Tangled Dreams

by Cecilia Dominic

  Charlie's expression dropped from affable to resigned. "Yeah, that would be nice, except for one thing."

  "What?"

  "It's gone."

  "Gone? Where?"

  "Who knows? I suspect the same imp that whispered in Daniel Smith's ear and erased all the paperwork we did on the Jane Doe's."

  "Can't you call Maggie and get her to stop it?" He ran a hand through his hair. "I can't believe I just asked that."

  "She's working on that now, but she has to have certain contacts that are harder to reach when she's in corporeal form."

  "You don't seem very upset." Damien couldn't believe it—this was the main piece of evidence they had to convict the man who tried to murder Rizzo. How was Charlie not livid?

  Charlie surprised and dismayed him by laughing. "Trust me, Dame, when you've been handling these cases for a while, the impossible becomes ordinary." His face turned serious. Damien couldn't help but think it was like watching a puddle on a partly cloudy day: bright, dull, bright. "I just hope this thing doesn't pop up where we least expect or need it to."

  26

  When he arrived at Maggie's condo, Damien went straight to the bedroom. Audrey lay on the bed in Maggie's spare bedroom and breathed steadily but shallowly. He wanted to do something, anything, to make her open her eyes and talk to him. He kissed her on the lips and smoothed her hair back. "I'll come for you, I promise."

  When he walked into the living room, Maggie looked at him, then bit her lip and turned away, her fists clenched. His jaw tightened with the same helplessness and frustration, but mostly fear that they would be too late to help her.

  Charlie arrived with pizza. The four of them—Maggie, Charlie, Damien, and Lucia—sat around the coffee table and ate in silence for a few minutes. It felt like a deathbed scene where everyone was afraid to talk too loudly, if at all.

  Damien finally spoke. "So what now?" He took a deep breath to announce his decision, but Maggie beat him to talking.

  "We have two tasks," she said. "First, we have to save Audrey." They all listened to make sure the girl still breathed in the other room. Satisfied, Maggie continued, "And we have to rescue Aphrodite and send her back to the C.U. before Lyle Ames and Zeus can cause any more trouble." She told them about the conversation she had overheard.

  "What kind of transfer did they mean?" asked Charlie.

  "I don't know. I was focused on not getting caught. A battle with a toad could destroy the whole hotel. But I know one thing." She looked at Charlie, and she smiled. "I need to go to that party."

  "You kids go on, then," said Lucia. "I can stay here with Audrey again tomorrow."

  "Aren't you losing business right now?" asked Damien. "Someone's got to man the psychic shop."

  "This is more important." Lucia emphatically waved a pizza crust in his direction. "And like it or not, you're going have to rescue Audrey."

  "I know," he said, her words confirming his resolve. "I have to do something. But I've been told by several people, both human and supernatural, that something's happened to me." He clasped his hands so tight his knuckles went white. "It makes me fear for my own mind and my own life…"

  "You'll get through it," Charlie said, but stopped when Maggie put a hand on his arm.

  "Let him finish," she said.

  "But whatever's going on, it's something that isn't going to be stopped unless someone goes to the C.U. and we all know that's the only way Audrey has a chance." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I'll go. I can't stand the thought of losing her, and as for what happens to me, that's not important anymore. I've been touched."

  "There are different kinds of magic, both positive and negative," Lucia said. "Even if you've been touched, as you say, it's not necessarily a bad thing. Stop fighting it. Let it help you and guide you."

  He nodded at the psychic with a shaky smile. "Thanks, I'll try to keep that in mind. When do I leave?"

  Damien opened his eyes to see a carpet of emerald green grass, a curved roof lined with amethyst crystals, and after his vision focused, a purple and gold dragon watching him with big green eyes.

  "Mmmhmm, aren't you the manly one?" the dragon asked in a tenor voice.

  Damien struggled to his feet and reached for his gun, only to find that it wasn't on his belt.

  "You've got a sword here, sweetie. And a nice sword it is." The dragon wasn't looking at the place where the sword should be.

