Shadow's End

THREE

Graydon’s assignment in attending the masque was a simple one.

Dragos wanted him and Constantine to show up, make nice, and demonstrate to people that they were friendly, domesticated creatures and not the wild, vicious animals that the Wyr were often reputed as being.

While the Wyr were very well aware that one thing did not necessarily preclude the other, putting a friendly face to their demesne did seem to help the rest of the world relax whenever they were present.

Graydon figured the parameters of the assignment meant he could enjoy himself as well, and Oberon’s cocktail fountains never did seem to run dry. The food was pretty decent too, except those gold cockatrices were frankly odd. He much preferred the plainer sausages.

One of the advantages of attending the masque meant a rare opportunity to visit with Francis, which was how Graydon came to be standing with Weston and Constantine when Beluviel and her two attendants appeared.

As always, whenever Graydon saw Beluviel, he had to pause what he was doing to take in the pleasure of her presence.

The three women made a uniquely powerful statement that had nothing to do with swords, armor, or anything else overtly warlike. In direct contrast to everyone else, they wore thin, colorful gowns, with short puffy sleeves.

While Graydon didn’t know the first thing about female fashion, he thought the dresses were lovely in their simplicity. Their bare, slender arms, and lack of jewelry or warm, thick clothing made everyone else seem lumbering and overdressed, the lavish decorations and refreshments garish and overdone.

Smiling, his gaze passed over the two other pretty Elven women to concentrate on Bel.

The Lady of the South Carolina Elven demesne was beautiful, of course. All the normal requisites for a face were arranged in the most pleasing proportions imaginable. She had a wide, dark gaze filled with calm intelligence, and her long, shining dark hair, also unadorned, cascaded down, like a silken waterfall, to her hips.

Beluviel’s beauty was the first thing anybody seemed to notice. Graydon thought it was the least important thing about her.

As one of the eldest of the Elven race, her Power had grown with age. It manifested as a brightness of spirit that lightened everything around her, gently transformative, like the first, tantalizing breath of spring when Graydon knew the season had changed, the cold of winter had fled, and life was beginning to burgeon once again.

That single breath was the rarest of delights. You could only take one breath like that in a year’s time. Each successive breath might be pleasurable and refreshing, but none of them quite held the same power as the first epiphany of spring.

That was the essence of what Beluviel’s presence brought to him. Also, like the first breath of spring, she was a rare, passing delight. She did not always attend public functions, preferring, or so he had heard, the peace and quiet of her Wood.

Except, this time was different. Graydon looked at her with every anticipation of the pleasure that the sight of her had always brought to him. What he saw instead made his fingers clench on his champagne glass.

She carried the same brightness of spirit. She couldn’t help but do so; the quality was an intrinsic part of her and woven into the fabric of her being.

But his sharp eagle’s eyes picked up a multitude of tiny fractures in her demeanor. The flex of tension in those long, graceful fingers. The rigid set to her shapely shoulders. The hooded quality to her gaze, and the tight line of her slender jaw.

Disappointment and concern welled up inside of him.

The disappointment was ludicrous and inappropriate. She was her own unique person. The purpose of her existence was not to bring him pleasure. He shoved the feeling aside and studied her more closely.

That was when the vision of the white ground, black rocks, and the red of his blood swept over him for the first time.

With an instinct born from long experience, he held still, enduring the image until it faded enough so that he could glance around surreptitiously to see if anyone had taken note of his odd stillness.

Neither Francis nor Constantine appeared to have noticed that anything was amiss. The two other men had turned their attention to the refreshments table and were piling plates high with food.

As they returned to his side, Francis asked, “Aren’t you going to eat?”

Shaking his head, he put effort into making his voice sound normal. “I stole some sausages earlier off one of the tables. I might have more to eat in a bit.”

As he spoke, he watched Bel send away her attendants, and her brief conversation with Oberon. How could Oberon flirt with her and not see that something was wrong? Was the Daoine Sidhe King that shallow and self-absorbed?

The taut, delicate set of her mouth, and the fist that she made of one hand then pressed against her thigh, as if to hide it in her skirts . . .

Something about her distress—or what caused it—mattered so much that it had triggered an image of his heart’s blood dripping between his fingers.

The second sight was a tricky bitch. If he chose to ignore Bel and turned away to focus on his own life and concerns, would that indifference trigger events that would lead to the vision coming true?

