Three figures stepped in. I didn’t recognize any of them, but Trillian and Camille both gasped as one of the figures let out a low chuckle. He was a Svartan, ruggedly handsome with the same blue eyes and silverish hair as Trillian. But rather than mirroring my brother-in-law’s smooth metropolitan look, this man’s eyes were wild and he felt slightly uncivilized. He was also far more muscled than Trillian, who was no slouch in the buff department.
“Darynal!” Trillian was around the table before they’d cleared the door, hugging the man, who clapped him on the back. Camille joined them, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
“Lavoyda…it’s been too long. Bound by oath, bound by blood.” The Svartan held out his hand and he and Trillian performed some sort of intricate handshake.
“Bound by oath, bound by blood, my brother.” As Trillian broke away, Darynal turned to Camille and bowed low.
“Your woman, she is looking good. Camille, lovely to see you again.”
She offered her hand and he took it, kissing it gently. She reached out and stroked his face, brushing a stray curl out of his eyes.
“My husband’s brother…it’s so good to see you again.”
And then, I remembered who he was. Darynal was Trillian’s blood-oath brother. Pledged to back each other to the death, they weren’t lovers, but brothers on a level that was almost soul-bound.
“Lavoyda…I’m glad to see you here and healthy. But what are you doing with the elves?” Trillian suddenly stopped, as if aware all eyes were on them.
Camille brushed him on the shoulder. “We should let Queen Asteria tell us,” she whispered, and they positioned themselves near Darynal as the three newcomers took their seats.
Queen Asteria favored them with a brief smile. “I knew that you would be surprised, Master Zanzera, but I chose to let Darynal’s appearance speak for itself.”
Trillian cocked his head and winked at the queen. Shaking my head, I repressed a snicker. He was incorrigible, but he’d come a long way from the arrogant bastard to whom Delilah and I had taken an instant dislike. We’d been wrong about his character, for the most part. Our prejudices had blinded us.
Asteria gave no sign whether she noticed the wink, but instead, she motioned to Trenyth, who introduced the others in the trio.
“Darynal is our lead scout in this mission. You know his background, you know he’s a skilled mercenary, so allow me to introduce the others. This is Quall, an undercover agent for Elqaneve for many years. He’s an assassin.”
The tall, lithe Fae stood. With pale blond hair barely cresting his shoulders, he was almost albino except for his eyes, which shimmered a startling green against the pale cream of his skin. He almost looked anorexic, but upon a closer look, I saw the tightly wrapped muscle molded beneath his skin.
Assassins were an odd breed, especially those employed by governments. They danced to their own tune, made their own rules, and usually ran outside the law in almost every way. As I looked into his eyes, I knew right then how much Quall enjoyed his job. He enjoyed the hunt, and ten to one, he enjoyed the kill. He caught my gaze and held it, an insolent sneer lurking behind the brief nod.
The third member of the team was average height, cloaked so heavily that I couldn’t tell exactly what race he belonged to. Only his eyes gleamed from within the fiery red robe.
“This is Taath. He’s one of our sorcerers.”
“Your sorcerers? But…” Camille looked confused.
“Yes, my dear. We have our own sorcerers. After the Scorching Wars, we vowed Elqaneve would never be caught unprepared again.” The Queen leaned forward. “Sometimes the only way to fight fire is with fire. Sometimes the only way to fight hatred is with violence. Often people think the Elfin race a passive one. We are not. We think first, but when we act, we do not hold back.”
“I’m starting to realize that.” Camille said.
“Perhaps now is the time to tell you. Your beloved Moon Mother trains her own sorcerers, although she will not call them that. They wield dark Moon magic…death magic. Why do you think Morio’s magic comes so easily to you?”
Camille gasped, staring at her, but said nothing, although I could see the wheels churning in her head. None of us did. That was a revelation we’d address later.
After a moment, Asteria turned to me. “I asked you here because we will need all of your talents soon. Your father requested that all of you come to Otherworld.” She held up her hand, putting a stop to any outbursts before they could happen. Delilah and Camille looked like they wanted to say something but kept their mouths shut. As for me, I could be very petty when I chose, and so I refused to ask what he wanted.
