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"In love with you? I can see that, but he wants you to be his mate? He talking about marrying you?" Delilah held the car steady, but her voice shook.
"I don't know if the word marriage enters into it, and I didn't ask," I said, a little irritated. "I was hoping you guys—and maybe Menolly—might have some advice. Not seeing him again isn't that much of an option, I think. "
Thank the gods neither Delilah nor Iris pulled out the "What about Trillian and Morio" card. It wasn't like I hadn't already turned the whole mess over and over in my mind. In fact, I was thinking about Trillian, Morio, and Smoky far too much for my own comfort.
Iris cleared her throat. "I suppose the question is, do you want to be his mate? I'm guessing he doesn't want to share. "
"You're guessing right," I muttered. "And no, I don't want to be his mate—not now, not here. But when I'm with him, I feel myself waver. If I didn't know better, I'd swear that he's able to charm me. I mean, the guy is gorgeous, he cares about me, he'd be good to me, but I'm not cut out to be consort to a dragon. I'd feel like I was having to watch every word I said, every day. Don't make him mad, he's a dragon, he might toast me . . . that sort of thing. "
Morio spoke up then. "So you feel safe with Trillian and me, but not with Smoky?"
I thought about his question, staring out the window at the strip mall we were passing as we approached the Belles-Faire district. Once there, another eight minutes, given good traffic, and we'd be downtown in Pioneer Square.
"In a way. I feel safe with him, but not in the same way," I said. Damn it, I hated to admit I was afraid of someone I'd slept with. But then, perhaps afraid wasn't exactly the right word.
After a moment, I realized what made me so uncomfortable. "It's not that I'm really afraid he'll hurt me, but I feel like I have to be someone other than myself around him. I feel like I'm a pet, in some ways. "
"I can see that," Delilah said.
"I mean, look at how accommodating Trillian was when Morio came into my life. " Everybody snorted, but I waved them silent. "I mean it. At first, yeah, he was an ass about it, but look at us now. With Smoky, well, I just don't think he plays well with others. And I know perfectly well that if I agreed to what he wants, I'd be locked up out in that barrow. He'd try to keep me safe from the world. I can't afford to play the delicate maiden. Not with Shadow Wing around. "
I turned around to look at Morio.
He gave me a quiet smile. "I thought as much. "
We passed a bookstore at that moment, where a throng of people crowded around the doors. Right, I thought. The newest Shala Morrison book had just come out—the female answer to Harry Potter. By rights, Iris should be down at the Indigo Crescent, selling copies.
"Hey, Iris, you didn't answer me, what about the shop? Why aren't you there?"
She leaned forward, peering between the front seats. "I hired Henry yesterday. He's handling the rush today and seems glad for the work. I don't think he needs the money, but… like we talked about before—his mother. "
Good, somebody was down there. "And Feddrah-Dahns and Mistletoe? Where are they? I'm surprised they didn't want to come with us. "
"We sent them down to Birchwater Pond," Delilah said. "Feddrah-Dahns was getting claustrophobic. " She pulled into a Bartell's Drugs and jumped out of the car, hurrying around to my side. "Here, you drive. I like my Jeep better. Besides, I want to call Chase and tell him we're almost there. "
"No. Morio, would you take the wheel? I want to see if I can figure out a way to use this horn against the goblins. " I pulled the Black Unicorn horn out of my pocket as Morio played musical seats with Delilah. As he took the wheel, she popped out her cell phone and punched a button.
"Yeah, we're on our way… No… Well, great gods, be careful—what?… No, those are poisonous, stay away from them! We'll be there in under ten… Yeah, me too, sweetie. " She flipped the phone shut. "Damn it, the goblins have blowguns and tetsa darts. Chase said most of the civilians are off the street, but there are officers there, and those darts can lodge in places their vests may not cover. "
I could tell she was worried about Chase. He was all too human for these sorts of interactions, and all too vulnerable. Tetsa darts were toxic, needle-sharp winged missiles dipped in a mixture of haja frog venom and the toxic soup made from the liver of the pogolilly bird. Both frog and bird were incredibly beautiful. And incredibly deadly.
