Located on the southern sh.o.r.es of Lake Y"Leveshan, the city was the last stop before the long trek south to Terial, the eastern port, and southwest to Aladril, the City of Seers.
Caravans left daily, boarded by the majority who couldn"t afford to use the portals. Great lumbering wagon trains, they were pulled by teams of the n.o.bla stedas n.o.bla stedas, horses that had been forgotten among the mists of legend over Earthside. But in OW the breed had been cultivated for strength and skill until, over the eons, they came to outcla.s.s any other equine. Menolly, Delilah, and I"d been required to take riding lessons when we entered the OIA, and I always felt like royalty when I was astride one.
As we emerged from the portal, which rested between two great oaks next to the city gates, I took a deep breath and gazed up at the towering walls surrounding Y"Elestrial. Lethesanar had spared no expense on upkeep. The gates were forged of bronze and they had been polished to a mirrored surface. Guards lined the walls, watching the flow of traffic in and out of the city.
Unlike Aladril, Y"Elestrial wasn"t closed to strangers, but it was obvious we"d been expected. One of the guards stepped out, his hand up to halt our approach. Dressed in the royal blue with gold epaulets, his blond hair waved gently in the wind. Though it was hard to tell the age of any of the Fae, except for the very old or the very young, there was a raw feeling to this man. Probably a new recruit.
I handed him my OIA badge. He glanced at it, then held it over one of the scanners the techno-mages had rigged up. A pale blue light flashed and he handed it back.
"Advisor Sephreh ob Tanu is waiting for you at the palace. Let me call a guard to escort you." He started to turn but I reached out and gently laid my hand on his arm.
"That"s all right. I know the way."
He glanced at my fingers and a warm flush raced up his face. "I"m sorry, Mish"ya Mish"ya, but I have strict orders to give you a full escort. I can"t allow you to enter the city without one."
I blinked. Mish"ya Mish"ya was a royal t.i.tle for women of n.o.bility. But then it hit me-Father was an advisor to the Crown. We was a royal t.i.tle for women of n.o.bility. But then it hit me-Father was an advisor to the Crown. We were were n.o.bility now. n.o.bility now.
"We"ll be fine," I started to say.
He held up one hand and shook his head, looking alarmed. "Please, don"t argue. There are factions about that would still have your head. We"re routing them out, but it"s impossible to trace all of them at this time. The city is a dangerous place for agents who stood against Lethesanar."
And then I understood. The Opium Eater had nearly destroyed Y"Elestrial in the battle to keep the throne before she fled to the Southern Wastes. Apparently she still had bounties out on the heads of my family with her sympathizers.
"f.u.c.k. That sucks rocks." I let out a loud sigh and the guard broke into a snicker, sobering quickly when he saw my smile.
"I"m so sorry. I didn"t mean to laugh," he said, his eyes wide.
Even though I knew his worry was only because my father was the advisor to the throne now, it still felt good to wield a little clout. My sisters and I hadn"t been accorded much respect when we served in the OIA over here.
"Don"t sweat it. Call our escort. And don"t worry, I won"t report you for laughing at me. Not my style," I said, giving him a warm smile. "Just watch yourself among the commanding officers. My father being one of them."
Relief flooded across his face and he hurried off to one side, cautioning us to stay where we were.
I glanced at Morio and Iris. "You guys are in danger because you"re with me. You do realize that, don"t you?"
Iris c.o.c.ked her head, staring at me like I"d lost my mind. "Oh, really now? And since when has anything about that little fact changed? Camille, we"ve been in danger every moment of every day ever since you and your sisters stumbled on Bad a.s.s Luke. Whether we"re in Otherworld or over Earthside, it makes no difference. We"re used to the thought."
"Iris is right." Morio grinned. "Get a grip, babe. You and your sisters are trouble magnets and we"re all along for the ride. We"re not going anywhere."
Feeling like an idiot, I shrugged. "Hey, it"s late, I"m tired, and portal lag is getting to me." I"d barely finished speaking when the nice young guard returned, an official OIA carriage behind him.
"Wow, we rate the royal treatment," I whispered to Iris. "I guess my sisters and I really aren"t aren"t considered expendable anymore." considered expendable anymore."
As the guard helped me in, his fingers lingered on my arm and I gave him a long smile. As cute as he was, he seemed so young and so vulnerable. My guess was that he"d never seen battle.
