"What was that thing?" I said, when I could.
"An oni."
I blinked. "A what?"
"Oni. They are not usually soul stealers. Flesh is more to their liking."
Well, at least it hadn't tried that. Stuck as I had been on the gray fields, I couldn't have done much to stop it.
"Why wasn't the Dušan able to attack it?" I'd already guessed the answer, but I knew so little about the creature who now shared my flesh that I wanted it confirmed.
"Because they can only protect on the gray fields. The oni remained on this plane, so the Dušan could do nothing."
"Fuck, Risa, are you all right?"
Stane came down the stairs two at a time. From behind me came a fierce half cry—Azriel moving his sword into attack position.
"Whoa!" Stane said, skidding to a halt at the base of the stairs and throwing up his hands. "Ris, tell the man-mountain I mean you no harm."
Man-mountain? Azriel wasn't small, but it was obvious Stane was seeing something far different from what both Ilianna and I did.
"Azriel, he's the one we came here to rescue." I sat back on my heels and wiped a hand across my mouth. What I really needed was a drink to wash the sour taste away. "Stane, why the hell would a soul stealer be attacking you?"
"Was that what that thing was?"
"Yeah. It killed a little girl two days ago, and Handberry last night. Now it's come after you. There's obviously a link we're not seeing."
"Well, I can't think of a goddamn thing Handberry and I have in common." He knelt down beside me and touched my arm lightly. "Are you all right? Do you need to come upstairs and freshen up?"