Night Seeker

Chapter 14

We’d circled the meadow twice when I caught sight of a mouse and gave chase. I was winging in hard, fast, talons down and ready to snatch up my dinner when Wrath suddenly landed and turned back into himself. Worried, I gave the mouse a pass to freedom and made a sharp turn, gliding back to him. With a soft landing, I touched the ground and willed myself back to form.

It was becoming easier to change each time. My father had told me that eventually I wouldn’t need the necklace. It really was just a booster and had triggered my latent abilities at first, but now that I was aware of that side of myself, the inner knowledge of what to do was coming to the surface.

Whenever I shifted back, I ended up in a crouching position, and this time was no exception. I fell forward, catching myself with my hands, then slowly rose, stretching into my full form. I stood naked, unabashed as various Fae walking by glanced at me. Grieve handed me my clothes and I quickly dressed.

“What’s going on? Is Lainule all right?” I asked, worried that maybe she’d had a relapse. I pulled on my jeans and fastened my bra, then pulled my turtleneck over my head. It was too warm for the realm of Summer, but once we left we’d be right back in the middle of a snowstorm.

“She’s fine now, thanks to you.” My father gave me a long look, almost a sad one, but then shook his head. “You and Rhiannon saved her life. We’ve been summoned back to her chambers. She has rallied help for the meeting tonight with Altos.”

I nodded, not wanting to think of the potential carnage that lay ahead. “I’m ready. Let’s go.” I reached for Grieve’s hand as Chatter reached for Rhiannon’s, and we followed Wrath back to the barrow.

Lainule was waiting for us, looking fresh and vibrant, like she’d never been sick. But when Wrath kissed her hand, a tear rolled down her cheek, dropping to his fingers. He pressed it to his lips, gently sucking it up. Something was definitely afoot, and I intended to find out what, but right now was not the time. Especially since she was surrounded by a dozen burly warriors.

The men were hardened-even I could tell that-and while they were full Cambyra Fae, they looked as deadly, if not more so, than any Were or yummanii. They were decked out in armor the color of the sun, and they carried dark blades-obsidian daggers like mine. The presence of so much of the stone sang to me, and I licked my lips as I eyed the serrated edges, wanting to reach out and touch one of them. Wrath looked at me, then at the blades, and slowly shook his head.

But Lainule ignored my reaction. “These men will fight for you. They will protect Lannan, and they will protect you. They will offer up their lives if need be, and should any of Myst’s unholy Shadow Hunters arrive, they will battle to the death.”

I focused my attention on them again, tearing my gaze away from their daggers. “We thank you. In this battle no one can stand alone against Myst and the Indigo Court. Have any of you encountered the Vampiric Fae before?”

Even as I said it, I wanted to sink into the ground. I was an idiot-a total fucking jerk. “I’m so sorry,” I said, biting my tongue. “I did not mean to…” I stopped, just stopped. Anything I said would make it worse, I decided.

Their gazes did not flicker, but a ripple ran through the group. Lainule smiled at me softly when she saw my discomfort.

“Yes, you remember now. All of these men lost loved ones. They watched Myst’s horde tear them to bits, eat their hearts out alive. The floors of my barrow ran red with blood the day the Indigo Court lay siege. They did not stop for children or women or the old and infirm. All who could not run were devoured or enslaved. Some-like Grieve-were turned to be their allies and servants. A few-like Chatter-were saved by the grace of those who could keep their sanity after the change. So, yes, Cicely, all of these men have met Myst in battle, and all would give their lives for revenge. However, they’ve been ordered to act only when you and your friends give orders. They will come to you later this day, at Lannan’s mansion, and they will journey with you through the night. I will not be far from hand, either.”

As Wrath led us back through the portal, Rhia turned to me.

“What do we do if Myst doesn’t show?” She kept her voice low. But I could tell everyone else had heard her.

“She will be there-or her allies. There will be blood tonight.”

We headed back to Lannan’s mansion, grim. Along the way, I could only wonder what waited in store for us this evening-and just how bad the carnage would be.

The first thing that happened when we walked through the door to what had been Geoffrey’s manor was that Kaylin hurried toward us, looking haggard but relieved. He motioned for us to follow him into one of the side rooms, where we found a luxurious lunch set out.

