Belladonna

Chapter Fifteen

Michael looked at the creatures waiting in the street, then pulled Sebastian back inside the bordello and firmly closed the door. The pushed-in faces and tufted ears made the things look like mangy but somewhat loveable critters—if a person overlooked the razor teeth, the powerful arms and upper bodies, and the curved talons that could gut a man with one swipe. And that was just the front half. The back half looked like a draft horse version of a bicycle, complete with saddlelike seat, but lacking wheels. Of course, since the things were floating above the ground, the lack of wheels wouldn’t trouble them. But it was that last detail that was a little too much for him.

“That’s the transportation you arranged?” he asked.

“Demon cycles,” Sebastian replied too agreeably.

“You expect me to straddle one of those things and put the family jewels within reach of its teeth and claws?”

Sebastian’s lips twitched as he glanced down at Michael’s groin. “Is that what you’re packing under your belt?”

“You know what I mean. Don’t you?” He wasn’t going to make assumptions about what these people did or didn’t know. Not after having breakfast with Teaser and hearing the incubus’s ideas of how the world worked.

“If they were interested in any organs, it would be your heart and liver, not your penis,” Sebastian said, opening the door. “Come on. You’ve got a ways to go today.”

“Well, isn’t that just grand,” Michael muttered as he followed Sebastian.

When he swung a leg over the demon cycle, he wished Lynnea and Sebastian had found him some broken-in hand-me-down clothes rather than these new ones that felt a little too stiff to be comfortable. Or maybe it was his feelings that were a little too stiff. He could count on one hand the times when he’d had a truly new garment in the past dozen years, and here they were giving him a whole new set of clothes. And he hadn’t done any luck-bringing on his own behalf to bring it about!

Then he scolded himself for being ungrateful. He was a stranger from another land who had dropped in among them with a story of a lost sister and a battle with a terrible monster. Instead of running him out of town, they had given him clothes and a place to stay, had loaned him a travel pack and filled it with basic supplies, and were cleaning up his gear from its dunking in the bog so that it would be ready for him when he got back from this bit of the journey.

If he got back from this bit of the journey.

None of them said it, but it was there, unspoken, under everything they did say.

He might have enjoyed the new experience of riding a demon cycle if he really believed Sebastian and Teaser’s assurance that the creatures didn’t harm the people they’d agreed to transport.

He didn’t consider “they usually don’t eat their passengers” to be sufficient assurance. “Demon cycles are safer to ride than waterhorses” wasn’t much comfort either since the whole reason the horse-shaped demons gave humans a ride was to drown their victims.

But if he survived this and found his way home again, he’d have a story that would buy him a meal and a bed in any inn he chose to stay at, and an always-full glass in any pub he walked into.

When they reached an odd spot in the dirt lane, Sebastian told the demon cycles to stop, then looked at Michael. “Which way do you want to go?”

Michael studied the land ahead as best he could in the available moonlight. The dirt lane ran straight ahead, but the odd spot was nothing more than a bump of road that formed a half loop, reconnecting to the straight lane. At the midpoint of the half loop were two boulders set far enough apart to allow a wagon to pass between them.

“What’s the difference?” Michael asked.

Sebastian pointed to the straight lane. “If we go on that way for another mile or so, we’ll reach the border that connects the Den to the waterhorses’ landscape.” He pointed to the half loop. “That’s a stationary bridge that leads to Aurora, which is where we have to go in order to reach Sanctuary.”

Michael stared at Sebastian. “I’m in a part of the world that’s nowhere close to home. I know that. I can feel that. But you’re saying that a mile down the road I can pass between a couple of stones and end up within walking distance of a village I’ve stopped at once each season for the past ten years?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

He’d met some crazy people in his travels, but he’d swear by the Light that Sebastian wasn’t one of them. Which meant he could be back in Elandar, no more than a long day’s walk from Dunberry. Not that he’d go to Dunberry. Not anymore. But…

“If I make that choice, I won’t find Caitlin Marie, will I?” Michael asked.

“Probably not.”

And I’ll never find Belladonna. An unshakable certainty rang through him. If he didn’t make this journey, he would never find the woman who haunted his dreams.

