“Good point.” Damien climbed out of bed. “Man, I need some coffee,” he uttered as he stretched.
Alexander and Damien made their way to the sitting room after Damien dressed for the day. Damien went through the usual barrage of physical tests by Millie, assuring her he had no side effects.
“I wonder when Celine will reach out today?” Damien questioned. “I’m anxious all over again.”
“Try to relax,” Gray said. “Celine will contact you when she can.”
“Yeah, I realize that. But then my mind just spins out of control. What if she can’t? What if she’s hurt? A million what ifs… Plus, once she contacts me this time, I can ask where she is, and this can all be over with.”
“I doubt that,” Alexander corrected.
“Why?” Damien inquired.
“It won’t be that simple or we would have found her already,” Alexander stated.
“Well, at least we’ll know where to start looking,” Damien muttered.
He leapt from his seat on the couch, pacing the room.
“That’s not going to make her contact you any faster. All it’ll do is wear you out, then you won’t have the energy to ask her where she is when she does connect with you,” Gray warned.
“I can’t just sit here! I’m going crazy!” Damien exclaimed, flailing his arms.
“How about a walk?” Michael suggested.
“Yes, a walk!” Damien agreed. “A walk did it yesterday. Come on, let’s go.”
“I’ll go with him,” Michael offered.
“As will I,” Alexander added.
The trio spent the rest of the morning hours walking the property. While providing a distraction, it did little to settle Damien’s nerves. Celine did not reach out. They returned to Alexander’s house.
“Well, you’re still up and moving, so I’m guessing you’ve not heard from Celine yet,” Gray stated as they entered the sitting room.
Damien collapsed in a heap on the couch. “Not a peep.”
“We even went to the clearing in the woods… FIVE times,” Michael noted.
“She didn’t call you into Shadow World until mid-afternoon yesterday,” Alexander reminded him. “Perhaps that is when she has a moment to herself to communicate.”
Damien checked his watch. “Ugh,” he groused. “Two hours to go before that.”
“Sounds like it’s time for a game of chess,” Alexander challenged him.
Damien sighed. “Okay, okay,” he relented, stalking to the chess board.
They spent the afternoon engaged in several games of chess. As afternoon turned to early evening, Damien’s frustration reached its peak. He stared out the window, drumming his fingers on the table. “Your move,” Alexander prodded him.
Damien glanced to the board, moving a pawn from one space to another. Alexander’s brow furrowed. “Really?” he questioned.
“What?” Damien asked.
“That’s a surprising move given the state of the board,” Alexander said.
“Ohhhh,” Damien muttered, realizing his error. “Well, I’ve lost.”
“Distracted?”
“Very.” Damien checked his watch before springing from his chair. He paced around the room. “This is hours after she contacted me yesterday!”
“Patience, Damien, patience,” Gray said.
“Patience is not a virtue I possess. Ugh! We should have a set time for this every day.”
“Don’t waste your time discussing details like that,” Gray warned. “You have minutes in Shadow World. Let Celine lead the conversation.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Damien griped. “I know. It’s just that I…” He stopped pacing, staring straight ahead.
“You what?” Michael asked, glancing up from his laptop.
“Damien?” Alexander questioned.
Damien pitched forward, collapsing. “It’s Celine, she’s contacting him,” Gray announced as Damien began to fall. He raced to Damien, catching him before he hit the ground. “Put him by the fireplace, keep him warm.” Alexander assisted in carrying Damien to the fireplace. Michael rushed to cover him with blankets. Damien’s lips were already blue from cold and he shook uncontrollably. His breathing was elevated, and his pulse raced.
“Get Millie, she can monitor his vitals,” Gray suggested. Michael hurried from the room in search of the doctor.
Damien stopped speaking mid-sentence. Something looked odd on the wall in front of him. He stared at it as he tried to formulate his next words. His brow furrowed as he realized what appeared odd to him. The wallpaper, burgundy with gold diamonds, melted from the walls. It slid down like sludge, pooling on the hardwood floor below and running from the room at every opening. A chill passed over him. He shivered before the world in front of him turned colorless. He blinked a few times, adjusting his eyes.
The room disappeared. Colorless tress surrounded him. A gray sky yawned overhead. The cold penetrated him and he shivered, wrapping his arms around him for warmth. Celine called to him. He spotted her rushing toward him. She wrapped him in a warm embrace.
“Celine! I didn’t think you were going to communicate with me. I’ve been so worried.”
“I’m trying to give you time to recover. I realize how hard this is on you.”
“I’m fine, Celine, don’t worry about that.”
“Hush, Damien, there is no time for that.”
“No, I have to find out where you are.”
“The basement of the old mill, but Marcus has an enchantment that will not allow me to be found. But I am near to you. Now you must go, Damien.”
“Tell me more so we can find you,” Damien requested.
“No, Damien. You must go. Go, Damien, GO!” she shouted, letting go of him.
He floated for a bit, trying to stay in the realm, but eventually he fell away. The gray landscape faded to blackness. He fell through the blackness until he struck bottom. He gasped for air. He opened his eyes to find a crowd grouped above him. The room spun and nausea turned his stomach upside down.
“Damien,” Gray called. His voice sounded miles away. “Damien,” he said again, his voice garbled. “Are you sick?”
Damien nodded. Gray and Alexander sat him up, and Millie placed a vomit bag to his mouth. He threw up twice before collapsing backwards. Cold permeated him. Exhaustion made it impossible to keep his eyes open. He closed them, slipping away.
“Damien! Damien!” Gray called, shaking him.
“Is he okay?” Michael asked, throwing more logs on the fire.
“He’s hypothermic,” Mille responded. “We must monitor him closely. He’s too exhausted to stay awake, but sleep
