The chamber was pitch-black, but after a moment, little Faerie lights began to light the inside and I found myself staring at a cozy living room. Several seats carved from oak were placed around a center pit, over which a rotisserie had been placed. A small stalagmite rose from the ground, a bowl chipped out on the top. Fresh water bubbled into the bowl, continuously cycling.
Chatter let out a long sigh. "We should be safe enough for a little while. I have to check on Grieve." He motioned to the benches. "Sit down, please." With a wave of the hand, he lit the stones beneath the rotisserie on fire and they blazed a merry warmth. "Warm yourselves while I"m gone."
"Let me come with you." I walked over to his side. "I have to see him. Please."
"If you"re sure . . ." He c.o.c.ked his head. "I don"t know if it"s a good idea."
"Chatter, we"re here to take Peyton, Grieve, and you home with us. I"m going to see him, one way or another." I held his eyes and felt myself falling into his gaze. He blinked slowly and I found myself moving toward him, but then shook my head. "Don"t try that on me. I"m part Cambyra Fae. I know what you"re doing."
"Cicely, how can we go with you-"
"Shut up." I held up my hand. "You don"t have a choice in this. Chatter, we"re stronger than you think, and we"ll do everything necessary to save our friends, ourselves, and this town. I love Grieve. He loves me. Take me to him."
"You may not like what you see." A sullen look washed across his face, but he wiped it away. "All right, follow me. But only you. Grieve would not tolerate more than your company right now."
"Are you sure you want to go alone?" Kaylin asked.
I shrugged. "I don"t have a choice. Just keep alert out here."
I followed Chatter to the back, where another opening led to a narrow pa.s.sage. It led so far back into the mountain that I couldn"t see the end of it, but several chambers opened off of either side. Chatter led me to the first one and we slipped through the opening, ducking our heads in order to do so.
The chamber was fitted to be a bedroom. Soft lights lit up the inside, delicate and sparkling, and in the corner was a bed. The bed was carved from rock, piled high with moss and blankets. A dresser to the left looked like it had been plucked out of the Victorian era, and to the right, a divan and table, both from the Art Deco years. But my focus was on the bed, for resting in the center of the blankets, as still as death, was Grieve.
As soon as I entered, he began tossing and turning. My wolf gave a whimper-now that we were within touching distance it would be hard to keep the connection from re-forming. I rushed over to his side but stopped when he sat up, a ferocious look on his face.
"Stay back, I"m having trouble controlling myself. Even around Chatter." His eyes shimmered, the stars in them sparkling, calling me forward even as he warned me back.
"Grieve, what"s going on? What"s happening?"
I didn"t dare tell him that I had caused this-in his condition, who knew what he"d do? Guilt warred with triumph-the thought that we might be able to get a leg up on the Indigo Court through this plague danced in my heart like Tinkerbell dancing on Hook"s grave.
"I don"t know, but it"s. .h.i.t a number of the Indigo Court." He struggled to sit up. "Now"s the time for you to rescue Peyton, if you"re ever going to. She"ll be easier to get out of here."
I bit my lip. "You can"t help me, can you? You"re too sick."
He shook his head, drawing his hand over his eyes.
"I"m managing to hold on. But the true Vampiric Fae-the ones born to the Court-are having trouble maintaining. Some are slipping into madness, others into their brutal natures fully. I"m afraid that whatever this is, will make them more dangerous than ever once they adapt to it."
His words. .h.i.t like ice water. "Adapt? Isn"t it . . . n.o.body"s dying from it, then?"
"Not that I know of, but it"s created a condition where the daylight is like poison. Unlike the true vampires, we aren"t dying from it. Just incapacitates and seems to bring out the inner beast."
I sat down on the chair near his bed, closing my eyes. What had Lainule and Lannan done? Even if they couldn"t effectively fight during the day, they were still terribly dangerous and they weren"t going to go poof poof into a pile of ashes like the Crimson Court when the sunlight kissed them. The plan had backfired, in a terrible way. Now they"d be less able to reason. into a pile of ashes like the Crimson Court when the sunlight kissed them. The plan had backfired, in a terrible way. Now they"d be less able to reason.
