Page 93 of Half Dead

Phaedra offered a broad smile as she reached the porch. “Mission accomplished.”

“You don’t have to force a happy face,” I said. “I know how much this sucks.”

Her face relaxed. “Thank the gods.” She rubbed her cheeks. “My mouth was exceeding its natural limits.”

“Come in. Cam and Gun are in the kitchen. He’s trying to persuade me to dress like a pirate for this excursion.”

Phaedra suppressed a laugh. “I mean, a bottle of rum wouldn’t hurt.”

“That’s my theory,” Gun said, as we entered the kitchen. “This is going to be a painful experience no matter what. Might as well have fun with it.”

Phaedra set a small atomizer on the table. “This should help.”

Gunther picked up the bottle to examine it. “Eau de shark bait?”

Phaedra directed her response to me. “It’s basically a waterproofing potion. Spritz yourself and your weapons before you enter the water and you’ll be fine.”

Gun handed the atomizer to me. “She’ll be dry, but will she be able to breathe?”

“Yes. She’ll be in her own protective bubble.”

“What if she has to fight underwater?” Gun asked. “Her sword might stay dry, but it won’t be much use.”

Phaedra looked at me. “Do we have any idea what kind of monsters might be down there? Because all I can think is a giant sea serpent.”

“According to my research, there are all manner of sea creatures that infest the waters where the island is said to be located,” Ray said.

I turned to glare at him. “I’m not repeating that.”

“Why not?”

“Because saying it out loud makes it real.” I’d fought my share of monsters, but I didn’t relish the experience. Besides, the memory of Kumbhakara was still raw.

“How long will the magic last?” Camryn asked.

“As long as she needs it to,” Phaedra said. “Contact with water will activate it.”

“Thank you,” I told her. “You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”

Phaedra waved me off. “It takes a village.”

Cam toyed with the atomizer. “Fairhaven seems to require a lot more support than the average village.”

“Worth it,” Gun said. “It has a library, a secondhand bookstore,anda coffee shop.”

“And it’s the only home we’ve got,” Phaedra added.

“Not Lorelei,” Cam pointed out. “She could run off to the underworld and spend her days frolicking through the fields of Elysium, or whatever they’re called.”

I fixed her with a deadpan expression. “Do I strike you as someone who frolics?”

“If you end up there, you might want to learn,” Camryn said. “There might not be much else to do.”

“I have no intention of ending up there. Fairhaven is my home now.”

Gun made a ticking sound. “You have a lot of countdowns running, Lorelei. I get tired just thinking about them.”

“One clock at a time.” Today was the tablet and nothing else; it was the only way I could manage the stress that accompanied my issues.

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