Lannan’s touch was obvious-exotic meats and cheeses lined the table, along with fresh bread hot from the oven and sliced fruit with whipped cream. And wine. Enough wine to drown an elephant.

I glanced at the woman who was acting as hostess. She was obviously from Lannan’s stable-she had long dark hair to her butt and was curvy, buxom, and pale. A bandage covered her neck-discreet but placed right where I knew his fangs had been. She wore a low-cut vest held closed only by a thin leather lace, and a pair of skintight jeans. Another bandage covered a spot right above her left breast.

She seemed to notice my attention, because she gave me a sly smile and winked at me. “My Lord has bid me attend to any of your needs, Cicely. Anything you want, you just have to ask.” Her words gave May I help you? a whole different meaning.

I swallowed back a retort and simply smiled in return. “Do you have any sparkling water? I don’t want any alcohol.”

“As you so wish.” She dug around in the minibar under the counter and came up with a bottle of Paviina-one of the more expensive brands of sparkling water. As she poured it over ice and added a twist of lime, she caught my gaze again. “My name is Juliana. Should you need anything else, please ask. I would welcome the chance to attend your needs.”

As I carried my glass of water to the table, where lunch was spread out buffet-style, I let out a long breath. Lannan was determined to entice me into his world, but he had the wrong number. I didn’t swing that way, though Regina had set me off with a kiss once. But even if I wanted to play in the women’s camp, I wouldn’t pick one of his bloodwhores to experiment with.

At the table, I wearily fixed a plate for myself-bread, sliced ham, aged cheddar, a handful of cherry tomatoes, some fruit salad. I added a chocolate cookie to the mix and sat down beside Luna, who was sitting next to a tall, willowy blonde. The family resemblance was there, though-even though they were opposites, with Luna being short, dark, and curvy.

“Cicely! Meet my sister, Zoey.” She waved for Grieve and Chatter to join us. “Zoey brought a bunch of references. I’ve been going through them since she got here Monday. Grieve-I’m so glad you’re here. We may have found something that can help you.” Her eyes were glowing, and she looked so excited that it was almost hard to watch. Hope had become something I both clung to and feared. But it had let us down too many times.

Grieve, on the other hand, jerked his head up, his eyes wide. “Do you think it will work?”

Zoey shrugged. “Hard to tell. In a sense, what it looks like is a spell to separate the energy of the Indigo Court from the host energy-almost like peeling apart two merged layers. Myst’s bite, her forcing you to drink from her, changed your nature, but if we can separate out her signature from yours, we might be able to help you at least control the condition.”

“You think there might be a chance, then?” Grieve caught her gaze and held it.

Luna nodded slowly. “We do. But, Grieve, I don’t think there’s ever going to be any way to fully revert you back. Not to how you were before she got hold of you.” She stopped eating her bread at that point, staring at the table as if she expected Grieve to throw a fit, but he just sat there, looking stunned.

“If there’s any chance I can gain some control over this curse, I want to hear about it. I never expected there to be a cure, so I’m not disappointed about that.” He looked up, over at her sister. “So, you have found records?”

She nodded. “Yes. And they have detailed rituals about ways to reverse certain aspects of the curse. But they aren’t easy, and frankly, I think all of them have a chance of backfiring.”

He held her gaze. “What’s your guesstimate on percentage of backfiring?”

Zoey bit her lip. “Forty percent…”

“Pro or con?”

“Con. In my estimation, there’s about a sixty to sixty-five percent chance this will work. The other thirty-five percent? Hard to tell. Either not work at all or backfire. And you can never tell which way it’s going to swing.”

I swallowed the last of my sandwich and wiped my fingers on a napkin. “What kind of magic do we need in order to cast the spell?”

Luna and Zoey exchanged glances. Luna pushed her plate back.

“First, we need five witches-four for the elements and one for spirit.” Luna hung her head. “I can hold spirit, but the responsibility…what happens if we fail?”

“Then we fail.” Grieve looked at me. “Chatter and Rhiannon can both hold the fire, but Chatter can also command earth. You hold the wind. We need water.”

