"You know I can't give it to you; I can't let you have it. Shadow Wing must not be allowed to break the seals." I held my ground, trying to buy us some time. Show fear, and it would be over before I could breathe.
The Raksasa let out a growl and motioned to Jassamin. She nodded and moved forward. She was wearing a skintight PVC catsuit and thigh-high boots, and I swore that if she died and I managed to live, I was stealing her outfit. She threw back her head and laughed.
"Djinn against Moon Witch. Fitting, but you look bedraggled to me. Tired, sweetie?" And with that, she let loose and sent a blast of wind at me.
I braced myself, trying to throw up what shields I could. The bolt of air hit me head-on, but instead of breaking every bone in my body and sending me flying, seconds before it touched my skin, the gust parted and flowed around me on both sides.
What the… ?
"I am here. We will do what we can to protect you, though we can't give you the energy to cast spells."
The Master of Winds. The Elementals were trying to help me. Jassamin jerked back, staring at me quizzically. I took advantage of her confusion and leapt toward her, slashing out with the sword. The silver nicked her skin, and she let out a howl as the blade sizzled against her. Apparently djinns did not like silver. At least, not this one.
"Bitch," she said with a hiss, and backhanded me across the face. That blow struck, and I went flying back to land beside Feddrah-Dahns.
The unicorn began incanting something in a language I didn't recognize, as Chase grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. I had barely managed to stand when Jassamin was on us again, this time a razor-sharp scimitar in her hand. She swung wildly, barely missing me, but the blade made contact, landing on Feddrah-Dahns's shoulder before the unicorn could get out of the way. He let out a loud whinny as blood spurted to stain his milk-white coat. Mistletoe screamed, showering the ground with pixie dust.
A haze began to rise between the demons and us. I frantically glanced around the cave, searching for something more than the sword to use as a weapon.
Jassamin burst through the mist, her eyes watering. She was sans scimitar, but she was still aiming for me. I stumbled, trying to get out of the way, but there was nowhere to go from where I was standing. Instead of attacking, Jassamin grabbed my wrist and yanked me toward her. Her strength was immense; there was no way I could pull away.
"No!" I tried to focus the Moon Mother through me, but it was like trying to coax water out of an empty tap. I just couldn't muster the energy to summon the lighting. Not even a spark.
"Good, very good," Karvanak said as Jassamin pushed me into his arms. He gave me an insolent grin. "First the seal…"
"Please don't… Think of what you're doing. Do you really want to destroy two worlds? No one in their right mind can see the—" The feel of his fist smashing into my jaw shut me up, and I moaned, tasting blood in my mouth.
He laughed, then, and thrust his hand down my top, fumbling in my bra. A light glimmered in his eye that I didn't like as he felt for the seal. I froze, praying that some miracle would happen, but his fingers found it between my breasts, and he wrapped his hand around it the gem.
"If we had more time," he whispered, pulling me close, "I'd eat you up, I would. In so many ways, ending at the table. But I'm on a schedule…"
I heard Chase shouting and turned my head to see him grappling with Jassamin. "Chase, no! Leave her alone. She'll kill you!"
Karvanak barked again, a laugh so crude that it made me sick to my stomach. "You really believe we'd leave you alive? Stupid girl. You had your chance to live, and you declined. When Shadow Wing overruns this world, when we take control and enslave the herds of human sheep, then maybe your soul will look out from the dungeons of hell, knowing that you had a very special part in making our victory complete."
I struggled against him. He was going to kill me anyway. I'd rather go out in battle. "You can kill me. You can kill my friends. But there are others who will fight you to the end. There are still six spirit seals left. You can't hope to find them all."
Karvanak shrugged. "Let them come. Let them come in droves. Jassamin, Vanzir, kill these fools. I'm off to present our gift to Lord Shadow Wing." He polished the seal on his chest and looked at it, a glint in his eye.
"Oh, and Vanzir," Karvanak said, turning to the other demon, "this is your last chance. Fuck up again, and I'll send you over to Razor's. And you know what he'll do to you."
