"I think I prefer Otherworld," I said. "Although Court and Crown life has its own bigotries and social pressures."
Scowling, he shook his head. "White bread—white bread without flavor keeping the status quo. That's pretty much what this place is all about. I've no doubt they have qualified professionals on staff, but I also have the feeling they strive for conformity over happiness."
I looked around. There were several sitting areas, some of which had patients watching television or doing needlework. Some were just staring into space. A curving staircase, when I peeked up at the grand ceiling, led to a second floor, which looked like it held more of the professional offices.
From where we stood, it wasn't clear where the patients were housed, but logic would argue that the residence halls were in the back where the guests wouldn't immediately see them. That way if someone got out of hand, it wouldn't disrupt visitors or the placid, serene facade with which they'd plastered the entire institution.
The checkin area had a blush-colored marble countertop and the sign-in book was manned by a silver pen on a chain. The only disparity that reminded me we weren't registering at the Hilton was the bulletproof glass that encased the front desk. As we approached, the pink-clad receptionist jumped up and met us at the counter with a brilliant smile.
"I'm Nurse Richards. May I help you?"
"I'm here to see Benjamin Welter. My name is Camille… Welter, and this is my fiance, Morio Kuroyama." I assumed a harried air that said, "I'm important, don't bother me with questions, just put me through right away."
As I was expecting, she said graciously, "May I see some identification?"
I cleared my throat and glanced around. Nobody else was paying attention. I pulled off my sunglasses and lowered my masks, allowing my glamour to shine through full-force.
Leaning in, I said, "You really don't need to see my identification. You know I'm who I say I am. And you know that I'm safe and won't hurt anybody here. Don't you?"
Either Nurse Richards didn't think for herself much, or she wasn't the brightest bulb in the socket, because her smile faded for just a second, then returned twice as wide. "Of course, Ms. Welter. You're safe and you won't hurt anybody. Nice to meet you and your fiance. Congratulations on your engagement. If you'll sign in and then follow me, I'll take you to see Benjamin."
I winked at her, and she giggled. As I signed in and handed the pen to Morio, I thought about how easy some people were to charm. Those with the strongest resistance weren't the most suspicious, actually, even though it seemed logical they would be. No, I'd found that the most difficult people to charm were the cold, aloof types who registered high in intelligence.
After signing the guest book, she called to one of her assistants to watch the front desk, then led us down the hall, where she turned left. "He lives in our long-term care residence hall. This way, please."
We left the building through a back security door manned by two burly looking guards, albeit with pleasant smiles and the ever-present pink uniforms. She led us across a covered courtyard where wrought-iron benches provided a place to sit and soak up the sun or fresh air, even on a drizzly day. I steered clear of them. Though they had wooden slats for seats, one slip, and I could end up with a nasty burn.
The brickwork was laid out in patterns, several of which I recognized as Celtic knotwork, and here and there, a square of flowers brightened the otherwise terra-cotta color scheme. Daffodils and crocuses were on the menu now, along with primroses and pansies that had been recently planted in the freshly tilled soil. Across the courtyard stood a five-story building, and connected by another sheltered overpass, a two-story residence hall.
"Benjamin has been such a good patient," Nurse Richards said. "He's never any bother, except when you try to talk directly to him. A word of warning, if you haven't seen your cousin for awhile. If you say something to the wall, or to an inanimate object, such as, 'It's time for Benjamin to eat dinner,' he'll pay attention and follow you to the dining hall. But if you look at him directly and say it to his face, he's likely to go into a screaming fit. So try to never talk directly to him while you're here. He doesn't mind if people sit near him, but don't touch him."
I nodded, filing away the information. We had no shortage of mentally unstable beings in Otherworld. Thank the gods, our shamans could treat some of the mild to moderate cases through soul mending and other techniques, but the truly lost causes were usually allowed to wander without restraint as long as they didn't hurt anybody.
