Entanglements (30 page)

“So,” Zen acknowledged with a nod. “If that’s true then the palace you're seeing through the psychomanteum could be Buckingham Palace in their version of London since that was the residence of Queen Victoria and her family."

“We don’t know that for certain.” Senji black brows converged in a frown.

“It’s all we have to go on. “ Zen stood. He went into the library-parlor and returned a few minutes later with a map of London he laid out on the table.

“Juliette, Franky and even Billy all ended up in the palace pretty quickly after going through the vortex.” I pointed to the position of Buckingham Palace on the map. “So we could assume the portal must dump out somewhere close by."

“Even if it is Buckingham Palace and if the portal dumps out near it,” Senji said. “You still don’t know you’ll be able to find it. There’s no reason to think their version of London looks anything like the one on this map.”

“Truth.” Rom's lips quirked. “Yet I am certain we will find the prince. Or more exactly the prince will find us as he found Juliette and the others.”

“And if Juliette is with him we'll find her.” I slammed my hand on the table.

“So the plan is for you go through the vortex and wander around until the vampire prince finds you?” Senji asked.

“Pretty much,” I said.

Rom took my hand and nodded.

“Well, it’s good to be flexible, adaptable, and spontaneous.” Petra's smile was insincere but I suppose she was trying to be encouraging.

“There’s spontaneous and there’s completely freakin' crazy ass wild.” Senji waved his hands. “Do you hear yourselves? If Juliette is with the prince and if the palace is the palace, and if London is London.... If, if, if.” His gaze sent daggers toward everyone at the table. “Doesn’t anyone else see that this isn’t a good idea?”

“Shush it, Senji,” Petra ordered. “Kizzy and Rom can do it.”

“Yeah, Senji,” I said. “You were geeked about all this inter-dimensional stuff. Why are you so negative now?”

“I just don’t want any more dead friends,” Senji yelled. “Franky was one too many.”

That shut us up.

 
After a few seconds, Zen broke the silence. “So we’ll just have to increase the odds for you a bit. You’ll can take a shitload of weapons with you,”

“That’ll be good.” I smiled weakly. “But we do need a firm plan about what to do with Namia while we’re gone.” Right now the ghoul inhabited a cage in Zen’s barn.

“I say we keep her here while you’re over there,” Zen suggested. “I’ll hold her just outside the vortex until you reopen it to come back.”

I appreciated his confidence in saying when instead of if.

“When you reopen it to come back, I’ll push her through.”

“Good idea,” I said. “We don’t want to have to deal with her on the other side. There’s no guarantee Prince Leopold hasn’t broken the entanglement between her and Billy just as he did with Juliette and Stephan.”

Chase raised a hand as if he wanted to be called on. “I’m just wondering something important."

“Everything you have to say is always important, baby cheeks.” Petra patted his arm. “But not now.”

“No. Go ahead, Chase,” I said. “What is it?”

“When Rom and Kizzy go through the vortex, won’t two monsters come out?” Chase asked.

“Probably one and possibly two,” I replied. “Maybe since Rom isn’t originally from this dimension, there’s no entanglement with someone in Dorcha.”

 
“What do we do with whoever comes through?” Senji demanded, still angry.

“Anything but kill them or lose them,” Zen replied.

“Unless, that is, we don’t come back through the vortex by the time it seals," I added. "At that point you kill them.”

“Um. Kizzy.” Zen motioned to me. “Could I talk to you about something in the kitchen.”

“Sure." I glanced at Rom before I stood and followed Zen.

Once in the other room, Zen reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.

“You’re probably wondering why, as the big special ops guy, I haven’t suggested I go with you and Rom to Dorcha,” he began.

“No, I—”

Zen waved off my denial.

"The doctors said my problem is related to PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder," he continued.

With his disclosure I finally understood why Zen actions had been so mercurial. Sometimes he'd been the quintessential professional soldier, but then there were the times he'd run away like when we'd found Franky. PTSD explained a lot.

He opened his wallet and pulled out a photo that had been folded over in half, image side up. The photo showed a beautiful glowing bride—her blonde hair upswept, her blue eyes sparkling, and her smile dazzling—as she posed in a shimmering white wedding dress.

“Her name was—is—Devon.” He stared down at the photo and ran his finger over its surface in a caress. "I lost my nerve after…” His voice trailed away again and Zen seemed lost in thought for a few seconds. “Anyway,” he said finally. “I should go with you both but I just can’t.”

“Zen.” I touched his arm. “It’s all right. You're more needed on this side of the vortex. Who else can contain Namia and the ones who come through when we go over?”

He nodded, although still seemed unconvinced. Zen handed the photo to me and I turned up the portion of the photo that had been folded in order to see the groom: it was Zen in the photo, but a happier, less damaged, Zen than the one I’d known.

“One day we were out walking and one second Devon was there and the next she was gone.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, reddened with unshed tears. “What I’m asking is that if you see her in Dorcha—” He seemed at a loss as to how to finish the sentence.