With that, he tossed me toward the dream chaser and turned toward the door. He'd barely gone two steps when a burst of noise came from the cave entrance. "Shit." Within seconds, Karvanak had shifted, and now he looked for all the world like Chase's identical twin. He raced toward the entrance.
"They're in there, the demons, and they're killing Camille!" His voice was the same timbre as Chase's as he disappeared out the mouth of the cave.
Before I could scramble to my feet, Smoky burst into the room, followed by Delilah and Menolly. Morio was hot on their heels.
"That wasn't Chase, that was Karvanak, under an illusion." I swayed but managed to remain standing. "He has the seal! Stop him!"
Smoky immediately headed back out the door, followed by Menolly, Feddrah-Dahns, and Mistletoe. Morio raced over to my side as Delilah caught sight of Chase.
"Chase!" She raced across the crystalline floor of the chamber.
I turned to see Chase covered in blood and Jassamin reaching down to lick his face. Before Delilah could reach them, before I could reach them, Vanzir leapt forward, his saber out and gleaming. But instead of aiming for us or for Chase, he slid it neatly through Jassamin's back. As it impaled her, she screamed and fell forward.
I stared at him, wondering what the fuck was going on, as Morio sent three shooting stars directly into the demon's side. Vanzir groaned, but instead of returning the attack, he once again turned to Jassamin and brought his saber down, smack on the top of her head. This time, she roared and tried to stand, tried to face him. But it was too late, a stream of energy poured from the top of her head as her body folded and dissolved. Within seconds, there was no sign she'd ever been there, except for Chase's wounds.
Delilah skidded to a halt beside Chase. Morio and I moved in on Vanzir. What was going on? He hadn't made a move against us.
He dropped his sword and put up his hands, not moving, not speaking.
"What is this? Some sort of trick? What's going on?" Was he buying time for his master by offering his life? Or was… ? No… the thought was impossible.
But Vanzir hung his head and said the words I never thought I'd hear a demon say. "I submit. I surrender. Please don't kill me."
Morio and I looked at each other, unsure of what to say. After all, demons fought to the death, always. Didn't they?
"Why? Why do you want to surrender to us?" Gingerly, I kicked his saber aside.
He raised his head, his eyes clear and his expression firm. "I cannot follow Shadow Wing. I cannot let him invade this world. It's a mistake—a grave mistake. I want to change sides. I want to help you stop him."
"But you're a demon—"
"I'm a dream chaser. I can be of invaluable assistance to you. There's much that I know about your enemy's plans… as well as the names and addresses of other spies living in the area." And then he smiled.
By the time Smoky, Menolly, and Feddrah-Dahns returned, empty-handed, we'd tied and gagged Vanzir as best we could. Whether that would do the trick, I didn't know, but it was all we could come up with on short notice. Benjamin had come out from where he'd hidden behind a crystal. Delilah had Chase sitting up. She'd torn his shirt and her own to use as makeshift bandages.
"We lost the seal." I walked over to Smoky, and he pulled me close and kissed my forehead.
"You're exhausted and hurt," he murmured softly.
Feddrah-Dahns spoke up. "All of you are wounded and sorely tired. You need rest and food and medical attention." As he spoke, the cave began to shake.
"Quake—get out, now!" Smoky spun and, carrying me, raced out of the cavern. When we reached a few yards from the entrance, he gently placed me on the ground. "I'll make sure the others are out," he said and ran back toward the cave.
The ground folded in waves like an ocean gone mad as it rippled under my hands and knees. I crouched on all fours, trying to ride it out. Menolly emerged next, carrying Chase, and Delilah was right behind her. Morio came next, holding the sword and leading Benjamin and the unicorn and pixie. Lastly, Smoky came running out, our prisoner tossed over his shoulder.
As the ground bucked harder, I prayed that the houses in the area would hold fast and that the mountain wouldn't blow. Rainier was a time bomb. If she blew, it wouldn't matter if we were Fae or human or youkai, we'd all be toast. Well, maybe Smoky would escape.
"The light! It's fading!" Delilah pointed toward the cave. I jerked around. The light from the cave opening was flickering and, as we watched, it vanished.
