hurt?"
"Not me?"
"Miranda?"
"She's fine," Julie replied haltingly. "They fought. It was the Necromancer who was wounded. He was trying to calm her down, but she was furious."
Seth felt his teeth grind. "Why?"
"They were talking. He was trying to help. He was just counseling her, but she's so angry, so full of war and wrath."
"Jesus. I'm going over there."
"No!" Julie shot up from the couch, rushing forward to grab onto his arm. "Don't. You can't. Not yet. She's not ready."
"Not ready?"
"She's meditating."
"She's what?"
Julie pressed her lips together, grimacing before her gaze darted away. Her lip trembled. "She's not like the others, you know? The other goddesses, the other Rathvam… They aren't human any more. There's only a few that can appear that way, you know, that can appear like us. Miranda was created to walk among humans, but she can't always handle it. So, when she's really upset, the Necromancer speaks to her, some kind of prayer or something. And then she slips into the divine state, where the rest of them are, a place above the limitations of the human mind. She can't hear or see anything now."
Seth shook his head, fighting a surreal sense of horror.
"It doesn't hurt her," Julie said quickly. "But this time, he's ordered her to remember everything when she comes back. And that'll be hard for her."
"What exactly is she going to remember?"
"Everything she was, everything that is now gone," Julie whispered, still looking away mournfully. "He had to do it. He had to force her to remember so that she would understand that fighting against it is pointless now."
"Fighting against what?"
"Against her destiny."
"What destiny?"
"You."
"Julie," he said sharply, grasping the woman's delicate chin between his fingers and turning her face back toward him. The glow from the open door cast her pale complexion in the rich colors of twilight, her eyes luminous and afraid.
"I'm losing patience. You have to help me here."
"I am helping you," she said, emotion clipping the words. "Can't you see that? Can't you see that I want you to succeed? Miranda came to protect us. I never wanted her to get hurt. You have to believe that. You have to bring her back, even if it is just for a little while. She chose you. She deserves you."
Seth drew in a harsh breath, trying to make sense of that.
"Please," she begged. "Come tonight. You are expected."
"Expected to do what?" he asked. "You're not telling me what I need to know. What has he done to her?"
"I can't," she whispered. "I can't say anything more. You wouldn't understand anyway. You have to see it for yourself. If you bring her back, you'll see it."
"Bring her back from where? See what?"
"You'll see it," Julie repeated, as if convincing herself with the words. "You'll come for her. I know you will."
He watched the woman for a moment, trying to decide how broken she was, how much of this she really believed.
She raised her slender hand, lightly touching his jaw with cool fingers. "Miranda chose the right man," she whispered.
She pulled out of his grasp and he let her go, allowing her to slip through the open door and out onto the playa. She walked away across the dust and disappeared between the tents, heading directly for the tents of the Divine Gate in the distance.
Chapter Six
S eth didn't arrive in costume. He walked past the blazing oil drum fires and into the Divine Gate camp dressed in nothing more than his boots, cowboy hat, jeans and a long drover jacket. He cut quickly through the lines of people in glittering costumes and masks at the entrance, scanning ahead for any sign of Miranda.
An arena had been prepared for the event, with scaffolding and bright lights that flooded the entire area with streams of vibrant color. A DJ was on the stage, positioned behind a wired semi-circle of turntables. He bobbed to the big rhythm grinding through the ten-foot speakers around the stage, his fingers nimble across the dials of a large mixer, his headphones
"Not me?"
"Miranda?"
"She's fine," Julie replied haltingly. "They fought. It was the Necromancer who was wounded. He was trying to calm her down, but she was furious."
Seth felt his teeth grind. "Why?"
"They were talking. He was trying to help. He was just counseling her, but she's so angry, so full of war and wrath."
"Jesus. I'm going over there."
"No!" Julie shot up from the couch, rushing forward to grab onto his arm. "Don't. You can't. Not yet. She's not ready."
"Not ready?"
"She's meditating."
"She's what?"
Julie pressed her lips together, grimacing before her gaze darted away. Her lip trembled. "She's not like the others, you know? The other goddesses, the other Rathvam… They aren't human any more. There's only a few that can appear that way, you know, that can appear like us. Miranda was created to walk among humans, but she can't always handle it. So, when she's really upset, the Necromancer speaks to her, some kind of prayer or something. And then she slips into the divine state, where the rest of them are, a place above the limitations of the human mind. She can't hear or see anything now."
Seth shook his head, fighting a surreal sense of horror.
"It doesn't hurt her," Julie said quickly. "But this time, he's ordered her to remember everything when she comes back. And that'll be hard for her."
"What exactly is she going to remember?"
"Everything she was, everything that is now gone," Julie whispered, still looking away mournfully. "He had to do it. He had to force her to remember so that she would understand that fighting against it is pointless now."
"Fighting against what?"
"Against her destiny."
"What destiny?"
"You."
"Julie," he said sharply, grasping the woman's delicate chin between his fingers and turning her face back toward him. The glow from the open door cast her pale complexion in the rich colors of twilight, her eyes luminous and afraid.
"I'm losing patience. You have to help me here."
"I am helping you," she said, emotion clipping the words. "Can't you see that? Can't you see that I want you to succeed? Miranda came to protect us. I never wanted her to get hurt. You have to believe that. You have to bring her back, even if it is just for a little while. She chose you. She deserves you."
Seth drew in a harsh breath, trying to make sense of that.
"Please," she begged. "Come tonight. You are expected."
"Expected to do what?" he asked. "You're not telling me what I need to know. What has he done to her?"
"I can't," she whispered. "I can't say anything more. You wouldn't understand anyway. You have to see it for yourself. If you bring her back, you'll see it."
"Bring her back from where? See what?"
"You'll see it," Julie repeated, as if convincing herself with the words. "You'll come for her. I know you will."
He watched the woman for a moment, trying to decide how broken she was, how much of this she really believed.
She raised her slender hand, lightly touching his jaw with cool fingers. "Miranda chose the right man," she whispered.
She pulled out of his grasp and he let her go, allowing her to slip through the open door and out onto the playa. She walked away across the dust and disappeared between the tents, heading directly for the tents of the Divine Gate in the distance.
Chapter Six
S eth didn't arrive in costume. He walked past the blazing oil drum fires and into the Divine Gate camp dressed in nothing more than his boots, cowboy hat, jeans and a long drover jacket. He cut quickly through the lines of people in glittering costumes and masks at the entrance, scanning ahead for any sign of Miranda.
An arena had been prepared for the event, with scaffolding and bright lights that flooded the entire area with streams of vibrant color. A DJ was on the stage, positioned behind a wired semi-circle of turntables. He bobbed to the big rhythm grinding through the ten-foot speakers around the stage, his fingers nimble across the dials of a large mixer, his headphones
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