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“Not on foot! Afoot!” Another, more dramatic sigh. “Can I come in? Your neighbors must not discover the darkness that hides in the forgotten corners of their little worlds!”

Curtains twitched in a second-floor window across the street and Dean realized he was standing in the doorway wearing only his jeans and his glasses. Professor Marnara had been slipping salacious haiku in the mailbox for a couple of months now and she really didn’t need more inspiration. “Yeah. Sure. Come in.” He stepped back and closed the door firmly behind the mummy hunter. “All right, then, explain.”

“You’re Irish, aren’t you? I can tell from your accent; it’s a skill I have! County Cork, by way of Dublin.”

“Newfoundland. Harbor Street, St. John’s, by way of Herring Neck.”

“Right. Sixteenth-century Irish derivative. Corrupted, of course.”

Dean’s lip curled. Good manners only extended so far. “The explanation?”

“Right.” Lance leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Dr. Rebik has been vilely kidnapped by a woman who died almost five thousand years ago! Late one night in his lab, the unfortunate doctor broke the spell confining her wretched, evil form to her sarcophagus. She rose and took over his mind, feeding off his life force to reduce the gruesome effects of centuries of decay. When I discovered what she’d done, I fought valiantly to stop her, but her control over Dr. Rebik was so strong he attacked me and left me for dead!”

“And you got messed up in this because…?”

“Because I’m Dr. Rebik’s grad student and I intend to save him! I am quite possibly the only person now alive who knows how to stop the foul fiend!” His hands curled into fists as he rocked forward on the balls of his feet. “Just tell me what room that pustulant monstrosity is in!”

“Meryat?”

“That’s her!”

Mummies. Doctors. Grad students. Dean weighed what he knew and came to a decision.“Third floor. Room six. You should take the elevator, it’ll be faster.” He led Lance to the brass gates, folded them open, and waved the other man inside. “Just pull that lever over to the three. I’ll wait in the lobby in case she makes a run for the front door.”

“Good man!” Legs braced, back straight, Lance yanked the lever toward him. The elevator began to rise.

“Was that nice?” Austin asked as the dial showed the elevator just passing the second floor.

Dean shrugged.“Before he left, Augustus Smythe fixed it so that the third floor always opens to the beach. We haven’t seen a giant not-quite-squid in months and the fire sand is all posted. There’s food and water in the cabana. Lance’ll do some exploring, he’ll get a bit more sunburn, maybe he’ll go swimming. He’s safer there than back out on the street.”

“So itwas nice.” Austin looked disgusted. “Just when I think you’re acquiring a personality that doesn’t involve cleaning products, Claire, or hockey. I suppose I should be moderately encouraged that you actually lied to the man.”

“And I should be concerned that you’re having a worse influence on me than Hell ever did.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, but don’t stop.” He ran to catch up as Dean started back down the hall. “What are you going to do now?”

“Put a shirt on and wake Dr. Rebik. I’m after hearing his side of the story.”

*

Lance stood ankle-deep in white sand, staring at the brilliant blue sky, and the turquoise breakers. A breeze off the distant dunes caressed his cheek with the scent of warmed sweet grass. This had to be another one of the mummy’s evil spells—a way to turn this world into the ancient world she’d lost. Which hadn’t included an ocean or a sign that readPlease return your towels to the guest house, but that had to be only because she wasn’t yet at full strength.

He still had time to stop her.

But first, he had to find Dr. Rebik. Or what was left of the man.

He pulled his cell phone from its belt pouch and punched in Dr. Rebik’s number. His mentor hadn’t answered any of his previous calls, but there was always the chance that the resurrected she-demon had left her captive alone for a moment or that—as he was now so close—he’d hear the ringing of the doctor’s phone.

“We’re sorry; this number can not be completed as dialed. You must dial bleri or syk before the number. Please hang up and try again.”

Bleri or syk? Brows drawn in to meet over his nose, Lance stared down at the keypad. His phone didn’t come with a bleri or syk. Damn! It was the whole pizza number debacle all over again. No bleri, no syk, no eleven…he should never have been seduced by that “Friday the Thirteenth Free” calling plan.

No matter.

Tucking the phone back into its pouch, he pulled a bandanna from another and tied it around his neck. Although Dr. Rebik could be anywhere in this mystical world of dark magic, the cheery looking blue-and-white cabana perched just above the high tide mark seemed the logical place to start.

*

“Lance is…”

Meryat offered two words from within the shadows of her hood.