Siren's Call (A Rainshadow Novel) (20 page)

“Okay, you can talk about it now.” Ella settled deeper into the passenger seat and watched the night landscape through the windshield of the SUV. “There’s just the two of us. And Lorelei, of course. No need to explain things to Slade and Charlotte.”

Rafe’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. He gave her a quick, unreadable glance. “What is it you think I’m going to say?”

“I don’t know. But when Slade was telling us about Vortex I got the impression that you had been slammed by one of your lucid dreams.”

Rafe exhaled slowly, with control. Energy shivered in the atmosphere.

“Was it that obvious?” he asked.

“I’m sure Charlotte and Slade felt the energy shift, but, no, I don’t think they realized what was happening.
You’re getting good at concealing the visible side effects of the fever.”

“But the visions are as bad as ever. You’re right. I did hallucinate for a few seconds back there at Slade and Charlotte’s place.”

“Tell me about your dream. I’m the professional here, remember?”

He hesitated and then he seemed to come to a decision. “In the vision I was looking into the wrong side of a mirror. I could see a street. I think it was in the Ghost City. Shadowy figures were coming toward me. I knew that I should be able to recognize them but I couldn’t. I understood that in order to see them clearly I had to look in the right side of the mirror.”

She jacked up her own talent a little and thought about what he had said.

“The wrong side of the mirror,” she repeated thoughtfully. “I think that’s the key.”

“Yeah?” He glanced at her, eyes tightening. “I figured the scene of the Ghost City was the key—assuming there is a key.”

“Let all your preconceptions about psi-fever go for a minute and think about the vision without trying to analyze it. You can’t use pure logic on dreams. It doesn’t work. What was the emotional takeaway from your vision?”

He tightened his hands on the wheel. “I was frustrated because I couldn’t identify the people coming toward me down the street.”

“Because?”

“I told you why. Something to do with looking at the
scene from the wrong side of the mirror. Look, if there’s some sort of message there . . . Shit.” Rafe stared out the window, transfixed. “Looking at things from the wrong side of the mirror. You think that means I’ve been looking at the evidence the wrong way?”

“I don’t know. But we were considering the facts about Vortex that Slade had pulled together when your fever spiked. What would you see if you considered those facts from a different perspective?”

Rafe’s profile hardened. “I’ve been assuming that the timing of the kidnapping attempt meant that Vortex was after you. I thought I had led them to you. But maybe—just maybe—it indicates that they are after me.”

“Hmm.”

“Son of a ghost, Ella. Maybe this isn’t all about you. Maybe it’s about me.”

“Hmm.”

She reached up to pat Lorelei, who was perched on the back of the seat, clearly enjoying the night ride. The passenger door window was lowered and the night air wafted the veil in a ghostly manner.

The drive back to the old lodge was taking them through the small town of Shadow Bay. Earlier, Charlotte had explained that until recently the community had been a remote, isolated island village that rolled up the streets at nine o’clock at night. But the discovery of Wonderland had changed the vibe.

Shadow Bay had been transformed into something resembling a boomtown. Bars and taverns lined the main
street. Their brightly lit signs illuminated the night in garish colors.

Slade said that most of the establishments had sprung up overnight to cater to the influx of rowdy ghost hunters who had arrived to organize the new Rainshadow Guild territory. A motley assortment of thrill-seekers, opportunists, and drifters had soon followed. And now the Coppersmith Mining employees were added to the mix.

There were Help Wanted signs in many of the windows. The inns, bed-and-breakfast places, and small motel near the marina were crammed. Rents were high for the few cottages and houses that were available.

Most of the newcomers had made their way to Rainshadow to seek work or to try to take advantage of the booming economy. But Slade had said that every ferry also brought conspiracy buffs, reporters, and the merely curious who had heard rumors about monsters and an underworld realm made of paranormal jewels.

Rafe drove to the end of the street and turned right, heading into the interior of the island. The winding road narrowed rapidly and the night seemed heavier. The forest pressed close on either side of the pavement. Fog swirled in the headlights, limiting visibility.

“If we’re right,” Rafe said, “the facts I’ve been using to explain the timing of what I assumed was an attempt to kidnap you could just as easily explain an attempt to grab me, instead.”

“Go on.”

