‘Where the hell am I? Oh gods!,’ Putting her head in her hands she cried. “What has happened to me?”
There was a movement near the door. She looked up and saw a dark silhouette standing motionless. ‘I’m hallucinating,’ she thought as the black silhouette approached her.
“It’s me Lilly,” Regina said, taking her hand. “Are you still feeling ill?”
Lilly nodded her head but the spinning reminded her to be still. A low moan escaped from deep in her throat.
“You’ve come down with something awful. Don’t worry, you can stay here. I will take care of you.”
No longer able to sit up, Lilly slid onto the couch and passed out again.
She awoke in the late afternoon, her head fuzzy and her stomach growling. Regina served her tea and toast. She ate slowly and felt a little better.
“I need to get to the bathroom,” she moaned. Her rubbery legs collapsed as she plopped back onto the couch. Regina took her arm and helped her to the bathroom. Lilly splashed cold water on her face and rinsed her mouth.
Regina, Prissy and Dodger were waiting for her when she opened the bathroom door.
“Lilly, can you make it up the stairs? We have a bed up there and I am sure you would be more comfortable in bed than lying on the lumpy couch.”
Lilly nodded, her thoughts fuzzy and her tongue too thick to speak.
Her head was spinning again as Regina lead her up the stairs. The click clack of the dogs nails on the old wooden stairs, followed behind them. A dim light filtered through the dormer window of the attic and Regina led her to the futon near the magic circle where Claude had contacted Roland through the crystal ball.
She stretched out on the futon on the floor. Regina suggested she take off her clothes. “You know you have been in those jeans and sweater for a couple of days. You have been throwing up. I think it is time to throw your clothes in the washing machine.”
Lilly nodded, slowly sat up and slipped her sweater over her head. Regina unsnapped her jeans and slipped them off along with her socks. Lying naked, Lilly’s skin chilled and erupted in goose bumps.
Suddenly the soft lighting disappeared and she lay in semi-darkness. Regina’s velvet voice grew spikes, “How gratifying to find you vulnerable and innocent! You are exactly who I’ve have been waiting for. I will relish harvesting your power before your beloved Roland shows up, if he shows up. Your centuries of power as a priestess and your Faery magic, will be mine. Surprise! The powerful Jewel of Inanna will also be mine. What do they call it down here in N’Orleans? Lagniappe, yes, that’s it. You are a package with an extra bonus. Thanks to you, I will regain the power my Valraven blood deserves.”
Chapter 36
Carrion of the Soul
Lilly heard the door open and close. She called out when she heard the click of the key in the lock. “Regina, what did you say? Bring me a blanket.”
Her head ached ferociously as she tried to sit up. Lying down again, she grabbed for the sacred Jewel around her neck as it thrummed gently beneath her fingers. Miserable, cold and disoriented, tears wet her face and rolled slowly down her neck. Soaked with tears of frustration, she called out to the empty room, “What is going on? We are friends. Why are you doing this?”
Her drugged mind drifted into an uneasy sleep. In her delirium, she was looking into a black mirror. Her pale face and sunken eyes stared back at her for a moment. She blinked, and mist drifted over the surface of the mirror. Out of the mist, Roland’s face appeared. He was sitting staring into the still water of a pond. His eyes widened as he saw Lilly’s face in the dark water. Shocked, he leaned forward and spoke to the vision, “Lilly, Lilly, what’s going on?”
Lilly lifted her hand to the mirror. She touched the surface just as Roland hand lifted. For a moment, she swore she could feel his warmth. Suddenly his hand disappeared into blackness. Her heart ripped as she cried out in her sleep, “I miss you, I love you.” She tossed restlessly and awoke to the sound of sleet beating on the slate roof. Shivering in the darkness of the attic, she groped around the room looking for something to cover herself. She found the door, twisted the doorknob and fell to her knees. Crawling through the room, she found nothing to warm herself. Standing on shaky legs, she found the futon, lay down and sought the refuge of oblivion.
“Hiss, scratch, creek, flutter,” Lilly lay barely breathing, listening to the small sounds. It didn’t sound like a rat. The fluttering and scratching with an occasional hiss continued intermittently. She curled into a tight ball, closed her eyes and ears and cast her mind into the past. Her memories sustained her for a time. Slowly the memories faded, replaced by thick, cold fog.
Regina’s Chanting cut through the fog in Lilly’s mind. The sickly smells of storax and sulfur filled the air. Lilly opened her eyes. Flickering candles surrounded the futon and arced out into a wide circle. Regina stood over her, “You are mine now, Priestess. I have tracked you through centuries of incarnations as priestess, princess, sea captain, high lord of the manor and now pitiful little bitch from the bayou. You cannot believe how easy this has been. You are finally in my grasp and it was worth the wait!”
“I am so close, so close to having what I want!” She exclaimed as she moved within the circle and lifted her arms in front of a tall triangular mirror.
