Dogs and Goddesses Read online

  “What are those little dogs?” Vera said. “Are those sweaters gold?”

  Daisy squinted at Bikka and Umma. The fur around Bikka’s mouth looked orange, and Umma was gazing steadily at Wolfie, who was looking at the ceiling, and they were both wearing something glittery. “I wouldn’t be surprised,” Daisy told Vera, but Vera’s attention had already wandered.

  “Hi,” she was saying, holding her hand out to Shar. “I’m Vera Dale; I work with Daisy.” Her eyes widened as she looked at Shar. “Oh! Professor Summer! I didn’t even recognize you. Your hair is practically glowing. Have you been using that herbal tea rinse I recommended?” Before Shar could say anything, Vera leaned over her to see Abby. “And it is so nice to meet you; you are such a lovely, lovely girl.”

  “She is lovely,” Daisy said. “Her name is Abby.”

  “So let me ask you, Abby,” Vera said. “Do you take vitamins?” She took a sip from her cup, and Daisy waited for her reaction.

  “This is so yummy.” Vera drained her cup.

  If you think it’s good now, wait till your dog starts talking to you.

  “Mina gave me a bottle as I came in,” Vera whispered, pulling a ceramic bottle out of her bag. “Is it the same stuff?”

  “Yep,” Daisy said.

  Vera uncorked her bottle and poured more into her cup. Daisy bent down to pet Squash, who opened one eye.

  “Be kind,” Daisy whispered. “Don’t mention the Snausages.”

  Squash barked, “Nice shoes!”

  “Oh my god!” Vera gasped, and looked at Daisy, tears of amazement in her eyes. “Squash just told me she likes my shoes.”

  “Sweet dog,” Abby said, but Shar was staring at the table behind them.

  “What’s wrong?” she whispered to Shar.

  “We drank the tonic and got our powers,” Shar whispered back, nodding her head to the cups on the table. “I’m torn. I think it’s a bad idea to drink anything that Kammani makes, but…”

  “We can use all the power we can get,” Daisy finished. She picked up two of the glasses and gave one to Shar and one to Abby and then got one for herself. “I vote we drink.”

  Shar looked into the glass, nodded, and knocked some of it back, coughing a little as she swallowed. “This is not what we drank Thursday.”

  Daisy tasted it and the impact hit her hard. It was at least twice as potent as it had been on Thursday, and where it had been delicious before, now it was irresistible. Power, Daisy thought, and drank it down, almost choking at the end when Kammani appeared to stand before the altar. She wore white linen heavily embroidered in gold and beads, draped and twisted over her perfect body, tied with a golden jeweled belt with a wicked-looking knife stuck in it, and she looked taller than she had last week, more exotic, probably because of her headdress, a wreath of gold leaves with stars just above that and then—overkill, party of one—a gold sun at the back of her head with seven flower shapes, fanning out on top, ending in gold ribbons that fell over her ears. It looked to Daisy like a hat you’d wear at a New Year’s Eve party, and then only after you’d had at least six drinks.

  Abby leaned over Daisy and said to Shar, “Thin. Pretty. Big tits. Your basic nightmare,” and Daisy said, “Huh?” and Shar said, “When Harry Met Sally,” and laughed, but then Sam followed Kammani out to the altar, and Shar’s smile faded fast. He was dressed in jeans and a chambray shirt, and looked as close to ordinary as a god following a goddess in a gold party hat could, except that there was a faint glow to him.

  “Look at Sam,” Daisy whispered to Shar, staring at him. “Does he look—” She broke off as she saw Shar, tipping back the last of her drink.

  Shar had a blue outline. Very faint, but it was there.

  “Uh,” Daisy said, and looked to her other side, at Abby, who had an amber glow as she put her empty cup on the floor.

  Kammani walked up to the altar as Daisy looked at Gen and Bun. No glow there but a wispy haze as they moved, like a very faint trail of smoke, Gen’s yellow and Bun’s orange. Poor Bun. Nobody looks good in orange, Daisy thought, and looked at Vera, who lifted her cup to drink and left a green trail, like a special effect in a movie.

  Beyond her sat Mina in a purplish smoky shadow, a definite shadow that moved with her. Permanent darkness, Daisy thought.

  “IT BEGINS,” Kammani said, and Daisy felt a sudden urge to lean forward.

  Kammani said something in a language Daisy couldn’t understand, but she could see color as Kammani moved, too, a pale, glittery aura, and she could feel Kammani’s words floating out and folding around her like a blanket, warm and comforting and familiar.

  She forced her eyes open and thought, This isn’t right, and the comfort left her, replaced by cold suspicion.

  The torches flickered, and Kammani looked at Gen. “COME.”

  Gen got up and crossed over to the center of the steps and went up to meet Kammani, who raised her hands over Gen’s head, holding something that glittered. Gen seemed to expand, her shoulders going back and her chin lifting, and then Kammani fastened a necklace around her neck—more of a collar, Daisy thought—and then cupped her hands over Gen’s head. Daisy saw a flash of yellow light, and Gen said, “Oh!” and stumbled back, and Daisy said, “What the hell was that?”

  Kammani’s eyes flashed at Daisy, and Daisy could feel her rage as their eyes locked. For a moment, Daisy wanted to lower her head in submission, but she fought it as Gen shuddered and then came down the steps, putting her hand up to feel her new jewelry, which looked like a beaded dog collar to Daisy, gold with blue and red-orange beads.

  “This is what they did four thousand years ago here,” Shar whispered. “This is an investiture.” She was watching Sam, who was watching her. He looked troubled, but Daisy couldn’t tell if it was because of what was happening or because Shar was so tense.

  She’s right to be tense, Daisy thought, and looked at Abby, pale beside her. This is bad news.

  She cast a glance at the door, suddenly feeling Noah’s absence, and looked down at her watch; it was only eight past seven. He was probably just running late.

  Shar put her cup on the floor as Kammani summoned Bun, and Bun approached as Gen had. As Kammani put a beaded collar around Bun’s neck, Shar said, “Look.”

  “What?” Daisy said.

  “There’s an orange glow—”

  Kammani had placed her hands above Bun’s head, and now there was a flash of orange light and Bun squeaked. Daisy drew in her breath: that orange light had come from Bun rather than Kammani, and that wasn’t right. The shocks or whatever that was had to be coming from Kammani. It didn’t make any sense otherwise.

  Bun felt her collar and squealed, “This is so cool!” and walked down the steps to Gen to show her the new bling.

  Kammani looked at Abby, the glittery glow around her stronger now, shifting with small streaks of red and orange, and said, “COME,” and Daisy felt the pull just sitting beside Abby as Shar drew in her breath.

  For one moment they were motionless, and then, as if they were one person, they all leaned back.

  Kammani looked startled, her eyes moving from Abby to Daisy to Shar in growing awareness, and then after a beat she set her jaw and moved on to nod at Vera, who stood immediately and walked to the altar, trailing faint green light, a little unsteady on her feet. Daisy reached over Shar and picked up the ceramic bottle on Vera’s seat.

  It was empty.

  Kammani gave Vera her collar and put her hands over Vera’s head. The light flashed, green this time, and Vera cried out and stumbled down the steps, staggering into the middle of the circle, her hand over her heart, struggling for her breath.

  “Oh … oh…” She blinked twice, and then the faint greenish glow around her flickered and died and she collapsed.

  Time stopped, and then, like the moment of impact in a car crash, everything rushed together. Sam strode forward and leaned over Vera, Kammani rushed down the steps, Mina was holding one hand behind her back, the dogs barked, Bun and G