“It all comes down to the simple fact that they haven’t
had much in the way of options until recently. Think about it—when I came out of the Rainforest I was taken to the Coppersmith family compound on Copper Beach Island immediately. A lot of people thought I was either dying or doomed to spend the rest of my days in a para-psych ward. I was watched day and night. Furthermore, the island is a fortress. It would have been damn near impossible for a stranger to get inside the gates of the compound without being detected. My family has been into cutting-edge security for generations.”

“Okay, so Vortex couldn’t get at you until you left your family compound.”

“After my family concluded that I wasn’t going to go crazy, at least not in the immediate future, Dad decided I needed a job. I was sent straight to Rainshadow to troubleshoot the dinosaur situation. That was a little over a week ago. Again I was surrounded by a lot of Coppersmith security, not to mention I’m friends with the local chief of police. A kidnapping attempt here on the island would be extremely complicated.”

“Vortex would have to get people and equipment in place. In addition, they would have to take you out by boat. That means they would need to find someone who could handle the local tides and currents.”

“Exactly. On that first visit to Rainshadow I hung around for only a few days, just long enough to figure out that I needed to hire you.”

“Then you flew to Crystal,” Ella said. She drew a quick breath. “Where you were suddenly a lot more vulnerable.”

“Vortex must have scrambled to get an operation set
up in a matter of hours, but in a city that size they probably had local people and local tech they could use. They made a stab at grabbing me after the college reception but it failed, thanks to you.”

“But that still leaves us with one very important question—why do they want you so badly that they’re willing to risk bringing the power of the Coppersmith Mining empire down on their heads, not to mention the FBPI?”

“I assumed the kidnapping attempt in Crystal was all about making sure I didn’t get you to Rainshadow,” Rafe said. “I figured the guys with the tats were either some serious corporate competition or the DND crowd. I thought it was all about Wonderland, but what if I was wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

“I think,” Rafe said, speaking very carefully as if measuring each word, “that this is about the city of ice and fog.”

“Why would Vortex chase a legend like the Ghost City?”

“Because they are convinced that it’s not a legend. They must have a strong reason to believe it’s real. They’ve figured out that I’m the only one who can lead them to the portal and unlock it.”

“But you can’t take them there. You said you hallucinated the city of ice and fog, and the portal pool as well.”

“That’s what I’ve been telling myself,” Rafe said. “But I’m starting to think that my vision was real. Evidently Vortex has concluded the same thing.”

“Okay, say you really did find a gate into the Ghost City. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time someone has stumbled through a portal in the Underworld. That’s how the Rainforest and Wonderland were discovered. Legends
usually contain at least a kernel of truth, and there have been stories about the Ghost City since humans came through the Curtain.”

“But the people who stumbled out of the Underworld claiming to have seen the city have always been considered mad,” Rafe said without inflection.

“You’re not mad. I don’t think you hallucinated the city. Let’s assume it’s real and that Vortex wants you to open the portal for them. You said the ruins that contained the gray quartz chamber and the quicksilver pool were now concealed by a huge psi-firestorm.”

“Right.”

“But you could get through the storm.”

“For the past three months I’ve told myself that the whole experience was a dream and that the best thing I could do was try to forget it.” Rafe glanced at his ring. “But if I go with the assumption that it was all real, then, yes, I think I know how to navigate the storm and maybe, just maybe, I could open the portal.”

Energy sparked in the gray stone of his ring. And suddenly Ella understood.

“That quartz is the key, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Yes,” Rafe said. “And there are a lot more keys where this came from. Every rock in the gray quartz chamber is a potential key, but I think each key has to be tuned to the talent who wants to use it to open the portal. Got a hunch only certain kinds of talents can work gray quartz.”

“Somehow the explosion burned out your old talent and left you with a new talent—the ability to work gray quartz.”

“Maybe. But if I’ve got a new talent, why the fever?”

“The process of developing your new talent was not immediate. It’s been ongoing during the past three months. But I think it’s almost complete. That’s why you’re able to suppress the visions when you choose.”

“Crap. I can open a portal. Not exactly a cool talent. I might as well sign up to become an elevator operator.”

“We’re talking about a very unique portal. Nevertheless, I don’t think opening the doorway to the Ghost City is the real nature of your talent—more like a side effect.”

“Yeah? So what is my talent? Seeing hallucinations? I gotta tell you that is not exactly a huge improvement— Shit.”

The
shit
came out very softly.

