“There must be a turnoff or a side road somewhere nearby,” Ink insisted. “We can’t see it because of the background noise. The Piper was right. These mountains are fucking hot after dark.”

“Maybe they decided to make a run for it, in which case they probably went off the edge of a cliff,” Ash muttered. “For all we know they’re in the river. That explains why we lost the signal.”

“You’d better hope she’s still alive,” Ink said. “You heard the Piper. If the oracle is dead, we are, too.”

He raised the recorder and released another string of needle-sharp notes. Ash clapped his hands over his ears.

“Fuck it,” he said. “That damn recorder is giving me a headache. I’ll wait in the vehicle.”

He left the small group standing near the first SUV and walked back to the second vehicle. He did not dawdle. Harlan understood. When Ash left the others he left behind the protection of their combined auras. That meant he was more vulnerable to the senses-disturbing power of the fog.

When Ash reached the second SUV he jerked open the door and jumped inside. He slammed the door shut, but the vehicle did not shield him completely from the music. He put his hands over his ears and rocked back and forth.

Harlan went back around the bend. Olivia was waiting. He put his mouth to her ear again.

“I’ve got my target. Not the recorder player, but this guy will have answers, too. I’ll be right back.”

Olivia turned her head and spoke directly into his ear. “You need a distraction. I can give you one.”

He stilled and then shook his head. “Too risky.”

“Trust me,” she said. “I know what I’m doing. I’ve had a lot of practice at this kind of thing.”

He wanted to ask her what the hell that was supposed to mean, but there was no time to get into an extended discussion. He had to make a decision.

He inclined his head once. She took a step back and unfolded the long scarf. It became a shawl. She draped it over her head.

In the fog the transformation was startling. She could have walked straight out of one of her grandmother’s oracle paintings.

He was starting to worry that he had made a terrible mistake in agreeing to her plan but she did not give him a chance to change his mind. Without a word she turned and walked around the bend in the road.

“He who dares to summon the oracle must be prepared to pay the price.”

The words, intoned in a louder version of her dreamstate voice, echoed ominously in the fog. The voice of an oracle. The currents of energy in the atmosphere enhanced the chilling effect.

The recorder abruptly fell silent.

“It’s her,” Trev shouted. “She’s here. Somewhere.”