“We’ll go on to Sanctuary.”

Sebastian nodded. “Best clear your mind of everything but the thought that you need to cross over to Aurora.”

“Teaser said these stationary bridges only go to specific places, so you can be certain of where you end up when you cross one of them.”

“Nothing is that certain in Ephemera,” Sebastian replied. He tapped the demon cycle on its shoulder. “We’re crossing over to Aurora.”

“Do we need to hum a particular tune?” Michael asked.

The demon cycles jerked to a stop, and they and Sebastian looked at him with the same quizzical expression.

“I had to hum a note when passing between the Sentinel Stones in order to get from the Merry Makers’ bog to the Den,” Michael mumbled, feeling his face heat as Sebastian continued to stare at him. “So I just wondered.”

“That spot between the Merry Makers’ landscapes and the Den is a border, not a boundary,” Sebastian said.

Michael’s only response was a lift of his shoulders to indicate the explanation lacked any useful information.

“A boundary requires a bridge,” Sebastian continued blandly. “A border is a place where two landscapes connect without need of a bridge. They’re usually marked with stones just to make it easier to find the spot.”

“So what was the humming all about?”

Sebastian shrugged. “They might have had a reason for you to do it, but it had nothing to do with reaching the Den.”

“That ripe—” Michael caught himself and considered the wisdom of roundly cursing one demon in the presence of another, larger demon. That he was riding. Not to mention that the man escorting him was at least part demon. “As you say, there was probably a reason.”

“Indeed.”

He could hear the laughter in Sebastian’s voice. Fine. Grand. Let the ripe bastard laugh at him. Wouldn’t be the first time someone had laughed at him.

“Aurora,” Sebastian said to the demon cycles.

Aurora, Michael chanted silently. Aurora. We need to reach—

Sebastian and the demon cycle passed between the stones and vanished right before his eyes.

“Lady of Light!”

Even though he’d done this twice now himself, seeing someone else disappear was more frightening somehow. If he’d had time, he would have jumped off the demon cycle, but they were passing between the stones before his brain could tell his body what to do.

Then…

“Arrgh!”

Michael ducked his head and closed his eyes against the sudden daylight. When he could see again, he looked around—and swallowed hard.

They weren’t in the same place anymore. Close enough by the feel of the land that, if he’d been walking a circuit back home, he might have considered the distance between the two places as a reasonable bit of travel. But nothing was reasonable in this part of the world, and it finally started to sink into his heart and brain that he was a lot farther from home than could be measured by something as simple as distance.

“Does that still lead to the Den?” Michael asked, tipping his head to indicate the straight lane.

Sebastian shook his head. “Follow the lane from this side and it will take you to the road that goes to the neighboring village, which can be reached without using a bridge. When the Landscaper initially altered the landscapes a few weeks ago, there was a border between Aurora and the Den. A bit unusual since one is a daylight landscape and the other is dark. But it turned out a border was a little too easy to cross, so a bridge was put in to keep the mothers in Aurora from worrying overmuch that their sons—or, worse, their daughters—would be slipping over to the Den.”

“But some still do.”

“Some do.”

“If that’s a stationary bridge, why can’t all of them go the Den?”

Sebastian smiled. “Even with a stationary bridge, you have to resonate with the landscape in order to cross over.”

He heard the message. “You’re saying I resonate with the Den.”

Sebastian tipped his head in acknowledgment. “Like I told you last night, no one comes to the Den by mistake. Shall we go?”

Michael didn’t see the signal Sebastian gave the demon cycles, but as they neared a tidy cottage, the creatures swung to one side, keeping to the edge of the cleared property before heading into the woods. The cycles followed a footpath, the kind of shortcut that was made by friends and neighbors in order to reach each other’s houses instead of taking the long way around. At a fork, they followed the part that curved to the right. When the path ended, Sebastian hesitated, then swung away from the house and grounds that must have been the usual destination in order to reach another path that ran through another patch of woods.

The demon cycles finally stopped on the edge of a clearing with a pair of stones Michael was starting to recognize as a bridge.

“Whose house was that?” he asked.

