CHAPTER 94

"Pull!" someone yelled. More hands grabbed his and the air was filled with the sound of wrenching metal after he was squeezed free of the wreckage. He looked back over his shoulder to see that the car was collapsing on itself until it resembled a bit of flaming tin foil no larger than a soda can.

"Well, that was close." Lily stepped forward and booted the foil off the sandy beach of the Dreamscape and into the ocean.

"You really shouldn't litter." Sofia scowled at the succubus.

Mike groaned, then rolled onto his side and puked. Instead of food, it was technicolor sand that stained the ground.

"Nasty." Tink forced him to sit. "Husband in bad shape, have big fever."

"Fever?" He looked around. "Why am I here?"

"You're dying." The voice was stern, but sounded like several melodies blended together. With Tink's help, Mike sat up to look at the speaker.

"Hello, Titania." He did his best to greet her, but his head drooped at the last second.

"Hmmph." Titania, the faerie queen, crossed all four of her arms and frowned. "I truly didn't expect our agreement to be so short-lived, Caretaker."

Due to the soul swapping nature of his magic during sex, his Dreamscape was occupied by many of the women he lived with. Whenever he slept, they were there for him in whatever way he desired.

Titania was the exception. Indivisible by nature, the queen of the fae had avoided swapping souls with him after their interlude. Allowed to use his mind as a private sanctuary, her presence meant that she had come on purpose.

"Why are you here?" he asked. His vision dimmed, but Tink held him up. "Did you come to save me?"

"Hardly." She shook her head. "I am here on unrelated business. I've been waiting for you to fall asleep, but apparently, you are slipping in and out of consciousness as you die."

Again with the dying. His memories were fragmented, and all he could remember was snow and smoke. "What happened?"

"You tell me." She gestured over his shoulder.

When he turned to look, he saw that the island of his mind had shrunk down to roughly the size of a football field. The ocean had gone black, and the skies were gray. A replica of his house was in the middle of the island, but it was a miniature version, no taller than five feet. Rushing around the island were blurred figures that vaguely resembled the women of the house. These grim specters were using shovels to maintain the borders of the island, shoveling sand into the waves. It was nonsensical, but so was the Dreamscape.

"I'm dying." He suddenly felt cold inside.

"All things die, Caretaker." She squatted down next to him, then grabbed his chin and inspected his face. "Hmm."

"Can you help me?"

"No. To interfere with mortal affairs would put me at odds with those who wish to usurp me." She sighed, then sat next to him. "However, your resident souls have contributed immensely to your survival. It seems that they are holding you together, metaphorically and literally."

Mike held up his hands. The dark lines were all along his skin, shifting back and forth like snakes. "I was poisoned. By an arrow. There are these little people called the Nirumbi, they attacked me."

Titania nodded. "Nirumbi poison is always fatal to humans within minutes at most, yet I suspect you have lasted far longer."

"But how?" He felt a small hand grab his own, and he looked over at Tink. The goblin grinned, showing all her teeth.

"Goblins are immune to poison." In the Dreamscape, Mike could vividly hear Velvet's voice. Was that something he had gotten from Tink? It was an ability that he never would have discovered otherwise.

"Not completely immune, though." He looked at his fingers and then shook his hands. Some of the lines fell off like wet ink. "And not dead yet."

Titania held out her hand. "It would seem not. Come. Let's assess the damage."

He took her hand, marveling at how soft it felt. They walked the perimeter of the land, and he saw that most of the foliage had died.

"If I survive, this will all come back, yes?"

Titania nodded. "This place is as resilient as the human spirit. But you stand on death's door, Caretaker, and I fear that is not the worst news I have for you."

"What could be worse than dying?"

"I am here with grim tidings. Days in your world are only mere seconds of my own, otherwise, I would have been here sooner. Sulyvahn has sent word that your house is missing."

Mike paused, contemplating a stationary wave in the ocean. It looked as if it had been poorly painted in place. "Can you run that by me again?" he asked.

"Your house is missing. Its counterpart from the Underworld has taken its place. Sulyvahn's message implied that some sort of assault took place. I have been unable to contact Cecilia, who has vanished with the house."

"Someone stole... my whole house." He groaned. What was he even supposed to do with that information? Who could it have been? What was the name of the guy who controlled the Nirumbi? Leeds? Had Leeds done it? Who was Leeds anyway? Was he a member of the Society? "So what do you suggest I do?"

"Live." She turned to him, her golden eyes blazing. "Otherwise, I will be very upset with you."