Dragon Soul (Dragon Falls, #3)(62)

“Did you get a wig with your costume?” I asked Mrs. P, still trying to pinpoint what it was that was different. Earlier this morning, we’d dropped our clothing off at the ship’s tiny cleaning service, then trooped into the shop and come away with a cowgirl outfit for Mrs. P and a female swashbuckling ensemble for me (which had a gorgeous black frock coat with metal fastenings at the front, red sash, white lace at the wrists, and a short above-knee lace skirt). But it was the tricorne hat and cutlass that sold me on it. The other ladies declined getting costumes, but did give the shop lady a run for her money on sunscreen.

Mrs. P touched her hair, which was gathered into a low bun. Her hair when I first met her was short, white, and floofy… now it was a pale brown with threads of silver, and probably down to her shoulder blades. Her eyes also seemed different. They were still a soft blue, but the outer rings of her irises were darker, the color of which appeared to be leeching inward. And then there was the fact that she seemed to have lost even more wrinkles on her neck and face.

If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was growing younger right before my eyes.

“I don’t need a wig. My hair is long enough to sit on, although I kept it short for my hoochie-coo dancing. Teddy used to tell me I was his little tomboy.” She covered her mouth as she giggled. “He was such a bear of a man. Hahaha.”

“Yeah, I get it,” I said, nodding but still watching her closely, just in case she was going to change any more. “Teddy Roosevelt. Bear. Ha. Did you get contacts, too?”

She smiled at me, but said nothing, just closed her eyes and settled back for a nap.

Gilly was more than happy to fill the resulting silence. “I like your costume. And how clever of you to wear a different one every day! It makes the cruise so much more fun, don’t you think? I just hope you don’t get blood on it.”

I was still pondering the changes to Mrs. P when Gilly’s words sank in. I swiveled around to look at her. “Blood? What blood? I’m not due for that for a few months, when my shot wears off. Sorry, that was TMI, but if you’re worried about me messing up this pretty lace skirt—”

“No, no, of course I would never mention something so intimate!” She looked downright shocked at such a thought. “I meant, of course, the first challenge. That’s why you’re here, right?”

I blinked at her, as if that would make my brain work better. “What challenge? What blood?”

She pursed her lips. “Oh dear, weren’t you at the briefing last night?”

“No. I… uh…” My cheeks immediately turned bright pink when I thought of how Rowan and I had spent the night. After dallying in his cabin for a bit, we had moved to mine, since I still felt obligated to keep an eye on Mrs. P despite her clump of priestesses underfoot. Plus, I had a sneaking suspicion that they’d claim my room if I left it vacant for too long. I’d left Rowan sleeping when Mrs. P and I—with the models in tow—had gone off to find clean clothes. “I was busy last night.”

“Aset, darling, did you hear?” Gilly tattled. “Your champion did not go to the briefing last night.”

I shot her a glare before glancing at Mrs. P and immediately doing a double take. Mrs. P, who waved a languid hand at Gilly, appeared even younger than just a minute before. “Eh. She’s a dragon.”

“There is that.” Gilly made a sad face at me.

“I’m sorry if I missed something important, but no one told me there would be a meeting.”

“Her man has sublime buttocks,” Mrs. P murmured, and turned over onto her belly. Even her legs looked younger. The varicose veins and pale white-blue skin was gone, replaced with tanned, supple flesh.

“That’s understandable, but it’s still a shame she missed it.”

“Is there a set of notes covering the important points?” I asked, nervous now that I’d screwed up.

Gilly applied a little sunblock on her perfectly toned legs. “No, but I’ve been on this tour before, so I can tell you what’s what. The captain was sure to have gone over the challenges that will be visited upon you as we travel through the Duat. The first are the carnivorous beasts. The second is the lake of fire. And of course, the last is facing Maat and having her weigh your Ka against her measure. If they don’t balance, why then you don’t get to go to the divine plane, and must remain forever bound to Duat.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” I said, one part of my mind wondering what I would be doing at that exact moment if I hadn’t taken Jian’s cousin (what was his name?) up on the job offer. I certainly wouldn’t be floating down a river in the Underworld, facing monsters and lakes of fire and some woman who wanted to weigh my soul. “So… when do we get to the Underworld?”

“We’re there now. We entered it the minute the ship began its journey,” Gilly said.

“Huh. I had no idea. Wait a minute—this cruise is just for the people who are going on to heaven, right? Or rather, whatever their version of heaven is.”

“Of course. They can’t get to the divine realm without it.”

I relaxed back into my chair, wondering what sort of carnivorous animals were going to descend upon us.

“Mind you, no one can leave Duat until Maat weighs your Ka, but if you have a pure soul, that should not be a problem. You’ll be allowed to leave and return to the mortal world if you so desire. Which I assume you will, because after all, you are a wyvern’s mate, aren’t you?”