Vanzir acted impatient as we explained the situation. I tugged on the hem of my jacket. While the dream chaser was doing his best to fit in, the fact that he was out-and-out demon shone through in a lot of ways and made me uncomfortable. And for once, I wasn"t alone.

Before we"d gotten in the car, Camille had confided that the heroin-chic rocker look-alike gave her the creeps, even though he was bound to our side. But we needed all the help we could get, and beggars couldn"t be choosy. Especially with Shadow Wing on the rampage. Vanzir knew too much about our operations to set him free. We kept him in the dark about a lot, but he was bound to pick up information from hanging around so much.

I tried to shake off my unease and focus on our goal.

Since we were already over the bridge, Roz took the lead, and we followed him along the increasingly narrow shelf that pa.s.sed for a trail. We were headed in the opposite direction from the ledge where we"d encountered the puma. I glanced over my shoulder in time to see her watching from behind a scrub bush, and she softly opened her mouth as if to say something, but even with my keen hearing, the only sounds were those of the rushing stream below and the murmur of soft voices as Camille and Morio whispered.

We could all see in the dark, at least to some degree, but Roz insisted we take it slow, and he held a long stick, tapping the ground as we went. There might be large chunks of rock that could turn our ankles, or maybe a sinkhole, or even-perhaps-a rattler, though they tended to be on the east side of the Cascades. But up in the mountains, you never knew.

I caught sight of a faint outline. There was a cavern up ahead to the right, leading into the cliff side and we were headed directly for the blackened opening. As we drew near, the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stood on end.

Camille whispered, "I can feel them. Spirits of some sort. The energy is supercharged here, and I"m not sure what would happen if I were to call in the Moon Mother"s power right now."

"Don"t try it. Not unless we really need you to," Smoky said, guiding her from behind, his hand pressed against the small of her back. As I watched them, I was suddenly again filled with a sense of loss. Chase should be here; Chase should be worrying about me me instead of s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around with his ex. instead of s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around with his ex.

Zachary seemed to sense my mood. He caught my shoulder lightly with his hand and whispered, "Don"t worry. We"ll watch out for each other. Okay?"

Feeling a little better, I flashed him a smile, wondering what the h.e.l.l I really did did want. But there was no time for self-pity. We were almost there, and I had a responsibility to be on top of my game. want. But there was no time for self-pity. We were almost there, and I had a responsibility to be on top of my game.

As we neared the cavern, Menolly slipped up next to me. "I don"t sense spirits very well, but I can tell you that I don"t feel any demonic energy coming from within."

Vanzir heard her and dropped back beside us. "Neither do I. My guess is that Karvanak and his gang haven"t found the location yet. We"ve lucked out," he added, glancing at Menolly. "But I"ll tell you this. Some of the shadows who come from the Netherworld put my kin to shame. Revenants and shades are far more dangerous than your standard Rksasa or dream chaser."

I frowned. Not a good thought. Not a happy thought. Not one I wanted to entertain, that was for sure. "Do you think there are any spirits or ghosts out there who are as dangerous as Shadow Wing?"

We walked lightly around the subject of Shadow Wing when Vanzir was around. After all, he was was a full demon from the Sub Realms. He wasn"t necessarily angry at Shadow Wing for being the Big Bad he was. Vanzir just didn"t agree with his take on breaking through the portals or trying to overpower Earth and OW. When it came down to it, I wondered just how far his reformed status would take him. On the other hand, why else would he undergo the Ritual of Subjugation if he didn"t want to change? At least a little? He"d die if he reneged on the deal, and it wouldn"t be a pleasant death. a full demon from the Sub Realms. He wasn"t necessarily angry at Shadow Wing for being the Big Bad he was. Vanzir just didn"t agree with his take on breaking through the portals or trying to overpower Earth and OW. When it came down to it, I wondered just how far his reformed status would take him. On the other hand, why else would he undergo the Ritual of Subjugation if he didn"t want to change? At least a little? He"d die if he reneged on the deal, and it wouldn"t be a pleasant death.

"I don"t know. I hope not." Vanzir shrugged. He stared at me for a moment, his disconcertingly clear eyes homing in on my thoughts. Then he reached out lightly, his fingers barely grazing my arm before he seemed to think the better of it and s.n.a.t.c.hed his hand back again.

