I tugged Rowan up the stairs, ignoring his rude comments toward the captain. “Sorry to get you riled up. I was just so angry about the way no one sees Ipy’s death as being a big deal.”

He took a deep breath. “We have to remember that these aren’t mortal people, and we are not in the mortal world. Death here has a different meaning.”

“Gotcha.”

Ahead of us, Mrs. P and her team passed by an intersection of the hallway, singing a song in a language I didn’t understand. I was heartened to see Ipy in their group. Gilly spied us and ran down the hall to give Rowan and me big hugs.

“I’m so happy to see you both safe again! I bet the challenge was awful. The captain said you likely wouldn’t make it and someone else would have to go out to do the job.”

Ken and Barbie rounded a corner at the same time that the captain, behind us, emerged from the stairs, and with a smoldering look our way, proceeded up the next flight.

“I’d like to say it wasn’t that bad, but it was hideous,” I told Gilly, suffering her to give me another bear hug. “But honestly, all the credit goes to Rowan. He was downright magnificent in the way he problem-solved.”

Rowan looked modest. “I was inspired to beat the situation.”

Gilly eyed my unconventional garb and burst into laughter. “I can see that you were. I’ll let you go. I’m sure you want to… debrief.”

“Cute,” I said when she snickered. “I see Ipy is back.”

“Yes, her spirit is.” She glanced over her shoulder when Ken yoo-hooed us midway down the hall. “She says she didn’t see who lopped off her head, but she’s sworn vengeance on him or her. Luckily, her Ka is still intact, so she’ll be able to leave Duat, although she’ll always be a spirit.”

“Kinda puts a crimp on your day, I would imagine.”

“She doesn’t seem to mind,” she said, giving my arm a squeeze before she dashed up the stairs.

“Hello again!” Ken called, bustling up to us before we could follow Gilly. “Hail the conquering heroes. I would ask you how the challenge went, but the very fact that you are here tells me what I want to know.”

“It was pretty frightening,” I told them, a little irritated at having to stay and make small talk when I wanted to think over the afternoon’s events.

“I imagine so, oh, I can imagine it was very frightening. And your employer there, she looked so very happy to see you unharmed.”

“If you’ll excuse us,” Rowan said before I could straighten out Ken’s misimpression, “we are a bit tired, and I know Sophea would like to get cleaned up and changed into something a little less revealing.”

“Of course you would. Oh, you poor thing, having to traipse around in your… er… shirt.”

“Lucky you weren’t fried to a crisp,” Barbie said with her usual gruff manner.

I forced a smile to my lips, then allowed Rowan to pull me up the stairs to our cabin.

“Not that I don’t like them, but thank you. Standing there dissecting the challenge is the last thing I want to do right now.”

“Good,” he said with a lascivious waggle of his eyebrows. “I have other plans for you, anyway.”

We entered the cabin, but all the ladies were in Mrs. P’s room, evidently toasting our success (or the return of Ipy in ghost form) if the cries of happiness audible through the closed door were accurate.

Oddly, melancholy gripped me as we entered my room. “The cruise is due to end tomorrow.”

Rowan unloaded his pockets, dumping his small notebook, a couple of pens, the three bits of broken pinkish glass, and his cell phone onto the nightstand. The face he turned to me was as grim as my heart. “That’s right.”

I swallowed back a lump in my throat. “I don’t suppose you’ve had any insight as to what we can do to stop the ring’s doohickey from falling into demon hands?”

He shook his head. “There’s one last person I can contact in the morning. He’s an archimage, and has more than a little passing interest in alchemy. He’s also in charge of the group that polices the Otherworld, so he’s difficult to get hold of. I’ve been told he might answer a call from me in the morning.”

I sighed and plopped down on the bed. “That seems very last chance, but I don’t suppose we have an alternative.”

“None,” he said, sitting next to me. His shoulders slumped just a little, making me scoot over until I was pressed against him. He put his arm around me, and we sat like that for a long time, looking out of the porthole as the ship got underway again.

There just didn’t seem to be much more to say.

Seventeen

“Goddess above, below, and behind!”

Rowan looked up from his notebook when Sophea stormed into their cabin, slamming the door behind her. In her hand she held two bags. “Problems, my sweet?”

“Great galloping… gah!” Sophea struck a dramatic pose and waved a hand around. “Now Gilly’s disappeared.”

A little chill caressed Rowan’s spine. “Are you sure? No, that’s a stupid question. Of course you’re sure. Has the captain been notified?”

“Ha. Big fat lot of good that would do.” Sophea set down one of the bags, using the other to gesture. “I told one of the officers that Gilly never came back after we had seen her, and he just said that if passengers wished some privacy, then it was nothing to do with them.”

Rowan raised his eyebrows and pondered whether it was worthwhile to demand the captain search the ship. “We were the last ones to see her?”

“Yes. She ran upstairs right after the captain passed us.”

“Hmm.” His mind turned over memory of their return to the ship. “Tell me again how you found out that the first priestess was missing.”

Sophea gave him a long look. “Why? Do you see a connection other than they’re both underwear priestesses, and no one is overly alarmed if they disappear or have their respective heads lopped off? It was a head that was under that blanket, wasn’t it?”

“It was. But I’d like you to tell me about the situation with Ipy.”

“All right, but I demand you tell me what you are thinking, because I’m totally clueless.” Sophea spent the next ten minutes telling and retelling the conversation with Bunefer and Gilly.