In a number of villages, they were watched over by everybody, fed when they were hungry, given shelter in barns and outbuildings when the weather grew cold. If they became a danger to themselves, they were kept under watch. If they became a danger to others, they were destroyed.
"There he is—he's taking some air today," the nurse said, pointing to a man sitting on the grass, staring at the sky. He was alone, although I noticed a couple attendants policing the grounds nearby. Benjamin seemed to be perfectly content.
As we walked up to the blue-jeaned young man. Nurse Richards started talking loud enough for him to hear. "My oh my, isn't it nice that Benjamin's cousin has come to visit him? She might want to sit down over there near the oak tree—there's a little bench there—and just enjoy the fresh air." She gave me a meaningful nod, and I headed toward the bench, gritting my teeth. I'd have to make certain no exposed skin hit the armrests or the rivets that decorated the wooden slats.
As I gingerly sat down, I gave Benjamin a quick glance, then looked away. He was watching me, a curious light in his eyes. When he saw Morio, he looked confused, then gawked at him. The nurse excused herself. She stopped by one of the attendants, pointed toward us, then headed back to the main building. The attendant kept an eye our way but didn't come any closer.
After a moment, Benjamin spoke so softly that if I'd been human, I wouldn't have heard him at all. "Mr. Fox looks different today. I guess this is Mr. Fox's girlfriend?"
Morio started. "Benjamin knows who I am?"
"Of course," Benjamin said. "I can always spot shape-shifters when they're disguised as human. But I can't figure out why she's posing as my cousin, or who she is. She's not a shifter, but she's not a regular woman, either."
I flickered a quick look at Morio, who gave me a quiet nod. "My name is Camille, and I need to speak to Benjamin about the cave and the amethyst gem he told Mr. Fox about. A lot of people's lives ride on this. Benjamin could make a big difference in helping us save the world—"
The word had barely escaped my mouth when Benjamin looked at me full-on. He blinked twice, then whispered, "Don't look at me, or the guards will know something's up. You're one of the Fae, aren't you? And you're fighting against the demons that I see in my visions?"
I stared at a patch of long grass growing near him. The breeze picked up, rippling the stems like a wave of green. I realized that Benjamin was hiding here more than anything else. But from what? The demons? "You're partially right. I'm half-Fae, and I'm from Otherworld. And yes, we're fighting demons. We need your help, Benjamin. Will you talk to us?"
He cleared his throat, then leaned back and stared at the sky again. After a moment, he said. "All right, but you have to promise you'll get me out of here."
"We'll do our best," I said, not knowing just how we'd keep that promise—at least on a long-term basis. Obviously, Benjamin wasn't as broken or fragile as Morio had first thought.
"I guess that will have to do," Benjamin said. "All right, I'll help you. What exactly do you need to know?"
"Tell us everything about the cave and the gem. From the beginning, and don't leave anything out." I let out a long, slow breath. Finally, we had found the break we were looking for. Maybe we had a chance after all.
Chapter Twenty-one
Benjamin lay back on the grass, hands under his head. I studied a patch of rhododendrons that were blossoming out into huge, fuchsia flower heads. Morio stretched out and put his head in my lap, as if we were just spending a quiet afternoon, sitting near my "cousin."
"A year ago," Benjamin softly said, "I was out near Mount Rainier. I was on a day hike by myself. I traveled up past Goat Creek—something was urging me to go that way, so I did. I left the trail and headed in toward Misery Rock when I saw the cave."
My ears pricked up, and I darted a quick glance in his direction, then went back to stroking Morio's forehead and focusing on the flowers. "You said you found this cave out past Goat Creek?" That was near Smoky's place—a few miles into the wilderness beyond the house and barrow.
"Yes," he murmured. "I stumbled onto it. There was nothing marking it on the map. The opening was covered with moss and vines, and I pulled them aside and went in. It felt… something felt weird. Like I'd just stepped into a different dimension or world. I can't explain it, but maybe you can understand."
Oh, I understood all right. A portal—it had to be a portal.