"I know you don"t trust me," he said. "I know you can"t figure out what my angle is. I don"t blame you. I"d probably feel the same way if I were in your shoes. But I hope that someday you"ll be able to believe me when I tell you that I haven"t got any ulterior motives. I may have been born a demon, but I"m just not . . . I don"t like what I"ve done in my life. It"s not me. I don"t fit in the Subterranean Realms, and I don"t fit with most of my kind."

Before I could say anything, he hurried ahead to catch up with Roz. I watched him go, then let out a long sigh, not knowing what to think.

Menolly glanced at me, and we both shrugged. She looked as puzzled as I felt. "Who knows?" she said, modulating her voice so low I could barely catch her words. "He might be telling the truth. Meanwhile, we keep our eyes open."

At that moment, Roz stopped and held up his hand, motioning us to come closer. He held his finger to his lips. "Be as quiet as you can. We stormed the house in Seattle and saw just how well that all went down. Let"s try for a more subtle approach here."

"You think?" I said, but kept my voice low.

"Yeah, I think." He grinned at me, then sobered. "Here"s the deal. We don"t have a clear picture of the cavern. The prospector couldn"t give us one, but if he"s right, the chamber with the spirit seal is off to the left of the main vault. There"s a short pa.s.sage leading to it, but he mentioned a few old sinkholes and shafts. Don"t get yourselves lost. If the mining was extensive, there could be a labyrinth of tunnels. The wood shoring them up is bound to be fragile."

Smoky frowned, his brow knitting in a way that made me glad I wasn"t Roz. "This is dangerous. I"ve been in old tunnels like this one before. They can crush you without warning. Walk softly, no loud words, no explosions. Camille, you should hold back on your magic. Morio, your fox-fire light spells will be fine, but nothing that could set up a tremor in the rocks. In other words, we"re going to have to face the spirits with spells that don"t send out shock waves. Obey me on this one, or you could find yourselves squashed flatter than one of Delilah"s toy mice."

I snorted but not for long. He glared at me. Obviously it hadn"t been a joke. My smile faded away.

"The man has it down," Roz said. "This is a subtle operation. So think before you speak, and test the ground before heading off into side pa.s.sages."

Camille glanced at Morio. "Just like with t.i.tania"s cave. There were some nasty sinkholes there."

We sorted ourselves out. Menolly and Vanzir would be our first wave. They were the most silent. Roz, Zach, and I would be the second line. Camille and Morio would come third. Smoky would cover our b.u.t.ts and make sure we weren"t surprised from behind.

As Menolly and Vanzir disappeared into the cavern, I let out a long breath. Here we go again Here we go again, I thought, and then-motioning to Roz and Zach, who flanked my sides-headed into the darkness.

The air immediately shifted from clear and chilly to murky and damp. It smelled like mold, or slime, or something that had been sitting in the refrigerator a few weeks too long. I managed to catch my breath just before dinner made a repeat visit. I had a strong gag reflex, thanks to the hairball situation, and while I could eat a ton of junk food and watch the weirdest s.h.i.t on TV, just send me into a room with a strong odor, and I was apt to lose it.

Whatever this was, it didn"t smell like any old normal, run-of-the-mill mold. Nope, this was nasty. This was . . . this was . . . sour and fetid and reminded me of the venidemons" lair, though not quite so bad.

"Man, that"s rancid," Zach whispered in my ear. "What the h.e.l.l is it?"

"I dunno, but I"m not looking forward to finding out." A pebble under my foot set me off balance, and I reached out to balance myself against the wall. As my fingers touched the rock, they met with the ickiest, slimiest mess I"d ever felt. It felt like I"d plunged my hand into a melted banana slug or a pile of snot.

"Gross, gross, gross." I managed to lower my voice before I sent my dismay echoing down the hallway. I pulled my hand back and frantically tried to a.s.sess whether I"d covered it with something dangerous or just nasty. I managed to lower my voice before I sent my dismay echoing down the hallway. I pulled my hand back and frantically tried to a.s.sess whether I"d covered it with something dangerous or just nasty.

Zach leaned in as Roz pulled a tiny, pen-sized flashlight out of his pocket and aimed the dim beam at my fingers. They were covered with what looked like some oozing ichor from an old fifties SF flick, the kind of stuff that comes in a can that parents never, ever want to buy their kids because they know it will either end up in the kids" stomachs or-worse yet-their hair.

