“Can we speak privately?”
“No, you cannot speak privately with mywife, King Astaroth.” Tiernan leaned over the scry phone.
“Tiernan, I needed to speak to him anyway.”
“Not alone.”
“Fine!” Star growled. “I need you to come to Hell at once, Seren. There have been—son of a bitch!” A rumbling sound drowned him out.
“Star?” I scowled at Tiernan until he sat back. “Star, what's going on?”
“Earthquakes,” Star said. “They started when you started blocking your dreams. And they're getting more intense. I can't explain it, but I have a feeling this is about you.”
“That doesn't surprise me.”
A pause. Then, “Excuse me? You sound strange. Has something happened?”
“She was touched by the blight,” Tiernan said. “You're getting the rational, unemotional Seren.”
“That's not completely true. I still have emotions, they're just not as strong.”
“Hold on. Blight? What blight?” Star demanded.
“You haven't told him about the blight?” Tiernan asked.
“No, we haven't spoken long enough for me to get to it.”
“What blight?!” Star growled.
“We're having an issue with an ancient garden that was made to take the bad emotions of our royals,” Tiernan explained. “It hasn't been used in centuries, and has been starving, unknown to us. Recently, it has crept up through the ground and across the Seelie Kingdom, covering entire villages in dark tendrils that steal a person's darker emotions.”
“What the fuck?” Star whispered.
“We've located the Garden,” I added. “The only magic that has worked on it is Anu's Light. So, I'm going in today and burning the whole damn thing.”
“But Tiernan said you were touched by it,” Star's voice went worried. “What does that mean?”
“It took some of my sorrow and guilt. I feel great, very clear-headed, but I know I'm not myself. I think this is a goodopportunity for us. I can go to Hell and fulfill the prophecy without getting entangled in something romantic.”
“Entangled? We are already entangled.”
“Yes, but that's Hell's doing.”
“What?”
“I'm sorry, Star, I've gotten ahead of myself. We're in a Basty village right now. I cleared it of the blight yesterday. The Basty are nightmare givers. They're very in tune with dream energy. One of them noticed the energy on me and looked deeper. He saw what's been sending us our dreams.”
“He sawwhatis sending the dreams, notwho?”
“Yes, it's the Light of Hell.”
Silence.
“Star?”
“Hell's Light is sending us dreams? Shared sex dreams? From the magical energy source of theplanet?”
“Yes, I think it sensed our bond and attraction for each other and determined it was the simplest way to lure me back.”