And right then, I realized that I"d never be young again. Perhaps I"d never been. Not since the first time a schoolmate had shoved me in the mud because I was half-human. Not since I"d rescued Delilah from boys trying to tease her into her tabby form. Not since Mother died and I took over running the household. And not since the night Menolly broke into the house, fresh from Dredge"s torture. Over the last year I"d lost my belief that everything would be okay. But in that void, I"d gained strength, resilience, and a resignation that Fate had unswerving, undeniable plans for me.
The palace seemed gaudy compared to Queen Asteria"s citadel. Almost a little tawdry. I remembered the maze of outer and inner courts, and statues that stood two and three stories tall. But there had been a subtle change. As I stepped out of the carriage, I noticed that Tanaquar was renovating parts of the palace that had been destroyed during the siege. And they weren"t being rebuilt the same as before. No, there were more gardens, more walkways and fountains . . . more natural elements being added. The shattered gilded columns were being replaced with subtle marble and elegant, hand-carved wood.
Our escorts guided us up the steps. Shining light from eye-catchers sparkled along the path. As a child, I"d chased the glistening orbs, trying to catch them as they zipped just out of range. But now they were a comfort, with their soft pulsating glow in shades of pink and green and blue.
As we entered the great archway that led into the main hall of the palace, someone yelled, "Camille!"
As I swung around, my father stood there, his arms open wide.
"Father!" I raced over to him and he enfolded me in his embrace, kissing my forehead. He was handsome, and I mirrored his looks. Delilah took after Mother, and n.o.body knew where Menolly had gotten her copper hair. But father and I were two of a kind. His hair was caught back in a braid plaited with gold and blue ribbons, and his pale skin and violet eyes were stark and silken. He held me tight, rocking gently.
After a moment, he pushed me back, holding me by the shoulders. As he looked me up and down, his voice was firm. "You"re looking well. Your sisters, I trust they"re in good health?"
I nodded. "They"re both fine. You remember my husband Morio? And Iris?" They"d met, but I didn"t know how much he"d remember of them considering the meeting had been brief and in a crowded room.
Sephreh nodded to Morio and bowed to Iris. "Lady Iris, Master Morio, good meet and welcome to Y"Elestrial. We"ll be traveling to Dahnsburg tomorrow morning. Tonight, you will stay with us as our guests in our home." He stopped for a moment and turned to Morio. "And you, sir, I trust my daughter will have no complaints about the way you and the dragon are treating her?" Though he was smiling, there was an undertone of threat there, and I flushed. Fathers would be fathers, even among the Fae.
Morio cleared his throat. "If she had a complaint, she"d bring it to us. Sir Sir," he said, his eyes flashing topaz. Oops, the question had p.i.s.sed him off.
Time to step in. With haste.
"Smoky and Morio are wonderful, Father. I have no complaints." Other than that Smoky was off with some b.i.t.c.h who claimed to be his fiancee, I thought, but I decided to keep that under wraps. Not unless I wanted Father to rush off on a fool"s mission.
"And yet you go in search of Trillian." Sephreh"s eyes flashed dangerously and I realized what he was so on edge about. Even with all Trillian had done for us and for the war, Father still didn"t like him.
I let out a long sigh. "You know that Trillian will always be a part of my life. We forged-"
"A bond. Yes, I know. The two of you performed the Eleshinar ritual and you foolishly bound yourself to him for life. The fact that it happened doesn"t mean I have to like it."
Father had never liked Trillian. In fact, when he found out that I"d given myself over to a Svartan, he"d practically thrown me out on my a.s.s. Delilah convinced him to relent, but he"d always begrudged the relationship. Some prejudices were hard to shake. And harder still when he didn"t want want to let go of the grudge. to let go of the grudge.
"Trillian helped in the war more than most. The least you can do is offer him some respect. Now, can we just go home and have a nice dinner and catch up?" As much as I loved my father, I was beginning to remember why I"d decided going Earthside might not be such a bad idea. Though I didn"t want to admit it, the truth was we were too much alike. We b.u.t.ted heads over just about everything.
