I nodded, catching up to walk by her side. “True enough. No place is safe, not really.”
Sheran-Dahns glanced down at me. Her eyes glowed with a soft light and I wanted to fall into that brilliant green and lose myself. She snorted, just a little, and then reached down and lightly pressed against my arm with her muzzle. The hair was velvety soft, and her nose was damp. I looked up into her eyes.
“All of the Dahns Unicorns know about the demons, Camille. Remember this: You can only do your best, young Windwalker. Don’t fret, and don’t second-guess yourself.” The way she said Windwalker didn’t make my skin crawl. In fact, it felt almost like a compliment.
“Thanks,” I said, impulsively reaching up to pat her side. “It’s hard not to worry, but you’re right. We can’t always win the day. I just hope we win in the long run, because the alternative isn’t such a hunky-dory deal.”
She snorted again and shook her head, her mane billowing out like a woman on a shampoo commercial. Damn, whatever she used for hair care, I wanted some. Just then, our path forked onto the main road leading in through the west gate of Dahnsburg.
Sheran-Dahns led us to the gate, where a carriage waited, hooked to a team of nobla stedas. Once again, it seemed we were to ride through the streets in luxury. I’d gotten used to the cars over Earthside, but when we’d lived in Y’Elestrial, most of the city population walked wherever they went. As my father reached for my hand to give me a boost up, I glanced back at the unicorn.
“Thank you,” I said, smiling at her. “And please, if you ever come Earthside, you’re welcome at our house. Always.”
She dipped her head. “I will remember the invitation. You never know what’s going to happen, Camille.” Turning to gaze at my father, she added, “Advisor Sephreh, I trust your visit will be a pleasant one. The guard will take you to the palace in safety. Good day.” And just like that, she was gone.
The guard in question was Fae, that much I could tell, but it was hard to peg which branch of the racial tree he’d fallen from. Pale to the point of gray, his hair was slicked back into a ponytail. The color was the faintest of blues amidst a silver wash. He looked old, or at least as old as just about any Fae I’d ever met, and he waited for us to seat ourselves in the carriage before climbing atop and picking up the reins. As the horses began to move, I leaned forward, wanting to peek through the window at the city as we passed.
Dahnsburg reminded me of Terial. And, in some ways, of Seattle. All port cities seemed to have a sensation of openness—an expansive air to them. Maybe it was the fact that they bordered coastlines, with wide, unending stretches of water lapping at their shores. Maybe there was an international feel to the air—with peoples of all races and countries journeying in through the shipping lines. Whatever the case, Dahnsburg gave the impression of being vast and roomy. I also sensed there would be more than one escape route should we need one.
The architecture was light; the buildings large and made of stone and adobe. They were whitewashed, though, and throughout the city, I noticed that the streets were clean and litter-free. The roads were wide, too—wider than those in Y’Elestrial. I noticed the number of unicorns wandering through the streets, along with a few centaurs and a handful of giants, and realized that the city had to be built to a larger scale to accommodate the size of the Cryptos.
Trees were rare, but we saw a few. They were similar to the palm trees over Earthside, but I knew them as trehavé—hardier and more suited toward cooler climates than the date palm. The trehavé bore fruit that made wonderful mixed drinks. At the thought of a drink, my stomach rumbled. We’d eaten breakfast but portal jumping sucked the energy right out of me.
The open market was jumping, but even amid the chaos of the street fair, there seemed to be an organization to the venue. We passed by hagglers arguing with vendors, and odd-looking creatures that I couldn’t identify. But amidst all the fluttering awnings of the stalls of food and fish, the carts of rugs and clothing, a sense of lawfulness permeated the crowd.
I tapped my father on the arm. “What’s going on? I’ve never seen people in an open market so well behaved.”
He laughed. “Camille, you forget your social science studies. The Dahns Unicorns are extremely harsh on rule breakers. Thieves, brawlers, all the petty assaults are harshly punished. It’s far worse for murderers and rapists, of course, but crime simply doesn’t pay here. It’s not worth the risk of getting caught. King Upala-Dahns is reputed to be a severe leader. He keeps a tight rein on his people, if you’ll forgive the pun.”
