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One member of their party stepped forward. A woman, from what I could see through the mists that surrounded them like a tangle of living, writhing webs. She stepped forward, dressed in long robes, and then I saw the tumbling red locks that cascaded down her shoulders.
Heather. Heather, it was Heather, oh great gods, my aunt, and she was a vampire.
Heather's face was pale as cream, pale as the silver moon, and her lips were rosebud red. Her eyes sparkled black, with the stars of the Indigo Court shining in them.
"Heather!" Rhiannon's cry shattered the night. "No! No!" She screamed then, the fractured pain of her voice spiraling higher and higher. "No, tell me it's not true . . . tell me you aren't one of them!"
Heather turned to her, and a faint look of pity washed over her face, and then was gone. "I'm still your mother--"
"You're not my mother! You're a demon creature--filthy vampire!"
And then, Rhiannon raised her hands and her palms crackled with flame. She thrust them forward, the fire racing off of her hands toward Heather, who leapt nimbly to the side. The flames engulfed a small juniper plant, but the snow-covered foliage sizzled and the fire went out.
"You'd best get her out of here." Heather turned to me. "Now."
Too numb to even blink, I turned sharply and motioned to Leo, who jumped forward to grab Rhiannon by the shoulders. He wrestled her back to the house.
"Heather." I took one step forward, looking to see if Peyton was with the others. I couldn't see any sign of her, though. "It's true then. You're one of them."
"Technically, I belong to Myst. She made me an offer I couldn't refuse." A vague look of discomfort crossed her face. "Cicely, they've asked me to speak to you tonight."
I glanced at her companions. Two women, two men--obviously born into the Court. Their skin bore the same cerulean cast that we'd seen in those at the Marburry Barrow. And Heather . . . she was a vampire now, with magical powers. Their slave.
"Why did you let them turn you?" I couldn't help the words, they flew out of my mouth like a swarm of moths toward a light. "What could they possibly offer you to make you give in to them?"
A soft smile spread across her face. "Sometimes, we are given choices. And sometimes, the choice we make is not one we would choose for ourselves, but one we make for others."
Listening to her words, trying to read the wind behind them, I could sense her hidden meanings. She had been backed into this choice.
The lesser of two evils. Ulean was by my side. She chose Peyton's life over her own.
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to sort through the illusions. Kaylin, standing beside me, rested his hand on my shoulder and I drew on his strength, welcoming the flow of energy that shored me up.
"Why are you here? What do you want?"
Heather bowed her head. "We bring you a warning."
She stepped aside, and one of the men stepped forward. He looked similar to my Grieve, and yet he was so unlike my love that it frightened me. Grieve struggled against his nature, but this man--here I saw only alien aloofness, a cold ruthless spark that raced from his eyes to his mouth.
"You are being given fair warning by Myst, the ruler of this wood. We know you seek to interfere with our affairs. Be warned that should you continue, we will turn Peyton. For now she is safe, but defy us and we'll destroy every friend and family member you have, and then yourselves. We let you live because your aunt agreed to join our Court if we gave you protection. But that protection ends if you attempt to intervene in the coming war."
I stared at him, and bone-weary, snorted. "What about Peyton?"
"She is alive. For now. Her freedom at this time is not up for discussion."
"Oh yes, it is. Hell, you've already destroyed our families. We're the only ones left. Tell your Queen that you've done your job. Mission accomplished. We've been warned."
"And your response, milady?" For all of his churlishness, he bowed politely.
I glanced at Kaylin, who gave me a single nod.
"Tell Myst to mind her webs and spiders. And tell her that we'll repay her for the kindness she's shown my aunt, and Leo's sister. And if Peyton comes to harm, we'll burn down the wood--tear it apart limb by bough by leaf. You go back and you tell Myst that the Indigo Court might rule the forest, but once you step on our land, I'm Queen here. And I walk with the Vein Lords at my back, so don't think it will be so easy to destroy us."
The ambassador stared at me for a moment, then nodded. "As you wish, Cicely Waters, but we are not finished yet. I advise you: Don't count on your allies so much that you leave yourself unarmed. Our enemies may still run this town, but we are a force you should not cross."
With one last look at Heather, who stared at me steadfast, unblinking, I turned, striding back to the house. Kaylin fell in behind me. We didn't dare show fear, didn't dare look back. By the time we got to the house, the group of Shadow Hunters had retreated back into the night.
Chapter 19
