I nodded. And Hanna had to take care of Maggie, and Hanna wasn’t a warrior, either. “Good call.”
A couple of serving women entered the room, pushing carts filled with food. One of them set a tray in front of me, and on it was a small bag of Cheetos, a triple-stack cheeseburger, and what had to be a twenty-ounce strawberry milkshake. I licked my lips.
Menolly let out a snort. “Never change, Kitten. Never change.”
“Hey, I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten in days. Hell, I didn’t even realize that it was evening until you showed up. I had no clue how long I was out there.”
She sobered. “Well, I can tell you this. You gave us quite a scare.” And in those few words, I knew how relieved she was.
After everybody had eaten, we settled down to business.
“All right, here’s the rundown. When you four went after Shade, Trytian and Vanzir began searching for information on Yerghan. I’ll leave it to them to tell you what they found.” Camille motioned to Vanzir.
“Our first thought was to talk to Carter, and it was a good choice. He was a great help. Apparently, Trytian’s father was right. Shadow Wing has been absorbing the power from his sorcerers down in the Sub-Realms.” Vanzir let out a sigh.
“What do you mean, ‘absorbing their power’?” I tore open the bag of Cheetos, absently popping one in my mouth.
“What I mean is that he has been feeding on their life essence. Sucking them dry. And when he does that, he absorbs their magical abilities. Now, he’s never been able to do this before, so something has either shifted in his makeup, or he has discovered a new alchemical process. Either way, it’s trouble. Remember when we talked about him being called the ‘Unraveller’?”
It had been some time, but I nodded. At one point, Shadow Wing’s focus had shifted from simply taking over Earthside and Otherworld to razing both to the ground. Speculation ran that he had been gathering the spirit seals in order to reunite them and obliterate all three of the worlds—Otherworld, Earthside, and the Sub-Realms—with the resulting implosion. As long as the seals didn’t touch one another and weren’t magically bound together again to reform the one seal, the three realms would stay separate.
The Great Divide had resulted in an unnatural balance, and it wasn’t holding up quite as well as the Great Fae Lords had thought it would. But to reunite the spirit seals together? The disasters that would unfold would shake all three realms.
“At least he doesn’t have any of the spirit seals anymore.”
“Yeah, well, we think that’s what has triggered this current mania. Basically, when Menolly went down to rescue Nerissa and managed to win back all of the spirit seals, it pushed Shadow Wing over the edge. We’re not sure what he intends on doing now, except for the fact that he’s totally focused on destroying the three of you and anybody surrounding you. Basically, Shadow Wing’s lost it, but he’s far too powerful to catch and throw in the loony bin.”
“So whatever it takes, his goal is to take us out.”
“Pretty much,” Trytian said. “He’s still got enough deranged followers to help him. Although I’m pretty sure that Yerghan the Blade agreed to this simply to win his freedom. I doubt if he wants to stay Earthside. My guess? His goal is to work his way back to Otherworld and disappear into the mountains somewhere.”
“That sounds about right. There isn’t much over here for a barbarian warlord,” I said.
“Anyway,” Trytian continued, “Vanzir and I asked some of our contacts to snoop around. The Demon Underground is pretty rife with knowledge, especially since a number of the minor demons escaped over here to get away from Shadow Wing. They’re as afraid of him as we are and the last thing they want is for him to manage to get over here. It appears that Shadow Wing did put a geas on Yerghan. He can’t go free until he returns with your heads to Shadow Wing.”
I gulped, fingering my neck. “Then he can’t back off until he’s dead.”
“Pretty much. Carter said there’s been some unusual activity down in the industrial district. Several transients were found murdered, and a small tent city abruptly up and moved to a different area of the city a few days ago.” Vanzir shrugged. “The transients who were murdered were stabbed. And it wasn’t for their money, because they didn’t have any.”
“What makes Carter think it was Yerghan?” Any number of loonies could run around through a homeless tent city, stabbing people.
