Every time I went out to the Sovereign Nation now, I had to represent myself as the Queen of Dusk and Twilight, even though I hadn’t yet taken the crown. The moment I had heard the news that I would be taking the throne, I knew that I could never again appear there without being pulled together. Everything I said would be heard and analyzed by the Fae who lived there. And a number of them might not take kindly to a half-breed taking the throne. I had to hold myself up to be as beyond reproach. I was uncomfortable with the thought of being scrutinized, but I’d have to get used to it.
“What happened at the council meeting?” I glanced over at Smoky.
He looked tired, which in itself was unusual. “A lot of back and forth. There are those who are unhappy we’ve thrown our support behind the elves. They feel it weakens us to show any regard for anybody but our own kind. But Mother wore them down. I’ll say this for her—she’s got one hell of a way about her. I wish…” He drifted off, and then—after a deep breath—continued. “I wish she could have been free of Hyto earlier. But now, she’s come into her own. She’s being courted by several of the big Silver families, but she told me she’s not interested in marrying again. I’m one of her only surviving children, but she says that’s enough.”
I often wondered if I’d meet any of Smoky’s siblings, but wasn’t sure I wanted to. Out of two clutches, only a younger brother and three sisters survived. Hyto was to thank for their mortality rate, as well.
“What was the outcome? Will they support me when the Great Fae Lords wake? Will they support Talamh Lonrach Oll?” That’s what it all came down to.
“They will support you, and me. The debate was heated, but Mother pointed out that times have changed. Shadow Wing is on the fly, and the spirit seals have been found. We’re already backing you in the demonic war. This is one step further. The world will change. All of the realms will, regardless of what they want. We are coming to a crossroads in history, as we did with the Great Divide.”
I nodded, my eyes on the road. “Yeah, we are. And I need to pass my thanks on to Vishana. Having your people behind me means so much. As bad as Shadow Wing is, I have no idea what to expect with the Fae Lords.”
“I know, my love. I know.” A tendril of Smoky’s hair rose and slowly stroked my shoulders.
From the backseat, Morio let out a sigh. “I confess, I have a strong fear that when you find the Keraastar Diamond and bring the Knights to bear, it will somehow trigger the path for Shadow Wing to come barreling through so the prophecy can be completed. There’s no real basis for my fear, but it’s there nonetheless.”
“I thought of that myself,” I said, turning onto a two-lane highway. We were headed into the wilds now. In the short time that Aeval and Titania had established the Sovereign Fae Nation, it was as though the land had taken new life, with trees and shrubs bursting forth with a massive amount of new growth.
Talamh Lonrach Oll stood at two thousand acres and Aeval had recently put in a bid on another fifteen hundred. The government had ordered a limit of five thousand acres for now, and I had no doubt within a year we’d be at that number. I also had the sneaking suspicion that Aeval and Titania were working magic to push the boundaries on that limit.
As we approached the ten-foot-tall silver-plated gates, I could feel the rush of earth energy. The elementals were happy, and the land was thick with life. Cedar and fir abounded, and stands of birch and maple. The Fae had planted an oak grove last year and the trees were springing up so incredibly fast. The ferns were waist high, and huckleberry bushes abounded, along with salmonberry and blackberry brambles and—unfortunately—stinging nettles. Skunk cabbage lined the stream that flowed through the reserve, and hostas and moss covered the ground.
No electricity was allowed within the borders of the gates, but magic was rife and energy itself thick and available. There were plenty of amenities, but they weren’t powered by the outer world. No outsiders were allowed in without good reason, though occasionally Titania and Aeval would host days when guests could apply to visit, and a limited number of passes were granted.
I slowed as we approached the gates. Guards, ten of them, were watching the gate. The Fae militia was deadly and accurate in their aim. The guards motioned for us to pull in. The road curved toward the left, into a large parking lot. There were a number of cars here, most belonging to the Fae who lived on this land. This was as far as motorized vehicles were allowed to go. From here, it was either hoof it or take a horse and carriage.
