• • •
Dev dreamed of the girls. They were in a garden with Lizbeth and everything was okay. She wasn't close enough to speak to them. All her observations came from far away-almost as if she were watching them through the eye of a telescope, so that, at first, they looked close, but then it became clear they were actually light-years away. Like watching a star being born only to realize that it was already long dead. That what she was seeing had happened billions of years ago.
This was how far the image traveled to reach her. She wept, thinking of the girls. It was all so devastating, the wanting to be there to watch them grow up, to help them when they needed her most . . . and not being allowed to.
She must've cried out in her sleep because she found herself being shaken awake, Freddy's worried face staring down at her as she opened her eyes.
"You okay?" he asked. She wasn't fully awake yet and the dream still held on tightly to her. "Dev?"
She rolled over and sat up, wiping the sleep from her eyes. She looked around the room-Eleanora's room with its delicate vanity and warped mirror, the light cream curtains under heavy drapes, the thick-slatted wooden floor-and she began to relax, the familiar smells and sights calming her panic.
"Bad dream," she said finally, pressing her body back into the mound of pillows and closing her eyes. "The girls were far away and I couldn't reach them . . . it was awful."
Freddy took her hand, pulling her knuckles to his lips.
"We'll get them back. I don't know how, but we will," he said, and kissed her hand.
"I wonder . . ." she murmured under her breath. "Freddy, hold on a second."
She sat up and swung her legs off the bed, gathering her nightdress around her.
"The Dream Journals," she said, and quickly padded across the uneven hardwood floor to the smallest closet in the room. This was where she and Lyse had stored Eleanora's things. "Well, the one Lizbeth left behind, at least."
She opened the door and knelt down, beginning to pull stuff from the bottom.
"We made her leave one book behind, just in case," Dev continued, digging out shoes and boxes in order to get to the false floor. "Of what? I don't know."
"Can I help?" Freddy asked.
"Take these," she said, handing him two small boxes followed by two more. "And these. I need to make some room."
Once Freddy had joined her in her efforts, the work went quickly, and they were able to get the floor cleared in no time.
"It's under here," Dev said, feeling around the empty floor with her fingers. "It's like a little latch-"
There was a small click, and with a triumphant smile, she lifted part of the wooden floor.
"Yes," she murmured, slipping her hands inside the depression until she found what she was looking for. "Here we go."
She pulled out an oilskin-wrapped square and sat back, the package resting on her lap. With nimble fingers, she began unwrapping it, creating a cloud of dust that made her nose twitch. She pulled the journal from the oilskin and lifted it up in the air. It wasn't a large book, but there was a weight to it that belied the flimsy cardboard covering. Inside, there would only be blank sheets of paper, but Dev knew the translucent lined pages bore the stamp of magic.
"Dream Journal acquired," she said, and smiled at Freddy. "Now I need Eleanora's cards."
• • •
They sat at the round oak table, the morning sun streaming through the windows and setting the kitchen aglow with pale light. Dev was still in her nightdress, but she'd tied up her long hair in a loose bun, tendrils of it curling around her face. Freddy sat across from her, a look of intense concentration on his usually relaxed features.
This magic stuff was all new to him. Dev was sure that in the past, he'd wondered about what she did-was the magic for real or was she just pretending to read the tarot cards? He knew she saw clients out in the redone garage-the Mucho Man Cave, as they'd lovingly christened it-but she doubted he really believed she was doing anything magical out there among the mismatched tables and chairs. In light of everything that had happened to them, he was forced to accept that his partner was special. That Dev could do impressive feats of real magic-feats like the one she was about to attempt right there in Eleanora's kitchen.
"You really think it will work?" Freddy asked.
Dev didn't know for sure, but she had a feeling that it might. Because things were different in the world now. Like a spigot turned to full blast-when before there'd barely been a trickle-magic was everywhere.