Only this stuff smelled worse than skunk juice. Worse than my litter box when I forgot to clean it for a few days. Worse than . . . What the-? What the-?

I stopped thinking about how it smelled because the slime started to move on my hand. It began to stretch itself out in a fine film. As it wrapped around my fingers and started to slither down my palm like some freak-a.s.s living glove, I let out a little screech.

"Get this c.r.a.p off me, now!" I didn"t care who heard me at this point. Visions of digestive enzymes going to work on my skin crowded my thoughts. I wasn"t ready to be a.s.similated into blob city.

Zach reached for my hand but Roz smacked him away. "Don"t touch it; let me take care of this. Here, you hold the light."

By now, the others, except for Menolly and Vanzir who had gone on ahead, were gathered around us. Roz pulled out a chopstick-what the h.e.l.l he had a chopstick in his pocket for, I didn"t know and didn"t ask-and poked at the slime. It reared up, like some bizarre rubbery club, and took a swipe at the long toothpick. Delightful; I was being devoured by Rocky the Blob. Next it would form itself into a tiny boxing glove and start pummeling me.

"I have no idea what the thing is," Roz said as he jabbed at it again with the chopstick, piercing it this time. A burning sensation raced over my palm, and I jumped.

"Stop that! I think it"s dripping something on my skin!"

Smoky pushed his way in and leaned down, whispering a few low words I couldn"t catch. A thin white mist drifted out of his mouth to cover my hand. It reminded me of Iris"s snow and ice magic. As the mist hit my palm, the slime immediately began to pull itself together into a puddle, letting go of my fingers.

"What"s it doing?" I asked, both fascinated and repulsed.

"Trying to keep its core temperature high enough to prevent it from freezing," Smoky said. He blew on it again, and the blob crystallized into a white pool of icy gelatin, then froze solid. The dragon gave it a tap, and it shattered. I tipped my hand, and it landed on the floor.

"Is it dead?" I asked, staring at the hundreds of slime shards.

"Probably not. Creatures like this can take a lot of temperature variation. It"s some form of ectoplasmic ooze." He examined my hand. "No worse for the wear. Just don"t touch the walls if you can help it. There might be other, more aggressive forms of it around."

More aggressive? Not a good thought. Not a good thought.

"Where does it come from?" Camille asked.

Smoky glanced around the tunnel we were standing in. "When there are too many spirits from the Netherworld in a small area on the physical realm, the excess spirit energy builds up and takes on a life of its own, usually forming into ectoplasm. When the spirits are strong, it takes on a rudimentary consciousness and becomes a predator."

"How dangerous is it?" I asked.

"That amount of slime could have digested one-maybe two layers of skin off your hand before becoming satiated. At that point, it would fall into a somnambulant state while it grew. If you left it on, it would start in again when it came out of its molt. If you were attacked by a larger amount, it could be a lot worse," he said as he examined the ceiling with Roz"s flashlight. "Always check overhead. Ectoplasm can cling to ceilings and roofs."

I squirmed, not quite liking the idea of having a carnivorous slime on me. "Just how many of them do you think there are in here?"

"Hard to tell how many pieces, but there"s only one of each variety in any given area saturated by spiritual energy. The slimes hive off into cl.u.s.ter cells-blobs, if you will-but retain a group consciousness," Smoky said, as he turned toward the back of the group.

Before he once again took up guarding our tail, he added, "If you see one that"s indigo rather than green, stay away from it at all costs, or we might not be able to save you."

"Of course: viro-mortis slimes! I know what he"s talking about now. My father taught me about them when I was young. And Smoky"s right," Morio said. "The indigo variety is far more aggressive. They call their sister cells to join them when they find a victim, and the things are faster than you might believe. The indigo variety is unaffected by ice, but fire will char them. Which would mean burning the thing off, which would also burn you."

"Once again, may I say ewww ewww?" I shivered and furiously rubbed my hand on my jeans to make sure it was free of the freakish goo. I glanced back at Camille, frowning. She never got slapped with goo. Sure, she got smacked around by demons, fried by h.e.l.lhound blood, and slashed by vampires, but she never had to deal with the slime monster. All at once, I envied her, even though I knew it was ridiculous. Of the three of us, I was always-and probably forever would be-the one who"d end up with mud on her face and kitty litter stuck to her b.u.t.t.