Speaking of which, two carriages were waiting, each drawn by a pair of gorgeous horses. Friesians, the horses were a good sixteen hands high, black as the inky night. They were strong and muscled, with a curling mane that rivaled Fabio’s hair. Feathers flowed off the fetlocks, trimmed neatly so it billowed as they ran but didn’t drag on the ground.
Smoky, Morio, and I took one carriage, while Menolly, Delilah, and Vanzir rode in the other. The lack of noise from the outer world—no electrical wires humming, no cars, no televisions or stereos playing—lulled me, calming my nerves. The sound of birdsong still echoed even though dusk had fallen and twilight was nearing. As I leaned back and closed my eyes, the pinpricks of magic skittered over my skin. This was old, deep magic. Fae magic, that saturated the land and everything on it.
Usually, when we came here, we had to borrow the carriage and drive ourselves, but from now on, that would be different. Ever since the proclamation went out about my impending ascent to the throne, I had always found a driver waiting for me, even on the visits where I hadn’t let them know in advance that I was coming.
“How many do you think live out here now?” Smoky asked, keeping his voice soft.
“I don’t know, but now that they are increasing the acreage to thirty-five hundred, I think that there will be quite a few Fae coming out here.” I fell silent again, listening to the click-clack of the horses’ hooves as they lightly trotted over the cobblestone path. Talamh Lonrach Oll was a wending maze of paths, with a lake at the center. The houses here were single story. No two-story houses were permitted, and absolutely no skyscrapers or apartment towers of any kind. The power that fueled the stoves and refrigerators came from geothermal energy, from the wind and the sun, and from magic.
The glimmer of eye catchers shimmered along the path, ethereal globes of pink, yellow, blue, and green lights. They were akin to will-o’-the-wisps, but without sentience. They were from Otherworld, a piece of my homeworld brought over Earthside. I wondered how long before the Fae from home and the Fae over here either got over the past and made up, or would be at each other’s throats again. We weren’t a gentle people, dancing around trees and kissing the earth. No matter how much we loved nature and the planet, we were also a warrior race, and not all Fae were nice by nature. Some were downright mean.
“Where are we meeting Aeval?” Morio asked.
“At the Barrow. My Barrow.” It felt so strange claiming a palace for my own. I had been spending a lot of time out here, decorating the chambers that would be our private suite. At that moment, we curved around a large stand of fir and the Court of the Three Queens came into view. Contained within three giant barrow mounds, the palaces weren’t castles in the sense of, say, Windsor Castle or Neuschwanstein, but they were palaces nonetheless, and while the barrow mounds gave some sense of size, the reality was that the courts and palaces within took up much more room. The world of Fae was like that.
Grass spread thickly over the top of the three mounds, and atop Titania’s mound, a giant oak was growing, with rose gardens beneath it. Atop Aeval’s mound, a huge elder tree blossomed and a garden of lilies spread out around the tree. Atop the barrow mound that contained the Court of Dusk and Twilight, a yew tree spread out in a tangle, as yew trees do, with a wide swath of bluebells beneath it. Fae were bustling around the courtyard, going about their business in the day-to-day running of the courts. I caught my breath at the beauty and symmetry of it all, and yet a wild, feral presence lurked behind the neatly
trimmed grass and the carefully tended flowers.
The carriages rattled to a stop in front of what had been Morgaine’s Barrow—now mine. We lightly descended, the footman who approached offering me their hand. The night was almost balmy and the magic of the land electrified the air, especially here.
“Lady Camille, Queen Aeval and Queen Titania await your presence within. I’m here to guide you.” The guard was decked out in the silver and black of the Courts, and he guided us toward the entrance of the barrow. The energy around the Court of Dusk and Twilight seemed a bit muted. When Morgaine had killed herself, some of the light within the palace had died. I was smart enough to realize that it was up to me to bring it back.
We entered the palace and I was struck by just how silent it was. Morgaine may have been conniving, and she may have had ulterior motives, but she had inspired devotion in those who lived under her rule.