"What"s wrong? Cicely?" Grieve pushed himself up on his elbows. "Are you okay?"
I nodded bleakly. "Yeah. I"m okay. But we have to get Peyton and Chatter out of here." With a horrible finality, I realized that taking Grieve home with us wasn"t an option. Even my love couldn"t blind me to the fact that he was far more dangerous, closer to the edge than before. He could survive here, among his crazed brethren, but Chatter-Chatter couldn"t.
Grieve stared at me for a moment, reading my face. "You wanted me to come, too." Wincing, he gripped the side of the bed and let out a low moan. I moved toward him, but he held up his hand.
"No," he said, his voice ragged. "We can be together at night, but until I find out what"s happening, I don"t dare touch you during the day. You"d intoxicate me too much, I"d want to drink from you too deep and I might hurt you."
"Grieve . . . I love you. I love you," was all I could say, staring at him from across the divide that had suddenly sprung up, a gulf that threatened to sweep us away from each other.
He paused, a dark smile creeping across his face. "I could turn you. You could become one of us, now that you know you"re part Cambyra Fae. We could be together and hunt through the night. You"d love the power that it brings. And you"d be with your aunt then."
Horrified, I turned to Chatter, who shook his head, cautioning me not to speak. "Grieve. Grieve? Where is Peyton?" he said, moving a step closer to my fallen lover.
"Peyton? The magic-born Were? Where do you think she is, you dolt? She"s in the gaol. Idiot." Grieve"s smile grew darker, more feral, and he reached out his hand. "Bring me my lover. I need her. Need to feed . . ."
"No-no. Grieve-come back to yourself. Grieve, can you hear me?" I jumped up. "Don"t let this suck you down. Don"t let it eat you up. Can you understand? You"ve been infected by some illness and it"s hurting you. Fight it. Please, please fight it."
Grieve snorted, but then a moment of clarity pa.s.sed across his face. "Cicely . . . get out of here. Please. I don"t want you seeing me like this. I don"t want you hearing the horrible things I say." He struggled to sit up again. "Listen to me. I love you, Cicely Waters. You"re my one love. You"ve always been my love. Whatever happens, remember that. Chatter, help her to get Peyton out of here while you can. My guess is that the gaol isn"t heavily guarded right now. Myst is probably up in arms-and sick herself. And Chatter-don"t come back. It"s too dangerous for you now."
With another cry, he twisted to the side, bringing his legs up to his chest. My wolf howled as a sharp pain lanced through my stomach and I fell to my knees with a scream. Chatter grabbed me up and tossed me over his shoulder, carrying me out of the room, dragging me toward the main chamber even as I beat on his back, trying to stop him.
"No-I have to help Grieve. Put me down!"
"You can"t help him," he said, setting me down once we were out of the room and far enough away that I couldn"t just run back in. "There"s nothing you can do to help him. He has to work through this himself. Come. I"ll help you with Peyton. Grieve"s right-she probably won"t be guarded too heavily at this point."
He led me back to the main chamber and I followed, unable to think. My wolf was begging me to return to Grieve"s side, to give in, to let him do what he would so we could be together. But the torque around my neck began to vibrate, gently humming, soothing me, and a warmth spread through my chest from the Fae girl tattoo, down toward my wolf where it washed over the tattoo in a glow of moonlight, easing the pain. My head cleared enough for me to shake away the thought.
As we reentered the room, the others looked up.
"Come on. Chatter"s going to help us find Peyton and get the f.u.c.k out of here." I headed toward the door.
"What about Grieve?" Rhiannon asked.
I slipped my gloves back on. "Forget it," I whispered. "We"re leaving him here. It"s for the best."
Chatter gave them a shake of the head and the look on his face said enough that, without another word, they stood and followed us out into the snow.
We had to climb up the hill next to the cave. Slipping and sliding, we worked our way through the undergrowth, holding on to branch and bough, pulling ourselves up some of the steeper inclines. Boots sliding on ice slicks, teeth gritting as we struggled through the heavy, wet snow, we managed to finally pull ourselves over the top of the slope. I rolled over on my back, staring into the frost-laced sky, letting the flakes kiss my face with their delicate touch.
