Eventually, the forest gave way to a clearing with a pool in the center. The water sparkled with iridescent light and tiny sprites buzzed over the surface like dragonflies. Tall redwood trees circled the clearing and a thick carpet of moss covered the shore of the pool.
Reaching this spot, we all slowed. Even though losing my magic had temporarily weakened me, my vampire side had stepped up and renewed my strength quickly. But I was thirsty, thirstier than I’d ever been. I needed blood, but I knew I wouldn’t find any here and Adam needed all his strength, too, so feeding from him wasn’t an option. So I settled on approaching the pool. I knelt down and cupped my hands to lift the water to my lips. The water sparkled in my hands like liquid moonbeams.
“Red, I’m not sure that’s a good—” Adam began.
“Stop!” a female voice squeaked.
I looked up quickly. On the opposite side of the pool, a female in a green hooded robe stood. She was short—not a surprise since she was probably a fae—and two delicate hands jutted from the wide sleeves of the robe.
Behind me, Horus’s sword sang as it exited its scabbard. Calyx aimed her deadly bow at the intruder. Nyx, Adam, and Tristan fell in behind me protectively.
“Anyone who drinks from the sacred scrying pool will die instantly.”
The water trickled between my fingers. “Thanks,” I said. I wiped my hands on my jeans. “Who are you?”
Only her mouth was visible through the hood’s opening and it spread into a smile. “Have you forgotten me so soon, Sabina?” She pushed back the hood.
I gasped and stumbled back. Adam caught me and steadied me. “Vinca?” I whispered.
She dropped the dire tone and waggled her fingers at us. “Hey, guys!”
My heart clenched. The last time I’d seen the nymph was when Adam and I delivered her body to her family for burial. She’d died at the hands of a vampire named Frank back in the winery the Dominae used as a cover for a mage bloodletting operation. We’d won that night but had paid huge personal costs to gain the victory.
Vinca’s death had hit me hard. She was the first female friend I’d ever had and the first person whose death I gave a shit about. I suppose I should have expected that I might run into her spirit in Irkalla, but with all of Tristan’s talk about running into people who wanted me dead, it never occurred to me I’d see old friends, too.
Adam and I stood in shocked silence for a few moments. Vinca’s smile faltered the longer the silence drew out. “Guys?”
I shook myself. “I’m sorry. I just… didn’t expect to see you.”
She shrugged. “I know. But when I heard you were coming, I volunteered to be the one to lead you through the Fae Realm.”
“You did?”
“Of course,” she said. “Why wouldn’t I?”
I glanced away. “Because it’s my fault you died.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw her hands slam down on her hips. “No, it was not, Sabina Kane. You know damned well I begged you to be on that mission. I knew the risks. I just didn’t watch my back.”
“I should have been watching it,” I argued.
“How? If I recall, you had your hands full fighting Clovis,” she said, referring to the half vampire, half demon who’d double-crossed us. “Now stop feeling guilty and come give me a hug!”
I rounded the pool in a flash and threw myself at her. Only instead of touching her, my arms passed through her. So did my body, except for an odd sort of catching sensation, like a thread snagging on a splinter, before I stumbled toward the tree line. She giggled. “Whoops. Sorry, I keep forgetting I’m totally dead now.”
I shook myself. The cold sensation of passing through Vinca’s spirit clung to me like frost. “What was that weird little friction there?”
She shrugged. “Spirits are naturally attracted to corporeal forms. I’m afraid that was my soul trying to hitch a ride in your body. Sorry about that.”
I waved a hand. “No worries. It just caught me off guard.”
Adam and the others had come around the water now, too. I waved off Vinca’s apology. “It’s just good to see you.”
She smiled. “Ditto, sexy hexy.” She noticed Adam’s hand on the small of my back. “Hey! Are you guys finally together?”
Adam and I exchanged rueful smiles. When she’d been alive, Vinca fancied herself a soothsayer, but her predictions usually were about as accurate as those of late-night TV psychics. Except, apparently, in the case of her predicting a love connection between the mancy and me. “Yes, ma’am,” Adam drawled. “She couldn’t resist my charms.”
Vinca pumped a tiny fist in the air. “I knew it!”
Nyx cleared her throat, bringing the nymph’s attention to the rest of our group.
“Now, are you going to introduce me to your friends?”
