The Pagan Stone Page 0,39

a hand to Cybil's. "I ordered up a big salad and a couple of pizzas from Gino's, figuring we'd want to stick with the simple and the staple tonight."

"Good thinking. We've got a lot of ground to cover."

THEY DIDN'T, AS THEY OFTEN DID, TALK OF ORDINARY and easy things over the meal. The day had been too full, and the mood too urgent.

"You'll need to record this, Q," Cybil began, then turned to Gage. "Gage had a dream."

He held her gaze another few seconds, then relayed the dream of passion and death.

"Symbolism," Quinn decided quickly. "That doesn't go into the prophetic column. Obviously, no matter how good the sex might be, neither of you would just keep at it while the room burst into flame around you."

"Good point," Cybil murmured.

"Maybe it was such hot sex, they self-combusted." Fox shrugged. "Just trying to add a little levity."

"Really little." Layla poked his ribs. "We're all stressed, so violent or, ah, sexual dreams aren't surprising. And if you consider that... well, if you factor in that you, Gage, that you might be feeling somewhat-"

"Sexually frustrated," Quinn broke in, "and attracted to Cybil. We're all big boys and girls, and this isn't the time to be delicate. Sorry. But the fact is you and Cyb are healthy adults, not to mention really pretty, and you share an ability during a time of extreme stress. It'd be amazing if there weren't some sexual vibes buzzing about."

"Satisfy an urge, burn in hellfire?" Cal chewed on the thought as he chewed on pizza. "I don't think it's that simple, even symbolically speaking. Connect on intimate levels, there are consequences. And connect to forge another separate link in the chain the six of us have already created, increases the consequences and the power."

"I agree with that, exactly." With a nod of approval, Cybil smiled at Cal. "Too bad Q's in the way, or you and I could have hooked up."

"Staying in the way, sister."

"You're so selfish. Anyway, prophetic dreams, in my experience, are often clouded with symbolism. I think this one could go into that column, or at least be penciled into it."

"We could go upstairs now," Gage suggested. "Test the theory."

"That's a generous offer. Heroic really." Pausing, Cybil sipped her wine. "I'll pass. While I might be willing to sacrifice my body to sex for the good of the cause, I don't think it's necessary at this point."

"Just let me know when we've reached that point."

"You'll be the first. What?" she demanded as Quinn slapped a hand at the air.

"Just swatting at these damn buzzing vibes."

"Aren't you the funny one? But moving on," Cybil continued, "as the astute and handsome Caleb theorized, it's about connections, links. And there are links every bit as intimate as sex."

"Still tops my scoreboard," Fox commented. He grinned at Cybil's stony look and reached for more pizza. "But you were saying."

"Gage and I experienced one of those links when we combined our particular gifts. There was power, and there were consequences. Before that shared experience, he had another on his own. Ann Hawkins."

Cybil paused again, but this time to watch the iridescent flash of a hummingbird outside the window as it dived to the heart of a bold red blossom. "Before I left to come here, Quinn and I logged that incident, charted and mapped it. Gage went through it again for me, for my notes, in case there were any details that dropped out in the relay. There weren't, that I found."

"I thought about that off and on today," Layla put in. "She said she'd wept for him, for Gage, and that you would, Cybil. At least that's my interpretation. That it would matter."

"Tears should matter." Cybil continued to watch as the jeweled bird darted to another blossom.

"I wonder if tears are literal, like a magickal ingredient we'll need, or if they're symbolic again. Grief, joy-emotion. If it's the emotional connection that's important."

"And again, I agree exactly," Cybil added.

"We know emotions are part of it," Quinn continued. "Twisse feeds on the negative-fear, hate, anger. And it seems pretty likely the positive is one of the things that kept us all from being crisped at the Pagan Stone last trip."

"In other words, she wasn't telling us anything we don't already know."

"Positive reinforcement," Quinn said to Gage. "And she said, clearly, we have everything we need to win this. Figuring out what that everything is, and how to use it-that's the problem."

"Weaknesses versus strengths." Fox took a swig of his beer. "Twisse knows