“What about you, my love?” I gazed into his eyes, both frightened and hopeful. We could do this. The possibility that we could actually free him from some of the chains Myst had placed around his neck overwhelmed me. It was hard to even speak.

“Grieve cannot take that part. Not when he’s the focus of the ritual.” Luna shook her head. “I can call the water, too, but then we’d need someone for spirit.”

Just then, Peyton walked over. “Let Kaylin hold spirit.”

Luna clapped her hands. “Yes, that would be perfect. So we have our five Elemental watchtowers.” She turned to Zoey. “What else do we need?”

“A drummer-I can do that. I’ve been trained on the doumbek. But I think we still need water. Luna, you’ll have to be the singer of souls for this. The ritual demands that you and the person holding spirit-Kaylin-enter Grieve’s mind to unwind Myst’s energy from his.” Zoey looked around. She pointed to Rex. “What about him? Can he hold water?”

Wrath stepped in, shaking his head. “I will do this. I am the King of Rivers and Rushes. Water is my element as well as the air.”

I turned, startled. “You will help us?”

“If this can help Grieve, we should attempt it. Even if we destroy Myst, he’ll always have the tendency to revert back to the energy of the Indigo Court.” Wrath glanced at the clock. “We dare not attempt the ritual before the speech tonight, just in case something goes wrong. But that will give us time to gather the rest of the components needed. What else does the spell require?”

Zoey pulled out a book and showed us the title: The Tide of the Indigo Court. “This was written several hundred years ago, and I found it tucked away when I went searching through the archives.”

“What will the Akazzani do to you if they find out that you’ve removed material from the catacombs?” Luna gazed up at her sister, and all I could see was gratitude in her smile. But her smile disappeared when Zoey spoke again.

“They would punish me. There are crypts deep in the fortress, and they contain the shades of the dead historians who have passed out of our realm. When someone does something egregious, they’re locked down there for a time with only the shadows and ghosts for company. They seldom ever break another rule.”

She sobered, then shook her head before Luna could say anything. “I chose to do this. You needed my help. I understand why. I told them I was taking family leave for an emergency. This qualifies.”

“We can’t ever let them find out. I can’t bear that you might undergo that treatment.” Luna paused. “You could stay with us. When it’s over. I miss you.”

Zoey frowned, staring at her feet. “You know I am Akazzani. I’ve lived my entire life thinking I will die in the fortress. I have broken the rules for you, but I don’t know if I could willingly leave them. They are my family, Luna, in a way you and our parents can never again be.” She pressed her lips together.

Luna let out a little cry, clutching the table. I could tell the comment had cut her to the quick and that she was trying not to burst into tears. I wasn’t sure if I should say anything or let it go.

Kaylin, however, wasn’t as reticent as I. “If Luna isn’t your family, what the hell are you doing here? If she’s family enough to break the rules for, then obviously she’s more important than the rest of your colleagues.” He leaned over Luna and placed a protective hand on her shoulder. She glanced up, a startled look on her face, but smiled at him.

Zoey’s eyes narrowed, and she looked to be on the verge of making some snide retort, but then she just shook her head. “You don’t understand. I didn’t mean I don’t love her-or my parents. But there’s a bond…It is created when we are brought into the Akazzani, and nothing short of expulsion can break it.”

“Don’t argue, please.” Luna let out a short sigh. “If we are to work magic for Grieve, we have to be united. Let it go, Kaylin. If Zoey is happier with the Akazzani, she should remain with them.” And that was the end of that.

Wrath intervened as well. “Cicely, you must be exhausted. Rhiannon, Grieve, Chatter, Kaylin, all of you as well. Go rest. You will need the reserves tonight.” He stopped me as we filed out of the room, drawing me to the side.

“What is it?” I glanced up at him.

He lifted my chin, looking into my eyes. “Tonight be cautious, my daughter. There will be bloodlust flying. I have foreseen it. The power of the winds, they are now a part of you in a way that you do not yet realize. The fan-open it now.”

I pulled out my fan, spreading it open. As I held it in my hand, I realized I couldn’t feel any sparkle of magic from it, no tingle, no…nothing. “What happened?”

