Darkness Raging

  She stared up at the sky, at the stars shimmering overhead. “Tomorrow night, they will cheer us on and hail us as heroines for bringing the dragons. I kind of wish we could duck out, ignore it and tell them just to go be good to each other and stop fighting.”

  “We can’t, though. We’re grown-ups. Princesses and queens and Death Maidens, oh my. And with all of that, we have to put up with the pomp and circumstance, and the annoying ceremonies.” Even as I said the words, the weight of what we were facing hit home. I could tell they were both feeling it, because Camille leaped to her feet.

  “Yes, we do. But tonight, we can just be us. Come on.” And she raced out the gate, kicking off her shoes. We followed, as we had when we were children, as she led us into the meadow beyond our garden gate. As we ran through the dusk, under the silent moon, the scent of wildflowers rose to greet us and I flashed back to when we were children. But the memory vanished as Delilah took my hand, and Camille grabbed hers, and we formed a ring like we used to, careening madly through the grass, shouting and laughing like we were children.

  And then, as she stood back, Delilah and I continued to dance, while Camille concentrated. The next moment, we were all hovering in the air—a few feet above the ground, laughing wildly. Of course, she couldn’t hold it for long, and we went tumbling to the ground. Dizzy from the sudden burst of activity, we lay there, watching the stars as they shimmered in their vast panorama. Without the traffic and millions of lights to drown them out, they blazed overhead, gleaming like a thousand diamonds showering us with their light.

  A few minutes later, we propped ourselves up on our elbows.

  “I guess . . . this is really it. We aren’t coming home to Otherworld to stay. Any of us.” Kitten’s voice quivered, and she sounded ready to cry.

  “You never know what the future brings.” Camille pushed herself to a sitting position and crossed her legs. “Look at where we’re at now.”

  “She’s right.” I wrapped my arms around my knees, drawing them to my chest. “Unless we have some horrid accident . . . our lives have so much farther to go. How can we predict what’s going to happen beyond this year or next? The Hags of Fate have a way of dipping in and changing things when you least expect it. But for now . . . we go on with our lives. I go to Roman’s, Camille heads out to Talamh Lonrach Oll, and you and Shade get married. And we find Shadow Wing and defeat him for good.”

  And so we sat, holding hands, under the brilliant stars. Because sometimes we needed to take life one day at a time. Sometimes, we needed to slow down and dance in the meadow and watch for shooting stars with our best friends.

  We needed to savor the victories, because the final battle against Shadow Wing was coming. And we needed all our reserves to face the rising storm.

  CAST OF MAJOR CHARACTERS

  The D’Artigo Family

  Arial Lianan te Maria: Delilah’s twin who died at birth. Half-Fae, half-human.

  Camille Sepharial te Maria, aka Camille D’Artigo: The oldest sister; a Moon Witch and Priestess. Half-Fae, half-human.

  Daniel George Fredericks: The D’Artigo Sisters’ half cousin; FBH.

  Delilah Maria te Maria, aka Delilah D’Artigo: The middle sister; a werecat.

  Hester Lou Fredericks: The D’Artigo Sisters’ half cousin; FBH.

  Maria D’Artigo: The D’Artigo Sisters’ mother. Human. Deceased.

  Menolly Rosabelle te Maria, aka Menolly D’Artigo: The youngest sister; a vampire and jian-tu: extraordinary acrobat. Half-Fae, half-human.

  Sephreh ob Tanu: The D’Artigo Sisters’ father. Full Fae. Deceased.

  Shamas ob Olanda: The D’Artigo Sisters’ cousin. Full Fae. Deceased.

  The D’Artigo Sisters’ Lovers and Close Friends

  Astrid (Johnson): Chase and Sharah’s baby daughter.

  Bruce O’Shea: Iris’s husband. Leprechaun.

  Carter: Leader of the Demonica Vacana Society, a group that watches and records the interactions of Demonkin and human through the ages. Carter is half demon and half Titan—his father was Hyperion, one of the Greek Titans.

  Chase Garden Johnson: Detective, director of the Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigation (FH-CSI) team. Human who has taken the Nectar of Life, which extends his life span beyond any ordinary mortal and has opened up his psychic abilities.

  Chrysandra: Waitress at the Wayfarer Bar & Grill. Human. Deceased.

  Derrick Means: Bartender at the Wayfarer Bar & Grill. Werebadger.