"The cave returned to the mists." I glanced around the meadow. The horde of will-o'-the-wisps seemed to have left for other haunts. "For good or ill, we've set in motion a new chapter in history tonight."
"I don't understand. I don't understand any of this." Benjamin was sitting a little ways to the side, rocking back and forth, holding his arms tightly around himself. Menolly sighed and walked over to him, softly touching his shoulder.
"What next?" Morio said. "What do we do now?"
What indeed? The seal was in the hands of the demons. We had a turncoat dream chaser on our hands, who seemed determined to join us. Trillian was missing. And we were tired. All so very tired.
"I suppose… for now, we go home." There wasn't much else to say.
Chapter Twenty-eight
The next morning—the equinox—dawned cold and chill, and yet there was something in the air that felt different. As I opened my eyes, my first glance showed Smoky to my right side. He was lying there watching me with the hint of a smile crinkling his lip.
I groaned. Every muscle in my body felt on fire. An arm draped around my waist from behind me, and I realized Morio was in bed with us, too. I tried to coax an explanation from my fog-soaked brain, but all I could remember was coming home, weary and defeated, and then it was all one big blur.
"Good morning," Morio said, leaning over my shoulder. He tossed Smoky a look that said they'd already had 'the discussion' and that I didn't need to play liaison.
"How are you feeling this morning? Any better?" Smoky propped himself up against the headboard and patted his lap. I squirmed up to lay my head on the soft Egyptian cotton sheets, and he smoothed my hair away from my face as Morio ran his hand gently over my back, lightly massaging my aching muscles.
I winced. "I'm sore as hell, and I feel two quarts low on joy juice. Seriously, I depleted all my reserves last night. And for what? The demons won."
"The demons may have won this battle, but they haven't won the war," Smoky said. "Always remember: no one is unilaterally successful. We can't let this stop us if we're to prevent them from getting any more of the seals. But we'll have to be very careful from now on. Shadow Wing will be able to make use of the power in that gem, even if it's not full strength."
"Stop us?" I glanced at his face. "You aren't headed toward the Northlands?"
He shrugged, smiling gently. "It seems, since I'm to marry you, my plans are subject to change."
I forced myself to sit up. Sweet mother, every part of me hurt. "I feel like I'm bruised from head to toe." I bent my knees up and propped my elbows on them, leaning my chin on my hands. "What are we going to tell Queen Asteria? She's counting on us."
"We'll figure that out when we talk to her," Morio said. "But last night does answer one question."
"And what's that?" I blinked, jonesing for some caffeine so bad I had the shakes. "I need coffee. Now."
He snorted. "You always need caffeine. The question I'm referring to is why you seem to take to death magic so easily when your own innate Moon magic fritzes out a lot."
Smoky began rubbing my shoulders, and I melted under his hands. The night was starting to come back—after the fight, returning home—and then I blushed as images flooded my mind. Smoky and Morio in my bed, leading me out of the pain, out of the sorrow over our failure, helping me to forget the battle. Smoky bracing me up as Morio thrust deep inside of me, Smoky's hair once again coiling around my wrists… oh yeah … No wonder I was so sore in places no punch nor flying bolt of magic had touched. This was going to be one hell of a rocket ride, all right.
"So tell us," Smoky said. "I'd like to know, too."
Morio slid down to the bottom of the bed and began rubbing my feet. If I'd been Delilah, I'd be purring like an outboard motor.
"It's because of your heritage," he said. "Morgaine is one of your ancestors. Morgaine works with heavy magic—not unlike Aeval—and her connection with the Moon Mother is through the shadowed side. She said you both come from the original family who founded the Coterie of the Moon Mother. Camille, you must have inherited some of the same magical ability that Morgaine did. You think you work best under the full moon, but my guess is the dark of the moon will sing in your blood, too, with all of the shadows that walk beneath it."
It made sense, I had to admit. Perhaps my link to the Moon Mother went beyond the half-Fae, half-human aspects. Perhaps I had focused on the wrong phase of the moon when I'd studied with the Coterie.