Seth wished he had kept the zombie hand. What a perfect souvenir from his first official mission as a Knight of the Dawn! Instead he had thrown it out of the jeep almost reflexively. Hearing all of those zombie voices must have temporarily scrambled his reason.
The voices had been creepy. Hundreds of whispery, yearning zombies, eager to strike but held in restraint by a will stronger than their drive to feed. It had sounded like the zombies were all around them, but he had seen nothing. Until the monstrosities finally lurched out of hiding, Seth had worried that he might be losing it.
Mr. Lich must have been controlling them, instructing the zombies to lay low until the opportune moment. The tall Asian was a viviblix, capable of raising and controlling the dead, and also served as right-hand man to the Sphinx. If Laura hadn't helped them make a speedy escape, they would have all been zombie food.
As the jeep zoomed across a bridge spanning the Rainbow River, Seth continued to mourn for the lost hand. He could have hidden it beneath Kendra's covers. He could have tied a string around it and left it dangling from a showerhead. He could have displayed it proudly on a shelf in his room. He quietly vowed to keep all of these possibilities in mind if a severed zombie hand ever fell into his lap again.
Enormous trees lined the far side of the river, reaching hundreds of feet into the air. "Those trees are huge!" Seth exclaimed.
"Those are karri," Laura answered loudly. "A species of eucalyptus, one of the tallest types of tree in the world."
"What happened back there?" Vincent asked.
"Camira betrayed us," Laura said bitterly. "Last night she admitted several members of the Society to the preserve, along with dozens of zombies brought by that viviblix."
"You said Berrigan is under the control of a narcoblix?" Kendra asked. "Do you know which narcoblix?"
"He's back at the house," Laura said. "His name is Wayne."
Kendra looked over at Seth, relief in her eyes. He had been concerned about the same thing, wondering if Vanessa might have been helping their enemies.
They hit a spine-jarring bump, but Laura did not slow down. Looking behind them, Seth could detect no pursuers.
As they came out from under the towering karri trees, the obsidian monolith loomed back into view. The scale was amazing--the geological marvel looked like a black mountain that had been carved into a glossy brick.
"It shines like a rainbow," Kendra said.
"I don't see much color," Seth disagreed.
"The stone is black," Kendra said, "but the light reflecting off of it is very colorful."
"Her eyes may perceive something ours can't," Laura said thoughtfully. "We call it the Dreamstone. It is laced with deep magic."
Seth squinted at the obsidian monolith. It definitely had a bright sheen, but the gleam was white, not colorful. Why would Kendra see colors? Was the Dreamstone full of fairy magic or something? They drove toward the imposing block in silence.
Engine roaring, Laura finally closed in on the Dreamstone, piloting the jeep around to the far side. The monolith stood hundreds of yards tall, hundreds of yards wide, and the length exceeded the width by double. Seth marveled at the polished smoothness of the stone and the sharp perfection of the corners. They finally skidded to a halt near the only imperfection Seth had noticed on the unblemished surface: a bowl-shaped recess about the size of half a volleyball.
Trask pulled up alongside them. Seth watched as Tanu wrestled Berrigan from the jeep and pinned the young man to the ground. Trask trotted over to Laura. "What happened?"
"We were betrayed last night by Camira," Laura said.
"Members of the Society surprised us and captured the house. They thought the threat of harming their hostages was enough to convince me to lead you into their trap."
"There are no more hostages," Berrigan laughed. "Not after that little stunt! Your nephew is dead. So are your sister and her husband. Same with Corbin and Sam and Lois."
Laura's face went rigid. Her lip twitched. "You would have killed them either way. At least I managed to save some lives."
"You're still all dead," Berrigan assured her. "You're just prolonging your demise."
"Get out of him, Wayne," Laura snapped.
"I'm enjoying the ride," Berrigan replied. "How did it feel to kill your prize pupil?"
Laura glared. "I never would have suspected Camira."
"You heard the lady," Tanu said, laying his thick forearm across the back of Berrigan's neck. "Get out."
"You need to lay off the Twinkies," Berrigan gasped, his voice strangled.
"I can make things very uncomfortable for you," Tanu promised.
"You're not hurting my body," Berrigan panted. "Do what you want to Berrigan."
"Hold him, Trask," Tanu said.
Trask switched positions with the Samoan. Tanu withdrew a needle and a small bottle from his satchel.
"You going to sew me to death?" Berrigan chuckled. Tanu dipped the needle into the bottle. "I can cause you plenty of pain without harming your host." Tanu touched the needle to Berrigan's neck.
A full-throated, scream issued immediately from Berrigan. His eyes bulged and spittle ran from his lips.
"What are you doing?" Laura asked in distress.
Tanu removed the needle and Berrigan sagged into unconsciousness. "The potion sends a message of extreme pain to the brain," Tanu explained. "It does no actual damage, just talks to the nerves." He pricked the needle against Berrigan's neck again. "The narcoblix truly has withdrawn, or he would be writhing." Tanu rummaged in his bag and pulled out another small bottle. Unstopping it, he wafted it under Berrigan's nostrils.
The young man convulsed and his eyes opened. He struggled against Trask, his eyes on Tanu. "Who are you?"
"They're friends, Berrigan," Laura soothed, crouching into view. "Be still."
"What happened?" he asked, somewhat calmer.
Laura caressed his forehead. "That narcoblix drugged you and stole your body. This is the team we've been awaiting. Answer me a question or two, to make sure you're in possession of yourself. What is your Aunt Jannali's favorite song?"
"Moon River.'"
"As a child, what did you like in your mashed potatoes?"
"Little cubes of Spam."
"What is the farthest your Uncle Dural has thrown a spear?"
"I don't have an Uncle Dural."
"Welcome back, Berrigan. Ready to help?"