  Damien's cheeks heated, and he reached across to his left hip and found the weapon. "Who are you?"

  "I promise, I'm no threat. I'm Zinfandel. Maybe you've heard of me?" The dragon ducked his head coyly.

  A memory flickered through Damien's mind. "Audrey mentioned something about you."

  "Yep, I know the girl. Sweet thing, too, but not much of a dresser. Now that Maggie, she knows how to put on a gown."

  "Do you know where I can find her? Audrey?"

  "Well, honey, you can look for her, but without the key to that golden cage, you won't have much luck rescuing her."

  "Okay, so where's the key?"

  "You'll go outside the cave and find a path, where your spirit guide's a-waiting for you. The path will lead you where you need to go."

  "That's all you're going to tell me?" Damien thought for a moment about threatening the dragon with the sword, but he had no idea how to use the thing, and he didn't know whether the skill would be automatic.

  "Time grows short, honey. You've got to rescue that chick. No time to chitchat here. Every step leads to a new one."

  Bright sunlight spilled through the entrance of the cave, and Damien squinted, squared his shoulders, and walked out. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, and before they could, he was bowled over by something large, furry, and panting.

  "Hey, what…?" Something licked his face, and he opened his eyes to a black wolf looking down at him.

  "Damien." He heard the voice in his head.

  "Hey again." He caressed the large head, then stood, brushed himself off, and looked down the path, which wound through the hills to a familiar skyline.

  "Is that Atlanta?"

  "The road to the key is there." The sun reflected off the glossiness of the wolf's coat.

  "Atlanta's a big place. I just hope the traffic isn't as bad here." He set off at a brisk pace, and the wolf matched his stride. "Audrey is in a golden cage in Lyle Ames' office in Corinth. It would make sense for Lyle to keep the key with him, so maybe it's in his office in Atlanta." The wolf snuffed, which Damien interpreted as assent. "So that's where we're going. This is going to take forever." He stopped and looked at the far-off buildings.

  "This is the dream world. There is always a quicker way."

  When Damien rounded the next curve, he saw a sleek, black horse.

  "It's lovely, but I had pictured a motorcycle." He held a hand out for the horse to sniff. "I guess we'll just have to deal with each other, won't we?"

  The horse bent its front legs for Damien to mount, and the three of them moved quickly toward the city.

  Lyle's loins felt like they would burst if they didn't get relief soon. He had entered Aphrodite's suite to her "come in!" and found her stretched out on the bed naked except for a towel wrapped around her golden hair. She lay on her stomach and leafed through a fashion magazine, her bottom still pink from her bath, and her breasts fluffed from being pressed into the rumpled silk sheets.

  "Forgive me," she said without sounding like she meant it or looking up at him. "I just got out of the shower and wanted to wait for the steam to clear from the mirror before I could do my hair."

  "I sent you a silk robe, Your Radiance."

  "And it's lovely. But sometimes I need to feel the caress of the air on my skin."

  Indeed, the door to the balcony stood open. The thought crossed Lyle's mind that if he couldn't have her right then, he would have to jump to his death.

  Zeus' words came back to him.

  Remember, Lyle, her art is seduction, and it's a powerful weapon. When you deal with
Aphrodite, you have to think with the big head no matter how hard the little one is screaming at you. She's driven men to their deaths before.

  Lyle told the little head to knock it off and closed the balcony doors. Aphrodite rolled over and looked at him with a pout. He ignored the lushness of her breasts and the fact that she had gotten a Brazilian wax since the last time she’d tried to drive him mad. With the door closed, the perfume from the lilies he'd had delivered filled the air. Lyle sniffled; he'd always been allergic to the things.

  "It's cold, Your Radiance. I don't want you to become ill. Your debut is tonight, after all."

  "Right, right, whatever." She waved her hand like she swatted a gnat.

  Those irritating dismissive gestures would be his salvation. He gritted his teeth. "I just wanted to make sure all is to your liking and that you have everything you need for tonight."