"G.o.ds, that was hard. I"m in shape, but d.a.m.n, that was like slogging through mud." I pushed myself up to a sitting position, frozen through, my muscles aching like I"d just run a marathon. At this point, I just wanted to get through the rest of the day alive. Happy wasn"t a factor now that I"d seen Grieve.
And carrying the secret that I"d been responsible for his illness-and for potentially making our battle with the Indigo Court worse-didn"t help. Guilt ate at me, and even though I hadn"t willingly partic.i.p.ated in Lainule"s plan, the fact was that I"d entered into the contract with the vampires and I"d agreed to obey Lainule.
"Hurry," Chatter said. "We don"t have much time before dusk and who knows what the return of shadow will do for Myst and her people? With the way things are, this might have strengthened them."
With that lovely thought lingering in my mind, I let him pull me to my feet and we headed off again, one slogging step at a time. Thanks to the time in the cave, I wasn"t as frozen, but the temperature was dropping and the snowflakes were growing smaller and more furious. This was sticking snow, biting snow that would pile up all night.
Kaylin slipped up beside me. "What went on back there with Grieve?" he asked in a low voice. I shook my head, not wanting to talk about it, but he wouldn"t let up. "I know something happened. What was it?"
Turning my head to him, I kept my voice low. "He"s being overtaken by his darker nature. And he says that this cure cure that Lannan and Lainule thought they found may just make the Indigo Court a lot fiercer and more dangerous to deal with. You should have seen him fighting both the pain and his urge to give in to his vampiric nature. Kaylin, it"s all so f.u.c.ked up." that Lannan and Lainule thought they found may just make the Indigo Court a lot fiercer and more dangerous to deal with. You should have seen him fighting both the pain and his urge to give in to his vampiric nature. Kaylin, it"s all so f.u.c.ked up."
He slipped an arm around me and helped me along, not saying another word. The look on his face was enough. He may not have approved of Grieve but he wasn"t taking any delight in the unfolding events. As we trudged along behind Chatter, I leaned my head on Kaylin"s shoulder and he tightened his grasp around my waist.
After another twenty minutes of slow, cold going, Chatter held up his hand. Kaylin let go of me as we all gathered around the Fae. We were on top of a ledge, overlooking another ravine. Down below, I could see three guards standing in front of what looked like the mouth to another cave.
"The gaol," Chatter mouthed.
The guards looked anything but attentive. One was bent over, puking his guts out near a huckleberry bush. Another was moaning and rocking back and forth. The third was managing to stand upright, but he leaned on a nearby tree stump and looked in danger of pa.s.sing out. Finally, a piece of luck.
I sucked in a deep breath, planning out the approaching battle in my mind. They were weak, but even weakened, they were formidable foes. We"d have to get down there and kill them before they could raise an alarm.
It struck me that the thought of murdering three strangers didn"t even make me flinch, and I looked up, shocked and numb. Kaylin met my gaze and gave me a small nod.
He understands. He"s been alive a long time, Cicely, and not all of his life was easy or painless or free of death and blood. Ulean"s touch was gentle on my skin. Ulean"s touch was gentle on my skin.
What am I becoming, that I can contemplate killing three people I"ve never met just because of who they are?
You"re becoming the person you need to be. You"re becoming the person you really are inside: a survivor. A warrior. A leader. A woman who will do what is necessary to rescue her friends and family. That"s what it means to love, Cicely. That"s what your mother could never teach you because she put herself first, always. You"re growing into the woman who can proudly wear her wings and fly.
Ulean brushed around me. I thought of Peyton, and of Grieve. Of Heather and Elise, Leo"s sister. I thought of Kaylin"s best friend, and the nameless others who"d lost their lives to these creatures. And those who were next on the list.
Sucking in a deep breath, I checked my blades and pulled out my fan. The others silently readied their weapons. We were ready. If Myst wanted mayhem, then we were going to ram a boatload of it down her throat.
Without another thought, I went barreling down the slope at the three guards, waving my fan twice, driving the gale on before me.
Chapter 25.
We brought down a minor avalanche with us, the snow cascading behind us in a wave of smoke. There was very little roar, since only a small slope of snow broke off, but as we surfed the frozen white, a lightning bolt split the sky and thunder rocked the air. Snow lightning-c.r.a.p! We were getting full special effects for this.
