Vanzir came wandering into the kitchen, where he straddled the chair next to me. “She’s right, babe. It’s a dangerous game you’re playing. With dangerous playmates. As we saw with the eggs, Gulakah’s followers are bewitched, ready to give up their lives at his command. They’ll do anything he asks, and that includes killing. Are you sure you want to take the chance?”
“There really isn’t a choice, is there?” I caught his gaze and held it.
Vanzir tilted his head to the side, a knowing look on his face. He reached out and, with his finger lightly tipping up my chin, nodded. “There’s always a choice. It just depends on what you choose to do.”
“True,” I said slowly. “But I’m not willing to take the safe route when I have such a good chance to find out some much-needed information.” And with that, I finished my breakfast as the others drifted in.
“What gives, wife?” Morio asked.
I pushed back my plate, really wanting another waffle. “Hanna, can you bring me another?” To the others, I said, “Okay, here’s the thing.”
As I finished telling them about my vision and the gate spell, the phone rang, and Shade went to answer it. “So, Pentangle told me we can kill Gulakah, but we need to do it in the land of the dead. The Netherworld.”
“Even the gods can die,” Smoky murmured. “She seems intent that we have to kill Gulakah and not just dispatch him.”
“Yes, she does. I don’t like it, but the more I think about it, the more I think she’s right. If we just send him packing, he’ll be back. We can’t banish him—we don’t have the power for that. Nor can we trap his soul.”
Delilah didn’t look too happy about the news. “Why does Pentangle think we can kill him easier in the Netherworld?”
“Because of the silver cord. Because without severing that cord, Gulakah still has access to all of his power. And we can only sever it in the Netherworld. No, the question isn’t why, but how we do it.”
“I can help with that.” Shade looked troubled, coming into the room. “I just got off the phone with Carter.” Before we could ask, he said, “Carter did some research for us. Here’s a little more information. Any attacks on Gulakah here are useless. They may disempower him briefly, but he can’t be harmed on this plane. So Pentangle is right—we have to do it in the Netherworld.”
Delilah frowned. “So we have to find out where he’s hiding, and then Camille slaps her hand on him and gates him to the Netherworld with her? And after that, we just mosey up and kill him? How the hell are we going to do that?”
Shade cleared his throat. “Carter says he’s pretty sure that a spell will work on him—a spell that you, Morio, might be able to cast, with Camille’s help.”
Morio paled. “I know what you’re talking about, and I’ve never tried to cast it, though I know the procedure. It’s dangerous.”
“What spell?” I turned to them. “Tell me.”
“The Greater Asa Mordente spell. The final death.”
The Greater Asa Mordente spell was insanely powerful, but highly dangerous, and it involved summoning, among other things, the phoenix—not exactly child’s play, and so many things could go wrong. But it was the only hope we had.
“That means you have to be in the Netherworld with me.” I held up my hand as Smoky and Delilah started to protest. “We have no choice. We have to make this work. Morio, you spend the afternoon preparing for the spell. Have everything ready. I’ll spend some time reading up on it again after I check out the talisman.”
Smoky stared at me, his lips pressed together, but he said nothing. Delilah looked stricken, but I gave her a shake of the head.
Vanzir shrugged. “It’s the best plan we have.”
After a moment, Morio leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “We can do this, my love. We’ve progressed far enough with the death magic to do so. Aeval…” He stopped.
I stood, irritated. “Aeval what?”
“Nothing. Never mind.”
“No, there will be no ‘never mind.’ Aeval what? No secrets. Tell me, now. Especially if it will help.”
He hung his head for a moment, then apparently decided I wasn’t going to give up on this. “Very well. Remember when you found out that the order of the Moon Mother trains their own sorceresses—and that they use dark Moon magic and death magic?”
I slowly nodded, Queen Asteria’s words lingering in my ears. I hadn’t wanted to think about them but now, they were coming home to roost.