“As you know, Carter monitors the police reports. Actually, he monitors just about everything. The police found a couple of witnesses willing to talk. They mentioned a huge, burly Viking-type going off on the homeless. Now, we know Yerghan isn’t a Viking, but he could be mistaken for one. They also said he was carrying a very large sword that looked, according to one bystander, ‘Brutal as hell.’ Since most citizens in Seattle don’t carry swords, I think we have our man. To cap it off, the witness also said that the sword was glowing. Glowing sword? Try magical sword.” Trytian shrugged. “I’d bet good money that it’s Yerghan.”
“I have to admit,” Menolly said, “that sounds about right. So Carter thinks he’s hanging down in the industrial district? He couldn’t have just passed through?”
“Think about it,” Vanzir said. “There are a lot of abandoned buildings down there, as well as several magical bars and dives. Just the type of scum Yerghan would hang out with.”
“There’s more,” Trillian said. “After we got back—while you were still lost in the Land of Wandering Souls, Delilah—Roz and I did some reconnaissance work. We tapped Morio’s computer skills, and he brought up a list of abandoned buildings, so we paid a cursory visit to all of them. We didn’t go in just in case he was in there, but we noticed that one of the buildings seems to have lights on at night, even though it’s supposed to be empty. Since Yerghan came over here with four demons, it’s likely that he prefers to have companions to back him up. And since he lost all four of those demons, chances are good he’ll be looking for some new muscle. I doubt if Shadow Wing sent him over with no resources, so he’s probably got money on him.”
“It’s the best lead we’ve got so far.” Vanzir leaned back in his chair. “The sooner we act, the better. We can’t give him a chance to build up a private little army. I don’t know if he knows about the Demon Underground, but the demons down there wouldn’t give him the time of day anyway. So he’ll probably be looking for humans or Fae to fill out his roster.”
“What about vampires?” I asked. “Do you think he’d work with them?”
Menolly shook her head. “Roman and I have spies out watching the community. We’ve passed along the word that anybody found working with anybody questionable will be staked upon contact. Most of the vampires around here have accepted Roman’s rule, and they know he doesn’t mess around when he puts out a decree like that.”
“Shifters?” I asked. “There’s a large Were community, and I wouldn’t put it past a number of them to sign up for something like that. Tensions have been running high lately. Maybe it’s because Chase suddenly quit his job to join the Keraastar Knights. And Yugi has yet to win the full respect and trust that Chase managed to incur. All I know is at the last Supe Community Action Council meeting, there were several arguments that almost turned into brawls.”
Camille pressed her lips together, shaking her head. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make that meeting. As you know, I did send a representative, and he told me about it. There’s just so much flux going on within the internal politics of the Supe community right now that I think everybody’s a little on edge. I don’t think that Chase changing jobs has a great deal to do with it. I think we’re just undergoing one of those times when the power structure shifts. Also, remember, with the vampire rights bill sure to pass, there’s a lot of stress among the human community from that.”
“Whatever the case, I think there’s a better chance than usual that Yerghan could recruit followers from the Supe community. I think he’d scare off most humans.”
<
br /> “Point taken,” she said, nodding. “So, what are our next steps?”
“We check out the building. I suppose we could do a stakeout first, but if we see Yerghan, we’re going to want to make our move as soon as possible. I suggest we move in tonight.” Even though I was feeling a little rocky, I was itching to get back to normal—or at least as normal as I could.
“All right, so what’s our plan? It’s 7:30 now, so whatever we do, we’d better get started.” Camille leaned back in her chair, looking at the laptop.
“Once again, you don’t go,” Morio said. He leaned forward, staring hard at her. “Unless we’re actually facing Shadow Wing, you don’t get to play anymore. Your duties are here, in this Barrow, to the people who live here.” He said it so bluntly that I almost gasped.
Camille glowered back at him. “Yerghan the Blade was sent by Shadow Wing. I feel like I should be there.”