"Oh, I respect respect the man," my father said. "I just don"t the man," my father said. "I just don"t trust trust him. Especially when it comes to you. Anytime you give someone power over you, you become vulnerable. As a Guardsman"s daughter, I thought I taught you that." him. Especially when it comes to you. Anytime you give someone power over you, you become vulnerable. As a Guardsman"s daughter, I thought I taught you that."
I wanted to point out that Trillian and I had power over each other. And that Father had given the Court and Crown power over him when he signed up for the Guard. But I decided to forego the debate. I"d never win, even when I was right.
"I"m hungry. Can we go home and eat?"
He smiled then. "Of course. I"m being an ungracious host." Motioning toward the door, he added, "The carriage is waiting, but we have a stop to make first."
"So our home survived the war?" Anxious, I followed him, with Morio and Iris right behind me.
He looked crestfallen. "You"re going to see a big change in the streets of our city. And at home, too, Camille, and I apologize for that. When Lethesanar placed a bounty on our heads, she pillaged our house. I managed to get all our souvenirs out in time but the furniture, all the tapestries, were destroyed or looted. Everything is new. Your aunt Rythwar helped me decorate, after she helped me retrieve the goods we put into hiding."
We swept through the halls of the palace until we came to a set of silver double doors. A contingent of guards stood at attention beside the entrance. They bowed to my father. Two attendants opened the doors for us and we filed through.
The room was windowless, and an ornate desk and chair sat toward the back. Sitting in the chair was a woman who looked familiar, and yet I knew I"d never seen her before. And then it hit me. Tanaquar. The Queen. Tanaquar. The Queen. She looked a lot like Lethesanar, the Opium Eater. Only, instead of hair the color of spun gold, tresses of flaming burgundy fell to her waist. Her skin was tan and her eyes gleamed with golden light. As she stood, her dress crinkled, the long folds of it gathering at her waist. She wore a golden tiara with a sparkling diamond in the center. She looked a lot like Lethesanar, the Opium Eater. Only, instead of hair the color of spun gold, tresses of flaming burgundy fell to her waist. Her skin was tan and her eyes gleamed with golden light. As she stood, her dress crinkled, the long folds of it gathering at her waist. She wore a golden tiara with a sparkling diamond in the center.
Father knelt at her feet, and instinctively, I curtsied. My knees were sure getting a workout today. Morio bowed low and Iris dropped to one knee.
"Rise," the woman said. Her voice rippled through the room, melodic and enticing. "Sephreh, introduce me. This would be your daughter, I presume?"
"By Your Majesty"s will." My father rose, his eyes fastened on Queen Tanaquar. "May I present Camille, my eldest? And this is Lady Iris, and one of my daughter"s husbands, Morio."
We waited for her to speak.
The Queen stepped out from behind her desk. She circled me, her gaze then locking with my own. "So you are the leader in our war against Shadow Wing," she said lightly. "Surely a great and horrible task for such a young woman to bear. And half-human, on top of the matter."
The leader of the war? That was news to me, but I had sense enough not to correct her. That was news to me, but I had sense enough not to correct her.
She tapped one finger against her chin, still gazing at me. She was tall, taller than my father, almost as tall as Smoky, and she"d obviously been bred from royal stock. Her heritage was in every move she made, every gesture, every nuance of look. Tanaquar embodied everything her sister should have. The Court and Crown of Y"Elestrial would become a true monarchy, instead of a farce led by a demented dictator.
"So tell me, Camille, how goes the war?"
I flinched, wishing she"d asked any question but that one.
"Your Majesty . . . to be honest, I have no idea," I said. "We"re doing our best to find the spirit seals and return them to Queen Asteria. That is our first priority. We"re on the track of the new demon general that Shadow Wing smuggled over Earthside. We"ve kept the director of the OIA apprised. The new general is known as Stacia Bonecrusher. She"s a lamia."
Tanaquar"s eyes flashed and the crash of thunder echoed outside the palace. I had the uneasy feeling that there was some connection there. Just who was this Queen? We"d heard little about her when Lethesanar was on the throne, of course, but now-looking at the imposing figure who stood before me-I had the distinct feeling that our new Queen was packing more than royal blood on her side.
"You have allies in strange places, so I have heard. You mingle freely with demons and vampires and humans . . ." She paused, then her lips crinkled into a smile and I felt like the sun had come out. "You and your sisters have learned one of the most difficult lessons. Not all who appear to be our enemies are truly our enemies, and not all who claim friendship are to be trusted."