Sebastian dismounted and walked toward the stones, leaving Michael little choice but to follow.

“My aunt’s,” Sebastian replied. “My cousin Lee has a cottage nearby.”

Probably reached from the left-hand fork in the path. “And your cottage is the one near the bridge between Aurora and the Den.” When Sebastian nodded, Michael felt a pang in his heart. Family living in the same village, their homes connected by well-used paths in the woods. Distant enough for privacy, close enough for comfort. And not together out of need or duty, but because they enjoyed each other’s company. What would it be like to live that way instead of following a pattern of rootless wandering?

“That’s a resonating bridge,” Sebastian said, pointing to the space between the stones. “Keep your mind focused on why you want to reach Sanctuary, and you should get there.”

Michael stopped adjusting the straps of the travel pack Sebastian had loaned him. “Should?”

“A resonating bridge can take you to any landscape that resonates with your heart.”

“I suppose that’s a comfort,” Michael said, eyeing the stones.

“Is it? Do you know every facet of your heart, Magician?”

Michael shivered, suddenly comprehending the magnitude of what he was about to do and how many things could go wrong.

The Heart of the Bog stepped closer. “You are worthy of what you seek, Magician. Remember that.” It tapped Michael’s chest above his heart. “In here.”

The memory steadied him, even though he wasn’t sure why it should. “All right. I’m ready.”

“On you go, then.”

Michael waited a beat. “You’re not coming?”

Sebastian shook his head. “You have to find Sanctuary on your own. When you cross over, you’ll see a large building nearby. That’s a guesthouse. Someone there will be able to help you take the next step.”

Michael held out his hand. “Thank you for all you’ve done. And for the loan of the pack. I’ll get it back to you.” Somehow.

“It’s a kindness,” Sebastian replied as he shook Michael’s hand. Then he stepped back. “Travel lightly.”

“How do you know the Traveler’s Blessing?” Michael asked, startled.

“It’s called Heart’s Blessing in this part of the world,” Sebastian replied. Then he smiled. “There’s hope for you yet, Magician.”

Hope. Heart’s hope lies within Belladonna. I need to find Belladonna.

Taking a deep breath and blowing it out slowly, Michael walked between the stones.

Sebastian stared at the empty space between the stones. “Guardians of the Light and Guides of the Heart, if he is who I think he is, keep him safe on this journey.”

Turning away from the stones, he walked back to the demon cycles. “I’m going to visit my auntie, so you two should go back to the Den.”

He could almost feel the friction caused by bits of demon cycle brain rubbing together to spark a thought.

“Cottage?” one of them finally said.

“Lynnea’s still at the cottage.”

They left him without a second thought, zooming through the woods at reckless speed in order to get to the cottage.

Sebastian set off at a leisurely pace, enjoying the quiet of a crisp autumn morning as he followed the almost-hidden path that would take him back to his aunt Nadia’s house.

He just hoped Lynnea wouldn’t be annoyed at him for the unexpected company. And he hoped Dalton, who had been a guard captain in Wizard City and was now working as a law enforcer in Aurora, wouldn’t have a reason to cross over to the Den and inquire about the whereabouts of missing livestock, since they both knew that if the demon cycles were responsible, missing livestock translated to thoroughly eaten livestock—although the farmer did find a hoof and the end bit of a tail the last time Dalton had felt the need to come calling. And the three demon cycles that had given him, Lynnea, and Teaser a ride to Nadia’s house on that particular occasion had rattled for days, sounding too much like bones and hooves being shaken in a metal barrel.

Not that he’d mentioned that detail to Dalton. When a man was the Den’s Justice Maker, as well as being an incubus and wizard, he had a more flexible definition of law enforcement than the men who performed similar duties in the daylight landscapes.

Reaching Nadia’s house, he gave the back door a perfunctory knock before he opened the door and stuck his head in the kitchen. “Anyone flying around in here?”

No one flying, but the stranger standing near the kitchen table spun around and dropped the cup and saucer she’d been holding.

“Who are you?” the young woman said in a shrill voice. She darted around the table to put it between them. “What do you want here?”