“We need a strong contingent, yes. But we don’t need everybody there to take him on. Just like you decided that Iris doesn’t get to go this time, Aeval and Titania will have your hide if you decide that you need to be part of this. You’re already in the doghouse for going after Delilah. The day you accepted that crown, you signed away your freedom.” Morio held her gaze.
“Menolly gets to go, and she’s a princess.” But even as she said it, Camille’s voice fell and I knew she had accepted the inevitable.
“I may be a princess, but I don’t rule the kingdom.” Menolly flashed her a sympathetic smile. “At least not right now. I’m not betting it will always be that way, and in fact, I have a feeling the day will be coming when Blood Wyne imposes limitations on my activities as well. And since I’ve given my promise and my oath to her and to her son, I’m going to have to accept it when she does. Morio’s right. As much as we love you, the fact is, your place is here.”
Vanzir cleared his throat. “To that end, Aeval doesn’t want me going in either. Though if this were a war that all of the Fae were involved in, I think she’d want Camille and me to be at the head of the pack. And she’d be there with us. But Yerghan the Blade coming after the three of you? I think she’s pretty much only concerned about Camille’s life.”
That stung a little, but it didn’t surprise me.
“I don’t think we should be surprised at all by that. Let’s face it, the two of you are benched for this battle. Nobody blames you. But the rest of us can take him on.” I straightened. “So, who does that leave to go?”
“I told Nerissa to stay here, too,” Menolly began, but I cut her off.
“Don’t underestimate her. You should have seen her take on the cyclops.” I flashed a grin at Nerissa, who smiled back.
“Thank you. I appreciate someone finally standing up for my skills. I worked hard to get where I’m at, and I can fight just as well as anyone of you. Well, maybe not as good, but I’m no slouch.” She snorted, then gave Menolly a long look. “You are not going to sideline me anymore. It’s not that I enjoy fighting, but I want to do my part.”
“Touché. I’ll stop being so protective. At least, until the next time.” Menolly reached out a finger, tucking it under Nerissa’s chin, and pulled her forward to give her a long kiss.
“So who all is going? I am, and I assume Shade? Or are your wounds still too severe?” It suddenly occurred to me that Shade might not want to face down Yerghan again, given he still had that damn sword.
“Oh, trust me, I’m coming along. My stitches are almost all healed, and I want a crack at him. I plan on giving him a little taste of what he gave me. And what he did to our house.” Apparently Shade’s self-doubt didn’t impair his desire for revenge.
Roz raised his hand. “I’m going.”
“Of course I will go, and Trillian and Morio,” Smoky said.
“I’m going, too,” Trytian said. “I think we should try to capture him alive, so we can question him.”
“You really think we can manage that?” I stared at Trytian, wondering what the daemon had been smoking.
“I intend on trying. Think about it: if we can capture Yerghan the Blade, he can tell us a hell of a lot of useful information about Shadow Wing.” Trytian’s eyes gleamed, and I had the feeling he was actually looking forward to the prospect.
“What makes you think he’s going to talk?”
Trytian stared straight at me, holding my gaze. “I have ways to make him talk. And I don’t have the same moral compass as you.”
My stomach lurched. I wanted to protest. The thought of torture made my stomach queasy, even if it was Yerghan. But the idea of having an arsenal of information about our enemy was so tempting that I couldn’t just blindly say no. I glanced around at the others, wondering what they were thinking.
“Opinions on the subject, please?”
Smoky gave a little shrug. “I think it behooves us to consider the option. After all, we’re planning to kill Yerghan. We know that. We’re not going in there just to catch him and put them away behind bars. That didn’t work so well the first time, did it? Even if the bars were the Sub-Realms.”
“I know, but the concept of torturing someone is hard for me. I’ve come a long ways from my rose-colored glasses days, but there are lines that are hard for me to cross.” I thought for a moment. “Is there some magical potion that can force them to tell the truth?” And then I realized what else was bothering me. “It’s more than the concept of torture that bothers me. Trytian, I don’t want to see you resort to that. I think you’re better than that.”