“Perhaps now is the time to tell you. Your beloved Moon Mother trains her own sorcerers, although she will not call them that. They wield dark Moon magic…death magic. Why do you think Morio’s magic comes so easily to you?”
“I remember…”
“Just what do you think you are becoming? Her priestesses are divided, Bright Moon and Dark Moon. Derisa is High Priestess of the Bright Moon Mother. When you take the role of the first Earthside high priestess, you will be taking the role of the Dark Moon High Priestess…and you will evolve from being a witch into being one of the Moon Mother’s sorceresses. Your powers are already greatly increasing…more than you realize.”
I stared at him, unable to speak. I hated sorcerers—I’d been brought up to hate them. And now I was to become one?
“It’s just a word,” Morio whispered. “Just a word, sweetheart.”
Breathing deeply, I pushed aside my fear and distaste. We didn’t have the luxury for me to angst over something that I had no control over. I’d deal with the ramifications of it later, once we’d killed Gulakah. And apparently I was more capable of doing the latter than I’d believed. For my beloved Moon Mother, I would do anything.
“Fine. So, Morio and I can handle being in the Netherworld easier than anybody here, except for Shade. I still don’t like those odds. Who else can go?”
“I can,” Vanzir said. “But it’s harder for anybody else here to manage. Smoky might be able to…and Roz.”
Smoky grimaced. “Yes, and I will. But I can’t stay for long. I am of the white and silver line of dragons. The Netherworlds is the domain of the shadow dragons, and we do not mix well with the energy there.”
“What about vampires?” I asked Shade.
He shook his head. “Weird crossover problem. Menolly can’t go physically into the realm of the dead, since she’s undead. Neither can she go in spirit, since she’s a vampire and trapped in her body. And she can’t go on the Dream-Time because the Dream-Time is not the same realm.”
“Then once we find him, it’s Shade, Roz, Vanzir, Morio, and me. And Smoky for as long as he can hang out. We try to kill him with the Greater Asa Mordente spell.”
When nobody said anything, I shrugged, and, over Delilah and Iris’s protests, I pushed the discussion on to our plans for the night, which mostly consisted of where people were going to be. I picked up the talisman.
“I guess it’s time to try this out. Here goes nothing,” I said. “Just nobody hit me or anything, even playfully.” Before I draped it over my head, I kissed Smoky, Trillian, and then Morio.
As the medallion settled down around my neck, a surge of energy raced through me. It was disconcerting, like going through a portal, and as I watched the others, their reactions almost made me laugh. Delilah began to cough as Iris and Hanna clapped their hands to their mouths. Nerissa—who had the day off—let out a low whistle. Smoky was scowling, Morio had a curious grin on his face, and Trillian just stood, leaning against the kitchen counter, nodding. Shade, Vanzir, and Rozurial all just stared.
“What? What? Tell me I’m not covered in warts. Please.” I did have my vanity, even when under a spell.
“Um, no. No warts. Definitely not,” Roz croaked out.
I couldn’t stand it anymore and headed to the mirror in the hall bathroom. There, staring back, was a complete stranger. I was still a little busty but appeared to have lost about thirty pounds and was more athletic. I was shorter, about five feet, two inches, and though my hair was still long, it was a pale wheat color—almost tawny, like Nerissa’s—and was sporting a Farrah Fawcett look. My eyes were no longer violet but a rich, vibrant green. My ears still had the faintest of points to them. I didn’t look human, but then again, Gulakah was also recruiting Fae.
Almost more shocked than when the talisman had turned me into a dwarf, I cocked my head to the side. It wasn’t bad, but it sure as hell wasn’t me.
“What am I going to wear?” I returned to the kitchen, trying to keep my clothes on. “My clothes won’t fit me now, and Menolly’s are still too petite, and Delilah’s are far too tall. Same with you, Nerissa.” And it was true, my corset was sliding down my torso, and my skirt almost grazed the floor. “Cripes, I’ll be glad when this is done.”
