Cern and Dema followed the Mures up into the eastern range of the Carpathian Mountains, and the Olt down to the south. This second major river was dotted with strings of big concrete dams and reservoirs, like beads on a rosary, supplying hydroelectric power along with irrigation. Dema no longer dwelt so deep in her timeless shaman dream, and became more aware of modern Romania as a place of highways and factories as well as farms and villages.

In the evening they stopped in Toplita. As they wandered through it looking for a hostel where they could spend the night, Dema was aware of the presence of ghosts. Now she saw them for what they were, not mistaking them for living villagers. She realized that in these mountain towns the existence of such spirits was recognized more openly than in the busy industrial cities below, especially now that the communist suppression was gone. She felt some similarity in this to the rebirth of spiritual awareness that accompanied the rise of Wiccan beliefs in Britain. As the living became more aware of the dead, the dead became more aware of the living.

But here there was a darker feel to it. These dead were not merely transient spirits, but a looming presence, lingering in their old habitat, literally haunting their living kin, unwilling to let go and move on. Dema knew that these spirits would manifest to most people only in dreams, the dreams of those who were important to them in life, those they could not bring themselves to leave.

As she sensed these spirits, she knew they sensed her as well. They were not all friendly and welcoming. Most lurked in shadow, valuing their invisibility. That Dema and Cern could see them was threatening, and they resented the intrusion. 

It did not take long to find an inviting-looking hostel with a jovial matron inside who said yes, she had a room for them. With no more formality than that she turned to a young girl standing behind her and said, "Miruna, show our new guests up to their room."

Miruna stepped forward and smiled shyly at them, then turned and led them up the stairs. She was quite pretty, if a bit thin. As she was opening the door to their room for them, Miruna glanced toward the shadows at the end of the hallway. Dema looked up and saw a ghost lurking there.

Inside the room Cern and Dema looked around briefly, set down their bags and pronounced themselves quite satisfied. Then as Miruna turned to leave Dema asked her, "What is his name?"

"Who?"

"The boy at the end of the hall."

"You saw him?"

"Yes." Cern nodded as well.

"He is Radu."

"He is a ghost?"

"He is my secret lover." There was rapture in her eyes as she said this, and Radu appeared at her side, possessively. He was quite compellingly beautiful.

"Please do not tell Mother," Miruna pleaded. "She mustn't know."

Cern nodded his agreement as Dema said, "It will remain your secret."

Radu ushered Miruna out the door. Dema closed it and turned to Cern.

"Did you see the way he looked at her?"

"I saw the way he looked at you."

"He is an incubus..."

"He is vampir. His form is too distinct for a mere bodiless spirit. He has accreted physical mass."

"A thin veneer, but yes...and he draws it from Miruna."

"Can she not know?"

"She knows, but she is in his thrall. She cannot resist him in his presence."

"We must talk to her tomorrow, in daylight..."

In the morning they were served a wonderful breakfast in a small dining room near the front. After thanking their hostess and telling her they would like to stay one more night, they went out the front door. 

A moment later Dema leaned back in and called, "Miruna, I left my bag next to my chair. Could you bring it please?"  She went on down the stairs, forcing Miruna to follow her into the sunlight.

At the curbside Miruna handed the bag to Dema and looked at her pleadingly. "You did see him, didn't you. You know what he is."

Dema nodded. "He is not good for you. You should leave him."

A look of despair came into Miruna's eyes. "I cannot leave. Mother needs me here. She doesn't know, and I can't tell her. What can I do?"

"Cern and I will come back tonight. I think we can help you."

"Oh thank you!" Then she turned quickly and ran back into the house.

After a day exploring the countryside around Toplita, Cern and Dema returned to the hostel. The welcoming look of hope they got from Miruna was fleeting, as Radu appeared at her side. He looked at Dema boldly, and she returned the look in full measure. She felt the pull he was exerting, and knew why Miruna was powerless to resist. Without taking her eyes off of him, she said, "Miruna, you are so lucky to have found Radu. It would be wonderful if he could visit me in my room for a while later on."

Later Cern had gone to bed, but Dema waited up. She did not have to wait long. Radu appeared inside her door. She knew that without Miruna's presence, he would not have been able to do so were it not for her earlier invitation. She felt him invade her inner reality, and he appeared quite real and natural as he walked across the room and seated himself in the chair opposite hers.

And beautiful. He appeared to be barely twenty, with dark eyes, chiseled features, and a gleaming white smile of cherubic innocence. "Radu," she said, "What are you doing with a child like Miruna?"

The cherubic innocence vanished. "My lady, she is but a toy, a plaything. Compared to yourself, she is nothing." The atmosphere thickened with his lust.

"Would you leave her then, and come with me?"

His air of confidence faltered. "Would that I could, my lady."

"What prevents you?"

"This is my place, my domain. I cannot leave it. But you can stay."

"I fear not."

"Then let us enjoy the moment. And perhaps I will change your mind."

He was no longer in his chair. Instead, he was leaning over her. And the rapture he offered her was literally the stuff of dreams.

But she knew him for what he was, and opened her own shaman dream, engulfing him in it. Instantly he was back in his chair and she wore the deathly pallor of the Lamia.

"Radu, she is an innocent. She is not your plaything. Nor am I. Tell me, the one who made you what you are, did he promise you immortality, and power beyond your dreams?"

He hesitated for a moment, then "It was as you say."

"And yet you are no more immortal than any of the ghosts who wander the streets of this village, and your power is only the power of dreams."

Radu puffed himself up in defiance, attempting to suck substance to himself out of the room, and even out of her. Instead, in response to Dema's will the veneer he had previously acquired dissipated, leaving him truly insubstantial.

"You who have lived by invading the dreams of innocents and deluding them with lies do so only because your own dream was invaded, and you have yourself been deluded. You were innocent then. You are not so innocent now. Consider what I say, and tell me it is not true."

Even within the dream Radu began to fade. His face lost its façade of beauty and became quite ordinary. "I was told to beware of the white witch," he said, his voice grown faint. "That only you could destroy me. I was not told you would destroy me with the truth."

"Were you also told to beware the waters of the Olt, that the river that curls around this village can end your existence?"

The fading ghost that had been Radu nodded weakly.

"Another lie. Nothing can end your existence. The waters of the Olt can only cleanse your spirit, and offer you new life elsewhere if you wish it."

A small gleam of hope lit the eye of the ghost. Really? came his thought to her.

Truly, was her reply. She smiled at him, and he was gone.

Cern came out of the bedroom and gave Dema a hug. "That went well."

"He showed some defiance at first. But not to the Lamia."

"The white witch?"

She nodded. "I wonder at that."

"Apparently your reputation precedes you."

"I wonder at that as well."

In the morning they enjoyed another delightful breakfast, made even more delightful by the happy presence of Miruna. Her mother could not get over the change in her, and was thrilled. Miruna pretended not to know what her mother was going on about, but couldn't wait to usher Cern and Dema out the door so she could thank them in private. As they drove off they commented to each other that she even looked less thin.