Page 74 of Insidious Monsters
He exhaled sharply through his nose. “There is only one being in this realm powerful enough to create an aberration. His name is Khadamir and he isn’t someone you’d wish to meet. If this is true, if heiscreating aberrations, then it means he has broken the law by wounding a Cnaathreth subject.”
“I don’t think all the aberrations are Cnaathreth subjects. I know of at least one who isn’t.”
“From your world?”
I wasn’t sure, but if Genevieve knew who Telarion was, then it had to be. “I think so.”
“But that would mean he’s canvassed Fer’bidn for subjects, or crossed over to find them. It means he has broken the law twice over.” He scratched at his chin. “He’s away from his keep right now. But I will look into this. I will find proof and I will stop whatever scheme he’s working.”
My tablet beeped. Dammit. “My time’s up but I still have questions.”
“Come back when you can.” He pulled a fresh vine from his hair and passed it to me. “I will answer your questions. If you have time, we can travel to the other edge of the forest and you can see the real Cnaathreth.”
“Thank you. I’d like that.”
He smiled, eyes narrowing. “Maybe the special drug your people have made will allow you to stay long enough to visit my home.”
For a moment I was confused as to what he was talking about.
You told him you were able to stay longer because of a drug, remember. He doesn’t know about me.
“I can only hope.” He didn’t know that an aberration was giving me the ability to withstand the detrimental effects of the atmosphere here. “I should hurry back.”
I put the vine in my pack and slung it over my shoulder before backing out of the forest and onto the flatlands.
“I’ll see you soon, August,” Luphin said from the shadows.
“Yeah, see you soon.”
As I walked away, a shiver ran up my spine, probably the effect of going from the shadows into the light.
What else could it be, right?
nineteen
Ahuge pink box waited for me on my bed.
“Well, go on, open it,” Nandi said. “I want to see what kind of taste Lothos has.”
“And if he got my size right.” I pulled the lid off the box and pushed aside tissue paper to reveal midnight-blue material that shimmered under the lights. It was soft and velvety, but when I lifted it out of the box it was also light as a feather.
“Put it on,” Nandi urged.
I shrugged out of my comfy joggers and pulled on the dress. It fit like a glove with a sweetheart neckline and fitted bodice. The material hugged my hips and fell to the floor in shimmering waves. It was sleeveless with a low back so there’d be no bra with this one, but the bodice had built-in support.
“Ooo, shoes.” Nandi pulled out a pair of heels from the bag.
She handed me the silver kitten-heeled sandals and I put them on. The dress was so long the shoes would only show when I walked, but the flash of silver at the hem would be eye-catching.
“Okay, so he knows how to pick out a dress and he knows your size,” Nandi said. “I’m impressed.”
“I just want to get this over with.”
“Oh, come on.” Nandi took me by the shoulders. “You’re going to a ball. You might as well let your hair down and have some fun.” She fingered tendrils of my hair. “Speaking of hair, what do you intend to do with it?”
I touched my head. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
“Luckily for you, your bestie is a whiz with a pair of tongs.”
