Much as I love small talk with a demigod, I’d really rather be either hugging my kid or getting advice from my Dad.
“What are you doing here, Anubis?” I ask.
That thirsty look gleams in his eyes. “I think you can guess.”
He’s right. I can.
“You want me to dreamscape with Nefer again.”
“Yes, I do.” He shakes his head. “Believe me, I’d convinced myself it was over. I thought I didn’t need to see her again. But after yesterday?” The lines of his face tighten with pain. “I must see her. I can’t leave things the way I did.”
“Why do you need me, then? Can’t you walk over and visit her?”
“My power is limited to gateways,” explains Anubis. “Your dreamscapes act as a gate between realms, so they fall into my domain. I can easily hide who dreamscapes with whom. However, walking around Hell means passing into Armageddon’s realm, and there, I can’t hide my actions. Should Armageddon ever discover the truth about Nefer and me, she’ll be sent to the torture pits in a heartbeat.”
I nod slowly. “Understood.”
Anubis’s face brightens. “You’ll help me, then? I only need to speak with her for a few minutes. It won’t take long.” His eyes are all pleading and watery, but I’m low on sympathy today.
“You already know why I can’t help you. I’m tracking down Nefer’s intel about a royal abduction, so I can’t lose any time now.” I eye him carefully. “Unless you’re willing to make a trade.”
“Name it.”
“You’ll owe me a favor.”
“What kind of favor?”
“I’ll let you know when I know. But considering that the royal abduction rumors involve Armageddon, you can bet it will have something to do with him.”
Anubis rubs his neck. “Fine. One favor.”
“Good, you’ve got two minutes.”
Lincoln loops his hand around my waist. “Do you want me to go with you?”
“No, I’d rather if you went to watch Maxon. I’d feel better knowing that one of us is with him.”
Lincoln kisses me gently on the forehead. “Be safe.” He steps toward the door, pauses, and then turns to Anubis. “If this scheme of yours hurts my wife in any way, I will hunt you down and destroy you utterly. Do we understand each other?”
Anubis chuckles, but there’s no humor in his laugh. “Yes, I do, actually.” When he next speaks, his voice comes out as barely a whisper. “I know what it’s like to feel so strongly for a woman.”
My heart goes out to the guy, er, demigod. He really has it bad for Nefer. Turning on my heel, I march down the hall, waving for Anubis to follow me. “Come on, buddy. Let’s go find your girl.”
# # #
Once again, I summon my dream-version of Purgatory’s Arena. This time, making the connection with Nefer is easy-peasy. Within seconds, she stands in my virtual stadium. Kiya sits on her shoulder, his yellow eyes glowing with an inner light.
“It’s a pleasure to see you again,” says Nefer.
“Same here.”
“Not sure why you summoned me, however. I’m afraid I’ve nothing new to tell you.”
“No worries.” I shrug. “I didn’t summon you to talk.”
Nefer’s pulse starts pumping so hard, the veins in her neck throb. “Then, why am I here?” Based on the fact that she’s about to go into cardiac arrest, I think Nefer knows exactly why I summoned her.
“One guess, Nefer.”
The earth rolls and buckles beneath our feet. Then, it bursts apart. A circular wall rises from the broken ground to enclose Nefer and me. Just like before, the round structure is made from a shifting fabric of slithering vines. A section of the wall pulls apart, reminding me of curtains parting on a stage. Anubis races through the new opening, stopping only when he stands right before Nefer. They stare at each other, their mutual energy filling the air.
Damn, these two need a room.
I rub my palms together. “My work is done. When I leave, you two can hang out here as long as you want. Whenever you’re ready for the dreamscape to end, just wake up your real-selves.”
“Please don’t go yet,” says Nefer quickly.
Anubis looks like someone kicked him in the gut. Suddenly, I’d rather be anywhere else than here. “Actually, I need to vamoose.”
Nefer pins me with her big blue watery eyes. “Please, Great Scala. Don’t leave me alone.”
“He’s not going to hurt you.”
“He could.” She’s totally grasping at straws now. “People get injured in dreamscapes all the time.”
“True, but we all know that won’t happen.”
“Please.” Her teary face makes my pity-meter go into overload. Damn, I’m such a sucker.
“Fine, I’ll stay. Two minutes, that’s what I promised Anubis.”
“Thank you,” says Nefer.
Anubis’s mouth trembles with disbelief. “Why don’t you want to be alone with me?”
Nefer shrugs. “There’s nothing new to say.”