Queen Asteria looked my way. “He asked for all three of you. Do not enquire as to why. When you finish here, you will travel to Y’Elestrial, and there you will meet with your father.”
“But—” Camille sputtered, but the queen stopped her in her tracks.
“Camille, give me no mouth. We align our powers. War has come to Otherworld, on the wings of demonic forces. The same war you are fighting over Earthside. There can be no more borders. No more division.”
The room fell silent. We were facing Shadow Wing on two fronts now. I’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop, and now that it had, I realized that I’d never expected us to wrap this up easily.
From the first time Shadow Wing claimed a spirit seal, I knew—absolutely knew in my gut—that we wouldn’t make it out unscathed, or without a long, bloody battle. We’d had collateral damage so far, but this…this was a full-scale attack. The war had only just begun.
Asteria and Tanaquar might be able to stem the tide of sorcerers. But those who would join the sun brothers, the goblins and ogres and other malcontents, would ensure that a bloody swath would mar the landscape. Otherworld had existed in relative peace for centuries with only minor skirmishes. But that peace had been a fragile veneer. And now it was crumbling. Once again the sounds of battle would fill the air.
I stood, the ivory beads in my hair breaking the silence. “Tell us what we need to do and we’ll do it.” And just like that, we jumped from the frying pan into the flames that were brewing down south.
Chapter 2
My sisters and I originally signed up for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency because we were raised by a guardsman. Serving the Court and Crown was as natural to our lives as breathing. It wasn’t until the fiasco with our father disowning Camille that we had broken away, even though the organization had treated us pretty shabbily over the years, from Camille’s boss sexually harassing her, to them sending me into Dredge’s lair without backup, to keeping us from advancing just because we were only half Fae.
Our mother’s human heritage left us the odd children out, taunted by both children and adults alike. They called us Windwalkers, nomads with no roots or home. They called us far worse things.
Discrimination is everywhere, even in Otherworld. But life has a way of working out, if you let it. Or, at least, I tell myself that. The elves appreciate us, and my sisters and I have no quarrel working for the Elfin Queen.
I’m Menolly Rosabelle D’Artigo, half-Fae, half-human, all vampire.
I used to be a jian-tu—a spy/acrobat for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency, before Dredge got hold of me. He tortured me, and raped me, and when I was a bloody mess, he forced me to drink from his wrist. Then, and only then, did he kill me. Apparently that wasn’t enough play for him to get his rocks off, because after I rose as a vampire, he sent me home to destroy my family. Thanks to Camille, that plan went awry.
I spent a year in intensive rehabilitation with the OIA. They brought me back to sanity, teaching me to coexist with society and my family. It was a hard, uphill battle, but I mastered my nature, and when they felt certain I wasn’t going to go on a killing binge, they let me go home. This time, I didn’t terrorize Camille and the staff. And this time, I didn’t break my sister’s arm in my attempt to destroy her and turn her into a vampire.
After a petition from my father, the OIA allowed me to keep my job.
Dredge went underground until a little over a year ago, when we found out he’d crossed over Earthside. My sisters and I managed to track the son of a bitch down. I staked him real good, forever freeing myself from the nightmare that he might come back for me.
My sisters are my go-to girls.
Camille—the oldest—is a witch. Her powers go astray at the wrong times, but the Moon Mother has called her into the Priestesshood and she’s now studying with the Earthside Fae Queens. She’s got a figure that could rival the pinup girls of old and is married to three husbands. Somehow, their quartet works for them.
Camille’s always been the rock for our family, ever since our mother died. But now she’s letting go of some of that control. A recent run-in with her sadistic dragon father-in-law left her nearly as raw and wounded as Dredge left me. She’ll be okay, but she’s no longer trying to shoulder the whole load for everybody. And that’s a good thing. She’s working death magic with her youkai-kitsune husband, and she’s developed a taste for the darker arts.
Delilah, born in the middle, had a twin who died at birth—Arial. A two-faced Were, she turns into a golden tabby, especially when she’s stressed, and a black panther. Delilah was naïve and trusting until we crossed Earthside. The demons ensured that her rose-colored glow faded all too quickly.