Sebastian was in the kitchen with his right hand halfway raised to call the wizards’ lightning when Nadia rushed into the room.

“Caitlin, darling, what’s the—Oh.” Nadia stopped, then brushed her hair back with one hand. “Sebastian. I didn’t hear you come in. Caitlin, it’s all right. Sebastian is my nephew.”

Caitlin.

Sebastian lowered his hand and took in the young woman’s details. A little younger than Lynnea, but the same height and general size. Same color hair but straight instead of wavy—and very short. No one would mistake one face for the other, but seen from the back, he could understand Michael’s error.

Oh, Guardians and Guides.

He walked out of the kitchen and ended up in front of a flower bed that still had some late-blooming plants. He just stared at them, even when Nadia caught up to him.

“Sebastian.” She sounded harried and a little breathless, and he wondered what sort of emotional mess he’d left behind in the kitchen. “What is going on?”

“That’s Caitlin Marie, isn’t it?” he said, keeping his eyes fixed on the plants rather than looking at his aunt. “Her hair is so short because she cut it off. That was the tail of long hair we found a few days ago.”

“Yes. Lee found her in the bonelovers’ landscape. She had altered the landscape enough to create a protective circle that kept the bonelovers from reaching her, but that’s all she knew how to do. And even that was instinctive rather than a true understanding of what she was doing. She held on and held up until Lee brought her here. Once she truly believed she was safe, she…fell apart. Just as well that she did it here where my will dominates, so she’s not manifesting.”

“I didn’t talk to Jeb directly when he came to deliver Lee’s message,” Sebastian said. “He met up with Teaser near the edge of the Den and said Lee had gotten back safe and sound. I don’t think Jeb mentioned the girl, Caitlin.”

Nadia drew in a deep breath, then blew it out in a huff as she frowned at Sebastian. “Then how did you know who she was?”

“I just saw her brother Michael off on the next stage of his journey. He’s heading for Sanctuary, so he crossed over the resonating bridge near here. He’s searching for his sister—and Belladonna.” He finally looked at his aunt. “I almost brought him here. I figured you would be up by now, so I almost brought him to the house so you could see him, talk to him. If I had, he would have found his sister, and maybe he would have chosen not to go on to Sanctuary.”

“He wouldn’t have needed to. Lee intends to drop in on Glorianna to tell her about Caitlin and ask her to come here to meet the girl as soon as she can.” Nadia paused. “Why didn’t you go up with him? If a stranger shows up asking to see Belladonna, no one at Sanctuary will tell him anything or ask her to leave her island. He’ll have made the journey for nothing.”

“He’ll be able to see her,” Sebastian said, turning back to stare at the flowers since that was easier than facing his aunt. “If he’s worthy.”

She gasped. “Oh, Sebastian. You sent him there to be tested by the river?” When he nodded, she put a hand on his arm, a silent command to look at her. “Why?”

“I painted him, Aunt Nadia,” Sebastian said, obeying the command. “With her.”

Nadia remained silent and frozen for a moment. Then she blinked with slow deliberation. “Moonlight Lover.” She pondered for a moment. “You saw him in a dream?”

“A waking dream, yes, and never clearly enough for the details, which is why his face is in shadow. But I recognized the feel of him. Gave me quite a start when he came to the Den—especially after I learned he’d ended up here after fighting the Eater of the World.”

Nadia’s hand clenched on his arm before she regained control and released him. “Well. I’ll still have Lee take a message to the island, but we’ll wait until midday.”

“Aunt Nadia.” He’d made the decision, and he would stand by it. “I liked him well enough, but I’m not sure I trust him. I—” He felt his face heat a little. “Sometimes I become aware of…things…without actively trying to link with someone through dreams. Romantic daydreams, I guess you could call them, that slip in under my guard.”

She blushed as she realized the implications of what he was saying. “Do you still…? You’re married, Sebastian.”

“I know that.” He closed his eyes, trying to recapture the feeling that had washed through him, giving him the inspiration for the painting. “She’s lonely, Aunt Nadia, and the romantic side of Glorianna’s heart…”

“I know,” Nadia said softly.