I came to rest-on my feet, luckily-in front of the guard who had been doubled over, puking his guts out. He"d jumped back when the snow cascaded down the slope, and his gaze rose to meet mine, his eyes ringed with the same mad haze that I"d seen wash over Grieve"s face. Before he could react, I flicked out my stiletto and lashed out, slicing his left arm across the bicep.
He let out a growl and spun around, his foot catching me across the stomach. In a daze of pain, I went flying back into the snow. As I struggled to my feet, I pulled out my fan.
To my left, Rhiannon and Leo had engaged the second guard. Leo planted his staff in the ground and used it to propel himself up and over the guard"s head, catching the man"s neck between his legs with a scissor kick. The man twisted, trying to free himself, and Leo flipped away from him, landing in a crouch. Unbalanced, the guard went down. As he struggled to regain his footing, Rhiannon held out her hands and a blistering flame shot forth, engulfing the Vampiric Fae.
To my right, Kaylin and the third guard were into it. From appearances, Kaylin was winning. There was blood all over the snow and none of it appeared to be coming from him.
Chatter was skirting the perimeter, looking for anybody, particularly other guards, who might be hiding out.
Ignoring the pain in my side, I quickly turned back to my own attacker and held out the fan. As I waved it twice, whispering, "Gale force," "Gale force," a gust of wind so strong it knocked me back off my feet raced past, directly aimed toward the guard. It hit him square in the chest, sliding him along the snow a good ten feet before slamming him against the face of a boulder. He went limp and I raced up, switchblade ready. a gust of wind so strong it knocked me back off my feet raced past, directly aimed toward the guard. It hit him square in the chest, sliding him along the snow a good ten feet before slamming him against the face of a boulder. He went limp and I raced up, switchblade ready.
Before he could regain consciousness, I slid my blade along his throat, severing the skin from ear to ear. As blood fountained out, his head fell back, still attached to his neck by a sliver of flesh. With a final gurgle, his body relaxed and I knew he was dead.
Be cautious how much you use the fan. It has limitations that Lainule didn"t remember to tell you about. And . . . repercussions. Ulean swirled around me, a twisting vortex as she helped lift me to my feet with her currents. Ulean swirled around me, a twisting vortex as she helped lift me to my feet with her currents.
I turned to see how Rhiannon and Leo were doing. Leo was limping, and the guard"s knife was b.l.o.o.d.y. Chatter was on the run toward them, but he was too far away. Kaylin and I converged on the Indigo Court Fae as he swung around and-like the creature we"d met earlier-his mouth began to distend as his body shifted.
"He"s turning into one of those doglike creatures!" I couldn"t use the fan, the others were too close, so I flipped out my switchblade and tried to jump him.
The Fae met me with an outstretched fist, managing to punch me directly in the shoulder. I clutched my arm with a groan. How the h.e.l.l could he be so strong? As I struggled to get out of the way of his second blow, Kaylin leapt in with his nunchakus and went to work. Leo circled behind and brought his staff down across the man"s head and, with a loud crack, he was down. Except the Fae was just stunned. He was already starting to regain consciousness and when he did, he"d begin his transformation again.
Rhiannon pushed to the front and held out her hands.
"No," I said softly. "Let me do it. Don"t b.l.o.o.d.y your hands, Rhia."
She let out a harsh laugh. "They"ve been b.l.o.o.d.y for half my life." And with that, she let out a spray of fire that melted the snow around the Fae and caught him aflame. He shrieked once, then Kaylin threw one of his daggers with deadly accuracy and the Fae lay dead.
We stared at the carnage around us. Leo was limping, but the cut he"d received was superficial and Chatter bound it up with a strip of cloth cut from one of the guard"s tunics. My ribs and shoulder felt bruised, but I"d live. Kaylin and Rhiannon were untouched.
We turned to the cave. Peyton was in there, somewhere. The question was . . . were other guards waiting for us? There was only one way to find out. I pushed to the front and stepped over the threshold.