“You became the hurricane. You became the wind. The power of the fan transferred into your soul. You no longer need it to harness the winds. You can pass it on to another because now you are part of its Element. But it’s a double-edged sword. Because you no longer need an anchor, it makes you dangerous. You haven’t had a chance to train yet, to realize just all you can do.”

I sighed, leaning against his shoulder. “First, I find out I’m not just magic-born but that I’m also half-Cambyra Fae. Then I find out I was Myst’s daughter in a past life and that obsidian sets off the bloodlust still in my soul. And now you tell me that the winds have settled in my being? I feel like I’m losing myself.”

“No, my daughter, you are actually in the process of finding out who you really are. In time, all of this will become second nature. You are evolving, Cicely, into a force like none I’ve ever seen. You are vulnerable, in danger, but the potential within you is frightening.” He stroked my shoulder gently, placing a soft kiss on the top of my head. “When we go to protect Lannan this evening, you must be cautious when you call on the winds.”

“Let’s pray I don’t have to do that.” After a moment, I asked, “What of the Unseelie? If Myst was Unseelie and she is now Queen of the Indigo Court-what of the rest of the darker Fae? Did they all become part of the Indigo Court? And Lainule, is she the Queen of Seelie?”

Wrath looked surprised at my question but walked me toward the grand staircase leading upstairs. As we ascended, he tried to explain.

“There are the Grand Courts, and then the Lesser Courts. There are Fae Queens all over the world-each rules a different region. Lainule-and I-are Queen and King of about half of this continent. Myst wasn’t the Unseelie Queen before she was turned, but she killed Tabera, who was, by destroying her heartstone and set herself up in her place. She may have taken the title of Winter, but she is not recognized as the Queen of Ice and Snow here, though. She is an upstart.”

“So what happened to the Unseelie under Tabera’s-is that her name-rule?”

“Myst terrified them. They scattered. The Wilding Fae are remnants of some of them, and others joined the Court of Rivers and Rushes even though they don’t really fit in.” Wrath frowned, looking very much like he was trying to decide whether to tell me something.

“What is it?” I pressed him. If the Fae were part of my heritage, it was important I know things like this. “I want to learn. It’s my heritage.”

“So it is.” After a moment, he stopped and leaned on the curved railing. I sat down on the step next to him. “The balance has been disrupted in this region for so long that chaos became normal. As I said, when Myst reemerged, she took the place of the Unseelie Queen-the Queen of Winter, who rules over chaos.”

“Myst doesn’t strike me as someone who likes to share.”

“No, she does not. Myst seeks to conquer. Here, it’s easier to build her armies because the Grand Courts live far away on the other side of the world. Summer and Winter are the sun and the moon-day and night, and while they do not necessarily like each other, they accept the necessity for both powers to instill a natural balance.”

I nodded, slowly beginning to understand. “But why haven’t the Grand Courts stepped in?”

“There are many things that are too difficult to explain in one brief talk. They are old, Cicely, in a way that Lainule and I are not, and they often overlook the dangers that evolve outside of their area. The Grand Courts are so far removed from the world in which we live that they ignore things until it’s too late.”

“Almost like Crawl is for the vampires…”

“Yes, they live in a different realm, so far in the mists…”

“So Myst was able to sneak in and cause havoc.”

Wrath clapped me on the shoulder. “You do understand. Very good. But we cannot allow her to succeed-her idea of normalcy is to fill the world with skulls and sinew, to rip and shred and destroy. She is destruction incarnate, without check. She is the untamed force of the storm, of death on a rampage.”

“If she is a force and fury, then perhaps she cannot help herself,” I said softly. “If Myst killed Tabera, and for a time there was nothing to check Lainule as Myst gained her power, why didn’t Summer rage through, since she has had no opposition all of these long years?”

“My Lady rules with justice. It may not seem kind, at times, but the Queen of Rivers and Rushes understands the nature of checks and balances. She sees the universal scale of creation and destruction and understands the need for both, even if we haven’t had our opposing force for so very long.”

Cautiously, I said, “When we were in the woods, Rhiannon could see the door to Lainule’s chamber. Only Cambyra Fae can see those magical doors.” I looked at him, waiting.

But my father merely shushed me and I knew better than to press the matter for now. “No more questions now. Up and to bed. Sleep deep. We will all need our strength tonight, my daughter.”