“Me, too,” Smoky said. “I love you no matter what, but…”
Trillian shrugged. “It’s a change…I guess change can be a good thing.”
Turning to Morio, I said, “And you? Do you have something to add?”
He pursed his lips, trying not to laugh. “You definitely don’t have the personality for a blonde. Just saying…”
“Oh hush, the lot of you.” I snorted. “Well, don’t just everybody stand there. Somebody, find me something to wear.”
Nerissa jumped up. “One of my dresses might actually fit you—if I get a minidress, it would come down to your knees. I’ll find one that’s really tight and doesn’t have built-in bra support. It might be a little loose on you, but it should work. One of my sweater dresses.”
The woman wore dresses as short as my bustiers were tight. I nodded. “Whatever you think. And what should I do with my hair? It’s so…so…”
“So retro,” Nerissa said, laughing as she darted into the kitchen. I heard the bookcase sliding and leaned back, studying myself.
Vanzir stood up. “Yeah, nobody would ever know it was you by looking—but you’re going to have to watch your mannerisms. Some of those people know you as Camille. They may sense a familiarity. What are you going to call yourself? Better get used to it now.”
“That’s a good point.” I sat down. “It needs to be simple, and easy to remember. Since I don’t fully look human, better if it’s not a recognizable human name.” I paused, thinking. “What about my middle name? I don’t think I’ve ever really told anybody outside the family what it is. Sepharial.”
Delilah let out a little laugh. “You do realize, that’s a combination of Father’s name and Arial’s name? Though you were born before she was.”
Delilah’s twin, who had died at birth and now lived at Haseofon, the home of the Death Maidens, was named Arial. We hadn’t known about her until the past year or so. Now, when Delilah trained, she was able to meet her and talk to her. Any time Arial left the temple, she had to leave in her Were form—as a spirit leopard. Menolly and I had seen glimpses of her in that form, but we’d never been able to meet her otherwise.
“I wonder…did Mother and Father just like the name Arial? And was it deliberate, naming me after Father?” Distracted, I looked up as Nerissa returned.
She thrust three outfits into my arms. “These might work. Try them.”
I held up the first. A sweater dress, all right, in a brown-and-white tweedlike pattern, with a low-cut neck and long sleeves. I motioned for the others to stand back and tried it on. The sleeves were too long, but I could roll them up. The dress fit loosely, but a belt would cinch it in. The hem landed about an inch above my knees. I’d seen how short it was on Nerissa, so that didn’t surprise me.
“Um…it’s okay. Try the others.” She seemed to be having fun playing dress-the-witch as she thrust another outfit my way.
I stared at it. At least this one was green, but it reminded me of an outfit off some anime schoolgirl. The top was a knit V-neck tank top, and the skirt flirty, with panels of green and pink. I grimaced at the color combo but stripped off the sweater dress and pulled on the top, then the skirt. It zipped up with no problem, and though it was a little loose, it actually fit better than the first. The skirt came down to two inches above my knees. Again, it barely grazed Nerissa’s panties when she wore it.
“Not bad, not bad,” she said, circling around me. “But try the third.”
Holding up the bubblegum pink dress, I shook my head. “I don’t do pink.”
“Try it. It will look good with your hair.”
Groaning, I once again stripped. Roz was staring at me, grinning, but saying nothing. Smoky was glowering at him, and I rubbed my forehead. All we needed was another fight.
The pink dress was sleeveless—a simple tank dress, in a light knit. I slid it over my head and was surprised to find out how well it fit me. Nerissa handed me a white patent leather belt, which I buckled around my waist. The dress actually fit and came down to a little above my knees.
“That’s cute.” She stood back, nodding her approval.
Delilah cleared her throat. “I hate to say it, but she’s right. The dress looks good on you.” Her eyes were laughing, but I could tell she was telling the truth. Delilah couldn’t lie very well. She’d never been good at it.
I glanced down at the outfit. It was something I’d never wear, but for tonight, apparently, this was it. “Okay, then. I’m wearing pink.”