As I fingered the horn, it set up a vibration, almost as if it were singing to me. At first I thought it might be Eriskel, trying to communicate, but after a moment, I realized the voice was delicate, ethereal… floating on the breeze. Female? I closed my eyes and leaned back against the seat, sinking farther into the swirl of energy that beckoned me in.
There was a hush, then a tug, and I found myself standing in a room, black with stars studding the ceiling. Or were those really stars? The room was framed by four mirrors covering the walls, like a funhouse. Only I couldn't see my own reflection in the glass.
In the first mirror, a woman who looked like a dryad, draped in a gown of leaf green, held a wand carved out of oak. Her skin was as brown as the earth, her eyes and hair the color of fresh corn. The moment she saw me, she curtsied, dropping to one knee.
As I turned to the second mirror, a winged warrior landed on an aerie overlooking a ravine, high up on a barren mountain. Lightning flashed through the air behind him. Pale and tall, with flaxen hair, he was dressed in soft leather, and his eyes were round like an owl's. He carried a sword, long and glittering sharp. Catching sight of me, he nodded graciously and came to attention.
A noise from the third mirror caught my attention. A woman in a dress formed of glowing magma turned, her eyes so brilliant their flash nearly blinded me. Her hair, a trail of hardened pillow lava, flowed down her shoulders, and a wreath of vines shrouded her forehead. She leaned forward to stare at me for a moment before she, like the dryad, curtsied and stayed down, kneeling.
If it followed suit, the fourth mirror should contain a water Elemental. And sure enough, when I looked, a merman rose out of the depths. Coiling hair the color of kelp trailed down his azure skin, and his eyes were onyx black. He was either in the ocean or a lake so vast that I could see no horizon of land in the distance behind him. He leapt out of the water like a dolphin, splashing back in, only to break through the surface again. Raising a bronze trident, he saluted me.
"Who are you? What is this place?" I could almost understand the flow of thoughts and feelings coming toward me. They were waiting for me to give them some sort of command.
"You discovered the heart of the horn," Eriskel said, sounding pleased as he suddenly appeared beside me.
I jumped.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
"Pardon me if I'm a little wary," I said. "After all, you sent a megawatt lighting bolt my way. I understand this place on a primal level, and I can feel a connection forging between my third chakra and this room, but I'm not quite clear about how to make contact. Any hints without trying to fry me again?"
Eriskel grinned, and it was then I noticed the incredibly gorgeous white gold and diamond hoops hanging from his ears. I started to salivate. Apparently, he observed my distraction and the source of it. "You want the earrings?" he asked, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, if you don't. " I blushed then, I didn't normally hit up people for their jewelry, but something about them…
He shook his head. "For the love of… oh here. I can just make another pair for you. I have some powers similar to those of a djinn, you know, even though I'm only a jindasel. " Within seconds, he held out an identical pair. They were a good three inches in diameter, just my style. I couldn't help it. I let out a delighted squeak. He stared at me. "Are we done with fashion week now? Can I get on to answering your question?"
"Please, yes. " I slipped the hoops into my ears. They'd be there when I came out of trance. "So…"
"So," Eriske
l circled me, eyeing me closely. "You've managed to find the heart of the horn. That's just one more sign you are meant to wield this artifact. "
"What does that mean? The heart of the horn?"
He gave me a long look. "The heart is where its essential power resides. When you countered the lightning blast, you instinctively called up a shield of protection from the Master of Winds. "
"You mean, he fueled my ability to protect myself?"
"Yes. By the way, the other Elementals are to be addressed as the Mistress of Flames, the Lord of the Depths, and the Lady of Land when you speak to them directly. They can sense your needs, and if you call, someone will answer, but the request has to be within their capabilities. If you were to try, for example, to deliberately focus Moon magic through the horn, it will not work. "
"The horn of the four elements. " I stared at the mirrors.
"Exactly. "
"But I charge it under the dark of the moon, right?"
