Harley Merlin 12

away again, huh?”
“Hey, I’m a big fan of your enthusiasm, but I’ve got a ‘handle with care’ label slapped on me today.” I didn’t want her to ever apologize for who she was, but my head couldn’t withstand a Melody barrage right now. Baby steps and eggshell tiptoeing were required.
“There you are, Melody.” Luke appeared from the nearside corridor, looking pale. “I went to the library to find you, but you weren’t there. Then Mary leapt out of the wall and told me you came this way.”
I smirked. “She gave you the willies, huh?”
“Excuse me?” he shot back. If I’d been in my right mind, I’d have died laughing.
“I mean, she scared you?”
“I didn’t expect her, that’s all,” he countered sheepishly.
Melody smiled. “I saw Finch from the window and came down as quickly as I could.”
“Where were you?” Luke frowned at me. “Do you know how worried Melody has been?”
“Go easy on him, Luke. He just came back from Erebus,” Melody told him.
“Oh.” Luke visibly relaxed, then stood next to Melody. I noticed he stopped as close to her as possible without being creepy. He and I weren’t so different, pining after girls who were either oblivious to our feelings or couldn’t feel the same. A pair of poor, lovesick chumps.
“So, the next stage is to find some key that’ll get us through the Gateway between Life and Death and into Atlantis,” I began. “Erebus is still working out some wrinkles—he’ll call in a few days when we’re ready to rumble.”
Melody rubbed her earlobe, a nervous tic. “But how did Erebus order you to go and meet him?”
I snorted. “By text.”
“Ah, that makes sense,” she replied.
“It does?”
She nodded. “Well, he wouldn’t have been able to breach the house defenses to send you a message.”
“He wouldn’t?” I was starting to sound like a dumbass.
“No, he wouldn’t,” Luke cut in. “The mansion is sort of like the monastery, in that sense. The interdimensional bubble is reinforced with Kolduny protection spells that keep unauthorized personnel out, and the spirits here are on constant watch to defend it.”
Melody gazed up at him in admiration. “Exactly. This is their safe haven, so they have a vested interest in protecting it from miscreants—including communication spells, transportation spells, and any other unwelcome spell that tries to slip past the outer defenses. That’s why, when we chalk-doored here, we showed up outside.”
“Seriously?” That certainly answered my question about why Erebus had turned to digital communication. Although, what human could resist the pull of a shiny new cellphone? He’d probably be snapping pics for Instagram before he was done. #Atlantis #ChildofChaosvibes #humanbodygoals
“Super serious.” She gave me a reassuring look. “So, if you’re worried about Davin getting in or Erebus making the statues move, don’t. You’re safe. We’re all safe here. It’s the perfect place to work on this Atlantis project; that’s why I suggested it.” Other folks would’ve been smug about the vast expanse of a home she’d brought us to, but Melody didn’t have a smug bone in her body.
I sighed. “Can I just stay here for the rest of my life, then? It’s not exactly Vegas, but I’d get used to it. I could even learn to like the jump scares, after a while.”
“I wish I could say yes, but Erebus is still a Child of Chaos. If he had to get in here to find you, I’m sure he would use everything in his arsenal to break down its defenses.” She lowered her gaze. “I’m just saying, you’re safe from Davin in here, and from Erebus’s less-human avenues of communication.”
“Just when I thought I’d cracked it.” I sighed. “Have you made any headway on my Erebus problem?”
Melody’s eyes lit up. “Actually, yes. Well, yes and no. It’s more of a maybe, but it’s a fairly good maybe.”
“Color me intrigued.” I pretended to scratch my arm with an imaginary pen.
“You’re an idiot.” Luke scoffed.
Melody flashed him a look. “Be nice. You know he makes jokes when he’s nervous. Speaking of which, do you know the effects anxiety can have on a person? It affects the brain, yes, but then the brain sends all sorts of messages to the rest of the body. It can have an impact on physical health, putting a strain on the heart and lungs as well as causing muscle tension, shortness of breath, shaky hands, palpitations, pins and needles, and insomnia. There can also be fatigue, dizziness, dry mouth, excessive sweating, and all sorts of other symptoms.”
“Aren’t I the lucky son of a gun? So many symptoms, so little time.” I thought back to last night’s weirdness. Melody had pretty much described all the symptoms that hit me out of nowhere. Was I just anxious? Somehow, that comforted me. Giving that strange attack a name made it easier to deal with. I’d already discovered that old chestnut when I’d had my delusional disorder diagnosis. Although, my trusty pills had been the biggest help with that one.
“So, what’s the fairly good maybe?” I returned my attention to Melody.
“I’m looking into a connection to the djinn,” she replied. “I was delving into my mind palace to find as much information as possible, and I came across the name of a book—it’s called The Dark Souls of the Magical World.”
I smirked. “Nice and ominous.”
“Now, I’m still figuring out how to pluck information from books mentally without having the actual book in front of me, which means we may have to find it and read it normally,” Melody continued. “But it’s got detailed intel about the djinn and their connection to Erebus’s power, and I think that might be our key—not the Atlantis gateway key. I have no idea about that. I mean, the key to getting you out of your deal.”
“My favorite kind,” I replied, with none of my usual sarcasm. Melody’s research meant we might have a lead. And I’d waited so long for a shred of hope.
“Did you find somewhere that sells this book?” Luke smiled at her like an adoring puppy. He might