Which meant he'd either traveled into Otherworld, or perhaps a different realm.
"Go on ," I whispered.
"The cave was filled with crystals in all shades of green and purple and blue and red. Some were as big as me, jutting out of the ground and down from the ceiling. I was starting to get afraid. I know we don't have caves like that here in Washington State. I thought about leaving, but… it was too beautiful. I had to continue."
I closed my eyes. Curiosity killed a lot of cats, especially the two-legged kind. "You were lucky, Benjamin. To get out of there alive. What did you find?"
He pulled a long blade of grass and began playing with it, tying it in knots and running the edge along his finger till a drop of blood glistened as it oozed out of his thumb. "There was a sword there—in the center of the cave. And I saw a woman trapped inside a giant stalagmite of quartz. I tapped on the crystal, but she didn't seem to hear me. So I picked up the sword…" Faltering, he tossed away the stem and pulled another. His words were shaky, and he looked like he felt queasy.
"Are you okay?" Morio asked, his eyes still closed.
Ben cleared his throat. "I don't know. Every time I speak—or even think—about the sword, it makes me sweat."
"What did it look like? And was it stuck in a stone?" I prayed we didn't have some weird cross rip in space leading us into Avalon, but then again—what would Avalon be doing here?And Arthur had been a man, not a woman.
"The sword… the sword…" Benjamin sounded like he wanted to cry. His eyes were flashing a dangerous color, and I softly raised my gaze, checking to see if the attendants had noticed us. But we were in luck. They were focused on another group of patients who had gotten into a bit of a scuffle over what looked like a game of bocce. I wanted to hurry him, but I had the feeling that any sort of pushing would backfire and send him spiraling into a fit. Or silence.
After a moment, he let out a small sob. "The sword was resting on a crystal platform—like a small table. It's silver, with an amethyst in the hilt—a big one. I picked it up and felt something trying to pry open my mind—it was like a mass of feelers peeling open my skull—"
The spirit seal. The amethyst had to be the spirit seal.
He jumped up then. "I need to walk. You walk a few steps behind me, and look at the scenery."
We obeyed, trailing hand in hand together behind Benjamin, who nervously fidgeted his way down the path. As we crossed from a stand of oaks to a stand of willows, the attendants shot us a look. I waved my hand, smiling wide. They nodded and went back to untangling the argument between the lawn bowling fanatics.
After a couple of minutes, Ben leaned against one of the trees, and I parked myself at a nearby picnic table. Morio dropped to the grass next to me.
"You'll think I'm crazy," Benjamin said. "Or maybe not. Or maybe I really am nuts and should stay locked up here forever. I picked up the sword, and it felt like… like I could understand everything there was to know, if I tried hard enough. It was as if my mind opened up and started soaking in knowledge and images. But then the floor started to move, and I realized that I was in the middle of a cave during an earthquake. I dropped the sword and ran. It took me a while to find my way out."
He hung his head, scuffing the ground. "By the time I got to my car, I couldn't remember how to drive. I was too confused. Everything seemed so different, and I couldn't figure out if I'd dreamed the whole episode or if it had been real. I tried to call my mother, but my cell phone didn't work."
"Were you okay?" I wondered what would happen if we took our cell phones home to OW. Would they fry going through the portal? Menolly and I'd left ours home when we went back to Aladril.
"Not really. I started walking down the highway, and a state patrol officer picked me up and took me to the hospital. He thought I was stoned. The hospital said I was in shock. I went to sleep after they gave me five different sedatives. That was the first night I dreamed about the demons."
The look that swept over his face transformed him. In a matter of seconds, he went from troubled young man to terrified victim looking for an escape route. What the hell had happened? Had the spirit seal triggered off the dreams? And what about the expansion of consciousness?
As I kept him in my peripheral gaze, I began to notice a faint shimmer in his aura. I usually didn't notice people's auras—not unless I was trying. But there was something more to Benjamin's energy. Something that sparkled and moved in a way that—holy hell.