“You’ll have plenty of time,” Mallen said. “Don’t rush the future. That’s one thing I learned the hard way. Don’t ever rush time. Let it play out on its own schedule, because sometimes when you rush it, you miss things and don’t realize that you’ve lost them until they’re gone. I lost the chance to watch my daughters grow, because I was too focused on my future and I ignored the present.”
“That’s right, you lost family in Elqaneve.” I had forgotten, but now the conversation came flooding back. Mallen had lost his sister, his wife, and two daughters in the attack on Elqaneve. Our father had been killed during the battle, as well. Camille and I had lived through it.
“Yes. They were still so young, but I kept promising myself that I would go home and spend time with them later on, when it counted. I thought establishing myself over here was more important. Surely, they would be better off if I spent my time here while they were young, and then with them when they grew into young women. Only they never got that chance, and neither did I.”
“Did the fires take them?” I closed my eyes, remembering the screaming of that night. The flames. The relentless lightning that destroyed the city.
He nodded. “Our house was one of the ones hit by the lightning. It caught fire, and my wife did her best to get everybody out. But when she realized that my daughters weren’t in the courtyard, she ran back in. By then, the smoke was so thick that she couldn’t see anything and she couldn’t find them. She refused to leave. There was so much chaos and death that the neighbors couldn’t spend time trying to convince her to flee. They had their own families to worry about. The next day, when they looked through the rubble, they found what was left of her body, and those of my daughters. The girls had been hiding in the closet, probably afraid of the thunder.”
Mallen kept his reserve. Like most elves, he was able to assume an unreadable face when his emotions were high. But a single flicker of his eyes told me how much he was still hurting, and how much pain he had gone through.
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not something anyone could have prevented. No one anticipated what was about to happen. My loss was not the only loss that day. It’s estimated that over one hundred thousand elves died during the fires, and another hundred thousand from the fighting. Kelvashan was decimated. The Elfin race was almost exterminated. Every single member of my race bears some sort of scar from the attack, whether it be on the body or in the heart. I doubt if we will ever fully heal.”
“We lost our father. I think the hardest part was waiting to find out the truth.”
“You and Camille were there that night, weren’t you?”
I nodded. “I think we’ll always have nightmares. Menolly managed to get away, back over here. Camille and I had to travel from Elqaneve to Y’Elestrial. We were there when the fires rained down. We were there in the palace when it was destroyed. We do understand what it was like that night.”
Even now, when I closed my eyes, I could see the destruction and death raining down around us. I knew Camille still had nightmares as well. Once in a while we talked about it, and neither one of us cared much for the smell of roasting meat, given how many burned bodies we had encountered.
“We all bear scars of one sort or another.” He let out a sigh. “Enough traveling down memory lane. The past is past and we’re better off focusing the present.”
A moment later, the door opened and the nurse popped her head in. “Venus the Moon Child here to see you.”
I glanced at Shade, hoping to hell the old shaman would be able to locate my beloved’s soul.
Chapter 4
VENUS THE MOON Child looked a lot more refined than he had when I first met him, but he was still the same old feral shaman at heart. His hair was plaited back in a long tawny braid, heavily interspersed with gray. He had shaved his beard, but his eyes were still luminous, and the brilliant fire opal he wore around his neck glowed with that same luminosity. He crackled with magic, the sparks practically flying off of him. He was wearing the colors of Camille’s court—violet, black, and silver. The werepuma looked like he had just stepped out of the pages of some magical faerie tale.
“Delilah, I came as soon as I could. The guards are waiting in the reception area, although two of them insisted on following me to the room. They’re right outside the door, and I need to let them know that everything’s all right in here or they’ll come bursting in to make sure nothing is wrong.”
“Of course.” I opened the door with him, allowing the guards to take a peek inside. “There are no windows, so nobody can come through except magically. If you want, you’re welcome to stay inside with this.”
