Iris glanced up at me. She said nothing but reached out and took my hand in hers, squeezing gently. I gave her a soft smile, wondering how we'd ever gotten along without her. She was as much family as any of our aunts, and more so than most.
"Here," she said, stopping beneath a maple that towered over the clearing. I gazed up at the branches that were rife with leaf buds. Nothing unusual there. But below the boughs, near the trunk, the moss that covered the ground had been indented as if a heavy creature had been lying here. A horse… or a unicorn. I cautiously crept toward the patch, Morio right behind me.
As we stared at the ground, I began to see the dark patches that indicated blood. I inhaled a long breath, holding the scents deep in my lungs. The scent of wild meadows, fresh and laden with shaga flowers, overwhelmed me. Feddrah-Dahns, the Crown Prince… his musky smell was infused with reminders of our home world. And pixie dust. The tingle of pixie magic mingled with the scent of the unicorn. And then, a top note: the metallic smell of blood soaked into the mix. As I dug deeper into the energy of the fragrances, there it was—faint but present. Orange and jasmine and sugar vanilla, cloying and overripe.
"Karvanak was here," I said, straightening up. "The Raksasa was here. I don't know about the djinn, or whatever the other demon is that assists him."
"Oh, no. No, no." Iris paled, sinking to the ground to examine the blood. "Do you think…"
"That he killed Feddrah-Dahns? I don't know, but I don't see signs of a struggle. And Feddrah-Dahns can fight, believe me. That I've witnessed." I stared out over the pond, trying to will what happened to unfold in a vision for us. But I didn't have the gift of hindsight—the ability to see what had already taken place.
"Perhaps Feddrah-Dahns and Mistletoe escaped," Morio said. "As you pointed out, there aren't any signs of a struggle, and we know the unicorn wouldn't willingly walk away with the demons."
Iris stood up, grasping something in her palm. "I found something," she said, holding out her hand. Resting on her creamy skin was a small piece of cloth. White in nature, it had been ripped from a gown or tunic.
I slowly picked it up and closed my eyes. This cloth was familiar, both in texture and energy. It was heavy with magic, steeped in power. I began to smile. "I know where they went. Or at least, I'm pretty sure."
"Where?" Morio leaned over, staring at the cloth.
"Smoky's land. This is from Smoky's robe that he wears. I'll bet you anything that somehow, Feddrah-Dahns contacted Smoky for help. Whether he fought the demons or just swept Feddrah-Dahns and Mistletoe away before they could be hurt any further, I don't know. But this is from Smoky's robe. I know the energy of my lovers."
Iris let out a long breath. "Why hasn't he called, then?"
"Because Smoky doesn't have a phone. Because Smoky takes his own time in doing what he will. Let's go back to the house. If I don't eat, I'm going to be sick. After that, I'll go out to Smoky's and find out what happened."
Morio wrapped his arm around my waist as we turned and headed back to the house. "We'll have to reestablish the wards and strengthen them. We need stronger charms and spells. The demons broke through without a problem."
"Yeah, they did. We need so many things. And time to gather them is a luxury we no longer possess." I stared at the approaching dusk as it spread long fingers across the sky. The stars would be out soon, and the air was growing damp and chill. The clouds would be coming in soon. Rain was on the way.
Back at the house, Delilah and Chase were waiting anxiously. They'd checked through all the rooms, and everything was clear, but I don't think any of us felt very safe.
Delilah had unpacked the food. I slid into a chair, leaning back to close my eyes. Morio stood behind me, rubbing my temples.
"Thank you," I whispered. Every jolt, bump, scrape, and jangled nerve of this hellish past few days had worked its way into my muscles, and I could barely keep my eyes open. Even the fun parts—especially with Smoky—had produced an overload of stress.
"You look beat," Delilah said.
I nodded and opened my eyes just a slit to look at her. "You aren't vying for spring chicken of the year, yourself. You still look a little green."
