what you and I used to dream about all those years ago.”
“Build some bridges between Arcane and the Guilds?”
“Look what the underworld has done to your daughter, what it might do to the cities. If Adam is right, the destructive power in that maze is enormous. Even if he and Marlowe do manage to resolve this problem, who knows what else is waiting to bite us down below? There are only two organizations that can even begin to deal with the dangers underground.”
“Arcane and the Guilds.”
“They need to share resources and talents, or the technology the aliens left behind just might get us all in the end. Hell, maybe whatever took out the aliens is still down there, just waiting to pounce.”
“What about the liaison that seems to be forming out there on your terrace?”
“I don’t know how it will turn out,” Ben admitted. “But there’s one thing I can tell you for sure.”
“What?”
“There’s not a damn thing either of us can do to stop it.”
Chapter 12
“I AM SO SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR DAUGHTER’S condition,” Elizabeth said gently. “I can only imagine how devastating it must be for you.”
“Thank you,” Diana Winters said. “It has been so awful. At first the doctors were optimistic that Vickie would recover. But lately they’ve given up. They won’t say it out loud, but I can see it in their eyes. They simply do not know what is going on with Vickie. They admitted that they have never dealt with any parapsych trauma quite like the one that she suffered.”
They both looked at the painting on the wall. It was one of Elizabeth’s favorites, a scene of the ruins of Old Frequency glowing in the night beneath a lightning-charged thunderstorm.
“You do realize that Marlowe may not be able to help Vickie,” she said.
“I know,” Diana said. “But at this point we’re willing to try anything.”
“Of course.”
Diana closed her eyes. Tears glistened at the edge of her lashes. “Forgive me. It has all been such a strain on the family. Not only am I worried sick about my daughter, I’m afraid that Adam blames himself for what happened to her. Nothing Sam or I say to him can convince him to accept the truth. It was a terrible accident, but it was not his fault. Vickie was— is a professional, and she’s a Winters. She wanted to go on that exploratory expedition into the maze, and she was fully qualified.”
They walked along the length of the gallery and stopped at the window at the far end. Down below on the terrace Marlowe stood with Adam. The energy of sexual awareness that shivered in the air around the couple was evident, even from this distance, Elizabeth thought. She had been keenly aware of it earlier, during dinner. Oh, Marlowe, what have you done? You’re falling in love with a descendant of Nicholas Winters .
“I know what you’re thinking,” Diana said.
Elizabeth smiled wistfully. “Probably the same thing you’re thinking.”
“Trying to stop whatever is happening between those two would be like trying to stop a hurricane,” Diana said.
The tall clock chimed softly at the end of the gallery. Elizabeth glanced at her watch.
“Almost midnight,” she said. “Time to go to the clinic.”
Diana took a deep breath. “I’m afraid to hope.”
There was nothing to say, Elizabeth thought. But she was a mother, too. She understood. She put her arm around Diana. Together they walked back along the gallery to the staircase.
Chapter 13
“I’M SORRY, BUT I CAN’T ALLOW YOU TO BRING WHATEVER that animal is into the ward,” the nurse said. Her name was Nancy Hawkins, and she was not pleased by the late-night visitors to the clinic.
Marlowe reached up to her shoulder to pat Gibson. “It’s all right. He’s a therapy dust bunny.”
Nancy did not appear convinced. “I’ve never heard of a therapy dust bunny.”
“Trust me,” Marlowe said. “I do a lot of dreamlight work. I have discovered that people with severe parapsych trauma sometimes
“Build some bridges between Arcane and the Guilds?”
“Look what the underworld has done to your daughter, what it might do to the cities. If Adam is right, the destructive power in that maze is enormous. Even if he and Marlowe do manage to resolve this problem, who knows what else is waiting to bite us down below? There are only two organizations that can even begin to deal with the dangers underground.”
“Arcane and the Guilds.”
“They need to share resources and talents, or the technology the aliens left behind just might get us all in the end. Hell, maybe whatever took out the aliens is still down there, just waiting to pounce.”
“What about the liaison that seems to be forming out there on your terrace?”
“I don’t know how it will turn out,” Ben admitted. “But there’s one thing I can tell you for sure.”
“What?”
“There’s not a damn thing either of us can do to stop it.”
Chapter 12
“I AM SO SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR DAUGHTER’S condition,” Elizabeth said gently. “I can only imagine how devastating it must be for you.”
“Thank you,” Diana Winters said. “It has been so awful. At first the doctors were optimistic that Vickie would recover. But lately they’ve given up. They won’t say it out loud, but I can see it in their eyes. They simply do not know what is going on with Vickie. They admitted that they have never dealt with any parapsych trauma quite like the one that she suffered.”
They both looked at the painting on the wall. It was one of Elizabeth’s favorites, a scene of the ruins of Old Frequency glowing in the night beneath a lightning-charged thunderstorm.
“You do realize that Marlowe may not be able to help Vickie,” she said.
“I know,” Diana said. “But at this point we’re willing to try anything.”
“Of course.”
Diana closed her eyes. Tears glistened at the edge of her lashes. “Forgive me. It has all been such a strain on the family. Not only am I worried sick about my daughter, I’m afraid that Adam blames himself for what happened to her. Nothing Sam or I say to him can convince him to accept the truth. It was a terrible accident, but it was not his fault. Vickie was— is a professional, and she’s a Winters. She wanted to go on that exploratory expedition into the maze, and she was fully qualified.”
They walked along the length of the gallery and stopped at the window at the far end. Down below on the terrace Marlowe stood with Adam. The energy of sexual awareness that shivered in the air around the couple was evident, even from this distance, Elizabeth thought. She had been keenly aware of it earlier, during dinner. Oh, Marlowe, what have you done? You’re falling in love with a descendant of Nicholas Winters .
“I know what you’re thinking,” Diana said.
Elizabeth smiled wistfully. “Probably the same thing you’re thinking.”
“Trying to stop whatever is happening between those two would be like trying to stop a hurricane,” Diana said.
The tall clock chimed softly at the end of the gallery. Elizabeth glanced at her watch.
“Almost midnight,” she said. “Time to go to the clinic.”
Diana took a deep breath. “I’m afraid to hope.”
There was nothing to say, Elizabeth thought. But she was a mother, too. She understood. She put her arm around Diana. Together they walked back along the gallery to the staircase.
Chapter 13
“I’M SORRY, BUT I CAN’T ALLOW YOU TO BRING WHATEVER that animal is into the ward,” the nurse said. Her name was Nancy Hawkins, and she was not pleased by the late-night visitors to the clinic.
Marlowe reached up to her shoulder to pat Gibson. “It’s all right. He’s a therapy dust bunny.”
Nancy did not appear convinced. “I’ve never heard of a therapy dust bunny.”
“Trust me,” Marlowe said. “I do a lot of dreamlight work. I have discovered that people with severe parapsych trauma sometimes
Similar Books