One of the guards chose to do so, with an apologetic grin.
“We can’t let anything happen to Venus, I’m sure you understand.”
I nodded. The Keraastar Knights were integral to our future plans, and now that Camille had gathered them all together, we didn’t dare chance losing any of them. Not again.
I motioned for the guard to stand in the corner, out of the way. Then Mallen and I explained to Venus exactly what it happened. His expression sobered when I told him about the soul-stealer blade.
“Well, that’s not good. But you came to the right place. I’ve had experience in soul retrieval. I’m not certain if I can bring him back, but I should be able to find out where he is.” He motioned for us to move away from the bed, then positioned himself beside Shade.
“Delilah, I need you to leave the room. Your energy is too frantic. It will interfere with my abilities to trace his whereabouts. Mallen, please monitor his condition. Even though what I’m about to do shouldn’t jar the wound, it can affect his heart rate and pulse.”
Once again, I left the room, wishing to hell that I could stay. This time, I refused to return to the waiting room. One of the guards brought me a chair and I sat down outside in the hallway, hugging myself as I strained to hear what was going on inside. I wanted to call Camille, but I wasn’t sure what I could say.
Ten minutes passed, and another ten. I stood, pacing the length of the hall. I thought about peeking in, seeing if everything was all right, but the kind of work Venus was doing required absolute concentration, and anything I did to interrupt him would only disturb the process.
A few minutes later, I glanced over at the guard. “So are you a guard for the Keraastar Knights in general?”
He gave me a sympathetic look. “I really can’t talk about my duties, Miss Delilah. I’m sorry. But if you want to talk about something else, to take your mind off of what’s happening in there, I’d be happy to help.”
Grateful that he understood, I asked him about Talamh Lonrach Oll.
“So my sister’s gardens, how are they coming?”
It was a lame attempt at conversation, but at least it was something.
“The gardens are beautiful, miss. Her Majesty has a lovely eye for landscaping. We’re increasing the apple orchards, and Her Majesty has also instructed the gardeners to plant a number of other fruit trees. She intends for the court of Dusk and Twilight to become an extremely fruitful place. And Their Majesties Titania and Aeval concur. It’s hoped that by next harvest, Talamh Lonrach Oll will be selling fruit at the local farmers’ markets.”
That led us into a discussion about the seasons, and how autumn was coming quickly. I didn’t want to talk about the equinox, because that led me to thinking about Shade, but the guard seemed to be aware of my hesitation and he led the discussion to the fall cleanup, and how Talamh Lonrach Oll was expanding its borders once again. That was news to me, and it got me wondering just how big the sovereign Fae nation would become. Before I realized it, forty-five minutes had passed, and the door to Shade’s room opened.
Mallen motioned for me to follow him inside. I thanked the guard, and he gave me a gentle salute. Venus was standing by Shade’s side, looking grave. My heart began to plummet.
“Were you able to find anything? Were you able to find out wh
ere his soul went?”
“I know where to find him. But I can’t retrieve his soul. You’re going to have to do that.”
I wasn’t sure I had heard him correctly. “Me? I’m not a shaman.”
“Delilah, Shade is lost in the Land of Wandering Souls.”
The words reverberated through me, meaning nothing and yet, everything. Mallen led me over to a chair, and I sat down, clutching the arms.
“The Land of Wandering Souls? I’ve never heard of that before. Where is it? How do I get there?”
“That’s a question for the Autumn Lord. The Land of Wandering Souls is found in the realm of eternal autumn. It’s an elemental realm—a realm belonging to the season. The only ones who can travel there without help are those of that nature. The Harvestmen. I imagine the Death Maidens, too, given you’re pledged to the Autumn Lord. But I can’t find my way there.”
I was silent for a moment, trying to digest what he had told me. “I have no clue what to do. I’ve never heard of the place, and Greta has never mentioned it. Neither has the Autumn Lord.”
