Maat stopped in front of me, pulling the feather from her riot of curls.

“I should warn you that there are a few things I’ve done that perhaps don’t look too good on my record,” I said nervously. “But I had good reasons to do them—”

She smiled and held out the feather. “Palm up, please.”

I glanced at Rowan. He nodded, giving me a little smile that warmed me to the tips of my toes. If nothing else, I knew that my love for him was honest and true. I held out my hand.

She dropped the feather onto it. I waited, braced for something profound to happen.

Nothing did. It just sat there, being a feather. “You may move on as you like,” she told me, picking up the feather.

“I can?” I blinked a couple of times. “I passed?”

“You passed.” She nodded to May, who handed her sword to Gabriel, and came forward with her hand outstretched. “You may move on as you like,” Maat repeated. May gave her a tight smile, murmured her thanks, and retrieved her sword.

In quick succession, Maat went through Gabriel, Ken (who was sulking in the background), and Constantine, who insisted on having a try even though he hadn’t been on the cruise.

“I just want to see if I’d pass muster if the First Dragon insists on repeatedly summoning us here,” he told Bee as Maat laid the feather on his hand, and told him that he would pass the challenge.

Bee gave him a tolerant, but fond, look in return.

I swear the First Dragon gave a little snort of amusement, but when I looked at him, his expression was as placid—and otherworldly—as ever.

At last the only three people to remain were Rowan, Bael, and Mrs. P. Maat approached Rowan, and I felt the dragons hold their collective breaths.

It was time for the Dragon Breaker to have his soul judged.

Nineteen

“Hand,” Maat said, holding her feather.

Rowan hesitated a second, then, with an unreadable look at me, held out his hand for her.

She placed the feather on it. It seemed to ruffle in the wind, bouncing ever so slightly on his hand.

My stomach dropped with fear. Dear goddess, what would I do if he couldn’t leave Duat?

Stay with him, of course, my inner voice answered. As if there were a choice.

My panic quelled a bit at that. Although I would prefer not to live in the Underworld, so long as I had Rowan in my life, then we’d make it work.

Maat tipped her head to the side as she watched the feather. She picked it up off his hand, examined it, and then put it back on his palm.

It repeated the little fluttering motion.

Her eyebrows rose as she reclaimed the feather. The silence was so thick you could have heard a molecule hit the deck. “You may move on as you like.”

I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Rowan’s shoulders sagged for a few seconds before he straightened them and tried to look as if he wasn’t worried to death.

Gary cheered. “Wooties! Now we can have that wedding in the fall. I’ve always wanted to plan a wedding, and I just know this one is going to be fabulous. I’ll have to call Jim. He wants to help plan.”

“Now then,” Osiris said, gesturing at his guards, who had been flanking Bael. They promptly returned to their master’s side. “Since Aset is recovering from her mistreatment, I believe you should attend to this demon lord first.”

“Oh, he can’t possibly pass her test,” I said aloud, alternating between batting my eyelashes at Rowan in an attempt to tell him how much I loved and admired and was proud of him and keeping an eye on Bael. “The man is pure evil. His soul has to be one giant mass of sins.”

Bael snarled something at me that had Rowan taking a step forward. Constantine caught his arm and kept him from proceeding.

“Do not pay his words any heed. He speaks lies.”

“I have no need for lies,” Bael said, the black aura of power around him snapping and crackling, but despite that effect, he looked remarkably calm. In fact, he appeared calmer and more placid as each second slipped past us.

“I must have his hand,” Maat told Osiris. He nodded, and one of the guards moved behind Bael.

“Something’s up,” I said softly to Rowan, watching the guard free Bael’s hand.

Rowan had his gaze firmly affixed on the demon lord, his eyes glittering with little bits of gold set against the dark peaty brown. “He’s done something.”

“What?”

“I have no idea, but whatever it is, he believes it will allow him to pass the challenge. Hold up!” he said that louder, stopping Maat as she was about to place the feather on Bael’s hand. “Something is not right here. I suggest you examine Bael to ascertain whether he has his Ka or not.”

“Can you see a Ka?” I asked aloud.

“Oh yes, if you like. It resembles a little spark of light,” Maat said, tipping her head as she considered Bael.

I swear the man smiled.

“Would you mind showing us your Ka?” Maat asked.

Bael shrugged, and with his free hand, reached into his jacket. When he opened his hand, a little spot of purplish pink light pulsated, like a bizarre firefly on a late July night. “As per the requirements, you can see that I have my Ka with me. Conduct the challenge.”

“Wait!” I said, hurrying forward. Mrs. P was sitting with May, who had dabbed up the blood that dripped down her front. “His soul couldn’t possibly pass muster.”

“That is for the feather to decide,” Maat said primly.

“Yes, but that’s not what I mean.” I glanced at Rowan, who looked a bit confused. Evidently he hadn’t seen what I had. “I meant that for him to be wanting to have the challenge conducted, for him to be clearly anticipating it is a sign that the Ka he’s holding isn’t his. It’s just that simple.”

Silence filled the night air. Everyone looked from me to Bael.

“If it’s not his, then whose is it?” May asked.

The pieces clicked together in my head. “It’s Mrs. P’s,” I said, going over to where she was taking a sip of water. “I saw him doing something to her with the knife. When the demons jumped me, that is. He was making some motion over her heart, and I just bet you he’s taken her Ka.”

Mrs. P lifted her head, but said nothing, her eyes on Osiris.