  Erin Mathews: Former president of the Faerie Watchers Club and former owner of the Scarlet Harlot Boutique. Turned into a vampire by Menolly, her sire, moments before her death. Human.

  Greta: Leader of the Death Maidens; Delilah’s tutor.

  Iris (Kuusi) O’Shea: Friend and companion of the girls. Priestess of Undutar. Talon-haltija (Finnish house sprite).

  Lindsey Katharine Cartridge: Director of the Green Goddess Women’s Shelter. Pagan and witch. Human.

  Maria O’Shea: Iris and Bruce’s baby daughter.

  Marion Vespa: Coyote shifter; owner of the Supe-Urban Café.

  Morio Kuroyama: One of Camille’s lovers and husbands. Essentially the grandson of Grandmother Coyote. Youkai-kitsune (roughly translated: Japanese fox demon).

  Nerissa Shale: Menolly’s wife. Worked for DSHS. Now working for Chase Johnson as a victims-rights counselor for the FH-CSI. Werepuma and member of the Rainier Puma Pride.

  Roman: Ancient vampire; son of Blood Wyne, Queen of the Crimson Veil. Menolly’s official consort in the Vampire Nation and her new sire.

  Queen Asteria: The former Elfin Queen. Deceased.

  Queen Sharah: Was an elfin medic, now the new Elfin Queen; Chase’s girlfriend.

  Rozurial, aka Roz: Mercenary. Menolly’s secondary lover. Incubus who used to be Fae before Zeus and Hera destroyed his marriage.

  Shade: Delilah’s fiancé. Part Stradolan, part black (shadow) dragon.

  Siobhan Morgan: One of the girls’ friends. Selkie (wereseal); member of the Puget Sound Harbor Seal Pod.

  Smoky: One of Camille’s lovers and husbands. Half-white, half-silver dragon.

  Tanne Baum: One of the Black Forest Woodland Fae.

  A member of the Hunter’s Glen Clan.

  Tavah: Guardian of the portal at the Wayfarer Bar & Grill. Vampire (full Fae).

  Tim Winthrop, aka Cleo Blanco: Computer student/genius, female impersonator. FBH. Now owns the Scarlet Harlot.

  Trillian: Mercenary. Camille’s alpha lover and one of her three husbands. Svartan (one of the Charming Fae).

  Ukkonen O’Shea: Iris and Bruce’s baby son.

  Vanzir: Was indentured slave to the Sisters, by his own choice. Dream-chaser demon who lost his powers and now is regaining new ones.

  Venus the Moon Child: Former shaman of the Rainier Puma Pride. Werepuma. One of the Keraastar Knights.

  Wade Stevens: President of Vampires Anonymous. Vampire (human).

  Zachary Lyonnesse: Former member of the Rainier Puma Pride Council of Elders. Werepuma living in Otherworld.

  GLOSSARY

  Black Unicorn/Black Beast: Father of the Dahns unicorns, a magical unicorn that is reborn like the phoenix and lives in Darkynwyrd and Thistlewyd Deep. Raven Mother is his consort, and he is more a force of nature than a unicorn.

  Calouk: The rough, common dialect used by a number of Otherworld inhabitants.

  Court and Crown: “Crown” refers to the Queen of Y’Elestrial. “Court” refers to the nobility and military personnel that surround the Queen. “Court and Crown” together refer to the entire government of Y’Elestrial.

  Court of the Three Queens: The newly risen Court of the three Earthside Fae Queens: Titania, the Fae Queen of Light and Morning; Morgaine, the half-Fae Queen of Dusk and Twilight; and Aeval, the Fae Queen of Shadow and Night.

  Crypto: One of the Cryptozoid races. Cr
yptos include creatures out of legend that are not technically of the Fae races: gargoyles, unicorns, gryphons, chimeras, and so on. Most primarily inhabit Otherworld, but some have Earthside cousins.

  Demon Gate: A gate through which demons may be summoned by a powerful sorcerer or necromancer.

  Demonica Vacana Society: A society run by a number of ancient entities, including Carter, who study and record the history of demonic activity over Earthside. The archives of the society are found in the Demonica Catacombs, deep within an uninhabited island of the Cyclades, a group of Grecian islands in the Aegean Sea.

  Dreyerie: A dragon lair.

  Earthside: Everything that exists on the Earth side of the portals.