Eriskel nodded. "Yes. The dark of the moon is a powerful time for magic connected to the earthly elements. You should introduce yourself now that you've managed to find your way here. It will seal your bonding to the horn. You will never be forced to use it—and it will not help your Moon magic—but the power should prove especially handy when facing creatures of flame and fire. "
"Like the demons," I whispered. The Master of Winds had erected the shield against lightning, so it stood to reason that the Mistress of Flames would help protect me against creatures of fire.
"Like the demons," he said. "Do you see now what this horn can do for you? Don't use it foolishly. The Elementals must be allowed to recharge. They do not have unlimited powers and must rest after major spellwork. Stand on your own two feet when you can, but the horn may save your life when you most need it. " And then, like so much mist and smoke, he was gone.
I turned back to the east. Running on instinct, I knelt and bowed. "Master of Winds, I am Camille, priestess of the Moon. "
"Welcome, Camille. I will serve you to my own death. " He pressed his palms together and bowed.
Turning to the south, I again knelt and then the west, and then the north, until all four Elementals had pledged their service to me. As I stood, an inner voice pushed me on.
"I will never abuse the horn's powers. I will never abuse your powers. My oath, under the moon and stars and sun. " And there was a ringing of chimes, a thunderous crash, and something was burning my hand.
I jerked and opened my eyes. The crystal of the horn was red-hot, and it had left an imprint on my hand. As quickly as it burned me, it cooled again. I hefted the heavy spire and stared at it. So much power and so many forces. If the horn had this much power, what must the Black Unicorn be like? Someday, perhaps we'd meet. Someday, perhaps I could thank him for his gift. For now, though, I wrapped the horn up in the cloth and tucked it away safely in its special sheath looped on the belt of my skirt.
The sheath was idiot-proof—both easy to access but hard to open accidentally. I'd left the cloak home. It was far too unwieldy to battle goblins in. But I'd remembered to bring my silver dagger, and its sheath hung on the opposite side to the horn.
As I let out a long sigh. Iris leaned forward. "Nice jewelry. "
I laughed. "Yeah, real nice, huh? Compliments of the guardian of the horn. By the by, I won't be using the horn during this battle. We can mop up the goblins on our own. But come the next showdown with demons, well… it should make life a little easier. "
Morio eased past a line of hastily parked cars on the steep grade of James Street. As we approached First Avenue, I caught sight of a police officer crouched behind a police cruiser, gun drawn. Morio slid into a parking spot, and we leapt out of the car. I immediately began grounding in to the energy of the clouds, searching for any lightning that might be in the area.
There—just over the horizon. A thundercloud.
As I beckoned it to move closer, Iris pulled out the Aqualine crystal Menolly and I'd brought back for her from Aladril. She had fastened it on the end of a silver rod. Whatever she planned on doing with it would probably produce one hell of a show.
Delilah immediately looked around, searching for Chase. A few seconds later, he ducked around the corner, out of Pioneer Park, and raced toward us. A bloody cut traced a jagged line from his temple down the side of his face.
"You're hurt!" Delilah rushed forward, grabbing him by the shoulders as she examined the wound. "Are you okay?"
"Never mind me. The goblins are in the park, and I've got two men down, and a third that I can't get to. He's wounded, but he's in their midst. What the hell can kill these things? We've tried bullets, and it seems to knock them back, but they just keep coming. " He turned as one of his officers hurried up.
"Sir, should I order the men to fall back? We're being whipped. Maybe we should call in the SWAT team?"
"Forget it—they won't do much better" I said, stepping forward. "Your weapons just don't work very well on most Fae or Crypto creatures. If you nuked them, yeah, or went kamikaze, maybe, but goblins are tough buggers, and that skin of theirs passes for a form of natural armor. Get your men out of danger, and let us take care of it. "
The officer turned to Chase. Chase glanced at me, then at the rest of us and nodded slowly. "They're right. Tell the men to fall back. Any more bullets go spewing around the area, and some bystander is going to get hit. No matter how hard we try, there's going to be some joker who sneaks beyond the barricades. Just because they're stupid doesn't mean they should die. "