Or, if he stepped forward to involve himself in whatever troubled her, would that lead to the incident?

Action or nonaction—there was literally no way to be sure. He could waste his life trying to second-guess everything he did, but that was no way to live. A very long time ago, he had decided to set aside second-guessing for the useless endeavor that it was.

He had not become a sentinel by worrying about what he should or shouldn’t do. He would live or die as he always had, by making decisions he knew to be right.

If Beluviel truly was in some kind of distress, there was no way in hell he could walk away from her. That would be like closing the door on spring to spend his life hiding indoors.

Graydon didn’t hide from life. He flew at it with everything he had.

He glanced at Beluviel’s husband. Lord Calondir looked like he was enjoying himself, as he bent his head close to his female companion.

The physical and psychic distance between the smiling Elven Lord and his tense wife couldn’t have been more apparent. They existed in two completely separate realms.

What’s going on, Gray? Constantine asked telepathically. Appearing to have not a care in the world, the other sentinel popped a fantastically shaped meringue into his mouth.

So his behavior had not gone unnoticed after all. He wasn’t really surprised. Constantine was an observant son of a bitch. After working together for so long, he knew Graydon much better than Francis did.

I don’t know, he said. Dismissing Calondir, he turned his attention back to Bel. Something.

Constantine glanced in the direction of his gaze then swiveled his whole body to face Graydon. His handsome face turned sober. That, my friend, is the very definition of unobtainable.

A rare surge of anger flashed through him. He bit out, That’s not what this is about.

A pause. Graydon could almost see the other male’s mental shift.

Okay, said Constantine. His mental voice remained neutral. What is this about?

It was about decency and concern for another being’s welfare. It was about living his life to the fullest, and making the right decisions in defiance of any potential future harm that may or may not come to him.

He told Constantine, I don’t know, but I’m about to find out.

He took his leave of the other two men and strode forward. Whatever this challenge was, and whether or not the vision came to fruition, he would approach this like he did the rest of his life—with everything he had.

If he was strong enough, smart enough, if he fought hard enough and tried long enough, he could win through.

Several minutes later, as he escorted Bel away from the dance floor and along a main path, a sense of rightness settled into his bones. They might be mere acquaintances—he had only ever exchanged pleasantries with her and they had never shared a tête-à-tête—but it felt delightful to have her hand tucked into the crook of his elbow, and to shorten his stride so that he matched hers.

His enjoyment of her company, in the face of whatever was causing her hardship, seemed as inappropriate as his earlier disappointment. Deliberately, he turned his attention away from the pleasure and focused on other details of his surroundings.

Nearby, a Daoine Sidhe knight stood in the middle of a group of inebriated partygoers. The knight’s identity was cloaked behind a full mask with two faces, one facing front and the other facing backward. The forward-facing face was dark, while the backward-facing face was light.

Graydon recognized the costume. It was Janus, the Roman two-faced god, with one face looking forward into the future, and the other face looking backward into the past.

The mask mirrored too much of what Graydon was thinking and feeling. Unease tried to ripple through his body, but ruthlessly, he shoved it away. He had lived with the second sight for far too long to read omens into everything.

A light breeze brushed against his face, and he caught a hint of the knight’s scent tangled with several others. It was Ashe, Oberon’s oldest and strongest wizard knight. As he watched, Ashe pulled a delicate, fresh orchid out of a woman’s hand muff and handed it to her with a silent bow. The woman squealed with delight.

“I would like to make one thing clear,” Bel said suddenly.

Instantly, his attention snapped back to the pale, set features of her profile. He said, “By all means, please do.”

Her large, dark eyes flashed at him and then away again. Some force of unknown emotion made them sparkle with reflected firelight. “I don’t actually need your help.”

Had she changed her mind? Bemused by another wave of inappropriate disappointment, he murmured, “I see.”

Of course he didn’t see. That was merely one of the things he said when he felt the need to say something instead of remaining silent. He had always found it to be one of the most useful phrases in his repertoire when speaking to members of the fairer sex, who, truthfully, were some of the most mysterious creatures ever created by the gods.

“You’re a convenience,” she whispered. “That’s all. I can handle my issues by myself.”

Ah. He thought he began to get a glimmer. That sounded like worried pride. Sometimes it could be hard to accept help.