We slipped farther along the tunnel, skirting fallen rocks and a few small sinkholes. The pits weren"t big enough to swallow us up, but they could give a nasty turn to the ankle. The faint drip, drip, drip drip, drip, drip of water sounded from somewhere in the distance. As we quietly crept along, my mind wandered to the miners who had worked here. They"d dreamed in gold and silver, or perhaps in brilliant Technicolor jewels. How many had truly ever struck it rich? of water sounded from somewhere in the distance. As we quietly crept along, my mind wandered to the miners who had worked here. They"d dreamed in gold and silver, or perhaps in brilliant Technicolor jewels. How many had truly ever struck it rich?

I was so wrapped up in thought that I didn"t notice when Roz motioned for us to stop, and so plowed right into Zach"s back, knocking him to his knees. Before I could react, he was up again, flashing me a bemused look as he shook his head when I mouthed, "Are you hurt?"

Roz was standing in an archway. The beams that sh.o.r.ed up the opening looked old, weakened by water and time. I strained to listen to the timber and didn"t like what I heard: the sounds of age and insects, of wear and tear and splintering wood. s.h.i.t, we were in danger here. The sooner we finished and left, the better.

Roz listened carefully, turning his head first to the left, then to the right. His long, curling hair was caught back in a ponytail, and he was wearing his perpetual black Aussie hat with a feather in the band. He"d picked it up in some thrift store after watching Crocodile Dundee Crocodile Dundee with Menolly and me on Late-Night Movie Madness, and even I had to admit, it looked good with the leather duster. with Menolly and me on Late-Night Movie Madness, and even I had to admit, it looked good with the leather duster.

After a moment, he turned around. "I think this opening leads into a different dimension. Vanzir and Menolly turned left, that much I can tell. I smell water to the right. And there appears to be a path leading down into a deep chasm. This cave has just officially branched away from anything typical for the area. There shouldn"t be any mammoth caves around this area-not like this."

"Should we just walk in? If that"s a portal, are we going to be able to get back once we cross the threshold?" I tried to remember everything I could about the portals. Some, like the ones the Fae had set up to guard against the demons, were very restrictive but fairly stable in actual use. Others, like the ones opening w.i.l.l.y-nilly, were unbalanced and threatened to close at random.

Roz looked up at Smoky, who was regarding the opening with caution. "What do you think?" he asked softly. Right then, I knew he was worried.

Smoky"s gaze flickered to Camille, then to me. "Obviously Menolly and the demon thought it was safe. But then again, perhaps they didn"t notice the gateway until it was too late. This entire cavern is unstable. We might as well be carrying a bomb. One wrong move, and we could bring tons of rock down on our heads. Or worse."

Camille sucked in a deep breath. "We have no choice. We have to find the spirit seal, and we don"t know where Menolly and Vanzir were headed. Why don"t we split up? Half stay here, half go through and see what happens."

I let out a low sigh. "Yeah, I think so, too. You stay here, along with Smoky and Morio. I"ll take Roz and Zach, and we"ll step through. Once over the archway, we should be able to tell if we"re in trouble."

For once, she didn"t argue with me, and I wondered if her hand was hurting more than she let on. Usually, Camille played the big-sister card. A lot. But she just looked a little relieved.

Smoky nodded. "Rozurial, if things go wrong, you know how to get Delilah and Zach out. Use it, if you have to."

I caught my breath. "The Ionyc Sea?" I glanced at Roz.

Smoky let out a low growl but said nothing.

I stared at him. "Come on, you know Camille had to tell me."

With a wry grin, Roz said, "She has you there."

Smoky led Camille and Morio back away from the archway.

"If there"s trouble," Camille said, "scream-shout-do whatever you have to in order to let us know. If you disappear and we don"t see you within a few moments, I"m coming in."

"You are not-" Smoky started, but she brushed away his protests.

"Of course I am, and you can"t stop me." She ran back over to me and leaned up on tiptoe to kiss my cheek. "Stay safe, Kitten. I love you. Don"t get yourself into trouble."

As she returned to the dragon"s side, I sucked in a deep lungful of air and let it out slowly, counting from twenty to one to calm the jitters that had taken up residence in my stomach.