“I suggest you contact them as soon as possible. I don’t know much about the realm myself, except that when a soul is out there too long, there’s a chance it will be lost forever. The longer Shade’s out there, the less chance of retrieving him.” Venus gave me a little shrug. “I wish I had better news, sweetheart, but at least we know where he is. I’m not sure how the soul-stealer blade sent him there, but that doesn’t really matter.”
I could barely breathe, my chest felt so tight. I gripped the arms of the chair trying to brace myself as the impact of what he was saying hit home. His words kept ricocheting through me, and I was doing everything I could to prevent myself from turning into Tabby. I wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn’t come. Numbly, I looked up at Venus after a moment.
“I’ll have to contact Greta. How long do I have before he’s lost for good?”
“I don’t know. As I said, I know very little about this realm. I knew it existed, but I’ve never been there.” He pressed his lips together then, reaching out to touch my shoulder. A wave of energy passed through me and I realized he was trying to calm my panic.
I closed my eyes, allowing him to work on me. He moved around behind me and placed both hands on my shoulders. The ripple of energy flowed through me like a soothing wave of heat, smoothing out the wrinkles and bumps and jolts. After a moment, I was breathing again, and I realized that my breath was matching his own—rhythmic and even.
I inhaled deeply, then let out the breath and stood, surprised by how steady I felt.
“Thank you, I needed that.” Even as I spoke, I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to contact Greta here in the FH-CSI. The energy was too sterile, and the closer I was in proximity to Shade, the more frazzled I felt.
“Is Vanzir back yet?”
Mallen popped outside to find out. I turned to Venus.
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you doing this. At least we know where he is. There has to be a way to retrieve him.” I felt weary, tired beyond words. “I’m so tired, Venus. Tonight was horrible.” And then, a wave of tears rose up in my throat. “Shade threw me a bridal shower. I was shopping for my wedding dress and when I came home everybody was there, waiting to surprise me. And then, after people went home, we were just sitting around talking and having fun—and Yerghan attacked.”
Venus worried his lip. After a moment, he said, “You know we’re approaching the final battle. Shadow Wing grows desperate. When Menolly managed to wrest all the spirit seals away from him, it was a great blow. And now that all the Keraastar Knights are together, he feels the approach of the end. He no longer has a chance to use us, and he’s losing what grip on sanity he had. I’m afraid that sending Yerghan after you was a desperate act on his part. The daemon army encroaches even as his own demons flee him.”
“How do you know this?” I asked.
“The spirit seals. You have no idea how they’ve affected those of us who carry them. The Keraastar Knights are not simply integral to the downfall of Shadow Wing, but now that we’re all gathered together, it increases our power to sense what is happening in this war. We don’t talk about it much, but we’re training with Camille to create a unified force. The Keraastar Knights, as a unit, are no longer individuals. We each have our own selves, our own pasts, but we’re rapidly evolving into a hive mind.”
I thought about what he said for a moment. If the Keraastar Knights could feel Shadow Wing’s energy, then could he feel theirs? Could he feel Camille out there, wearing the Keraastar diamond? The thought chilled me.
“I have a question for you, and I’m not sure how you’re going to feel about me asking. I know Camille would have said something if she was concerned, or at least I hope she would. Shamas—our cousin. What do you make of all of this?”
I still didn’t trust Shamas. It wasn’t that I thought he was out to muck things up, but the fact was, he had been dead and buried until we had gone to Otherworld to find the last Keraastar Knight. During the ritual Camille performed, Shamas had appeared to claim the last spirit seal. His resurrection had thrown all of us for a loop, and while Camille and I had talked a little about it, she kept most of her feelings to herself. I didn’t blame her. This was her burden to bear, and there were things that I would probably never know. But it still made me uneasy.
Venus shifted from one foot to the other, looking uncomfortable. “I’m not sure how much I should talk about this. I know she’s your sister, but I am honor bound to Camille as the Queen of the Keraastar Knights. Just like I am honor bound to this seal I wear around my neck.”
