep. I’ll see you soon?”
“Yes. What can I do to help?”
“You already did it.” I hung up.
“I found information on the islands,” Ray announced.
I hadn’t even realized he’d hopped on the decrepit computer that took up half the kitchen counter. “Anything that will help me find the tablet?”
“Not yet, but I’ll keep looking.”
“Thanks, Ray.”
Two images shimmered near the table. Gun and Cam were at the gate, pretending to be mimes. Gunther was trapped in a glass cage and Camryn was trying to walk on a windy day.
“Hilarious,” I murmured.
I walked to the porch and waved. “You two can bypass the ward, you know.”
Camryn peeled off her jacket and hung it on the coat rack. “And pass up the chance to mime? Never.”
Gun entered the house and immediately stuck out a boot-clad foot. “What do you think?”
“It’s a boot.” A crimson-colored one with a flame painted on the side, but still a boot.
He huffed and named a designer I’d never of. “It’s from his new collection.”
“I think they’re gorgeous,” Camryn said. “I’d wear them myself if I didn’t have such dainty feet. Wearing boots would be like wearing cement blocks.”
“I’m glad you’re happy with them.” I glanced over his shoulder.
Gun zigzagged a finger between us. “What’s this? Why are you looking for someone else when I’m right in front of you.”
“I’m waiting for Phaedra.” I explained my need for a magical underwater breathing device.
“This trial involves water?” Gunther barked a laugh. “Better try those cards again, cousin.”
Cam punched his arm. “No need to rub it in.”
“You consulted the tarot cards about my trials?” I was oddly touched. “That’s sweet, Cam.”
“No biggie. I wanted to see if there was anything we could do to help. Give you a heads-up about a monster or whatever.”
“Hard to help when you can’t even identify the topography correctly.”
Camryn whipped out a card and held it up to him. “One more comment like that, Gunther Saxon, and you’ll be at the receiving end of the Hanged Man.”
“Ooh, I’m quaking in my designer boots.”
Camryn pressed her lips together in consternation. “I don’t think the cards were wrong.”
“We’ll let Lorelei be the judge of that.” Gunther turned to me. “Why do you need an underwater aid?”
I filled them in on the details.
The lines across Cam’s forehead deepened. “That sounds incredibly dangerous.”
“Did you think he would send me to Hawaii to bring back one of those lava rock necklaces?”
Cam perked up. “Too bad. That would look great with your coloring.”
“While we’re on the subject of accessories, can you wear a patch, pretty please?” Gun asked, batting his unfairly thick eyelashes.
“Why would I wear an eye patch? I’m not a pirate just because I’m sailing the high seas.”
“And you’re looking for buried treasure.” He shrugged. “If the booty fits…”
“I’ll need full access to my vision to find a lost tablet, thanks.”
“You can at least humor me by taking your cutlass.”
I sighed. “Yes, because this trial is all about humoring you.”
Gun’s lips thinned. “I’m trying to keep a sense of humor about this whole thing. Be a good friend and play along. ”
“This is awful and I’m feeling every second of it.” Camryn dumped half the box of Nerds down her throat.
“What happened to no carbs?” Gun swiped the box from her hand. “No more sugar for you today.”
Nana Pratt took the opportunity to set a plate of muffins on the table. She was nothing if not persistent.
“Do you want me to sage the house while you’re gone?” Cam asked with a tone of hopefulness.
Gunther’s upper lip notched. “There isn’t enough sage in the world to get rid of Lucifer’s negative energy.”
“I agree with Gun,” I said. “And he’s likely to show up again anyway, so you’d only have to repeat the process.”
Gun squeezed my shoulder. “I like your optimism.”
“That Lucifer will be back?” I asked.
“No, that you will.”
“Do we know anything about the missing island?” Camryn asked.
“Only that the one I need is in a bottomless pit,” I said. “And the tablet is buried there. Ray has been on research detail.”
The ghost’s silence following my statement suggested he still hadn’t found anything useful.
Gun examined one of the muffins. “Aren’t you worried about handing over the tablet to Lucifer?” He bit into the muffin and started to choke.
“Of course.”
“The muffin must be too dry,” Nana Pratt said. “Gunther needs a glass of milk to wash it down.”
Gunther likely needed something stronger than milk to combat those flavors.
The ward activated and an image of Phaedra rippled in the kitchen. My spirits lifted as she made a thumbs-up gesture. Phase one complete .
“My magic is here.” I hurried to greet the witch at the door.
Phaedra offered a broad smile as she reached the porch. “Mission accomplished.”
“You don’t have to force a happy face,” I said. “I know how much this sucks.”
Her face relaxed. “Thank the gods.” She rubbed her cheeks. “My mouth was exceeding its natural limits.”
“Come in. Cam and Gun are in the kitchen. He’s trying to persuade me to dress like a pirate for this excursion.”
Phaedra suppressed a laugh. “I mean, a bottle of rum wouldn’t hurt.”
“That’s my theory,” Gun said, as we entered the kitchen. “This is going to be a painful experience no matter what. Might as well have fun with it.”