Rafe took his foot off the accelerator and hit the brake so quickly Lorelei lost her grip on the back of the seat. She tumbled down into Ella’s lap, chortling with glee at the new game.

Ella peered through the windshield, trying to figure out what had caused Rafe to slam to a halt.

“What did you see?” she asked. “An animal in the road?”

“Shit,” Rafe said again. Louder this time and with a sharp, frustrated edge.

She looked at him and saw that he was blinking rapidly. He released his death grip on the wheel and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

“Sorry,” he said. “But you’re going to have to drive the rest of the way.”

“Another vision?” she asked.

“Damned hallucinations.”

She reached out to touch him. The muscles of his shoulder were mag-steel hard. In her lap, Lorelei, sensing the tension in the atmosphere, went very still.

Ella heightened her talent a little and studied Rafe’s dreamlight. It was shot through with hot fever light. In response an uneasy frisson iced her spine.

“Rafe, what do you see?”

“The gates of Hell.”

He stared at the vision, aware of Ella’s hand on his shoulder; aware that she had kicked up her talent. He could hear Lorelei muttering. But it was the scene on the other side of the windshield that riveted him.

The gates that guarded the entrance to Hell were made of fog and ice. They rose up out of the swirling mist, towering high above the dark trees. The top of the gates vanished into the deep night that clung to Rainshadow.

It was, Rafe decided, time to deal with the facts. The hallucinations were not going away.

The gates started to open. A quicksilver gray lake seethed on the other side.

“This is the worst one yet, Ella,” he said.

“Damn it, pay attention,” she snapped. “You had a really bad turn that night in the limo when you were nearly kidnapped. Tonight you had another vision when you realized
that you may have been looking at the Vortex problem from the wrong angle. And now we’re alone on an empty road in the middle of the night and you’re having another waking dream. There’s a pattern here, Rafe.”

“What pattern? What the hell are you talking about?”

She drew a breath. “I think that your visions are being caused by your intuition. I think that you saw something on those other occasions and again tonight—something that didn’t register on your conscious mind but which pinged your intuition. The result was a dream image.”

The ice gates were halfway open now. The quicksilver lake was starting to spill out onto the road.

He could worry about his future in a para-psych ward some other time, he decided. Whatever else was going on, one thing was clear. Ella would be safer in town. Slade could protect her.

“Hang on to Lorelei,” he said.

Ella sat back quickly, clutching the dust bunny.

He slammed the SUV into reverse, turned, braced one arm on the back of the seat, and stomped onto the accelerator.

The big vehicle reversed back down the narrow road.

“I saw a lane that intersects with this one,” he said. “I’ll turn around there.”

But through the rear window he saw another set of icy gates looming, blocking his path. Evidently there was more than one way to enter Hell.

He braked hard, cut all the lights, and threw open the door.

“What?” Ella asked.

“Out. Now.”

He did not give himself any more time to think about possibilities or invent explanations. He vaulted out of the car and raced around the rear of the vehicle. By the time he reached the passenger side, Ella was standing on the road. Lorelei was on her shoulder, sleeked out with all four eyes wide open. She was ready to rumble but she was still clutching her wedding veil.

“Where are we going?” Ella asked.

“Into the woods.” He rezzed the penlight. “We’ve got fog and night on our side. Also, the psi-fence that surrounds the Preserve is not too far away. Feel the energy? If necessary, we’ll go through the fence. That should make it impossible to track us.”

“Someone is coming after us?”

“It’s another ambush,” Rafe said. “At least I think that’s what my vision is trying to tell me.”

“I thought it was very difficult to get through the psi-fence.”

“It isn’t a walk in the park, but Slade took me inside when I was here the first time. Strong talents like us can usually make it through if we run a little hot.”

He led the way into the woods, using the energy of the fence as a beacon. The masses of ferns and other vegetation that comprised the undergrowth made it hard to move quickly. He judged they were still some distance away from the boundary of the Preserve when the rumble of heavy SUV engines reverberated through the night and fog.

“Two vehicles,” he said, listening intently. He turned to look back over his shoulder. Headlights infused the mist. “They’re blocking the road in each direction.”

Ella glanced back. “Another ambush. You must have caught small indications of it while you were driving. Your intuition filled in the blanks with those visions of the gates of Hell. Like I told you back at the start, I’m guessing your talent is a form of lucid dreaming.”