  Elemental Lords: The elemental beings—both male and female—who, along with the Hags of Fate and the Harvestmen, are the only true Immortals. They are avatars of various elements and energies, and they inhabit all realms. They do as they will and seldom concern themselves with humankind or Fae unless summoned. If asked for help, they often exact steep prices in return. The Elemental Lords are not concerned with balance like the Hags of Fate.

  Elqaneve: The Elfin city in Otherworld, located in Kelvashan—the Elfin lands.

  FBH: Full-Blooded Human (usually refers to Earthside humans).

  FH-CSI: The Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigation team. The brainchild of Detective Chase Johnson, it was first formed as a collaboration between the OIA and the Seattle police department. Other FH-CSI units have been created around the country, based on the Seattle prototype. The FH-CSI takes care of both medical and criminal emergencies involving visitors from Otherworld.

  Great Divide: A time of immense turmoil when the Elemental Lords and some of the High Court of Fae decided to rip apart the worlds. Until then, the Fae existed primarily on Earth, their lives and worlds mingling with those of humans. The Great Divide tore everything asunder, splitting off another dimension, which became Otherworld. At that time, the Twin Courts of Fae were disbanded and their queens and Merlin were stripped of power. This was the time during which the Spirit Seal was formed and broken in order to seal off the realms from each other. Some Fae chose to stay Earthside, others moved to the realm of Otherworld, and the demons were—for the most part—sealed in the Subterranean Realms.

  Guard Des’Estar: The military of Y’Elestrial.

  Hags of Fates: The women of destiny who keep the balance righted. Neither good nor evil, they observe the flow of destiny. When events get too far out of balance, they step in and take action, usually using humans, Fae, Supes, and other creatures as pawns to bring the path of destiny back into line.

  Harvestmen: The lords of death—a few cross over and are also Elemental Lords. The Harvestmen, along with their followers (the Valkyries and the Death Maidens, for example), reap the souls of the dead.

  Haseofon: The abode of the Death Maidens—where they stay and where they train.

  Ionyc Lands: The astral, etheric, and spirit realms, along with several other lesser-known noncorporeal dimensions, form the Ionyc Lands. These realms are separated by the Ionyc Seas, a current of energy that prevents the Ionyc Lands from colliding, thereby sparking off an explosion of universal proportions.

  Ionyc Seas: The currents of energy that separate the Ionyc Lands. Certain creatures, especially those connected with the elemental energies of ice, snow, and wind, can travel through the Ionyc Seas without protection.

  Kelvashan: The lands of the elves.

  Koyanni: The coyote shifters who took an evil path away from the Great Coyote; followers of Nukpana.

  Melosealfôr: A rare Crypto dialect learned by powerful Cryptos and all Moon Witches.

  The Nectar of Life: An elixir that can extend the life span of humans to nearly the length of a Fae’s years. Highly prized and cautiously used. Can drive someone insane if he or she doesn’t have the emotional capacity to handle the changes incurred.

  Oblition: The act of a Death Maiden sucking the soul out of one of her targets.

  OIA: The Otherworld Intelligence Agency; the “brains” behind the Guard Des’Estar. Earthside Division now run by Camille, Menolly, and Delilah.

  Otherworld/OW: The human term for the “United Nations” of Faerie Land. A dimension apart from ours that contains creatures from legend and lore, pathways to the gods, and various other places, such as Olympus. Otherworld’s actual name varies among the differing dialects of the many races of Cryptos and Fae.

  Portal, Portals: The interdimensional gates that connect the different realms. Some were created during the Great Divide; others open up randomly.

  Seelie Court: The Earthside Fae Court of Light and Summer, disbanded during the Great Divide. Titania was the Seelie Queen.

  Soul Statues: In Otherworld, small figurines created for the Fae of certain races and magically linked with the baby. These figurines reside in family shrines and when one of the Fae dies, their soul statue shatters. In Menolly’s case, when she was reborn as a vampire, her soul statue re-formed, although twisted. If a family member disappears, his or her family can always tell if their loved one is alive or dead if they have access to the soul statue.

  Spirit Seals: A magical crystal artifact, the Spirit Seal was created during the Great Divide. When the portals were sealed, the Spirit Seal was broken into nine gems and each piece was given to an Elemental Lord or Lady. These gems each have varying powers. Even possessing one of the spirit seals can allow the wielder to weaken the portals that divide Otherworld, Earthside, and the Subterranean Realms. If all of the seals are joined together again, then all of the portals will open.

