“It means mother of the wood,” Nalini explained with a regal nod.
“Or are you really the mother of the entire Outer Realms?” I countered. “Are you Corandra Graykey?”
“Of course she’s not Corandra,” Melaina huffed as if I were insane for even coming up with the idea. “Corandra would be over three hundred years old.”
“I turned four hundred and forty-eight this last June, actually,” Nalini answered, only to shrug when we frowned at her. “In case you wanted to send gifts.”
“What?!” Melaina shouted. “No, you’re not. It’s not possible. You can’t be hiding four hundred years of wrinkles from us. This is your true form.”
“Right you are,” Nalini told her with a charmed smile. “Whenever I change my identity, that becomes my new true form.”
“So Indigo’s right? Corandra Graykey really was your original identity?” Quilla asked.
Nalini chuckled. “Of course not.” Then she sighed. “Corandra was my third identity.”
“The two identities before that must’ve been on Earth, then,” I realized aloud.
Giving a gracious nod, Nalini answered, “In the old world, yes. I probably never should’ve become Bridget, my second identity. Biggest mistake of my life, but oh well. Live and learn, right?” She glanced toward Quilla. “He’s a smart one. That will provide good genes for the family line. I approve.”
Before Quilla could sputter out a coherent answer, Nalini returned her attention to me, asking, “How did you figure me out?”
“Your rant about Holly confirmed it, but your traveling companions initially pointed me in the right direction.” I tilted my head toward the boy and then the soothsayer. “Though, didn’t you have a third personal servant in Dimway? Spice was her name, wasn’t it?”
“Ah, yes.” Nalini sighed fondly as she nodded. “Lovely girl. She wasn’t invited for this trip.” Motioning to the filthy boy, she added, “Neither was this little stowaway, but he popped up on our tail long after it was safe to send him back to the forest with the others by himself, so we had to bring him along. Isn’t that right, Bewler?”
When she scratched him on the top of the head like one would a dog, he panted adoringly up at her. “The poor dear’s scared to death of grooming and hygiene. And clothes,” she explained as she stroked his hair. “Give him a bath, and he immediately strips back down to these rags and rolls around in the dirt again. So we’ve decided to just let him be him.”
Satisfied with his rubdown, Bewler suddenly surged to his feet and darted forward to sniff at Melaina, Quilla, and me.
“Hey!” Quilla started in offense, jerking a step back, but I caught her arm.
“It’s okay. He won’t hurt you. Let him search us.” I glanced toward Nalini. “We don’t have anything to hide.”
Nalini tipped her head in gracious thanks for my cooperation. “As I was saying,” she started again.
“You were looking for us,” I finished for her. “Specifically.”
“Yes,” she answered.
I lifted my eyebrows. “Why?”
A wistful sigh escaped her lungs. “Oh, if only I could answer that,” she lamented. “Life would be so much easier that way, wouldn’t it? But alas, I am forbidden. Dark magic binds my tongue silent, and I find I do not wish to die on this fine day.” Opening her arms, she smiled around the ferry. “The weather’s much too favorable, don’t you agree? I should think I’d like dark clouds, cooler temperatures, violent bolts of lightning and booming thunder to herald my demise. As if the Outer Realms were rebelling against my unfortunate departure.”
“Then what can you tell us?” Quilla demanded, obviously not a fan of Nalini’s flowery description of her own death.
“I’m here to help you, of course,” Nalini announced brightly before pointing at me. “You, that is.”
I jerked back in surprise, and Quilla sent me a deadly, traitorous glance. “Me?” I repeated. “I wasn’t aware I required help.”
“Of course you do. Was it not your mark that foresaw my many-greats-granddaughter here as being your one true love?” she asked.
“Er, yes?” I said, feeling suddenly uneasy about all this.
Nalini nodded grandly. “Great. Then I am here to assist with helping her fall in love with you.”
“Oh!” My eyebrows rose. “But I don’t need your help with wooing her, thanks.”
“I’m certain,” Nalini allowed with a graceful nod. “You’re a pretty boy. Charismatic and entertaining. I’ve no doubt she’ll eventually succumb to your charms over time. But to speed the process along—”
“No,” I said sternly. “There will be no speeding the process along. Quilla will not be forced to do anything she doesn’t wish to do. And if she chooses to never return my feelings at all, that is her own prerogative. You’ll not interfere with her heart or mind as you did with the ferry master. You got that?”
Relief flooded from Quilla’s emotions. She was grateful to hear I’d never do anything to impose on her regard for me against her will. I would’ve taken her hand then and squeezed it in reassurance. But she’d probably slice it off if I touched her right now, so I settled for sending her a heartfelt nod.
“Child, I am here to help.” Nalini spoke the words calmly enough, but the displeasure in her eyes was obvious. “It would be to your own advantage to remain civil.”
I inclined my head. “You’re right. My apologies for the lack of decorum. Your suggestions were upsetting my mate, is all, and I responded to that. I do appreciate the generous offer, even though I have no idea why you issued it.”
“All I can say is that a union between you two would benefit me greatly.”
I wrinkled my brow. “Why?”
Nalini’s hand shook as she wiped at the corner of her eye where blood welled. Just as blood would well in Melaina’s eye when her emotions ran too kindly. Damn. She really was bound by a dark curse that prevented her from telling us too much information.
“That is all I can say,” she answered simply.
I glanced toward Quilla. She squinted at me as if trying to figure out what I was thinking. So I spun back to Nalini.
“The amulets,” I blurted, wincing when Quilla’s emotions jarred with fear and worry. She didn’t want me telling Corandra Graykey her plans. “The ones you passed out to the original nineteen so they could return to Earth if they so wished?”
Nalini’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What about them?”
“We need…” I glanced toward Quilla when her emotions jerked with even more wariness. Then I turned back to her ancestor and finished with, “Three. We need three of those amulets.”
Bubbling out an amused laugh, Nalini set a hand against her chest and asked, “Why ever would you seek those silly old stones? Certainly, you’re not—”
Her laughter died an immediate death as she glanced between me, Quilla, and Melaina. “No,” she said suddenly. “No, you can’t possibly be considering going to the old world? Permanently? Being of my blood, you and one chosen companion can visit as often as you like,” she told Quilla. “There’s no need to stay there forever.”