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At first I was relieved at the delay. After Maisie’s warning about having an empty stomach, I was not looking forward to putting myself through another potentially nauseating rite. But when I opened the letter and was hit with legalese so thick it made my eyes ache, my relief was short-lived.
Maisie was reading over my shoulder. I gladly handed the paper to her. She read it for a moment, her eyes widening with each line.
“What is it?” I asked.
“This,” she said with a grim expression, “is the fallout from your little fight in Central Park last night. The Shade is demanding a duel.”
I frowned. “What the hell?”
“You injured werewolves under the protection of The Shade,” Orpheus said. “He’s demanding you fight the leader of the pack to pay for your crime.”
“Can someone please tell me who The Shade is?” I asked. The werewolves had invoked that name like they’d been speaking about some mysterious force of nature. I just wanted to know why I should give a damn he was pissed at me.
“He’s a vampire,” Maisie said. “Runs the Black Light District. The Hekate Council trusts him to keep the peace between the nonmage dark races in the city. You’re lucky it’s just a duel. He’s not known for taking infractions lightly.”
“Wait, you don’t seriously think I’m going to do this.”
Two solemn gazes met my incredulous one. “Sabina, you broke the rules,” Orpheus said. “Poaching on were territory is forbidden. But even if that could be overlooked, you injured two weres under The Shade’s protection. The Alpha of their pack is totally within rights to challenge you.”
“But I didn’t know I was poaching!” I said. “And they came after me. Why am I being punished for defending myself?”
“Ignorance doesn’t excuse your actions,” Orpheus said. “Dark-race relations are sensitive enough as-is with this war brewing. If I override The Shade, it will send the wrong message to both the weres and vamps in the city. You will report to The Shade’s bar for the fight tomorrow night.”
“And if I refuse?”
Orpheus stared at me hard. “Then, Maisie’s sister or not, I will personally deliver you to The Shade.”
Rhea waited in the courtyard with Giguhl and the young female who’d assisted her during the cleansing ritual. Memory of the noxious potion they’d had me drink made bile rise in my throat.
“This is my assistant, Damara,” Rhea said. “I hope you don’t mind if she assists me in administering the vision quest.”
I forced a smile at the girl. “Not at all. Hi, Damara.”
The assistant ignored my outstretched hand. Instead, she asked Rhea, “Shall we get going?”
I shrugged off her dismissal. She was young and, judging from her slouched posture and all-black ensemble, was probably in the throes of some sort of teen-rebellion phase.
“Shotgun!” Giguhl called. He’d insisted on joining us on this little expedition. I’d considered refusing but figured he’d get in less trouble if I kept him close.
I grabbed his arm before he could leap for the car. “You’re in the back. We’ll let Rhea or Maisie sit up front.”
“I’m fine with the back,” Maisie said. “Giguhl can sit between us.”
And that’s how I ended up crammed in the backseat with my demon and my sister. It could have been worse, though, I mused. At least Giguhl had the bitch seat.
We’d been on the road for forty-five minutes already. New York’s concrete and steel had given way to trees and open sky. I tilted my head and looked at the moon. A shadow passed over the pale crescent. Wings. Looked like Stryx had arrived just in time for the festivities.
“Sabina?” Maisie said, peering around Giguhl’s huge green head, “I’m sorry if Orpheus was abrupt earlier.”
I shifted in the seat to look at her. “What’s his deal, anyway? I thought you were the leader of the council.”
“Technically I am. But I’m really only a figurehead. In ancient times, a spiritual class ruled mages, but over time, we transitioned to a democracy. So the council is elected, but my position passes on through our bloodline. My role is more spiritual and diplomatic. Orpheus really runs things. It’s kind of like the Queen of England and the prime minister.”
“Gotcha,” I said. “That explains why he’s so worried about relations between all the races, then.”
“Yes, exactly. I’m sorry you have to fight the duel, but I’m afraid there’s no way around it.”
“Duel?” Giguhl said, perking up.
“I’ll tell you later.” Orpheus’s heavy-handedness had annoyed me, but the truth was, I kind of looked forward to the duel now. All this magic stuff made me feel like I was in over my head. But fighting? Now, that was something I felt comfortable doing.
“Why is the estate way out here?” I asked to change the subject.
Rhea turned in her seat to look at me. “The Hekate Council prefers the security for our sacred rituals. It’s harder to control the environment in the city. We also enjoy the space the estate afford us, and of course there’s the Sacred Grove. There’s a ley line running under the spot.”
“Ley line?” Giguhl asked. I was glad he asked instead of me. The term sounded familiar, but the fact I couldn’t remember what it was served as yet another reminder of my utter ignorance when it came to magical stuff.
“They’re like rivers of concentrated magical energy running through the earth,” Maisie said. “They add power to all our rituals and spells.”
“Anyway,” Rhea continued. “The other reason we like it out here is a lot of mages live in Sleepy Hollow. The chaotic energy of the city is too much for many of our kind. The local humans think these mages are just humans with pagan beliefs, and everyone gets along. It’s nice.”
Soon, the headlights glared off a set of large gates in the middle of the road. The two sides met to form an iron Hekate’s Wheel similar to the one at the Prytania Place, only bigger. Underneath the symbol, letters spelled out the name of the estate.
“Crossroads?” I read aloud.
“Hekate is the goddess of the crossroads,” Maisie explained. “Among other things.”
The area tingled with magical wards. I also noted several mundane security measures like the ones Adam pointed out the night before at Prytania Place.