"You haven"t heard anything about the sixth spirit seal, have you?" I asked impulsively. The minute the words were out of my mouth, I wondered if I"d overstepped my boundaries, but she laughed.
"I will see if we can pinpoint a location on the sixth spirit seal for you. In the meantime, focus on the Bonecrusher. Find her and destroy her. She is far, far more dangerous than you suspect." She lowered her voice. "Shadow Wing bred the Bonecrusher with one purpose: to destroy. You will find no soft spot in her heart, no compa.s.sion. If she catches you, you will die most horribly. Karvanak was the boy next door compared to her."
And with that, she dismissed us. We made our good-byes and followed Father out into the hallway again.
On the way to the carriage, I thought about what the Queen had said. If the Bonecrusher was truly that ruthless, we"d have to develop a plan to seek and destroy. There would be no room for errors like we"d made with Karvanak. He"d meant to kill us but failed. Stacia wouldn"t make the same mistake.
As the carriage lumbered down the streets of Y"Elestrial, I leaned back against the seat, deep in thought. Though I barely noticed the destruction that had been wrought on the city, it was there, even through the veil of night. The silhouette of mangled buildings rose into the night sky. Some were fully collapsed, along with piles of rubble that had been blasted off of their fronts. Y"Elestrial was one of the most beautiful cities there was, but it had taken a beating. Tanaquar had not been gentle in her siege.
We approached the outer circle of the city, then turned onto a long dirt path. We were heading home. I shook myself out of my silence and began peering eagerly out the window.
Father patted my knee. "Most of the damage to our house has been repaired. Tanaquar paid for it to be renovated when she appointed me her advisor. I"m just grateful your mother didn"t have to see what happened to her home. She loved this house so much." His voice was wistful, and I leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"Mother loved you. She may have loved the house, but she would have gone anywhere with you. She did, in fact-she gave up her world for you. And she never regretted it." I noticed a strange glint in his eyes, and he whisked his gaze away from mine. "What? What is it?"
With a shake of the head, he said, "Nothing for you to worry yourself over. Look-we"re almost home." He pointed out the window. Nope, he wasn"t going to talk, at least not until we were alone.
I gave up and gazed out at the faint outline of the sprawling home in which I"d grown up. While it was only two stories, the house was larger than my home over Earthside, and it sprawled across the lawn, surrounded by gardens. Father had commissioned it to be built for Mother when he"d brought her back to Otherworld, and every brick that had gone into the building of it, he"d hand-selected. A soft glow illuminated one of the windows.
"Is Leethe still with you?" I suddenly asked, hoping that our housekeeper had made it through the war. She"d guided me in learning how to run a household and pay bills and manage the staff. We only employed four or five people, most for taking care of the grounds, but Leethe and her a.s.sistant, Kayla, had been in charge of cleaning the house and cooking.
While she was alive, Mother had always insisted on cooking dinner. And we girls had learned to do our ch.o.r.es. If we were short with the help, we were punished. Father"s relatives frowned on Mother"s methods and whispered behind her back, but she didn"t care, and Father stood behind her decisions in childrearing. Our family might not have been among the n.o.bility but there was enough of the upper-crust syndrome going on that my cousins had it easy compared to us, and now I understood why Mother had been so insistent that we learn to take care of ourselves. It was truly a gift in disguise.
Father smiled softly. "Leethe and Kayla are still with me, yes. They"ll have dinner on the table when we go in. But walk softly with your questions. Kayla lost her husband in the war. Lethesanar"s guards killed him when he insisted on trying to protect the house. I told him to leave, to hide, but he refused. And Leethe is still pining over the good china and the antiques."
As Iris started to clamber out of the carriage, Sephreh reached up to lift her down. She blushed but thanked him, and-followed by Morio-we headed toward the house.
A cl.u.s.ter of eye-catchers floated up the cobblestone path that led to the entrance, and even in their dim light, I could tell that the door was new. Gone were the glorious gla.s.s panels Father had commissioned for my mother, with their intricate roses and vine work, and in their place, there was now a st.u.r.dy door of solid oak with a smaller pane of clear gla.s.s.
My heart sank. Mother had loved the stained gla.s.s. Unbidden, images of smashed windows and scarred wood flooded my thoughts. I glanced at Sephreh, but he shook his head sadly.
