She gave a thin smile. “I see. I will leave one of the orderlies—”
“You will leave no one. We are fine. In fact, I need all of you…” I met each of their eyes in turn, “…to leave. Now. Nurse Heather, please lock the door again on your way out.”
I saw Josephine twitch a hand in a small, peculiar gesture. Even though she still had her face buried in my chest, it was enough. Hanna stepped from the office without a word. Both orderlies glanced between me and Nurse Heather. Silently, they decided they were no longer part of the power struggle. Both retreated to the hallway, taking themselves out of the fight, although they remained close enough to be of use if needed.
I kept my face neutral and bland as Nurse Heather looked over the scene again. I guessed she catalogued all that she saw for her report to Dr. Mintz. I nodded to the door and waited. With that thin smile of disapproval in place, the nurse returned the nod and backed out of the office. She did not take her eyes off me or Josephine until she closed the door between us. I waited until I heard the clack of the lock sliding home before I focused in on Josephine again.
“Can you stand?”
She nodded.
I helped her to her feet. Then left her long enough to set her chair right before guiding her into it. Once seated, she slumped forward, wiping at her face. I settled into my chair. We still sat close, across from one another, our knees almost touching. When Josephine stopped wiping at her face and began to straighten her clothing, I asked, “May we speak about what just happened?”
Josephine cast a furtive glance at her chest before pulling her collar up to her neck. “Yes. I think we must.”
“Before all this, you said you understood why he, the Black Wind, wanted you dead in the Dreamlands. What did you realize?”
“That my ancestor was either selfish or stupid.” She gazed about the office, frowning at its disarray. “What kind of a man would allow his children and all their children to be marked by an Outer God, to be murdered within the Dreamlands, only to be given the impossible choice of exile from their second home or to bring ruin to this Earth?” She shook her head. “Selfish stupidity. And cruel. The Black Wind cannot take a child as his portal. As children, we are…we are not strong enough to open a gate. It is only with an adult’s mind and understanding of what is lost that gives the strength needed to tear a hole between this world and the Dreamlands.”
I let out a slow breath, astonished and pleased by her insight. I was not going to have to rip the Dreamlands from my patient another time. She had seen the truth of it immediately. It was as if the child had grown up in the blink of an eye. But now she saw only the loss and not the gain. “Perhaps, but now you have a new duty; a new thing to protect.”
She turned bleak eyes to me. A glint of hope shimmered in the distance. “What do you mean?”
“You will need to speak to your mother and demand the information she has on this pact. While you are neither of age nor engaged, you have gone through hell. It is time for you to know what they know. It could be that you are the first in your family history to discover the consequences of the agreement made by your ancestor. You have knowledge. This is power. You must chronicle it for future generations.”
Josephine nodded, slow and thoughtful. “Perhaps you are correct.” The hope in her eyes transformed into determination.
“There are two other things you must consider.” She gave me a quizzical glance. “First, now that this power has manifested within you, there will be those who will wish to use you to open the way between here and the Dreamlands. You must always be on guard.”
Josephine smiled a weary smile. “As an heiress, I must also always be on guard. This is nothing new. What is the second thing I must consider?”
“Your beloved friend, Mimi, is Professor Sati Das. She is a patient here. You are not alone.”
Her eyes widened in surprise and joy. “She is? She’s here?”
“Didn’t you wonder how I knew her in the Dreamlands?”
Josephine waved a dismissive hand. “Dream logic. Such things happen all the time. There was no need to question it.” She leaned forward, eager. “I want to see her.”
“I shall try. I think she will be pleased to see you in this reality.” I half-frowned. “Assuming we can get her out of the clutches of Dr. Mintz. That might be difficult. She is a visiting professor who has no family here as far as I can tell.”
Josephine sat up straight, raising her chin. “That is where money comes into play. I will have my lawyers get her out of the asylum and bring her to my home.” She paused and considered this for a moment, tapping a finger to her lip before folding her hands together once more. “I will need to find out which university sponsored her to study here and on what project. The invitation to host their visiting professor should spur things in motion. No matter. My lawyers will make my wishes known in the appropriately persuasive manner.”
I breathed a soft sigh of relief. Josephine would be fine. She no longer looked to me for all the answers. I touched her knee with a gentle hand. “You realize you cannot talk about this with anyone except me and your most trusted people. Only to those who know the reality of your family.” From the blank politeness in her eyes, she did not understand what I was trying to say. I opted for bluntness. “You must admit to being hysterical. That you had a bad period, but we found the source of your fear.” The stubbornness set in on her face as she thought this over. It cleared when she realized I was correct
“Which is what?” Her voice, both resigned and wary.
I considered for a moment. “How long have your parents been on tour?”
“About two months.”
“Have they been on tour since your brother died?”
Josephine shook her head. The light of realization came into her expression. “I feared for the loss of my parents? When Leland left, he died?”
I nodded. “It was a bout of hysteria brought on by the memory of your brother.” I touched her knee again. “We will need to continue our sessions. Though, they will be at your home. There is still much you will need to work through.”
That determination dimmed. She nodded. “I am exhausted.”
“I would like to keep you here for another week. Daily sessions. Then you will go home. It will give your servants enough time to prepare. If I can get you in to see Professor Das, I will. If not…”
“I will allow my lawyers to deal with Dr. Mintz.”
“Yes. In the meantime, you will have much to consider. I would like to have you off all medication for this week. I want to make certain there are no lingering aftereffects of our journey into the Dreamlands and the removal of the book. I will give your maid sleeping pills to hold. If it appears you still need them or prefer not to dream…”
Her lips tightened into a line of remembered pain before she nodded. “Thank you, Doctor…Carolyn. I will try to be strong—for all of us.”
It was all I could ask her to do. In return, I needed to be strong for me and my sanity. I wondered what I would dream of this night. Or, if I could, would I return to the Dreamlands on my own? Even now, the remembered whispers of the eldritch book I had held still called to me.
Epilogue
Dear Future Carolyn,
I do not know whether you will believe everything I have had to say when you read this in the coming years and consider your past, but I feel I must write what I remember of my time in the Dreamlands and of my patient, Josephine Ruggles.
Three days have passed since the hypnotherapy session with Josephine that changed our lives forever. Josephine’s bleeding nightmares are gone, but the reality of her loss is still settling in. There is no question of trust between us. We journeyed through hell together and came out with a bond that can never be broken—whether or not I want it to be. She trusts me. She relies on me. She talks to me. She is so much better. I feel I honor Malachi’s memory with every successful turn she makes.