“Don’t worry, Zen,” I squeezed his forearm. “If I see her there, I’ll bring her back to you. I promise.”

“I know you will.” He grimaced. “You’re very brave, Kizzy.”

I handed the photo back to him and he stared down at it.

“I wish I could go with you—”

“No, Zen,” I insisted. “We need you on this side.”

Zen nodded but it seemed more like a sad shake of the head. He turned away to wash his face in the sink.

* * * * *

Although I was thoroughly sick of the tunnel to the morgue, I sincerely hoped this wasn’t the last time I would see it.

Zen had set up battery powered construction lights to replace the ones damaged by previous vortex openings. A cage containing Namia blocked the exit to the tunnel. Two additional empty cages decorated with silver adornments were in place as well. Zen, Petra, Chase and Senji were all armed with guns. Zen’s had bullets he'd made himself from casting silver. In addition, Zen and Senji also each had a taser. Fortunately, there had been no rain and the tunnel floor was dry.

“Are you ready?” I asked.

Zen looked around at all that had been assembled and arched an eyebrow.

“Yes. And so are you two.” He shot a meaningful glance at the duffle bags we carried. “Except you need one more thing.” Zen stepped forward pulling an item from his pocket. “Hold out your arm.” When I did as he asked, Zen slipped a watch over my hand. He pushed the watch up to my wrist and secured the metal clasp with a click.

 
“The mechanism is waterproof,” Zen continued. “It’s an automatic mechanical watch, so it won’t need winding. Also, it shouldn't be affected by any kind of electromagnetic field in the vortex.”

“Thanks, Zen,” I said.

“We have twenty-two hours, thirty-two minutes and twenty seconds until the portal seals.” Rom peered over my shoulder at the watch.

Our eyes met and I saw my own thought reflected in his face: Not much time. I turned back to Zen.

“Now you’re ready.” Zen clapped me on the shoulder.

I turned to Senji and Chase.

“Senji and I have talked it over,” Chase said. “We promise no more fighting between us.”

“At least until you get back.” Senji turned to Chase. “Oh, and buddy? This is your ass.” He smacked Chase’s posterior hard.

“Ow,” Chase rubbed the spot. “What was that for?”

“A hole in the ground is about to open,” Senji replied. “I just wanted you to know the difference.”

“Very clever,” Chase said.

“I thought you two weren’t going to fight 'til we got back?”

“You’re not gone yet and I needed one to tide me over.” Senji grinned.

Petra crossed to me and I hoped she wasn’t going to make me cry.

“Just make sure you come back.” She gave me a sassy smirk. ”I don’t want to have to start all over with someone else as my best friend.”

“Oh okay.” My laugh was chocked. “After all, it’s totally about you.”

“Like, yeah,” she said. “Besides, I’ve gotten used to your 28 days a month of PMS.”

“Slut.”

“That’s the bitch I know and love,” Petra said sarcastically. She hugged me and planted a kiss on my cheek before pushing me roughly back. “I love you, Kiz. Don’t get hurt.”

“You be careful too.” I brushed a tear before it could get to my cheek. “I’ve gotten sorta used to your dramatics.”

“Oh yeah,” she said. “I forgot to tell you how I might as well be living in Darfur.”

“I’ll listen to your reasoning when I get back.”

With tears in my eyes, I opened the portal. As the whirlwind swirled and the circling of the vortex expanded, Rom and I joined hands. His grip crushed my fingers, but I didn't complain. We glanced at one another. On a silent count of three we simultaneously began a running start, before leaping into the abyss.

Our leap sent Rom and me into the mouth and quickly down the esophagus of the portal. Again, I had the strange sensation of a gelatinous substance around me. My ears were plugged with it. Trying to shout to Rom was useless. I could hear my voice in my head, like when I’d been diving or snorkeling, but Rom couldn’t seem to hear me.

This time there was a freedom and rapidness in our movement I hadn’t experienced before, probably due to the fact that I wasn’t resisting the pull but going with the flow.

Almost immediately, I saw two figures coming upward toward Rom and me. I recognized one as the raven-haired woman—probable ghoul—I’d seen the last time I’d been inside the vortex. She floated beside a male figure. Young—a teen?—and beautiful, almost angelic in appearance with his close-cropped blond hair, green eyes and delicate features. The male hand reached out to me as we passed with long blunt edged fingers that would have been perfect for a concert pianist. This must be the entity entangled with Rom. Could this one be human or something we hadn’t seen before? I hoped Zen and company would be able to handle it, whatever it was.

As we reached the other end, a cloud-filled sky became visible. I had just time enough to wonder what that would mean before the vortex spit Rom and me out. We landed on a hard surface in Dorcha.

We slowed our running steps to a stop and I had a chance to take in my surroundings. The initial sensory images made me think I was in the middle of the sky. Realization came that much of the “sky” was actually wisps of fog and I stood on a semi-enclosed walkway spanning two towers of a bridge. To the right was a separate walkway. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw that we’d emerged through a door that led into one of the towers.