“Yes.And I didn’t want to worry you.And I didn’t know what was happening.I still don’t.”
Dinesh stroked my arm and spoke to Domingo.
“Francis and Jimena were hoping—Iwas hoping—that the sacred cacao ceremony would banish Rooster’s nightmares for good.”
“I hoped the idea would work.At least the sacred drink tasted good, and we were able to get spliced,” I said.
Dinesh laughed.“As in, married?”
“Aye.That’s the term.Spliced.A Smithfield bargain.Leg shackled.You know.”
“Surprised you agreed to the ritual, then.”
“Are you?”
“Not really.You do enjoy being restrained.”
I punched his arm.“Thanks.”
“Nothing wrong with that, especially since I enjoy rope work.And having you at my mercy.”
I sighed.“God, I was having such fun before that fucking thing came into my head.Why am I being tortured, Dinesh?Why?”
Domingo kissed my shoulder.“You’re a sensitive fellow.You’ve been feeling bad about the whole”—he waved his hand in the air over me—“Cayonne business.”
“Domingo…” Dinesh warned.
“No, he’s right.I have been.And perhaps this…hallucination…is an echo of that guilt and shame,” I said.
“Exactly,” Domingo said.
“But then…how do I stop them?How do I go back to sleeping soundly again?”
“Well that, I don’t know,” Domingo said.
“Perhaps we need to talk about what happened,” Dinesh said, gazing at me with a steady confidence.
“What do you mean?”
“Cayonne.And everything that went before.And what happened the other day.”
“My powers.”
“Your powers,” he confirmed.“We’ve been trying to forget about them.You’ve been trying to bury them.But we needed them to deal with theEloiseand they worked beautifully.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that we don’t understand them.You don’t understand them.And you don’t really have any control over them.Perhaps if you did, you would sleep easier.And not be inclined to hallucinate—”
“You think I simply imagined that thing?And the spiders?And the tentacle that pulled me under?”
“I think it’s quite possible.”
“But what about the incident on the deck, when I leaned so far over the side that I—”
“I don’t know, Rooster.I don’t know.But I will do everything in my power to protect you.From whatever this is.”
“And, for what it’s worth, so will I,” Domingo murmured, giving me a kiss on the cheek.