  "You know, Lyle, I don't know if I'm up for a party tonight. It's been such a long week, and I haven't really spent any quality time with my attendants." She studied her nails. "And I'm desperately in need of a mani-pedi."

  "I've arranged for that already, and a massage."

  "Everything for your little captive, hmm?"

  He hoped she didn't see the guilt he felt over that human being stuck in his C.U. office. That reminded him of what else he held there.

  Apparently Aphrodite had the same thought. "I've been wondering, Lyle, about my son."

  He loved the way she said his name, like she actually licked the "y" in the middle. No, no, can't follow that train of thought. "What about him?"

  "I haven't seen him lately. I thought you needed his help for some of your business?"

  "That I do, but I've got him tied up doing other things."

  She narrowed her eyes. "I'm not stupid, you know. And if you harm him, a long walk off a short balcony will be the worst of your problems." A gust of wind blew the door open for emphasis.

  With a sigh, Lyle closed it and locked it. "I assure you, he's being well-taken care of. I even brought him a friend."

  "Oh, good, he gets lonely sometimes." She walked slowly and seductively to the bathroom door and looked back at him over the perfect curve of her left shoulder. "What time is my spa treatment?"

  "At eleven, Your Radiance."

  "Perfect, you may send the girls back in now."

  Damien's horse trotted toward the familiar skyline of the city. Images and scenes played out around him but made no more sense than those early sleep period dreams where a knife becomes a fish or a kite becomes a snake. Voices hummed, mumbled, and whispered without him being able to make out the words. Finally, the horse's hooves struck brick and cobbles instead of dirt. Although the familiar modern structures towered above Damien, the buildings looked like wood and clay at street level, and the people could have walked straight out of the Middle Ages. Shops and houses crowded close together, and chickens, pigs, and other livestock wallowed and pecked in front of them. They scattered at the sight of the black horse and wolf. Damien looked down and saw he wore a metal breastplate with chain mail underneath.

  "This is weird," he told the wolf.

  "Such is the Dream World. You create some of the reality. The other is already here."

  "Then I need to create a sighting of Lyle Ames soon so I can find the key. Or at least some direction."

  They came to a building that looked better kept than most. The sign out front read, "Buckhead Boarding House and Ale Room."

  "I'm obviously not figuring this out myself, so I'm going to stop for directions." He dismounted and gave the horse's reins to the wolf, which simultaneously held them in his mouth and growled at onlookers. With a shake of his head at the continued randomness of it all, Damien entered the pub.

  The gloom seemed to swallow him, and once his eyes adjusted, he found himself face-to-face with several dirty but curious people.

  A woman with tangled hair and missing teeth sashayed over to him. "Would ye be liking a pint o' ale, Milord?"

  Perhaps this hadn't been such a good idea. "Ah, no thanks. I'm looking for the Ames castle. His offices, actually."

  The room grew quiet, and the curious whispers subsided.

  "Ye'll no find him here, Milord, if that's what you're askin'. He's too high and mighty for us folk."

  "I'm actually just looking for where he works. Can someone give me directions?"

  "What's this, 'ere?" The largest man Damien had ever seen came out of the kitchen in the back. The black bristles atop the man's head brushed the top of the ten-foot ceilings, and he had to duck to avoid hitting his forehead on the rafters. His eyes bulged, and he maneuvered in a startlingly graceful manner for the width of his shoulders and waistline.

  "I'm looking for the location of Lyle Ames' office," Damien explained again. Are all these people stupid?

  "They're but bits and pieces of the scenery," the giant explained to Damien while he put a hand the size of a ham on his shoulder, wheeled him about, and steered him out of the place like he was a toy. "I hide here because they amuse me."

  Damien looked up at him and nearly strained his neck. "And wh-who are you?"

  "Name's Craig. A voyager like you." He smiled, and Damien noted that he had all his teeth, although the chips on them said they had been used for some non-toothy activities. "My world's one of the ones that intersects yours at the corners, in the dark places, so to speak. That's where you get the legends about giants."