I quickly made the introductions. When I got to Tristan and introduced him as my father, her eyes widened and she shot me a questioning glance. “Long story,” I said.
She seemed to accept that. “And where’s Mr. Giggles?”
“He’s waiting for us in Gizal,” Adam said.
The mention of the demon realm sobered everyone right up. After all, as nice as this little reunion was, we couldn’t afford to hang out. Not with Cain on our tail.
“Vinca,” Adam said. “It’s so good to see you, but we’re kind of in a hurry. Can you point us to the next gate?”
She frowned. “You’ve already found it.” She pointed to the pool.
“I thought you said it was a scrying pool?” Tristan asked.
“It’s both. In order to pass through to the vampire realm, you’ll have to accept the vision the pool offers.”
“What kind of vision?” I asked.
“It’s different depending on the viewer. Could be anything, really.”
Given the tests so far, I had a pretty good idea the scrying pool wasn’t about to offer up a happy vision.
Before I could respond to Vinca’s explanation, a voice called out through the forest. “Sabina!” Cain’s singsong call made my heartbeat stumble.
A chill passed over me, like someone walked over my grave. I looked around to see if anyone else heard it. Everyone except Nyx and Horus—the other vampires in the group—just watched me. Their expressions were tense as they waited for my answer but otherwise untroubled. But Nyx paled and sweat beaded on her brow. “He’s coming,” she whispered. Beside her Horus white-knuckled his sword.
“What? Who?” Calyx demanded.
“Cain,” I said simply. Without wasting time explaining further, I turned to Vinca. “How do I do this?”
“Just clear your mind and gaze into the waters. It will take care of the rest.”
While I ran to the edge of the pool, I heard Nyx explain to the others what we’d heard. Our vampire ears allowed us to hear things from very far away. Our only hope now was to get the portal open ASAP and jump through before Cain descended.
Tristan started barking orders for everyone to spread out to guard the perimeter. I placed my hands on the soft moss and blew out a long, slow breath. I cleared my mind and focused on the glowing water. I stared until my eyes unfocused. The water went blurry but didn’t change.
“Saaabiiiinaaaa!” Closer now. A couple of miles and closing in fast. Muttered curses reached me as everyone else finally heard Cain’s call.
I blinked and shook myself. “Come on,” I said to the water. “Show me already.”
The surface warped and stirred, then began swirling. Then it stilled, calm and clear as a mirror’s surface. At first, I couldn’t make out any discernible symbols or images. I leaned closer, bending out over the water.
Smoke rolled across the surface. When it cleared, I saw myself crying. My hair was blond and hung around my face like a shroud.
“What the hell?” I whispered as I watched the scene unfold.
In the vision, I looked up as doors burst open and Cain rushed into the room with an army of spirits. I could smell their bloodlust, their hatred.
The shot widened and revealed a raven-black woman looming over me like death itself. Lilith.
“Your answer?” she demanded. “Quickly!”
I looked up at her, my hair falling back to reveal bloodshot eyes totally lacking in strength or hope. In a voice as dead as the ghosts in Cain’s army, I whispered, “It’s too late.”
“Saaaabiiinna!” Cain’s voice cut through my brain like a blade, severing my connection to the pool. He was closer. Too close.
The pool released me from its thrall. I fell back on my ass on the moss-covered shore.
“Red?” Adam called. “Getting anything?”
Hands trembling, I pushed the hair back from my eyes. My stomach felt like a nest of vipers.
“Sabina?” Tristan called when I didn’t answer Adam.
“Yeah?” I said absently.
“What’d you see?” Adam again.
I looked up and realized everyone was staring. With the exception of Vinca, they all looked curious and tense. I quickly decided to keep the vision to myself. I wasn’t so easily swayed that I’d let one incomplete hallucination destroy my resolve.
Besides, even if my initial interpretation was right, I was fully prepared to die as long as I took Cain with me. But this wasn’t a debate I wanted to have with Adam or anyone else.
I swallowed the residue of shame left over from watching myself cower. “It showed me Maisie’s death.”
Adam’s face fell. “Oh gods, Red.”
I shrugged. “It’s okay.”
Vinca cleared her throat. I glanced at her and froze. The nymph’s expression was so grave that I had to believe she knew I was lying. Had she seen the vision? I pleaded with my eyes for her to keep it to herself. She nodded subtly.
“So how do we open the gate?” Tristan called.
“Sabina has to place a drop of blood in the water.”