The Barrow itself was filled with a labyrinth of passages, all lit by a soft illumination that seemed to glow from within the walls. Our escort led us through a wide, winding corridor, past shops and apartments and what looked like government offices. I wasn’t sure just how the structure of authority played out, but I knew I’d be finding out before long. There had been so little time to learn. I had only known for a few months that I was slated to take the throne, and with the battles we faced on the front with the war and trying to piece together our family and lives after our father had been killed, it felt like it had been nonstop chaos for months.
The decor here was almost ethereal, with the primary colors being in shades of blue and green and purple, black and silver. It was not so dark as Aeval’s Barrow, nor light as Titania’s. I stood between their two worlds, just like I stood between Otherworld and Earthside, between human and Fae. It was finally beginning to click that no, I wasn’t a Windwalker—a nomad with no roots—but I had two homes, two allegiances, two worlds to which I belonged.
The underground street continued on, past another parade of shops and offices before it hit a T-junction, and there we turned to the right. The guard led us toward a set of stately double doors at the end of the corridor. A giant yew tree was etched on the heavy wood, with accents of silver and sparkling gems the size of my fist in the shades of the court. I wondered if they were real gems, or glass, but it made no difference to the beauty of the doors that led into the actual throne room and palace court.
When the guards who stood at either side of the doors saw us coming, they opened them wide, holding them for us as we passed through.
“You rate first-class service,” Delilah whispered to me.
“I don’t know if I will ever get used to this,” I whispered back.
Menolly flashed us both a grin. “You and me both. This is the way it’s going to be when I move to Roman’s, though not quite so much pomp and a lot more sense of ‘Screw up and you’re dead for good.’ Roman doesn’t take mistakes well from his lackeys, although he’s a fair man.”
Roman, the Prince of the Vampire Nation, was definitely fair, I had to agree on that, but I’d pick living out here in the Barrows ten times over living in his court. The Fae knew how to hurt and torture, yes, but they didn’t have fangs and they didn’t drain blood. Generally.
As we entered the room, I caught my breath. It never failed to amaze me. The actual throne room was larger than our house, with ceilings that rose a good fifty feet. Balconies overlooked the side, and archers stood ready to take down any assassins who might make an attempt on the queen. Idly, I wondered who checked to make sure the archers themselves weren’t of a nature to play drop-the-monarch.
The throne itself was handcrafted of yew, large and ornate with brass and silver fittings, and velvet cushions of the deepest plum. The throne sat up on a dais, ten steps leading up to it, against the back wall. Doors on either side were heavily guarded. The path to the throne was roped off on both sides with velvet ropes that matched the cushions, scalloping between silver-plated posts. There was an entry and exit passage from both doors to the throne itself, again roped off and guarded.
I stared at the throne, a lump rising in my stomach. The presence of the guards, the formality of the room, felt overwhelming and I pressed my lips together, assessing the rest of the room. Most of it was open, but toward the double doors through which we had come, long wooden benches lined both sides of the walkway, giving a place for people to sit while watching the proceedings of the court.
Toward the front of the benches, Aeval and Titania were waiting, along with Myrddin—the Merlin. Their various guards were keeping a close eye in every direction. We hurried up to them, Aeval motioning for the guards to let us through without searching us.
“Camille, let us retire into what will be your chambers to discuss the next step.”
One thing I’d say for her—Aeval didn’t waste time in small talk. We followed her out the right-hand door in back of the throne. We entered a small hallway that led to another set of double doors about twenty yards away. Once there, the guards opened the doors and checked the room, then waved us in. They shut the doors behind them and I presumed they would wait outside. Come to think of it, guards seemed to spend a lot of their time waiting.
I glanced around the chamber. A large, ornate desk sat toward the back. Bookshelves lined the walls, and two sofas—both the same leather of the chair behind the desk—sat kitty corner, facing the desk in an L-shape. The shelves were filled with books. This made me unaccountably happy. I loved books, and I loved to read.
“Working light.” Aeval’s command rang out, and the light quickly adjusted, growing bright enough for us to read by with no problem. I filed away the command for future reference.