  "These days they're called NBA players."

  Craig laughed, and the sound made the walls shake, to the consternation of the people inside the building. "Sorry," he called through the door, and the shrieks and cries subsided.

  "I forget how flimsy these constructions are," he confided in a stage whisper.

  Damien took the reins out of his spirit-guide's mouth, and the wolf sniffed Craig's hand.

  "I don't know what to make of this," the spirit guide said. "He smells not of good or evil, just different."

  Damien didn't have time for philosophical quandaries. "Can you help me?"

  "I'm here to keep an eye on things myself. If the C.U. boundaries erode between here and your world, it could spell havoc for mine, too."

  "I see." Damien mounted his horse, which shied away from the large man. "Then you know where his office is?"

  "Aye, but why are you so interested in finding it?"

  "He's keeping something locked up there. I need the key."

  "There's only one key to the golden cages, if that's what you mean. You're going to have to find the man himself and take it from him."

  Damien pictured Craig holding Lyle by the ankles and shaking him until what he needed fell out of his pockets.

  Craig laughed again, this time a quiet chuckle. "Your mental images are crystal clear, but you need to keep them to yourself. And no, I can't do that. You see, the Truth Seekers would be all over me in a heartbeat, and I can't let them know I'm here."

  "Why not?" Damien trotted alongside the man and found he could almost see eye-to-eye with him from atop the horse.

  "Rules and regs and all due to the trouble my kind has caused in the past. A few bad eggs ruined everything for the whole carton, so to speak. I didn't have time to wait for a visa, so I snuck in."

  "So you're a spy?"

  "Not quite, but that's probably the closest you'll get. And what about you? What has Lyle got locked up that you want so badly?"

  Damien looked at the road ahead between the horse's ears and tried to erase the thought of Audrey lying limp and fragile on Maggie's bed.

  "Ah, it's a girl."

  "Not just any girl. This is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with." Here in the C.U., he could be honest like he'd been with her in his dream and indulge his fantasy.

  Craig looked at him with his prominent brown eyes. "You should see how she takes to being rescued before you make up your mind. Some women don't go for that at all, no matter how stuck they are."

  "Thanks for the helpful advice."

  "Well,
first off, Lyle's dealing with the Greeks, so you're in the wrong part of the C.U. Is that more helpful?"

  "That depends on where you're taking me."

  He didn't have to ask further because the grimy buildings gave way to a slope covered in bright green grass. On the top lay white marble ruins. Two pillars held up a chipped triangular plinth.

  "That's your gateway," said Craig, pointing to it. "Leave your conceptions behind and just take it as it comes, and you'll find what you're looking for. Knights in shining armor are good for some things, but when you deal with the gods, you need your brains, not brawn."

  "Thanks. Is there something I can do for you?"

  The giant put a finger over his lips. "Just keep our meeting between the two of us. And remember, keep your wits about you. Zeus doesn't like human men messing with his collection."

  27

  The light outside the windows of the office faded from white to yellow to pink to orange, and then finally to the velvety blue that meant night had come to the C.U. Audrey sighed and would have checked her watch if one had come with her peasant ensemble. J.J. had gone out to find food at lunch time and hadn't returned, so her stomach growled with anxiety and hunger. She thought about sending the silver dragon out to look for him, but she knew it was the source of her strength, which waned as the connection to her body grew ever weaker.

  "So it's night time," she told Eros, who sat cross-legged in his cage. He had barely moved all day, and she worried about him, too. Was Zeus's plan to starve them all?

  "Another one." He sighed.

  "Yep. How long did you say you've been in here?"

  "Since two days ago, when they captured my mum. I tried to rescue her and got caught, too."

  "At least you tried to rescue her." Maggie's abandonment, justified as it was, still hurt. "But he hasn't killed you, so he must have some purpose in mind."

  "I don't know. I guess."

  Audrey looked at the despondent Eros with concern. "Are you feeling okay?"

  "I was never meant to be caged up like this. I haven't had any affection in days."