He blinked, then let out a sigh. “Delilah. I’m a daemon. I know you don’t like to think that some people have it in them to torture someone without recrimination, but I do. Whether I choose to do so depends on the situation. But we’re in a battle against an insane Demon Lord who would love nothing better than to destroy your world—well, both your worlds—and you and your sisters. If Shadow Wing had his way, Earthside and Otherworld would be overrun with demons. Billions of people would be enslaved, and he would revel in every moment. So if torturing Yerghan the Blade helps lead to Shadow Wing’s downfall? I’ll jump in with joy and take the responsibility.”
I swallowed my protest. Trytian meant business, and he was here to help us. And no matter what I said or did, he made a valid point. I was squeamish, and I didn’t think I could ever do what he was thinking of, but I had to put my feelings aside in the situation.
“Never mind. I won’t fight you on it. But I won’t help you, either. I’ll help you capture him, and oddly enough, I can help kill him, but I can’t inflict torture.”
“I won’t ask you to be there. If we’re lucky, we might be able to get the information out of him by lying, although he’s probably smart enough to see through the ruse. We can always tell him we’ll let him go if he tells us everything he knows.” Trytian paused, then gave me a sly grin. “Would you do that? Would you lie to someone to get information?”
I felt like he had put me on the hot seat. Because I knew that I would do exactly as he had said. And I knew that wasn’t much better than what he was suggesting.
“Leave the philosophical arguments on morality out of this.” Camille sounded irritated. “Whatever it takes, we need to destroy Yerghan. Beyond that, any information we can find about Shadow Wing will help. I’m not going to ask how you get it, because in the long run, Shadow Wing needs to die. We’ll never be free of danger, but if he stays in power, everybody connected with us will also be in danger. So Vanzir and I are staying here, and the rest of you are going. Morio, can you show them a map of where the building is? I wish I could stay, but Aeval has requested my presence. I think I’m about to get dressed down for what I did to rescue Delilah.”
She stood, looking like she’d rather do anything else in the world except what she was about to. “Vanzir, why don’t you stay and help them make plans? I’ll tell Aeval you’ll be back in a bit.” And with that, she left the room, shutting the door behind her and her guards.
Chapter 11
> AS SOON AS she left, we got down to business. Morio brought up a map of the industrial district, pointing out the building, which was on the other side of the railroad tracks. It was in a row with a bunch of other abandoned buildings, but this one had two stories. Looking at the satellite view, we could tell it was a metal building, looking as though it was made out of aluminum.
“Both buildings on either side are empty. This entire complex used to be owned by TruFly Airlines until they went out of business. And before you ask, it was a small airline, local to the Northwest, catering to the eco-community. I think they even had composting toilets on their planes. But the other airlines put them out of business with cheaper fares. Of course, with cheap fares comes cheap service, but in this economic recession, those who want and can afford first-class aren’t looking to use a composting toilet.”
I tried not to laugh. This was serious business, but all I could think about was an in-flight outhouse.
“Did Carter suggest anything?” Nerissa asked.
Vanzir nodded. “He suggested talking to Hercules. And again, before you ask, Hercules happens to be a giant, like your bouncer, Pieder, Menolly, except he’s half-blood, not full. Hercules owns the bar across the street from the Sega building. It’s called the Rockface. Apparently, if you need to know anything about that particular neighborhood, Hercules is the man to ask. Especially if there’s a twenty involved.”
“So we know that Yerghan has a soul-stealer blade. Trytian, do you know if he’s got any other dangerous weapons? Any artifacts? After all, Shadow Wing sent him over and he probably has a massive stash of stuff.” My eyes lit up as I spoke. The thought of plundering Shadow Wing’s treasure trove and seeing just what he had stashed away made for a good fantasy. I wasn’t mercenary, and I didn’t focus on belongings, but it was always fun to see what kind of goodies somebody had.