"I told you, there was much damage" was all he said as he opened the door and waved us through.
I walked into the foyer, breathing deeply. I was home. I had come home again, after over two years of being away.
As I looked around, everything seemed alien. Even the walls, which had been freshly repaired and whitewashed. The furniture was all new, although a number of the knickknacks had survived the siege. There was Mother"s anniversary clock, and over there, the carefully crocheted afghan she"d made for the living room. Delilah had peed on it when she was a kitten and Mother had laughingly washed it by hand, taking the entire morning to spread it out just so just so, so it would keep its shape when it dried. Delilah was too little to do anything but cry when she realized how much work she"d caused.
Beneath the new furniture and fresh paint were memories of my childhood. The silver dragon box Father had given Mother for her birthday. The clay candy dish I"d made for her when I was barely three. The framed poem Menolly had written for both our parents when she first learned how to use a pencil. A wave of nostalgia swept over me and I longed for a simpler time when the worst hurts were the taunts of our cla.s.smates, when Menolly still ran under the sun, and Mother"s smile radiated over all of us.
I leaned on the back of the rocking chair to steady myself, and sucked in a long, deep breath.
"Are you okay?" Morio said, slipping up to lightly rest his hand against the small of my back.
Nodding, I forced a smile. "It"s just been a while. So much is the same, and so very much . . . is different."
Different not just with the house and furnishings, but with me, and with my sisters. And most of all-with the world. I tried to shake off the mood as we went into the dining room for dinner. The fire was crackling in the hearth as Leethe and I hugged and kissed, and Kayla, too. They both looked a little worn: Kayla"s eyes had lost some of the sparkle they"d had before the civil war.
After dinner, which had been a thick venison stew and fresh bread, Iris and Morio gracefully withdrew to sleep, leaving my father and me alone to talk. I curled up in the overstuffed loveseat, resting my head on his shoulder as he gently patted my hand.
"Every day, I wonder if we"ll come out of this alive," I said. "Every night, I go to bed, tired and worried and dreaming about demons."
"You are my daughter," he said. "You share my inability to let go of your duties, but Camille, I never, ever envisioned this life for you. Fighting demons, living among your mother"s people. I hoped you would all marry and have families of your own. Of course, Menolly"s . . . accident . . . changed all that."
"It wasn"t an accident, Father. She was raped, and tortured, and killed, and then Dredge turned her into a vampire. Can"t you bring yourself to admit what happened, even now?"
He sighed. "I know what happened, my girl. All too well. I don"t like to dwell on it. But Camille, I fear for you you. Death magic is a heavy yoke to wear. What says the Moon Mother about your studies?"
"I think she likes it," I said softly.
He shook his head. "So much death. Delilah a Death Maiden, my Menolly a vampire . . . I was proud of all of you when you chose to join the bureau of Intelligence, but I never wanted you to face the dangers you now fight. I truly do wish you"d all just married young and moved into peaceful lives."
I gave him a sad smile. "And how long would that have lasted? Until Shadow Wing found the spirit seals and ripped open the worlds? Then we"d all be dead. Or worse. Instead, because we happened to be in the right place at the right time, both Earthside and Y"Eirialiastar have a fighting chance. If we have to sacrifice our lives to grab that chance, then so be it. We are all willing."
As I stood, so tired I ached to the core, Father took hold of my shoulders. "Do you know how proud I am of you? Of all three of you?"
And then, I saw it. There in his eyes-love and pride and honor behind a wash of tears. "And we, of you. Father, please, look for love again. You deserve to be happy. We wouldn"t feel badly if you found someone new to share your life with, as long as she accepted us."
He stared at me like there was something he wanted to tell me, but then softly said, "I don"t forsake women. But your mother . . . there was something about her, something I cannot forget. You and your sisters inherited that quality. A radiance that comes not from your Fae charm, but from the core of your hearts. Your mother knew who she was, and knew what she was worth. As you would say, she"s a tough act to follow. But thank you for caring."
As he kissed me on the forehead and sent me off to bed, I thought about what it meant to be back here. And then, as I crawled under the covers next to Morio, I realized that no matter how much I loved this house, it was no longer my home. My anchor rested within three men, and my two sisters and Iris. And no matter where we were, as long as we were together, I would be home.
CHAPTER 11.