"It's the tetsa poison. It tints the skin for a day or two, even after the antidote takes effect." She leaned forward and propped her head in her hands. "I cannot believe that things have gotten this crazy. By the way, Zach and four of his buddies are down in the underground tunnels now. Smoky found the portal, and when he dropped by here, he told us that it leads directly into Guilyoton."
"Cripes." I took the ice-cold bottle of water that Morio handed to me and chugged half of it down. Guilyoton was the goblin forest—and city—that lurked in the shadowed lower lands near Darkynwyrd. The goblins of Guilyoton were far more independent than their weaker cousins who were helping Lethesanar.
"Wait. Smoky was here?" That would make sense. "Did he say he was going to stop by and say hi to Feddrah-Dahns on the way out?"
Iris nodded. "Yes, he did. And… I see. He probably took Feddrah-Dahns home with him after he left the house."
"What? He's the one who took Feddrah-Dahns? He didn't hurt him, did he?" Delilah looked confused.
"No. In fact, he probably saved Feddrah-Dahns's life. What else did Smoky say when he was here?"
"He might drop by tonight. Apparently, he cast some sort of barrier across the entrance to the portal in Underground Seattle, but he doesn't think it will last once the goblins get their shamans to work on breaking it down."
She jumped up to help Morio dish out dinner. They piled everything in the center of the table while Iris fed Maggie her cream and sage drink.
I dug into the food as soon as plates were on the table. My stomach was kicking up a tantrum, and I chowed down, wishing I'd remembered to buy drinks and fruit salad. Delilah ate like she was starved, too. In fact, it was obvious there wouldn't be any leftovers tomorrow.
As the last rays of the sun disappeared, I pushed back my plate and jumped up. "Chase, you and Morio go in the living room—now."
Chase glanced at the clock. "Time for her to wake up, huh? You know, eventually we're going to see the entrance to her lair. It's got to be in the kitchen somewhere. Don't you trust us by now?"
I shook my head. "It's not you we're worried about." When he gave me a blank look, I added softly, "Think, Chase. Say one of the demons happens to capture you. Or one of the Elwing Blood Clan. Maybe somebody still kicking around after the battle with Dredge. Somebody who might be after Menolly. How long do you think you'd last under torture—"
Chase blanched, shuddering.
"Yeah, it sounds bad, but it could happen, and you know it."
"You could be more tactful—" Delilah started to say, but I cut her off.
"I'm over sugarcoating anything within our little group here. We can't afford to ignore the possibilities anymore. As I was saying, how long do you think Chase would last before he told them where the entrance to her lair is?"
I turned to him. "You may think you know it's in the kitchen, but there are the hall and the back rooms. You really don't know as much as you believe you do, and trust me, that's a good thing."
As I ran out of words, I realized everybody was staring at me. "What? We're in a fight, not only for our own lives, but for two worlds. And look at who we are! Morgaine was spot on when she told me we needed more allies. We may not be able to trust her, but at least she was honest about it. And we have to be blunt with ourselves, too. When mortals are dreaming of demons tearing apart the world, and when Raksasas are living in the open right here in the city—the problem's a whole lot bigger than we feared."
Realizing that I was on a rant, I dropped into my chair again. "Sorry, sorry…I'm just… Chase and Morio—living room, please. We'll finish dinner in a few minutes." As the two men filed out, I leaned my head against the table.
Delilah stood behind me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. "I know you're worried. We all are. And you're right. We have to be honest with ourselves, or we'll make mistakes. But you're tired. You can't let this mess drain away your hope—"
"Let what drain away her hope?" Menolly pushed open the bookshelf that hid the entrance to her lair and slipped out, carefully shutting it tight again. "I thought those two oafs would never leave. I've been standing in there for five minutes."
She blew kisses to Delilah and me and paused to press light fingers on Iris's shoulders. Menolly wasn't a huggy person. Most vampires weren't very good with showing physical emotion.
While Iris summoned the men back to the table, Menolly poured herself a goblet of lamb's blood. We kept spare blood on hand for her from an organic ranch outside of Seattle. They saved it for me when they butchered their livestock, and we had a freezer full. It wasn't all that tasty, and Menolly often complained, but it worked in a pinch. Morio was working on a spell that would change the taste to some of the foods she missed from when she was alive, and so far it looked promising.