Phaedra set a small atomizer on the table. “This should help.”
Gunther picked up the bottle to examine it. “Eau de shark bait?”
Phaedra directed her response to me. “It’s basically a waterproofing potion. Spritz yourself and your weapons before you enter the water and you’ll be fine.”
Gun handed the atomizer to me. “She’ll be dry, but will she be able to breathe?”
“Yes. She’ll be in her own protective bubble.”
“What if she has to fight underwater?” Gun asked. “Her sword might stay dry, but it won’t be much use.”
Phaedra looked at me. “Do we have any idea what kind of monsters might be down there? Because all I can think is a giant sea serpent.”
“According to my research, there are all manner of sea creatures that infest the waters where the island is said to be located,” Ray said.
I turned to glare at him. “I’m not repeating that. ”
“Why not?”
“Because saying it out loud makes it real.” I’d fought my share of monsters, but I didn’t relish the experience. Besides, the memory of Kumbhakara was still raw.
“How long will the magic last?” Camryn asked.
“As long as she needs it to,” Phaedra said. “Contact with water will activate it.”
“Thank you,” I told her. “You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”
Phaedra waved me off. “It takes a village.”
Cam toyed with the atomizer. “Fairhaven seems to require a lot more support than the average village.”
“Worth it,” Gun said. “It has a library, a secondhand bookstore, and a coffee shop.”
“And it’s the only home we’ve got,” Phaedra added.
“Not Lorelei,” Cam pointed out. “She could run off to the underworld and spend her days frolicking through the fields of Elysium, or whatever they’re called.”
I fixed her with a deadpan expression. “Do I strike you as someone who frolics?”
“If you end up there, you might want to learn,” Camryn said. “There might not be much else to do.”
“I have no intention of ending up there. Fairhaven is my home now.”
Gun made a ticking sound. “You have a lot of countdowns running, Lorelei. I get tired just thinking about them.”
“One clock at a time.” Today was the tablet and nothing else; it was the only way I could manage the stress that accompanied my issues.
“Inch by inch, life’s a cinch,” Nana Pratt said in a singsong voice.
Gun glanced at the microwave. “Speaking of clocks, what time will Kane be here to pick you up?”
“Any minute now. Let me grab my weapons first. ”
“We’ll walk you out,” Phaedra offered.
I felt like I was in a parade of mourners as we exited the house.
“Try not to look so worried,” I told them. “Lucifer wants me to succeed with this one.”
“Except no one ever has,” Gun reminded me. “Not even Lucifer gets what he wants all the time, otherwise he’d have found Kane ages ago.”
Camryn swatted her cousin. “Up tempo only.”
Phaedra pulled me in for a hug. “Stay safe, friend. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”
“I’ll be thinking of you,” Cam said. “Except when I’m thinking about Leo’s biceps.”
Gun gave me a dour look. “That will leave very little time for you, I’m afraid.”
Kane’s car pulled alongside the curb. He waited in the car until I’d finished my goodbyes. He drove to the woods in pensive silence. I made up for it by babbling like an idiot about the atomizer and the tablet.
Finally, I stopped blathering and asked, “What are you thinking?”
He pulled off the road and ground to a halt. “That I shouldn’t have gotten involved with you.”
My stomach rolled. “Excuse me?”
“I knew it was a bad idea, yet I couldn’t help myself.” He slammed a fist on top of the steering wheel. “And now I’ve subjected you to this.”
“You haven’t subjected me to anything. Lucifer has.”
“I won’t be able to live with myself if anything happens to you.”
I curled my fingers around his fist. “Our fates are tied together now, Kane, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I live; you live.”
He forced his gaze to mine. “And if you die… ”
“I won’t. I’m a goddess, remember? It will take a lot more than the isle of misfit monsters to defeat me.”
Kane shifted in the driver’s seat, cupping my face in his hands. “You were able to bring light to this dark soul. I know I should have more faith. I just don’t trust Lucifer, and this tablet…”
I pressed a finger to his lips, effectively silencing him. “One step at a time. I complete the trials, then worry about whatever power this tablet allegedly has.”
“I’ve been thinking… There’s something I’d like you to consider while you’re down there,” he said.
“Whether purple is, in fact, the new black?”
The hint of a smile touched his lips. “If our fates are tied together, then why not our mailing addresses?”
It took me a split second to grasp his meaning. “You want to live together?”
“I’ve been content on my own for a long time, Lorelei, but the truth is that I am far happier when we’re together. I’d like to make the most of whatever time we have on this earth.”
“We’re immortal, Kane.”
His thumb grazed my cheek. “And it took me this long to meet you. I hate to think of all those years wasted. At this point, the end of time won’t be enough. I’m a greedy bastard. I’ll still want more. No need to answer me now,” he added quickly. “I only want you to consider it.”
My heartbeat thundered in my ears. “How about we stay alive in the present? Then we can focus on the future.”
I leaned forward and kissed him, for what I hoped wasn’t the last time.