That evening, Kore became anxious when Naga did not come home at her usual time, but Dema and Sedna both reassured her.

"Before you got better, Mom's top priority was to be here for you," Dema said, "But now that you are yourself again, she's no doubt staying late to help one of her patients."

"That's right," added Sedna. "All the years you were gone she came home very late almost every night, and often did not come home at all. She has a lot of other people to care for. There's no cause for concern."

But Kore continued to fret, and went to bed earlier than usual. Dema and Sedna were still sitting up, talking about their day, when suddenly they felt a dream-summons from Kore. "Sedna, Dema, come quick! Mom's in trouble!"

Opening themselves to the shaman dream, they quickly realized that as she had drifted toward sleep Kore's concern had somehow brought her into a dream-connection with Naga. They rushed to her room, going deeper into the shaman dream as they did so. "She was grabbed off the street right outside her clinic," Kore relayed to them. "She's been taken somewhere out on the Lake!"

Dema could see it too, now that she was linked with Kore in the dream vision. Naga had been taken aboard a yacht. She had not been badly mishandled, and seemed more puzzled and angry than frightened, but something was wrong with her. Kore, Dema and Sedna all tried to convey to her that they knew what had happened and would try to help. Sedna felt certain that they had reached her, but the link was fuzzy and it was hard to be sure she understood. Then through Naga's eyes they saw her being ushered into a cabin. Waiting for her inside were Rankine and Ortega.

"I know those men!" said Dema. "They were drug bosses I visited as the Lamia. Last I knew they were both out of the country. Can they have come here and grabbed her to get back at me?"

"Or perhaps they think she is you," offered Sedna.

"Rankine saw me only as the Lamia," Dema said. "Only Ortega saw me as myself, there in his cabin in the Poconos when I first returned to normal. But he was so befuddled I'm surprised if he remembers me at all."

"Dema, you would not be easy to forget," said Kore.

"It is more than possible he thinks Naga is you," Sedna said.

"We've got to help her!" said Kore.

"Yes," said Dema, "But how? I know of this yacht, the DEA has been watching it. But it could take hours, even days, to put together a DEA raid. With these men, we may not have enough time for that."

"We need to get a boat and go out there!" Kore said.

"And storm their ship? They would see us coming." Dema paused in thought. "But you and Sedna do that. See if you can find a boat and head out there. I'm going to try to get there another way."

Sedna and Kore both knew what she was thinking. She was going to fly.

"Dema," said Kore anxiously, "Being a snake is one thing, but flying? Even if you can take on the right form, are you sure you can do it?"

"I did some hang-gliding while I was in college," Dema answered, "I'll be fine." She ran from the room and headed up the stairs.