“After I met him, I started wondering if the inspiration for painting him as the fantasy lover had come from a yearning flowing in the currents of Light…or if it had come from something in the Dark.”

Nadia’s breath caught.

“There are things he didn’t say last night, reasons he’s looking for Glorianna that he didn’t share. So I’m not sure I trust him. But a person can’t lie to the river. If it lets him reach the Island in the Mist, we’ll know he’s worthy of what he seeks.”

Nadia pressed her fingers against her eyes. Then she lowered her hands and sighed. “Should we tell Caitlin her brother was close by?”

He considered that for a moment, then shook his head. “There’s no reason to tell her anything about Michael until we know if he survived.”

“I’m sorry,” Caitlin said as Lee gently pushed her hands aside and began picking up the broken pieces of cup and saucer. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s just a bit of crockery, Caitlin Marie,” he said.

“But it’s your mother’s bit of crockery.”

He gave her a look that was friendly and exasperated. Not like a brother. Not quite. But not like the boys in Raven’s Hill had looked at her either. He liked her, but he didn’t want her, didn’t expect anything from her. He was a friend. Just a friend.

The relief of that made her eyes fill with tears.

“Ah, don’t go getting weepy over a broken dish,” Lee said. “Especially when you did us a favor by breaking it.”

Caitlin sniffled and blinked back tears.

“Do you think these are pretty?” Lee asked, holding up half the cup.

“No.”

“Neither do we. And we’re pretty sure Mother doesn’t like them either, but she’s developed a stubborn streak about using them as the everyday dishes. And since we’re not company, we get stuck with them. We’ve been fairly subtle about it, but we’ve accidentally broken almost enough of these things for her to pack up what’s left and start using the set of dishes we bought her as a wedding present when she and Jeb got married.” He paused. “She was getting suspicious about the sudden clumsiness when someone besides herself washed the dishes, so you did us a favor since she can’t accuse you of doing it on purpose.”

“Still, they’re your mother’s dishes.”

“We could pack them up and send them home with you.”

“I don’t want them.” The words came out so fast and so emphatic that she startled them both. And it wasn’t practical. There was no telling if anything had been saved from the fire. She should welcome being given a few dishes to help her and Aunt Brighid set up housekeeping again.

But she didn’t want these dishes. Really, really didn’t want them.

Lee grinned, as if he knew what she was thinking—and was maybe planning on how to give them to her at a time when she wouldn’t be able to refuse.

Caitlin sniffed again. “Do you think breaking a dinner dish or two would be enough to get the rest sent up to the attic?”

“That might just be enough,” Lee agreed. He dumped the pieces into the trash container, then fetched the broom and dustpan to clean up the rest.

They were sitting at the table, sharing a plate of sweet rolls and a pot of koffee, when Nadia walked back into the kitchen.

Something happened out there, Caitlin thought, watching the older woman for a moment before glancing at Lee. Yes, he saw it, too, but he was understanding more.

“We pulled the sweet rolls out of the oven,” Lee said. “They browned up a bit too much, but they’re still good. Isn’t Sebastian coming in?”

Nadia fetched a cup and poured koffee for herself. “He had to get back to the Den.”

Lee took a sip of koffee and watched his mother. “I’ll go to the island right after breakfast.”

“I’m making soup for our midday meal,” Nadia said. “Wait until later so you can take some to your sister.”

Later. Ever since she’d arrived here yesterday, Nadia had been promising that they would send a message to Glorianna first thing in the morning because Glorianna would be able to explain things in a way Nadia could not. Now that promise was being bent, the message was being delayed. Why?

Because something happened out there. Caitlin looked out the window at the garden.

She had been so young when her mother died; she didn’t remember the death itself, but she remembered the feel of the people around her—the hushed voices, the things that were said with nothing more than a look or within a silence.

That same feeling filled the kitchen now. Nadia and Lee knew something, but they weren’t going to tell her. Not yet.

And they wouldn’t tell her as long as she acted like a weepy child instead of a grown woman strong enough to face the world.

“Would you like some help making the soup?” Caitlin asked.

Nadia studied her for a moment, then smiled. “Yes, I would.”