Page 3 of Somnium

“And the priests,” Zoe continued, “the way they move, their presence is just … otherworldly. I couldn’t look away.”

Cadi scoffed, unable to cover her judgement at the reverence in Zoe’s voice. She was describing these nameless men as if they were gods themselves. The identities of the priests were fiercely protected by the Order, though she’d never heard exactly why, and quite frankly, had never cared enough to spend much time thinking about their reasons. She had always figured it was some sort of marketing ploy designed to add another layer of mystery to the Order’s brand, and if Zoe’s obsession was any indication, it was extremely effective.

With every inch of their skin covered by masks, robes, and gloves, there was no way to guess who they were outside of the weekly Somnium rites. For all anyone knew, they could be lizard people, which wouldn’t surprise Cadi in the slightest given that species’ proclivity for amassing cult-like followings. They were a deceptively charismatic bunch.

Ice crept into her veins when she realized that the conversation beside her had stopped, replaced by a strained silence. Apparently, her judgement hadn’t been nearly as quiet as she’d thought. Her heart slammed against her ribs at the scrape of metal against linoleum, followed by the soft shift of fabric before Zoe appeared at her side, calmly slipping into the chair next to her.

Cadi’s eyes darted to the nymph before quickly returning to her half-eaten bag of chips, painfully aware of the way the stares of everyone around her seared into her skin. While it had taken some time to get used to most of the mythics residing in Fiddler’s Green, she had always been comfortable around water nymphs, considering they made up a good number of Poseidon devotees that her mom had worked alongside, but that did absolutely nothing to lessen her current mortification. If she was going to insist on eavesdropping, she should at least have the good sense to not be so obvious about it.

After what felt like the longest silence of Cadi’s life, Zoe finally spoke, mercifully releasing the tension. “It’s Cadi, right?”

Cadi’s brows pinched as she bit back a twinge of annoyance. She and Zoe had worked together every day for the past two years. She sat across from her at their weekly department meetings. There was no way she didn’t know her name.

“That’s me,” she replied with a tight smile.

Zoe grinned back at her, tilting her head in a move that made the colorful patch of iridescent scales peeking out from the neckline of her scrubs shimmer. Cadi fought the urge to squirm beneath the curious shadow of Zoe’s gaze.

“I take it you’ve never been to Somnium?” Zoe asked.

Cadi huffed a laugh, pushing a chip around the table for something to do that might keep her from giving in to the growing impulse to bolt. “Um, no. Can’t say that I have.”

Zoe didn’t miss a beat. “May I ask why?”

A steady drip of adrenaline titrated itself into Cadi’s veins, doing nothing to untangle the nerves twisting in her stomach. She continued to push her chip around the table until it cracked, leaving her with nothing but crumbs and no other option but to answer Zoe’s question.

“I guess I’ve just never understood the draw. It all seems a bit … overhyped, if I’m being honest.”

A beaming smile broke across Zoe’s face, excitement dancing in the deep blue of her doe-like eyes just before her hand shot out to grab Cadi’s wrist so tightly it made her jump. For such a small mythic, Zoe had a grip like a gods-damned gorilla.

“Oh, Cadi. It isn’t overhyped at all. It’s everything you’ve heard and so much more. The lights, the energy …”

Zoe let out a soft sigh, her eyes drifting closed as she sank deeper into her memories. Cadi shifted in her seat, gently twisting her hand in an unsuccessful attempt to free herself. She wasn’t entirely sure what was happening, but the blissful look on Zoe’s face had her feeling like she was interrupting something deeply personal.

Zoe’s eyes shot open, freezing Cadi in place as she leaned close. “Come with me. Tomorrow.”

Cadi’s mouth fell open. Lunch had just taken a sharp left turn, and her brain hadn’t quite caught up. She suddenly found herself longing for a time when her only problem was an unfortunate choice in sandwiches. When she had told herself that she would be open to the possibility of connections and new experiences, this hadn’t been what she had in mind. She hadn’t set foot in a church or temple in years, not since her parents had died, and the idea of starting now had her stomach doing somersaults.

“I’m not really into relig⁠—”

“Oh come on,” Zoe urged, “just come once, and if you hate it, you’re welcome to laugh all you want.”

Guilt settled heavy in Cadi’s throat at the reminder of how quickly she’d dismissed Zoe’s experience. This was clearly something that was important to her, and while Cadi had never felt the inclination to do a deep dive on the Order or Somnium, who’s to say she wouldn’t like it if she did? Anyway, she got the distinct impression that Zoe was not about to take no for an answer. At least if she went and hated it, she could have the proof of her experience to back up her cynicism.

“C’mon, I promise you won’t regret it. A group of us always go out for drinks after; it’ll be fun!”

Cadi had to admit that didn’t sound like the worst way to spend a Thursday night, besides, it wasn’t like she had plans other than her weekly spin class. She nodded. “Yeah, okay. I’ll go.”

Zoe’s excited squeal echoed through the room, and Cadi shrank in her seat when the piercing noise drew more than a few stares.

“I’m so excited! Meet me out front after work tomorrow.”

Without waiting for her response, Zoe bounced away to rejoin her group as they disappeared into the hall. Cadi blew out a laugh through her nose, shaking her head as she watched the spot Zoe had disappeared from. Digging her phone out of her pocket, she opened her browser and began searching for any information that might prepare her for tomorrow evening.

Immediately, she regretted her decision as her eyes darted over images of a massive stone hall, dim candlelight, and crowds of reverent worshippers. Even just looking at the pictures made her feel a strange sense of disquiet. In a swift move of self-preservation, she locked her screen and shoved her phone back into her pocket, opting instead to apply the timeless strategy of “out of sight, out of mind.”

Finishing her lunch, she wound through the maze of hallways and forced herself to focus on her patients and not the Order. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that no matter what she did, nothing was going to prepare her for her first Somnium.

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