When we were all gathered around the table again, Chase said, "Can you fill Menolly in on the goblin and demon mess after I leave? I want to hear what you found out at the institution today. Then I have to get back to work. I'm probably not going to see my bed until well past two or three tomorrow morning."
"No problem," I said. "To cut to the quick, we know where to look for the third spirit seal. It's not going to be easy, though."
Morio and I filled them in on everything Benjamin had told us. After we finished, Delilah jumped up, drumstick in one hand, biscuit in the other, and started to pace.
"You think that the woman in the crystal might really be Aeval, the Unseelie Queen? What's going to happen when somebody uses that sword? Do you think she'll wake up? And was she the one who put it there in the first place?"
I shrugged, biting into another chicken thigh. Starved, I wished now that I'd bought a bigger bucket. Iris retrieved a cold ham from the refrigerator, and a fruit salad, and set them on the table. I flashed her a grateful smile.
"You read my mind," I said, slicing off a thick piece of ham. I turned back to Delilah. "As to your questions, I have no idea. We're going to find out, that I guarantee you. Because no way in hell am I allowing anybody else to get to that spirit seal first. But there's something else. Something I sensed while we were out at the retreat. I haven't even told Morio my suspicions yet, and I'll bet anything that Benjamin has no idea."
"No idea about what?" Morio dished out the fruit salad and slid a bowl across the table to me.
I gave him a grin. "I think Benjamin Welter is part Fae."
Chapter Twenty-three
Of course, that broke the conversation wide open.
"How do you figure?" Iris asked.
I shook my head. "I'm not sure, but I tell you, I was picking up on some very strange flares in his aura. His energy field was all over the place, and some of the spikes I recognized as Fae energy."
"I don't get it," Chase said. "Can you give me the twenty-cent version?"
"Hold on," I said, digging into my fruit salad. "Damn, I'm hungry. My head hurt so bad, it was about to pound me into the ground."
"Eat. I'll put on the kettle for tea and fetch dessert." Iris put the kettle to flame and broke out the chocolate pie I'd bought, dividing it into thick, creamy slices.
I patted my lips with my napkin. "Okay, maybe if you think of it this way it will help. Imagine that Benjamin is a star—like the sun. I can see the corona around him. Now, imagine there are several types of suns. Say human suns, Fae suns, demon suns, and each one has a halo that's a different pattern, depending on what race they are."
"I'm with you so far," Chase said.
"Okay, I looked at Benjamin, who should be a human sun, for example, with a plaid pattern. What I saw was an aura with a little bit of—oh, call it a polka-dot pattern—mixed into the plaid. And since polka dots belong to the Fae suns, it means that he has Fae energy in him."
Menolly snickered. "Polka dots? What, are mine, blood colored?"
I stuck my tongue out at her and turned back to Chase. "Of course, that's just an example, but do you get the drift? I can tell Benjamin's not FBH. He has some Fae in him because his aura has some Fae energy mixed into it."
Chase nodded slowly. "I get it. If you were looking at his DNA under a microscope, it would be a different pattern than mine. And his energy signature is a different pattern than mine. Okay, so you say he doesn't know he's part Fae?"
"I doubt it. The blood is probably recessive. Somewhere along the line, there was an intermarriage or liaison with one of the Fae. Long enough ago to fade the powers down so much they almost died out. But something sparked them off, and it's my bet that entering the cave triggered everything. The energy there probably awakened the Fae blood in his veins, and he had no idea what happened."
I suddenly felt very bad for Benjamin. He was locked up for something he couldn't help, he wasn't a danger to others, and yet he'd been tossed to the side in order to keep his precious family from being embarrassed.
Delilah stared at her plate. "How can we help him? You said he wants to escape?"
"Yeah, but I have no idea what to do once we manage to get him out of there. Where can we take him? We certainly can't take care of him, and we don't dare bring his family down on us." I frowned at the table.