As he sent me on my way, I thought about what he’d said but the swirl of his words became a fog in my head, and I yawned again, barely able to drag myself into my room. Ignoring the leering pictures and tapestries around me, I stripped, then crawled into bed, sighing as I drew the soft covers up around my chin. The mattress was heaven. The blankets were soft against my skin. And even the thought of the evening to come couldn’t intervene as sleep claimed me and carried me off to my dreams.

I was walking through the forest, with Rhiannon beside me, and we were holding hands. I turned to her. “Show me. Show me yourself.”

“I don’t know how,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “I don’t even know where to begin.” She let go of my hand and walked over to one of the cedars that towered in the woodland. As she played with one of its boughs, fingering the needles, she said, “These are not the forests of my dreams. I dream of forests filled with oaks…with rowan and hawthorn. I dream of the smell of peat and the misty mornings overlooking the ocean.”

Nodding, I glanced up at the tree. “These are my roots-this land is my anchor. Even when I was Myst’s daughter, this was our homeland. But where were you?”

Rhia smiled faintly. “I’m only beginning to remember. But long ago and far away…it’s in a fog, but I remember the forest. And I was there. I was on my belly…” Her voice dropped and she lowered herself to the ground, stretching out. “I remember, on my belly, through the grass and the trees. Through…”

Silence fell between us. Rhia looked up at me, her irises shifting, her pupils becoming slits. “On my belly…in the grass.” She began to transform, and as I watched, her legs fused together and her arms to her sides.

I stepped back. No, she shouldn’t be this…Danger, my owl self whispered to me. There is danger here. Fly away.

I shifted into owl form effortlessly, still wearing my clothing, and flew up into the branches of the tree. This was my homeland, this was my land, this was my rightful place. And below…

Below, Rhiannon’s skin scaled over, and her hair flowed into the scales, creating a beautiful diamond pattern down her back. She wove back and forth, rising, sleek and muscled and mesmerizing. I watched as she coiled, staring up at me, her tail rattling. I could feel her hunger, and my own was stirred. I had carried off snakes before, my talons keeping them from striking me.

But something stopped me from sweeping down on her to snatch her up. Some recognition that we were both necessary, that we could not harm the other. And in her gaze, I saw the same feeling reflected back at me.

We are the new way. My thoughts reached out to her.

We are two of a kind. We are amber and jet-fire and ice. We are kin. Her voice whispered in my head.

And then the snake wavered back and forth, in a dance of sorts, and turned, slithering off into the undergrowth. I watched her go. There would be other meetings, other altercations, but she and I would remain linked. Forever, whatever shape our bodies might take.

“Cicely, it’s time to get up. Time to get ready.” Peyton shook me awake. I wanted to brush her off, to say “Come back later,” but then I remembered where we were going and I struggled from under the covers. At least the room was warm, unlike the warehouse.

“Do I have time for a shower?” I loved showers. Showers woke me up and made me feel ready for whatever was coming.

She nodded. “Yes. But a quick one. I’ll see you downstairs.” As she left the room, I pulled my hair back in a ponytail to keep it dry, and stepped under the glorious water, rubbing bodywash over my body in a thick sweep, the lather sudsing up to make me inexplicably happy. I rinsed and then stepped out of the stall, wrapping the towel around me.

As I headed back into the bedroom, I heard a noise and whirled around, ready to yell at Grieve for startling me. But it wasn’t Grieve standing there.

Lannan was leaning against the wall, looking golden and brilliant and impeccably dressed. I glanced at the door and saw that he’d turned the lock so no one could get in. He laughed at my expression as he slowly crossed the room.

Frozen, I couldn’t move, my thoughts slogging in slow motion.

As he reached my side, he slid one arm around my waist and drew me to him, his lips bare inches from mine. “Welcome back, Cicely.” His voice was low and I could feel no breath as he spoke, no pulse of heartbeat racing through his fingers. His face crinkled into laughter. “Your expression is priceless. Aren’t you going to greet your Master after being gone for so long?”

Before I could speak, he pressed his lips to mine, and suddenly he was kissing me as an explosion of desire rushed through my body. I struggled against him, but he squeezed my waist a little harder, and then-before I could stop myself-I was kissing him back.