Aeval motioned for us to all sit on the sofas. There wasn’t quite room enough, but there were several other chairs scattered around the massive office and so Morio and Smoky dragged them over. I sat on one sofa, with Delilah and Menolly. Aeval and Titania sat on the other, with Myrddin behind them. Vanzir hesitantly took the spot beside Aeval as she patted the sofa next to her and motioned for him to join her.
“You found the last spirit seal?” It wasn’t so much of a question as a statement.
I nodded. “Yes, we did. It’s safe for now.”
“Then the time has come for you to journey to Otherworld and look for the Keraastar Diamond. Now that all of the seals have been located, we can’t possibly rest until you have established your control over them.” Titania paused, then said, “Myrddin, why don’t you tell them your news.”
Myrddin looked decidedly unhappy. I still hadn’t decided how much I liked the Merlin—he was aloof and somewhat rude, but he was devoted to helping both the Fae Queens and us.
“I received a communication from Trytian this morning. He’s been keeping in touch with me, given the nature of the war.” He paused.
Color me surprised. I had no clue Myrddin had connected with Trytian.
Trytian was a daemon—a subset of demons and devils. His father was leading a rout against Shadow Wing down in the Sub-Realms and he had gone to join the war. While I didn’t trust the daemon as far as I could throw him, the fact was, in this war, we were on the same side.
“What did he say?” I almost didn’t want to know, given how many twists and turns the war had taken over the years.
“He told me that Shadow Wing is backed into a castle on the far end of some mountain range. He’s holed up tighter than a rabbit in a warren. The daemons have taken heavy losses, but things are unraveling now for Shadow Wing and he’s losing members of his army. But Trytian also said to be wary. Shadow Wing has managed to enlist an ally none of us ever saw coming. One who can quite possibly manage to infiltrate Earthside even though he was long ago cast out into the Sub-Realms.”
I glanced at Delilah and Menolly. We really didn’t need yet another enemy at the gate. “Who? Worse than Telazhar?”
“Some might say so. Yerghan the Blade.”
Menolly’s eyes widened. “Yerghan? He still
lives?”
“Yes. As you might know from your history, Yerghan was originally from Otherworld, but was then deported to the Subterranean Realms. He rode alongside Telazhar, and was the leader of the soldiers rather than the sorcerers. When Telazhar was captured, Yerghan managed to escape and was able to hide out for a long time before they captured him. Trytian says that Shadow Wing kept Yerghan and Telazhar apart because he feared they might topple him if they worked together.”
Yerghan the Blade was one of those villains whom children in Otherworld talked about in whispered tones, hoping to avoid summoning any residue of his spirit. He was as ruthless as they came, wiping out entire villages with his rampaging hordes. He worked on one front during the Scorching Wars, Telazhar on another. I strained to remember what I could from our history lessons, but information about Yerghan was scarcer than that surrounding Telazhar.
“All I know is he was the Attila the Hun of Otherworld. Worse. You mean he wasn’t killed? He was sent to the Sub-Realms? But he wasn’t…Fae.”
Menolly shook her head, the beads in her braids clicking against each other. “No, he wasn’t Fae, but he wasn’t human either. He belonged to some order, originally, like the Tygerian monks. I can’t recall right offhand what it was, but he learned how to fight like no jian-tu ever could. We learned about him when we trained at the YIA.”
Menolly had been one of the jian-tu before she was turned into a vampire. Elite athletes, the jian-tu were expert martial artists and acrobats, a lot like the Shaolin monks over Earthside.
“Unless Shadow Wing doesn’t know the last spirit seal has been found, why would he try again? The only reason he could possibly have for sending Yerghan over is to hunt for it.” Delilah frowned, shaking her head.
“Not necessarily. The question is: how much does Shadow Wing know about the Keraastar Diamond? If he knows about the prophecy, and puts enough pieces together, he might try to stop me before I can find it. Which would mean that if he does know we’ve found the last seal, he would know that my next step is to head for Otherworld to find the diamond and rebuild the Knights.” I fell silent. The last thing I needed was a race against time with Shadow Wing’s freaks coming after me.