  Stradolan: A being who can walk between worlds, who can walk through the shadows, using them as a method of transportation.

  Supe/Supes: Short for Supernaturals. Refers to Earthside supernatural beings who are not of Fae nature. Refers to Weres, especially.

  Talamh Lonrach Oll: The name for the Earthside Sovereign Fae Nation.

  Triple Threat: Camille’s nickname for the newly risen three Earthside Queens of Fae.

  Unseelie Court: The Earthside Fae Court of Shadow and Winter, disbanded during the Great Divide. Aeval was the Unseelie Queen.

  VA/Vampires Anonymous: The Earthside group started by Wade Stevens, a vampire who was a psychiatrist during life. The group is focused on helping newly born vampires adjust to their new state of existence, and to encourage vampires to avoid harming the innocent as much as possible. The VA is vying for control. Their goal is to rule the vampires of the United States and to set up an internal policing agency.

  Whispering Mirror: A magical communications device that links Otherworld and Earth. Think magical video phone.

  Y’Eírialiastar: The Sidhe/Fae name for Otherworld.

  Y’Elestrial: The city-state in Otherworld where the D’Artigo girls were born and raised. A Fae city, recently embroiled in a civil war between the drug-crazed tyrannical Queen Lethesanar and her more level-headed sister Tanaquar, who managed to claim the throne for herself. The civil war has ended and Tanaquar is restoring order to the land.

  Youkai: Loosely (very loosely) translated as Japanese demon/nature spirit. For the purposes of this series, the youkai have three shapes: the animal, the human form, and the true demon form. Unlike the demons of the Subterranean Realms, youkai are not necessarily evil by nature.

  PLAYLIST FOR DARKNESS RAGING

  I write to music a good share of the time, and so I always put my playlists in the back of each book so you can see which artists/songs I listened to during the writing. Here’s the playlist for Darkness Raging:

  3 Doors Down: “Kryptonite”

  A. J. Roach: “Devil May Dance”

  AC/DC: “Hells Bells”; “Back in Black”

  Adam Lambert: “Mad World”

  Adele: “Rumour Has It”

  Air: “Playground Love”

  Alice Cooper: “Welcome to My Nightmare”
; “Wish You Were Here”

  Android Lust: “Here and Now”; “Saint Over”; “Dragonfly”; “Stained”

  Beck: “Farewell Ride”; “Emergency Exit”

  Black Angels, The: “Evil Things”; “Holland”; “Broken Soldier”; “Young Men Dead”; “You’re Mine”

  Black Mountain: “Queens Will Play”

  Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: “Feel It Now”

  Bob Seger: “Turn the Page”

  Bon Jovi: “Wanted Dead or Alive”

  Bravery, The: “Believe”

  Broken Bells: “The Ghost Inside”

  Bryan Adams: “Run to You”

  Buffalo Springfield: “For What It’s Worth”

  Cat Power: “I Don’t Blame You”

  Celtic Woman: “Scarborough Fair”

  Chris Isaak: “Wicked Game”

  David Bowie: “I’m Afraid of Americans”

  Depeche Mode: “Blasphemous Rumors”

  Eastern Sun: “Beautiful Being (Original Edit)”

  Eels: “Souljacker Part I”

  FC Kahuna: “Hayling”

  Feeling, The: “Sewn”

  Fluke: “Absurd”

  Garbage: “Queer”; “#1 Crush”; “Bleed Like Me”

  Gary Numan: “When the Sky Bleeds, He Will Come”; “Dominion Day”; “The Angel Wars”; “Hybrid”; “Melt”; “My Shadow in Vain”; “Petals”; “Walking with Shadows”; “Down in the Park”; “I Am Dust”; “Here in the Black”; “Everything Comes Down to This”; “My Breathing”

  Gorillaz: “Demon Days”; “Kids with Guns”; “Clint Eastwood”; “Stylo”

  Jessica Bates: “The Hanging Tree”

  Lorde: “Yellow Flicker Beat”

  M.I.A.: “Bad Girls”

  Marilyn Manson: “Personal Jesus”; “Tainted Love”; “Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon”

  Mark Lanegan: “The Gravedigger’s Song”; “Phantasmagoria Blues”; “Methamphetamine Blues”

  Matt Corby: “Breathe”