Oh great, and I was scheduled to have a nice long chat with him. I just hoped Feddrah-Dahns would be there. I liked Feddrah-Dahns. Feddrah-Dahns liked me. He knew what to expect out of me. But first . . . before facing the unicorn king, I wanted more than anything to see Trillian. Although, while I wouldn’t admit it to anybody, I was a little worried about what he would say once he found out I was married. To Dragon Dude and Fox Boy, as he’d put it.
But beyond the worry over my love life, I couldn’t help but wonder how Trillian’s months caught up in the war had affected him. Would he be suffering from some post-traumatic stress disorder? Had he been in active combat all this time? Or hiding, spying his way through the months? I still had no idea what he’d been doing for Tanaquar.
Trillian was not an easy man. He could just as soon slit a throat as kiss it, but when he was devoted to someone, his loyalty came with the promise of his life, should need be. I loved that he was blunt, that he was direct, refusing to pussyfoot around. He didn’t like women who shied away, who refused to stand up for themselves and be who they were.
Morio leaned over and whispered in my ear. “Are you all right? I can smell you. You’re aroused and yet . . . there’s fear on your scent.”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to talk about my concerns over Trillian in front of my father. He’d only snipe against my lover. As caring and fair as Father could be, he wore his prejudices like a cop wears his gun—as a warning to keep away. The fact that he’d apologized to Menolly for pushing her away when she was turned into a vampire still amazed me. And she had confided in me that she wasn’t sure he fully meant it.
“I’m fine,” I whispered back. “I’ll tell you later.”
Morio lowered his voice even more. “Trillian?”
I nodded.
“As you wish. We’ll talk later.” Morio wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
Iris glanced at us, a wash of worry beneath her smile. She caught my gaze and shrugged, shaking her head with a “what can you do” look in her eyes.
“How far to the palace?” She adjusted her skirt and slid her hand in the pocket, pulling out a box of Milk Duds. I held out my hand, putting on a sad-puppy face. Morio did the same. “Oh for heaven’s sake, you two are hopeless. Here, you may have a few but next time bring your own snacks.”
Father looked at the box. “What are those?”
“Candy,” I said.
“Your mother used to love chocolate, but I never understood why,” he said, shaking his head when Iris offered him some. “Thank you, Lady Iris, but no, I’m not fond of sweets.”
I popped one of the chocolate caramel drops in my mouth and chewed. “I never understood that about you. Though Delilah’s more of a sweet freak than I am. Oh, Morio managed to find a way to flavor the blood Menolly buys to drink while she’s hanging out at home—he can enchant it to other flavors now.” I watched Father’s face, wondering what he would say.
A shadow passed across him, but then he smiled. “I’m glad she has some comfort. There’s so little we can give to her, with all that’s happened. After you told me what she’d been through, I spent some time in penance for treating her as harshly as I had. I have a surprise for her, but it’s in the making and I don’t trust you to keep a secret.”
When I started to protest, he held up his hand. “I love you, my dear, but you and your sisters always did share secrets. Your mother and I couldn’t tell any of you something without the others knowing before we’d turned our backs.”
Laughing, I swallowed the candy and peeked out the window as we entered the gate to the inner courtyard of the palace. “That doesn’t look like any palace I’ve ever seen.”
King Upala-Dahns had a court fit for a unicorn king. Or a horse. Situated within a series of sprawling gardens, the entire court was surrounded by a series of golden canopies to shelter against the rain. Heavy ivory panels hung from the canopies and formed the roofs. Embroidered with golden silk, they were held back by burgundy sashes, ready to close when the storms arrived. The palace looked mobile, as if it could be packed and moved within hours. Like the hospital on M*A*S*H, I thought. Only much nicer.
The inner court was surrounded by a wall, with permanent dwellings within for all the two-legged courtiers.
The carriage pulled to a stop and we made sure we looked presentable while waiting for the coachman to open the door. But when the door swung wide, the face staring up at me was not that of the driver. Instead, his skin gleaming jet in the shimmer of the overcast skies, his hair as silver as the dagger attached to my thigh, with hints of cerulean flowing through the long strands, his eyes as blue as the ocean herself . . . there stood my Trillian.