Called into service by the Autumn Lord—one of the Elemental Lords—she’s also training as a Death Maiden and is becoming a formidable opponent. She’s engaged to a half dragon, half shadow walker, and is growing into a striking woman.
And me…as I said, I’m Menolly D’Artigo, and I’m in love with a werepuma—Nerissa. I’m also the official consort to Roman, the son of Blood Wyne, the vampire queen.
Our lives have become complex, and our family of choice, rich and varied. There’s always too much going down, but we manage to make life fun even in the midst of all the blood and guts, and we watch out for each other. We’re family.
There’s an old Chinese curse and it fits our lives all too well: May you live in interesting times. At least we aren’t bored. But sometimes, I think boredom would make a nice change of pace.
“I can’t return to Y’Elestrial—” Camille started to say, but the Queen raised her hand.
“In time, child. We will discuss this in time. Trenyth and I have some minor business to attend to. In the meanwhile…”
“In the meantime, get to know one another. You’ll be keeping in close contact through the next weeks so you’d best develop some sort of rapport.” Trenyth gave me a warning look and I read it clearly—Get along, or else.
The Queen and her advisor exited the room, leaving us alone with the trio. Trillian and Darynal were already buddy-buddy, but the other two seemed reserved to the point of snobbishness.
Camille, Delilah, and I waited for someone to break the ice. We were itching to discuss what our father wanted with us, but it didn’t seem prudent to do so in front of strangers. Finally, I decided to take charge. Camille was scowling at Taath, and Delilah was frowning as if she were trying to think of something to say.
I caught Quall’s gaze. “So you are headed to Rhellah? By what route?”
He pointed to a city on the map. “First, we travel through the portals to Ceredream and then work our way down to Rhellah on foot. There’s less chance of being fingered that way. Plus, the desert burns. We need to acclimate ourselves before we march into that heat.”
I squinted, trying to figure something out. “I’m puzzled. You are obviously albino. Why send you into the desert? Won’t the sun scorch you almost as surely as it would me?”
“I’m no vampire.”
Okay, the sneer was insult number one. I ignored it and pointedly stared at him, waiting.
After a moment: “I am not truly albino, although I suffer from a distinct lack of pigmentation in my skin, and yes, the sun is most certainly a danger for me. However, I’m the best and Queen Asteria knows it. Not only am I one of the most highly ranked assassins running free from any guild, but I was posted to Ceredream for some time, emerging to do business at night and holing up during the day. I know the customs of the Southern Wastes in an intimate manner.” He crossed his arms and stretched out his legs, reminding me of Vanzir when we’d first met him.
“How did you make it this far without a guild? I thought they had a chokehold on assassins. Thieves can get away with running independent, at least as long as they remain petty thieves and don’t make themselves noticed. But assassins are watched in all the major cities by the big guilds.” I’d had to infiltrate one of the major guilds many years back, and barely escaped alive. But I’d learned a great deal about the way the assassins’ hierarchy worked. And they weren’t kind to those who ignored their summons.
Quall’s eyebrow twitched and he cocked his head. “So you have done your homework. Being the Queen’s pet has its perks. The guilds up here know enough not to bother me. And I have forged credentials that keep me out of trouble when I’m out on a mission.”
He glanced at Chase and snorted. “Now, answer a question of mine. Since when do vampires, Windwalkers or not, play buddy-buddy with an FBH?” Addressing Chase directly, he added, “We don’t see many of your kind around here.”
Chase bristled but kept his mouth shut. Before Delilah or I could speak, Camille leaped to her feet.
“Listen, dude.” She stood, hands on hips, looking ready to thrash Quall. “Hotshot assassin or not, mind your fucking manners. We were in the OIA for years before switching over to working for the elves. We may be half-human, but you’d better start showing some respect for us—and for our friend here.” She motioned to Chase. “Chase is one of the bravest, most helpful allies we have, and if you don’t back off, you’re going to find out how we’ve managed to take out several demon generals. The hard way.”