Strange Attractors - Kim Falconer [82]
‘That’s how we understand it. But consciousness also has a wider range than any attachment to the body. I think it would go elsewhere, if there is nothing to anchor it here.’
‘It being me?’ She scratched her nose. ‘So, you’re saying…effectively, I die?’
Again, Maudi?
Seems so, Dray.
‘I’m not saying that.’ Grayson touched her cheek.
‘What then?’
‘I’m saying I don’t know until I find Richter’s notes.’ He reached for her hand but she pulled back, her arms encircling her belly.
‘And my baby? What happens to her?’
‘There’s no way of knowing what effect…’
‘That settles it,’ Rosette said, backing towards the portal.
Maudi?
‘Settles what?’ Grayson asked.
‘I’m going to Corsanon to search for Jarrod. He’s building a tulpa, I’m certain of it. I don’t know why we didn’t just wait for him there.’
‘If his consciousness is dispersed, he…’
‘He needs me to bring him back. I can feel it. Are you coming?’
Grayson didn’t hesitate. ‘Of course,’ he said, stepping towards her, reaching out. ‘Please listen to me. I didn’t mean what I said before, about not being able…I didn’t know.’
‘It doesn’t matter.’ She scanned the desolate parkland. ‘Why were you looking for me here?’ The sky was brown as ever, the trees brittle and bare, the grass sparse dry tufts. If anything, it was more lifeless than the last time she saw it.
‘Everett seemed to think…’
‘Everett’s here?’
‘Down by the lake.’
‘Excellent. Bring him too. He can help.’
‘Help what?’
‘With the activation, if I can’t find Jarrod. We have to cover every corner.’ She lifted her chin. ‘New plan. Meet me at Temple Los Loma.’ She pointed towards the lake. ‘With him. If I still can’t find a trace of Jarrod after the baby’s born, we’ll activate the spell.’
‘Rosette, Everett’s not quite together these days.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘He’s not quite sane.’
‘Perfect. He’ll fit right in.’
Come, Maudi. Others have spotted us.
Don’t worry, Dray. This is one world I’ll not be trapped in again.
‘Rosette, wait!’
‘No time. See you at Temple Los Loma.’ She didn’t turn back.
He called to her but she kept climbing up the hill, not looking to see his choice. She’d meet him in Los Loma, with or without Jarrod—and she hoped with her whole heart it would be with.
The portal felt warm, inviting. The crunch of stones underfoot, the familiar zap of plasma tickling her palm as she brushed the Entity, the faint smell of wet cedar wood that lingered in the air, and the touch of Drayco’s cheek rubbing the back of her knee gave Rosette a sense of relief. Her mind was clear and she felt at peace again—the first time since she and Teg landed in Corsanon. She basked in the feeling and focused on an explicit intention.
‘Corsanon,’ she said aloud, running her fingers across the Entity’s plasma field. Her voice resonated through the corridors as she dropped her hand, letting it rest on the top of Drayco’s head. He purred, a sound she hadn’t heard for a while.
We go to find Jarrod?
‘One way or another, Dray…’
‘We will find him,’ Teg said, finishing her sentence.
Rosette spun around in her skin. ‘Teg!’
‘You didn’t think I’d be left behind, did you?’
She glared at Drayco. A heads up would have been good.
I only just sensed him, Maudi. He excels in the art of camouflage. Remarkable, really.
She spotted Teg in the shadows.
Maudi, relax, this is good news.
Why exactly?
You’ll have someone to talk to while I sleep.
Drayco locked his orange eyes on Teg for a moment before bow-stretching. Rosette didn’t know if he spoke to him. If so, it was a private exchange. Her temple cat settled down, tucking his front paws into his chest like neat dresser drawers, closed his eyes and rumbled himself to sleep.
Rosette turned back to Teg, taking his hand and drawing him forward. ‘How long have you been lurking in the corridors?’ she asked.
‘Not lurking. Waiting.’
She raised one eyebrow. ‘How long?’
‘Long enough to work out there is something going on behind our sight.