“I know. As soon as we make a final pass. Take us along the line of tents.”
As Holly sped past the tents, Rez heard sex more than once.
“They don’t even bother to close the tent flaps.”
“I’m seeing that as well, though I’m sensing something else here. A lot of these couples are bonded, aren’t they? As in with an Invictus bond.”
“You’re right. They are. But again, no wraiths.”
“Not a one.”
The time-path slowed to a stop at the forest edge beyond the tents. Suddenly, he felt it as well. “We’ve got to go, don’t we?”
“Now.”
“Take us back.”
Holly’s time-pathing frequency faltered several times as she struggled to get them back to her home and to the present.
Rez held her close and encouraged her to keep going.
Once at her home, there was a final jerk and they landed in a heap in the present.
He heard Oregis say, “Did they actually leave? All I saw was them disappear and now they’re on the floor.”
“The time-path brought them back to the present at the same moment they left.”
“Weird. Can’t wrap my head around it at all.”
As at the village of Millerell, Rez could hardly move. He found it difficult to focus on anything.
He lay on the living room carpet with Holly in his arms. She was shaking. The whole thing had been too much. He shouldn’t have pushed her so hard.
He stared up at the beams on the ceiling and heard the shutters coming down. Warning vibrations rolled up and down his spine and only stopped when the shutters clicked into place.
Daylight was on the way.
Time for vampires and other sun-sensitive realm-folk to be tucked away until the sun made its descent once more.
He was vulnerable like this. He couldn’t move a muscle. He’d have to be wiser if he moved forward with Holly and time-pathing.
Oregis came into view off to Rez’s left.
His ears swiveled in different directions. “At least they’re breathing, but what’s wrong with them? Maybe they had sex somewhere in the past and wore themselves out.”
Davido again. “Not likely. They’re experiencing time-lethargy, like a time-travel jet-lag.” His face emerged from above Rez so he was looking at the ancient troll as though upside down.
Davido didn’t say anything. Instead, he knelt behind Rez and placed his hands on Rez’s head.
Rez closed his eyes as the most amazing vibration passed from the ancient troll’s fingers and into Rez’s brain. It was like having warm water washing through his mind. He didn’t want it to stop.
He must have fallen
asleep for a minute or an hour. He couldn’t tell. When he opened his eyes, Holly sat on her knees next to him, blinking slowly.
Oregis said, “What good is time-pathing if they end up like this? Anyone could kill them. Even I could slit their throats and they wouldn’t be able to do a damn thing about it except bleed to death on Holly’s fine carpeting. You know, I got this carpeting for her at a huge discount.”
Rez slowly sat up. Davido rose to stand near Holly and put his hands on her head. Oregis now sat on the end of the coffee table, his booted legs crossed at the knee.