“Bel,” he said gently, giving her hand a squeeze. “I never presumed anything different. You can send me away at any point you like, but if my help will halve your trouble or ease your path in any way, I’m honored to be of assistance. What can I do for you?”

She didn’t appear to mind that he had dropped all formality. Her shoulders straightened as she took a deep breath and again gave him a sidelong look.

Then her telepathic voice sounded. If you don’t mind, I would rather not discuss such a sensitive subject aloud.

Caught by surprise, he fell into enchantment. Carrying something of her physical demeanor, her mental voice sounded bright and silvery.

He felt almost as if he had looked up and caught an unexpected glimpse of sunlight flashing on a starling’s wing as it flew overhead. Her telepathic voice was entirely and uniquely her, and she was inside his head.

She seemed to be waiting for something. With a start, he realized she was waiting for his response.

“Of course,” he said. “Of course” belonged alongside “I see” in his repertoire of generic responses. Shaking his head, he amended that to something more meaningful as he switched to telepathy. I mean, of course, telepathy is the best way to keep something private.

I need to go to some place called Malfeasance. Her expression settled into lines of determination. While I could do that on my own—and would, if I had to—it would be easier if I had a male to escort me. If we went together, I could hopefully do what I need to do with a minimum of fuss and attention.

Malfeasance, he repeated. His own mood turned grim. You mean the gaming hell.

She jerked her head in a nod. Yes. Switching to verbal speech, she said, “There’s one of my attendants. Lianne?”

While she had kept her voice quiet, the cloaked Elven woman several yards away turned toward them and approached with quick, light steps. “Yes, my lady.”

Giving his arm a quick squeeze, Bel slipped from his side and stepped forward to meet the other woman. They went silent, looking into each other’s eyes.

Troubled, Graydon glanced around to make sure no one paid them any undue attention. When he was satisfied, he turned his attention back to the women while he considered what little Bel had revealed thus far.

London was littered with social clubs and houses of chance, but Malfeasance was not just any gaming hell. It was located in the most notorious part of London and, Graydon had heard, was run by a pariah Djinn named Malphas.

While the Djinn could take physical shape if they chose, at their essence, they were Powerful creatures of air and fire. Social by nature, they had an elaborate community structure and traded in favors as their form of commerce.

Because of that, keeping their word meant a great deal to the Djinn, except their pariahs were an entirely different kind of creature. As social outcasts, they were not to be trusted to keep their word, yet they were still extremely Powerful, which made them very dangerous.

Why did Bel feel the need to go there, of all places? Did she know that Malfeasance was run by a pariah Djinn?

The Elder Races weren’t like human society, with its unfair and unrealistic restrictions on women. It would have been perfectly acceptable for Bel to walk into Malfeasance on her own, if she chose.

However, if she did so, as Lady of the South Carolina Elven demesne, she would draw all manner of attention to herself. If she was intent upon a mission of some privacy, she could potentially do more harm than good.

The two women appeared to be arguing. With a sharp downward slice of one hand, Bel brought the conversation to a close. “That’s quite enough, Lianne,” she said aloud. “You and Alana must do as you’re told. I’ll return as soon as I possibly can.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Lianne said. The younger Elven woman’s frustration was evident in the glowering glance she gave Graydon. Lianne shrugged out of her cloak. “At least take this so you can try to be less conspicuous.”

Bel attempted to refuse it. “You need the protection. It’s too cold for you.”

“Please, don’t worry about me. I’ll find another cloak.”

Stepping forward, Graydon took the cloak from Lianne’s grasp. As both women turned to him, he told Bel, “She’s right. You need the anonymity the cloak will bring you. Let her help you by allowing her to look after herself.”

Bel’s mouth tightened, while Lianne’s resentful frown turned into an expression of grudging approval.

After a moment, Bel gave a short nod. As Graydon held the cloak for her, she turned her back to him so he could settle it onto her shoulders.

She said to the other woman, “The sooner we leave, the sooner we can hopefully come back. Make sure Alanna knows what to do, should Calondir inquire as to my whereabouts. If my absence is discovered before I can return, tell people I felt unwell and had to leave.”

Although Graydon could see acquiescence was difficult for Lianne, the younger woman nodded and turned to hurry away down the path.

Then he forgot about the other woman as Bel turned to face him.

Moving with care, he reached for the hood, pulled it over her head and ran his gaze down her slim figure. She asked, “What do you think? Will it do?”

