She stole another quick look at both of her siblings. She had their attention and clearly they were trying to understand.
“I’ve practiced astral projection for a long time. Remember all the stories I told you as a child about flying?”
“In your dreams,” Gabrielle said.
Jubal shook his head in warning. “Keep talking, Joie.”
“I guess I really succeeded. It really happened. This has to be real. I think we connected because we’d both been in a storm, in a battle and wounded at the same time.” She shrugged helplessly. “It’s the only reasonable explanation to me. He didn’t go away. I could hear him talking to me in my mind. He found something important in the caves. I was already planning a trip here with you two, so I figured I could see if he was real.”
“Joie,” Jubal reprimanded gently. “Telepathic communication? With someone else? I know we can use telepathy, but we’ve never met anyone else who can.”
“Is it really that far-fetched? I can take myself somewhere else. I know when I’m in danger. You’re weird with patterns, and Gabrielle can do all sorts of strange things. We’re all able to use telepathy with each other. Is it such a stretch to believe others can use it, too? I have to go down there. I have to know if he’s real, if he’s here, in this place. I feel him. I can’t explain it, but it’s like he’s crawled inside of me somehow and I need him. I need to prove this to myself. And I’m afraid he’s injured.”
“Why didn’t you tell us right away, Joie?” Jubal asked.
“Because I don’t want the voice to go away,” Joie admitted with stark truth. “I saw a counselor. He said I was having a break with reality, schizophrenia, probably brought on by the trauma of being shot. I didn’t want to point out it wasn’t the first time I’ve taken a bullet; it wasn’t the worst injury and it won’t be the last. I didn’t take the medication the counselor prescribed. I thought maybe it wasn’t so bad to live in a fantasy world part of the time. I still function and do my job.” She managed a faint smile, her sense of humor rising even in the middle of such a serious conversation. “Do you think many people want a schizophrenic bodyguard? They get two for the price of one.”
“Come on, Joie, you can’t believe you’re going crazy. You’re . . .” Gabrielle paused in search of the right words. “You’re you. You can do anything. You excel at everything. You can’t hear voices. You’re the most stable person I know. Out of your mind for loving this kind of thing, but still . . . stable.”
Joie smiled up at her sister. “I’m definitely hearing a voice. Right now he’s telling me to get out of here. He’s saying it’s dangerous and that we’re all in mortal danger. He actually used the word mortal. I don’t use that word. Do you think I have a split personality? I’ve always preferred male activities. I’ve always been such a tomboy. Maybe this is just my male side coming out. And just so you know how really screwed up my mind is, he’s sexier than I am.”
“Maybe your intuition is telling you not to make the descent, Joie,” Jubal cautioned. “We haven’t planned this out adequately.”
“I don’t have a choice,” Joie said sadly. “Not this time. We have the rigging. We have the supplies. We’re all dressed warmly enough. I can go down and look around. If I’m not back in a couple of hours, you can go for help.”
“You didn’t let me finish. If he isn’t real, we should find out, and if he is real, logic would say we need to help him if he’s hurt. Besides, we’re a family and as Dad always says, ‘in for a penny, in for a pound.’ ”
Gabrielle shook her head. “We all go. We stick together, Joie. If you have to do this, then we do it together like we always have.”
“Then we should stop talking and get moving,” Jubal said decisively.
Joie wasn’t going to change her mind. Whatever was compelling her into that black abyss was too strong to fight. Worse, the dread was still growing inside him. Jubal glanced down into the dark hole. Evil lurked close by, and he had the feeling they were going to come face to face with it.
Chapter Three
“Joie, this is out of this world,” Jubal said softly, in