CHAPTER 12
“Trillian!” I flew out of the carriage, landing hard in his arms as I covered him with kisses.
He held me tight, then pushed me back a moment, cupping my face in his hands. His eyes were cool, but behind that cold arrogance I knew so well lurked a whisper of ghosts, a skittering that told me he was haunted by something. Whatever it was had to have happened in the past six months since he’d disappeared, because it had never been present before.
“Camille, my Camille.” His voice was steady, but then he pulled me to him and his lips were fastened on mine, and I burned with the fire his touch always set off in me. Trillian, not my first lover, but my first love. Trillian, my first heartbreak. Soul-bound as I was with Morio and Smoky, I’d long before given myself over to this man in a ritual older than the Elfin Queen herself. No matter what else happened, he was my alpha.
I pressed against him, aching to drag him to the ground right there, to feel him in me again, to know for sure that he was safe and back with me. His fingers slid along my back, the gleaming jet of his skin glowing under the morning light. He’d always been trim and muscled, but now I could tell that he’d buffed up as my hands roamed his body, and the sexual tension that had been present between us since the first day we met kicked itself into high gear.
Panting raggedly, I pulled away as Father joined us. He sighed.
As I gazed into Trillian’s eyes, they took on a gleam of victory, and the edge of his lip quirked into a sardonic smile as he inclined his head in a polite nod.
“Advisor Sephreh, how good to see you again,” he said, his arm snaking around my waist as he pulled me close to him.
Father cleared his throat. “Trillian, as always, I’m glad you’re well. Don’t feel you have to stand on ceremony with me. I won’t. But then, you know my feelings about you and my daughter.”
Whoops, we were being blunt here, so it seemed.
Trillian dismissed the comment with a wave of the hand. “Over the years, you’ve made your disapproval abundantly clear. I don’t expect that to change. So I accept your greeting for what it is.” He reached out with one hand and my father let out a long huff, but took it, rolling his eyes.
Just then, Morio and Iris joined us, and Trillian let out a short cry. He leaned down to hug Iris. “My lady,” he said, gently. “I did not expect you to be joining us but I’m happy to see you.”
Iris had always been able to tame Trillian—just like she was able to keep Smoky in line. Whatever charm the woman had, I envied her. She could stop an argument with a soft-spoken word. Nobody ever laughed at her when she complained. Now, she broke out of her gloom and kissed him on the cheek.
“Trillian, I’m so glad you’re well. We’ve missed you sorely.”
“I’m sure some more than others,” Trillian said, turning to Morio. The two men stood for a moment, then Morio clasped Trillian in an embrace and Trillian returned the hug, clapping Morio on the back. “Fox Boy, it’s good to see you. Have you been taking care of my woman for me?”
Uh-oh. Now was so not the time to spill the fact that I’d married Morio. Or Smoky. I prayed that Morio would keep his mouth shut, but where men and testosterone were concerned, there was no telling whether the big brain in their skull would override the little brain in their pants.
Morio glanced at me, a teasing grin on his face, then nodded. “Smoky and I have kept her safe, but truly, you have been missed.”
“So, now that the reunion’s over, when do we see the King?” My father interrupted us, still looking put out as his gaze fell on Trillian. I let out a low growl. He didn’t like him just because he was Svartan. That was the only reason, and it was getting on my nerves.
“Give it a break, Father. Trillian’s been missing for six months—”
“It’s all right, Camille.” Trillian kissed my forehead.
“No, it’s not all right.”
“Your father is more concerned with matters of state than our love life. In fact, I’m here to take you to King Upala-Dahns. I’ve been working with the Dahns Unicorns for the past couple of months. Your father knows all about it.”
That stopped me cold. Working with the unicorns? Tanaquar sent Trillian on some odd missions, all right. I was dying to know what he’d been up to during the time he’d been missing. I’d finally accepted that his disappearance had to go unquestioned, but now surely he could tell me what had been going on.