The cloak was well made and warm. It was also a plain and discreet black, and it covered her face and form completely. With her face tilted up to his, he could make out her shadowed eyes, a hint of angled cheekbone, and the tilt to her nose, but someone standing a short distance to either side of him wouldn’t be able to see anything.

But the cloak did absolutely nothing to disguise either her physical scent or her elegant, distinctive Power.

He told her in perfect honesty, “It might hide your identity from a casual observer, but it won’t hide anything from someone who knows you, or who is sensitive to Power. And it won’t do a thing to stop a Wyr who might catch your scent.”

There was a slight pause, as she absorbed his words. “Well,” she said heavily, “it will have to do.” From within the depth of the hood, she seemed to search his gaze. “Will you still accompany me?”

“Of course,” he said. “I wouldn’t leave you now for the world.”

As he offered his arm to her again, she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow. Together, they strode for the nearest exit.

She switched back to telepathy. Perhaps once we’re out of the Gardens, we’ll be able to hire a hansom. I don’t want to use any of our carriages.

A medusa with an Orc guard approached. He waited until they had walked past the Demonkind pair before he replied, If you think you can stomach a ride through the air, I can shapeshift and carry you. It would be more discreet than renting a hansom. It would also get us to Malfeasance much faster, but I’m told flying isn’t to everybody’s taste.

The opening of her hood turned toward him, and her hand tightened. She replied, I think that would be absolutely marvelous. Thank you.

A glow of warmth spread through him. I could shapeshift now and attempt to cloak it, but there are so many creatures present that have either a great deal of Power, or sensitivity to it. I would rather not risk exposing you.

No, you’re quite right to be careful. Her hood shifted as she turned to look ahead. Almost as if speaking to herself, she continued, I would love to fly. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have that sense of freedom.

A wistful note in her voice tugged at something deep inside him. He replied, I couldn’t conceive of living without it. I can’t imagine being forever grounded.

No, I don’t suppose you can.

They were almost at the gate.

He really didn’t want to say what he was about to say. In fact, he had to fight himself to say anything at all.

Quietly, he told her, If you could trust me enough with the reason why you need to go to Malfeasance, I could make the trip on your behalf. It would save you the risk of possible exposure. No one need ever know.

Calondir, he meant. Calondir need never know.

Because, while Bel had not explicitly said so in his hearing, it had become abundantly clear to Graydon that she didn’t want Calondir to know anything of what was happening.

Having once acknowledged that truth, he dug further inside himself, trying to ascertain how he felt about keeping a secret from Bel’s husband.

All he could remember was the scene beside the dance floor, with Calondir dancing and laughing with a costumed woman while just a short distance away, Bel stood tight with suppressed misery.

And, he realized, he was perfectly fine with keeping any number of secrets from Calondir.

Any number of secrets at all.

There were implications in that thought, serious ones that he needed to consider, but all his focus remained on her. He would have time enough to think things over when he was alone again.

She had paused for so long, he thought she might not answer him.

Then she said softly, Thank you so much for your generous offer, but it isn’t a matter of whether or not I can trust you. This is about someone else, and whether or not he would listen to anything you had to say.

The swiftness of Graydon’s internal reaction was as wild and vicious as any Wyr could turn. Who did she need to see so badly, and why did it matter so that she had to hide it from everybody?

Shocked at himself, he drew in a deep breath and forced his reply to remain mild, without a hint of snarl. Are you sure? I can be persuasive when I put my mind to it.

I’m sure, she told him. I’m probably the only person he will listen to, so I have to confront him in person. You see, my son has developed a serious problem.

As fast as he had reacted, his strange, unruly emotions morphed into surprise. Whatever starburst of nonsense had just exploded in his brain, he hadn’t considered anything like this.

Malfeasance did not just offer games of chance, which was part of its notoriety. Other vices could be purchased, including sex and drugs. If one had enough money, or so Graydon had heard, one could purchase anything one wanted, no matter how unsavory.

He could not imagine that Ferion would need to resort to a place like Malfeasance for sex. The handsome, charming Elven heir could have his pick of any number of sexual partners for free, yet there was no accounting for taste.

Another possibility occurred to him. He asked, Don’t tell me he’s developed an opium addiction?

No, she replied grimly. Games of chance are his vice. No matter how many times he has promised that he will quit, he cannot seem to control himself.