"Are we ready to do this?" I asked.

Roz and Zach nodded. Roz, Zach, and I linked arms and then stepped through the arch leading into the giant cavern.

CHAPTER 16.

A crackle warned me that we were headed into an energy field, and then, without fuss or muss, we were through. It was totally different than the portals to OW. I whirled and, much to my relief, saw Camille and Smoky standing there, looking anxious. Morio raised his hand to wave.

I waved back. "Can you still see me?"

Camille laughed. "Yes, thank the G.o.ds. We"re coming through." They stepped through the archway, and I heard a tiny sizzle of sparks, but nothing untoward happened, and within a few seconds, we were standing together again.

The cavern was huge. My guess was that we were standing a step or two to the left of Earthside"s realm-not far enough to totally separate us from our mother"s home, but far enough to exist in its own little niche. Even with my keen vision, it was difficult to see the other side of the cave. The murky bottom of the ravine was swathed in a mist too deep to tell how far down it went.

The air here was cooler, more humid than the air in the tunnels, and I noticed the drop in temperature even through my jacket. I borrowed Roz"s flashlight and walked over to one of the cavern walls, where I shone the light against the rock. It was wet, slick with water that trickled drop by drop down the sides, and covered with patches of the viro-mortis slime. This time the slime had a purplish tint, and I cautiously avoided getting anywhere near the carnivorous ectoplasm.

"I think we"re getting closer. If the spirit seal is protected by ghosts or revenants or whatever, there are probably a lot of them or they"re very powerful, because this slime is everywhere. I"m not looking forward to-" A noise stopped me in midsentence.

I stepped away from the wall, and we all listened, on our guard, waiting. After a nerve-racking second, Menolly and Vanzir reappeared from around a corner to our left.

With a short sigh, I let out my breath and relaxed. "Thank heavens. We were just about to come look for you. What did you find?"

Menolly"s eyes were wide and glowing red. "We found the chamber with the spirit seal, but it"s heavily guarded. There"s one shade. Big-time dangerous. But before we can even get to him, we have to wade through at least half a dozen wights."

Wights. Oh s.h.i.t. Wights were nasty brutes. One foot in the Netherworld, one foot in the grave, they were truly members of the walking dead. Even vampires gave them a wide berth, because wights were so vicious. They were more like animals than intelligent beings, cunning and voracious in their appet.i.te for flesh and spirit. Unlike shades, which devoured the spirit, or zombies, which ate only the flesh, wights fed off both.

They sucked the spirit out of the very bones and muscle as they consumed their dinner, usually while their victim was still alive. There were wights in Otherworld, usually in the dark volcanic ranges of the Southern Wastes and well north of the towering Nebelvuori Mountains, but they seldom ever came near the populated areas, usually feeding off animals and the scant handful of travelers venturing into the mountain pa.s.ses.

Camille cleared her throat. "Well, do we know what kills a wight?"

"Dragon"s breath," Smoky grumbled. "But unless the chamber is as big as this one, I won"t be able to transform, and I doubt they"ll come out and play, even if we ask them nicely."

"It isn"t," Menolly said. "It"s a narrow, low pa.s.sage leading into a smallish cavern. There"s plenty of room there for both them and us, but not for a dragon. Wights are undead. If you have some sort of necromantic spell to repulse or turn the dead, Morio, that might help."

We all turned to the youkai, who glanced at Camille. She gave him a slight nod, and he said, "We"ve been working on that. I don"t know if it will work on a wight, though. We"ve never actually tried it except on a few of the spirits in the known haunted houses around town-"

"Whoa-hold on," I said. "You mean you two have been sneaking around Seattle, exorcising ghosts on the sly?"

"Not exactly," Camille said. "We only just started working on this spell a few weeks ago. So far, we"ve managed to dissipate a few nasty spirits that were causing havoc. We didn"t want to say anything until we knew we had it down pat. And we don"t yet."

"No, but we"re d.a.m.n close," Morio said, his eyes taking on a dark, golden sheen. He let out a long breath. "You might as well know that I"m planning to teach Camille how to summon spirits in a few months, but first she has to know how to dispel them, in case something goes wrong. So that"s what we"ve been working on. How to banish spirits. As to how the spell will affect wights, I"m not sure. Maybe nothing, maybe it will help."