The cavern was actually a tunnel illuminated by a trail of purplish sparkling lights. It led into the mountainside. I glanced around-n.o.body in sight. Yet. Motioning for the others to follow me, I headed down the pa.s.sage, trying to be as silent as possible. Ulean was at my shoulder, I could feel her.
"Is this the prison?" I stopped, motioning to Chatter.
He slipped up beside me and nodded. "I"ve been inside a couple times, when they locked me up as punishment. The tunnel continues, with side pa.s.sages-some are holding cells, others are guard quarters, I believe. I don"t remember which is which."
The tunnel was made of granite, and at first I wondered if it had been an old mining tunnel, but looking closer it seemed too smooth. No miners" picks had chipped away at this pa.s.sage. No, it looked almost like gla.s.s in its even surface. I stopped briefly and slid my fingers across the smooth wall, closing my eyes. A shiver ran up my back. The pa.s.sage was magical, the energy flaring from within the very structure of the rock.
Sucking in a deep breath, we started down the hall again, Kaylin behind me, then Chatter, then Rhiannon and Leo. As we came to the end, I peeked around the corner. Several of the chambers Chatter had mentioned b.u.t.tressed the main channel to the right, then another turn at the end. Slowly, cautiously, we moved to the first side entrance and stopped a few feet before it.
Can you see what"s inside?
I cannot tell for sure-this place is full of magical traps and wards-but Peyton is not there. That much I know. There is someone in there, however.
I nodded, then turned back and whispered what Ulean had told me to Kaylin, who pa.s.sed it back to the others. They looked to me for a decision, though by the look on Leo"s face, I could tell he was nursing a faint hope it might be his sister. Torn, I tried to decide what to do. If we tried to sneak past, whoever it was might raise an alarm, or take us from the back. No, we were going to have to face them, whether they were one of the enemy or a prisoner.
And there"s no saying a prisoner won"t also be your enemy.
Thanks, I needed that.
I swung in through the door, hoping to catch whoever it was off guard. The person whirled. f.u.c.k, one of the Indigo Fae. f.u.c.k, one of the Indigo Fae. A woman this time. She was lying on a bed and as she tried to sit up, blinking, pain filled her face. A woman this time. She was lying on a bed and as she tried to sit up, blinking, pain filled her face.
I didn"t wait. I lunged for her and landed on top of her, holding her down as I raised my switchblade high. Biting my lip, I brought the blade down right in her throat. She let out a hiss, and threw me off, sitting up. I went sprawling to the floor, ducking, as Kaylin flipped over me and landed a kick right in her stomach.
She landed back on the bed and reached for her throat, trying to staunch the bleeding, but the activity had just spurred on the flow and now she frantically tried to press her hands against her throat. Kaylin pulled out one of his daggers and within seconds it was over.
I stared at my hands, at the blood spatters that were covering me. What was I becoming? What was I becoming?
Kaylin must have noticed my expression. He moved to put his arm around me. "We"re doing what we have to do. If you want to save Peyton, we have no choice. These creatures-and they are creatures, mind you-would eat you alive and I am not joking. I think I"ve figured out what the book was talking about when it mentioned feeding frenzy feeding frenzy. Can you imagine a group of the Vampiric Fae, turning into those creatures, attacking a woman? A child? They"d eat them to the bone, without bothering to administer a killing bite first. Feeding frenzy. Feeding frenzy. Think about it." Think about it."
Chatter sucked in a deep breath. "That"s exactly what happens. I"ve seen it," he said. "Children, women, it matters not to them. They have no conscience, and they love the mayhem. They feed on the fear they cause, as well as the flesh." His mouth pursed, looking like he was going to cry, he shook his head. "They revel in the blood."
I looked up at him, and the image flashed through my mind. I could see it, all too vividly. Feeding frenzy. Feeding frenzy. They were the piranha of the Fae world. I thought again of the people who"d disappeared. Of Heather and Peyton and Elise . . . oh G.o.ds . . . They were the piranha of the Fae world. I thought again of the people who"d disappeared. Of Heather and Peyton and Elise . . . oh G.o.ds . . . Elise. Elise. I turned to Leo, who was white as fresh-fallen snow. I turned to Leo, who was white as fresh-fallen snow.