“Why couldn’t I just have normal hallucinations like normal, ordinary psychos?”

“Because you’re not a psycho. That is one high-end talent you’re developing, Coppersmith. Now all you have to do is stop fighting it and learn to control it.”

“Easy for you to say.” He stopped abruptly and de-rezzed the light. “Hush.”

Ella came to a halt and ceased talking.

Out on the road, brakes squealed and two heavy engines shut down. A sudden, unnatural silence descended on the nightscape. From where he was standing, he could just barely make out the foggy outline of the SUV that he and Ella had abandoned. It was pinned in the glare of headlights, but the mist was so heavy it would take a few seconds before the ambush team realized their quarry was not inside.

“Coppersmith, we know you’re there and we know you’re armed. The last thing we want is a shootout. No one needs to get hurt. Look, you’re in trouble. You’re running a fever, aren’t you? We can help
.
”

Somewhere out on the paranormal spectrum, an eerie bell tolled, summoning Rafe into Hell. The implacable
music called to him.
Alien tech.
He braced himself against the powerful energy.

Ella grabbed his hand and put it on her shoulder.

“I’ve got this,” she whispered.

He sensed the heat of her talent in the atmosphere around her. He kept his hand on her shoulder. The connection between them was stronger now than it had been a couple of days ago. An intimate sexual bond had been added to the vibe.

“Come out with your hands up, Coppersmith. We don’t want to hurt the woman but we will if that’s what it takes to get your attention.”

It was the same speaker. Evidently he was in charge of negotiations. So much for offering to fix my fever, Rafe thought. The bastard had moved on to threatening Ella. But, then, the crew was operating on strange turf and was no doubt in a hurry.

The deep paranormal music of the bell rolled through the fog but, thanks to Ella, Rafe heard it as if it came from some distant dimension.

“It’s not working,” one of the men—not the negotiator—shouted. “Shit, there’s no one inside the damn car. They took off before we got here.”

The bell music ceased abruptly. The relief was nearly overwhelming. Rafe grabbed a deep breath.

“Why would they abandon the car?” a third man asked. “How could they know we were coming?”

“Later,” the negotiator snarled. “Right now we need to find Coppersmith.”

“I’ve got them on the thermal sensor,” the man announced. “They’re over there, in the woods.”

“Careful,” the negotiator ordered. “Coppersmith is probably armed. Some sort of para-shock device, according to the boss. But it will take you down almost as fast as a mag-rez shot.”

Rafe touched Ella’s shoulder and put his mouth close to her ear. “Let’s go.”

“The Preserve?” she asked softly.

“That’s our best bet. If we stay out here they’ll be able to see us but we can’t see them. Not a good scenario. They won’t be able to track us inside and I may get a chance to grab one of them. This time I’ll get some answers.” He shoved the gun into the shoulder holster and gripped her hand. “Hold on. Crossing the fence line can get rocky.”

The Alien bell tolled again, rolling through the fog-bound night, echoing endlessly across the spectrum. The music tugged at his senses, but Ella kept the hypnotic pull in check.

They were both running hot when they plunged through the wall of dark, seething psi that guarded the Preserve.

The hallucinations materialized out of nowhere. Not visions infused with meaning like the kind he was reluctantly getting used to seeing, Rafe thought. This wasn’t his intuition chatting with him. These were scenes from the mother of all horror movies. The dead walked and wailed, exhorting the living to turn around and go back the way they had come. Skeletons rattled their bones and whispered warnings of the terrors that lay ahead. Banshees
shrieked in the night. Demons stalked the mist. The urge to flee was almost overwhelming. Almost.

But he had come this way once before with Slade. He knew the drill. Stay hot and focus on suppressing the visions.

The experience was different this time. When Slade had guided him into the Preserve, the visions had been seriously disorienting. The worst part was that he had not been able to tell the difference between the hallucinations created by the fence energy and those conjured by his fevered brain. It had required considerable effort to wade through the nightmares. This time, however, it was relatively easy to brush aside the psi-fence dream fragments.

“Okay, I can see why this fence is effective,” Ella said.

Her hand tightened on his. Her voice was grim with the effort she was making to stay in control.

“Not much farther now,” Rafe said. “The question is, will those bastards try to follow us?”

Lorelei chortled enthusiastically and fluffed up.

“Glad one of us is having a good time,” Ella said.