Then she quickly told them about her journey through the desert with Darsal. Meeting Alucard in the Black Forest. Their escape into the cover of this world, a virtual reality that could be accessed by touching any of the seven books with blood—which is what Billos had done when he’d gone renegade on them.

“I’ve done it a dozen times since,” Karas said. “It’s like walking into a simulation of this reality. Paradise, every time. The point is, Paradise, Colorado, is real. I’ve been there.”

“And?”

“Nothing.”

“But that was before we arrived with our two books,” Johnis said. “Until our books entered this reality, there were only two books here: yours and Darsal’s.”

Which begged the question Silvie voiced. “No sign of Darsal at all?”

Karas stared out at the blue sky. “I’ve searched, trust me. When all of my efforts failed, I followed this path.” She motioned to the jet, meaning her life as a manager. “If I couldn’t find you two or Darsal, I wanted to make sure you could find me. So I’ve used what skills I have to make myself highly visible. As it turned out, you managed more visibility in one day than I have in five years.”

An exaggeration, but point well made.

“Darsal’s never contacted me. Which means she’s either dead . . .”

“Or hasn’t come through yet,” Johnis finished. “For all we know, she may not come through for another ten years.”

“Correct. As is the case with Alucard.”

“So . . . if Darsal hasn’t come through yet, only our three books have come through thus far. The other three books hidden here may not even be visible yet?”

“Possibly,” Karas said. “If Darsal did come through, she’s clearly run into trouble, or she would have contacted me. Whoever has her book might know about me. If so, they’re probably waiting for you two to surface before they expose themselves and go for all of our books at once.”

The soft rush of air from the engines outside filled the cabin.

“No sign of that beast?” Silvie asked. “Alucard?”

“Signs?” Karas frowned. “Everywhere you look. What is Alucard but raw wickedness in the form of Shataiki? It’s everywhere. But no, I haven’t seen any Shataiki floating through the night sky.”

“Then let’s keep out fingers crossed,” Johnis said. “With any luck, we find the seven books before he comes through.”

“We have to assume he’s through as well, biding his time, waiting for you two to show up,” Karas said. “And we might be wise to assume the worst.”

Johnis frowned. “That he has Darsal’s book. That he’s killed her and is biding his time.”

It seemed rather pessimistic to Silvie, and she made as much clear.