I stood there, unsure of what to say. At one point my sisters and I had been completely open; we hadn’t had secrets and we had all worked toward the same goals. Now, Venus had just reinforced the fact that we were moving into different worlds.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll ask her later. If she can tell me, she will.” I held up my hand to forestall the apology I saw forming on his face.
At that moment, Mallen returned, Vanzir behind him.
“Sorry it took me so long, but Camille’s guards thought they found somebody down at Birchwater Pond.”
“Who was it?” I stiffened, part of me hoping that it was Yerghan the Blade and that they had managed to kill him, even though I knew that was a pipe dream.
“Martin. He came wandering over to look for Wilbur and somehow got himself on the path down to the pond. So how are things going?”
“I think I need to go home. I have to contact Greta.” I glanced back at Shade, then looked over at Mallen. “Take care of him for me, please? Call me if anything happens.”
“Of course. And Delilah, whatever you need to do, do it quickly. We can keep his body alive, but after a while the comatose state takes its toll.”
“Not only that, but if you take too long to find his soul, there won’t be a way to bring him home,” Venus interjected.
“Way to put the pressure on, guys,” I muttered. And with that, Vanzir and I left for the house as the guards returned Venus to Talamh Lonrach Oll.
ON THE WAY home Vanzir kept quiet, refraining from asking me any questions.
I was grateful, since I didn’t want to have to repeat myself several times over. By the time we pulled back into the driveway, the chaos appeared to have settled down, but I could see guards spread out everywhere. Camille had brought in an entire contingent from Talamh Lonrach Oll, and they were milling around. The lights were blazing in the living room. I was surprised that the electricity hadn’t shorted out, given the fire in the kitchen.
“We still have electricity?”
“No, actually we don’t. It seems Iris is a fiend for those battery-operated candles. She must have a hundred of them and so we brought them all up to the house. The electric company is coming out tomorrow, but for now, it’s going to be a chilly night.”
As we hustled into the house, I was overwhelmed with the smel
l of soot and charcoal. Someone had walled off the kitchen with a plastic tarp, and I didn’t even want to look at the damage. As I entered the living room, everyone was gathered around, including Iris, Bruce, the Duchess, the twins, and Maggie.
“How is Shade?” Camille jumped up, a worried look on her face.
“I have a lot to tell you. But first, did you find any sign of Yerghan the Blade?” I glanced at Vanzir, adding, “Vanzir told me about the false alarm with Martin.”
Wilbur, who was still there, let out a snort. Martin was sitting beside him, quietly content. The ghoul was an odd sort. I knew that Martin’s spirit was actually hanging around, although the necromancer didn’t seem to be able to pick up on him. I had a feeling that Wilbur’s guilt over his brother’s death was too strong to allow him to sense his spirit.
“No sign. Somehow he teleported out of the area, which tells me he has to have help over here. Either that or he’s got himself some sort of handy-dandy mega-magic scrolls. One way or another, he vanished.”
“You haven’t heard the last of him,” Trytian said. “Trust me, he’ll be back. He wants his freedom, and if the only way he can obtain it is to kill the three of you, he’ll be back to try again.”
“But why would he bother? He’s over here now. Shadow Wing can’t follow him here. And he probably can’t do anything about Yerghan if he just decided to take off and forget about us. I doubt if Yerghan’s rah-rah in favor of Shadow Wing’s growing insanity.” Camille shook her head. “If I were Yerghan, I think I’d vanish into the crowd and try to make my way to Otherworld.”
“You make a good point,” Trytian said. “I suppose that might be what he’s done, but if so, why bother making the attempt in the first place? I’ll check through the grapevine. Chances are, Shadow Wing placed him under a geas of some sort. If that’s the case, then Yerghan has to come through, or Shadow Wing may be able to yank him back into the Sub-Realms.”