***
Michio was reading when the babystarting crying again. He lifted Baymond out of his crib and gave hima bottle, hoping the baby’s cries wouldn’t awaken Toemeka. He wasconcerned about her sudden illness since she’d lost consciousnessat the palace and been sleeping ever since.
The baby finished the bottle andfell asleep. Michio placed him back in the crib then went to thebedroom and lay down next to Toemeka. His thoughts turned to Nyla.Why did Toemeka sense she was negative when he didn’t?
Awareness of the physical worlddisappeared as he fell asleep and entered the Inner Worlds in fullconsciousness. He stood on a wind-swept mountain. Nyla appearedbeside him. She wore the gown she’d worn to the ball and her hairblew gently about her young, innocent face. “Come to me. I’m indanger and need your help.”
Michio jerked awake, disturbed bythe inner experience. Did she really need his help? Was she in somekind of trouble? She was the princess of one of Jaipur’s mostimportant allies. He shouldn’t let anything happen to her, but whatif Toemeka was right and Nyla had a dark purpose?
He couldn’t go to Nyla anyway.Since they’d returned from Alandra, he never left Toemeka andBaymond alone at the house. Cadmus was too great a threat even thoughJake’s last communication said he was still at his fortress.
Michio went back to sleep, butNyla came to him again, more powerful than before, calling to him inhis dreams. He surrounded himself with a shield of Light to blockher, but still felt her reaching out to him. He gave up trying tosleep and decided to take a short walk to clear his mind of Nyla. Hewouldn’t be gone long — Toemeka and the baby would be all right.
Standing in the moonlit night, hefelt Nyla’s energy stronger than ever, drawing him to her. Hestarted walking, unable to resist the pull of her call. He enteredthe dark woods and continued along a familiar trail that led up theside of the mountain. He paused, hearing a faint wailing cry carriedon the wind. Every sense alert, he moved toward the source of thepower drawing him forward. His instinct was to leave, but the pullwas too strong to resist..
Finally, he broke into a smallclearing. Nyla stood in the center with the light of Borko’s doublemoons illuminating her fair hair. She looked exactly as he’d seenher in his dream. Her pretty face broke into a smile upon seeing him.“I knew you’d come. I’ve been waiting for you.”
A shudder passed through Michio;the feeling of negativity was even stronger here. Was it coming fromfrom the danger she was in—or her? What power did she have overhim? Why was he here? The questions drifted away as quickly as theycame and he didn’t seem able to think clearly.
“Come here,” she said in aseductive voice.
“What do you want?” he asked,walking toward her.
“A black magician has beenpsychically attacking me. Please help.”
“Who is this magician?” Shelooked young, frightened and vulnerable. She brought out hismasculine instinct to protect her, the same feelings Toemeka alwaysrejected from him. Yet he felt as if a veil was being drawn over him.Thin tentacles seemed to reach out through the ethers and bind thelife force within him. An inner warning coursed through him, but hedidn’t seem to have the strength to heed it. He stopped barely sixfeet away from her. She was so innocent and needed his help.
“You must become one with me,so your power becomes mine.” She moved to Michio with fluid stepsand slid her arms around him.
Michio’s breath quickened andhis body tingled with arousal. He reached out to push her away, butwhen his hands touched her soft skin, he wanted her. His holdtightened on her, even as he fought the desire to take her. He felthimself drowning, going under deep, ice-cold water.
Inwardly he focused on getting intouch with the higher part of himself. Trapped in darkness, hesearched for the inner Light. An image of Toemeka appeared and lovefilled him. He started inwardly chanting, uplifting himself inconsciousness. The force of Divine Spirit flowed through him.
He thrust Nyla away. A purewhite, Light that started as a mere pinpoint appeared in his innervision. The point of light expanded and intensified. The veil ofillusion was ripped away. Nyla’s negativity hit him, full force andhe saw her for who she really was.
“Seetva!” Michio gasped. “Didyou think you could entrap me so easily?”
The form of the young princessshifted into Seetva. Skulls appeared on her black gown and her eyeswere burning coals that bore into him. “I told you I’d be back todefeat you, Michio. I’m not alone this time.”
Zanton and Cadmus emerged fromthe woods. His three enemies surrounded him in a triangle of power.He knew Seetva alone could never have brought him here, but byconverging her dark powers with theirs, they were stronger than him.
Michio sent Toemeka a strongtelepathic message. “Toemeka, wake up! Escape!” His message wascut off.
“We can’t have youinterfering with our plans,” Cadmus said. “Toemeka is mine whenyou’re dead.”
“You could’ve been allowed tolive,” Seetva said. “Samrat Condor would have prefered that; hewants your power. He wants us to capture your Soul and takepossession of your body, but that won’t be possible now.”
“Kill him, Seetva,” Zantonsaid.
Seetva changed into the form ofDeath. Her face became a skeleton and her hands claws. She looked athim with glowing red eyes and took a step forward. “Death has comefor you.”
32
Dangerous Enemies
Koriann awoke with a sharpcontraction. She glanced over and saw that Erling wasn’t in bedbeside her. Perhaps he was just in the bathroom or hadn’t been ableto sleep. He didn’t seem himself the last few days.
“Erling!” she called. Hedidn’t answer. She gritted her teeth as another contraction hither. She’d been having false labor pains during the last few weeks.Dr. Tenzing assured her it was simply her body getting ready forchildbirth. She called Erling on her watch