They had reached the gate. As they passed through to the London street outside, the frigid air caused by the Daoine Sidhe’s magical influence warmed. The snowfall stopped, to be replaced by a steady, cold drizzle.

Falling silent, they picked their way through the crowds of people and carriages around the entryway.

Hoping to disguise Bel’s presence, Graydon put his arm around her shoulders and drew her against his side. If anyone were paying attention, perhaps his Wyr scent and signature presence would confuse them enough they would not be able to identify her.

Bel neither objected nor questioned his move. Once away from the thick of the crowd, he picked up the pace until they were striding swiftly away.

Only then did he speak aloud. “An addiction to gambling can be every bit as serious as any other kind of addiction,” he said. “How long has he been having the problem?”

“It began several years ago.” Although she kept her tone low, Bel spoke aloud as well. She paused. “That’s not exactly true. I’m not quite sure how long ago it might have started. It was several years ago when I first noticed how often he gambled, but he always seemed to be in control of it.”

“People who have a problem with drinking spirits often disguise how much they drink,” he said.

Under his arm, her shoulders lifted in a shrug. “And gaming is a pastime so many people indulge in, I didn’t really think anything of it, until he came to me the first time with a debt he couldn’t pay. He said he made a mistake and lost his head. He swore it would never happen again, so I paid the debt for him.”

As he listened, he watched for a quiet side street or private park where he might be able to shapeshift hidden from casual sight. While the weather was inclement, it was still winter solstice, the night that masques were celebrated all throughout the Elder Races.

Not everyone was lucky enough to get an invitation to King Oberon’s event, and the streets were busier than they might otherwise have been. Drunken, cheerful groups passed them more than once, and a solitary, cheap, gaudy mask lay abandoned on the cobblestones.

When she fell silent, he said, “I think I can see where this is going. Even though Ferion promised, he didn’t really stop. Did he?”

He felt rather than saw her shake her head within the depths of the hood. “I thought he had. I truly didn’t think any more of it. Mistakes happen, and in some ways, Ferion has had a more challenging life than most.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

She sighed. “He is his father’s heir and expected to remain close and available, knowledgeable on demesne affairs but not too involved. Calondir guards his authority jealously, and he won’t let Ferion assume too much responsibility.”

He frowned. “That sounds frustrating.”

“It is, and we are so long lived as a race, he won’t ever inherit unless an accident takes his father’s life. Every time he has tried to develop a sense of purpose for himself, it has become skewed and stunted by this very narrow role he’s supposed to fulfill.”

Graydon had never witnessed the complications of family life up close. Children were rare in the Elder Races. While he loved them, as an unmated sentinel, he didn’t get much occasion to spend time with any. The situation Bel described had truly never occurred to him.

Shaking his head, he muttered, “I had no idea.”

“Ferion lives in a particularly difficult cage. At times, he doesn’t handle it well. He has bouts of drinking and melancholia too.” She drew in a sharp breath. “It’s too easy to confide in you. I know you’ve already promised you would be discreet, but please don’t say anything.”

“I won’t,” he said, tightening his arm in reassurance. “I wouldn’t.”

“Thank you,” she told him. “So, yes, I thought everything was taken care of, but sometime later, he accumulated another debt he couldn’t pay. That time, we argued about it. He promised it wouldn’t happen again. Even though I had doubts, I paid the bill. Again.”

“Let me guess,” he said quietly. “Calondir doesn’t know any of this.”

She went silent again for a long moment. Through his arm still across her shoulders, he could feel the tension gripping her slender body.

“No,” she responded at last. “Calondir doesn’t know, and he can’t know.” When he didn’t reply, she said stiffly, “There are reasons.”

Why couldn’t Calondir know? He wanted to ask, but it was evident she was already having difficulty with telling her story, and it wasn’t his place to pry. He also didn’t want to cause her any discomfort so that she shut down and possibly turned him away.

“I believe you,” he told her. His truthsense was highly developed, and he could hear the truth in every word she spoke.

Finally, as they came to the mouth of an alleyway, he found what he was looking for. Pausing, he checked it. Save for a couple of cats rustling through some rubbish, the alley was empty. It was also large enough to accommodate him in his gryphon form.

After one quick glance around them, he let his arm slide from her shoulders, stepped into the alley and shapeshifted.