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"Are you behind the Crimson Court insisting I come work for them?"
Lainule smiled, and her smile was both fierce and bright. "Oh, Cicely. One thing you will learn, as you come to know your father's people more and more--we do not flinch in the face of danger. We do whatever is necessary."
I shivered. I'd never considered the Fae to be pacifists, but I had not realized they could be so ruthless.
We . . . I had to include myself in that. I was half-Fae.
Lainule leaned forward and tipped my chin up, looking into my eyes. "Never make the mistake of envisioning your people as gentle creatures, playing silver pipes and darting around the flowers. We are warriors and lovers: We are the chosen of the Mother to guard her wild sanctuaries and to rule the realms of Maeve and Danu, of Aine and Mielikki. Of Pan and Herne and Cernunnos and Tapio. Do you understand?"
I nodded, my stomach leaping from one knot to another. Lainule seemed taller, stronger, more powerful than I'd first thought, and she could squash me between her fingertips if she wanted to. I had no doubt that, if my death would strike down Myst, she'd see to it that I was sacrificed.
"We help keep the balance in check, and when one--such as Myst--seeks to upset that balance, we go to war in any way that we can. Winning is paramount. And I'll use every resource available to strike back at the Mistress of Mayhem for invading my domain and slaughtering my people. Whether it includes you and Grieve--I'll do whatever is necessary. I have always done what is necessary."
I wanted to protest, but something in her words--a finality that rang a chord of deja vu--stopped me. There were no more words. I couldn't defend Myst and her people, even if those people included Grieve. As much as I loved him, I couldn't put his safety before stopping the Indigo Court.
"Can you help us save Peyton? We were thinking that this might be the time to strike. If this . . . poison . . . works like you say it does--they'll be off guard and not paying much attention to her." I stared at the ground. "If you can't, then I warn you--I'm going in on my own to rescue her. I have to. My loyalties are to my friends and family first. Now that they've turned Heather, my first order of business is to save my friend, even if it costs me my life."
Lainule rested a hand on my shoulder. "I cannot send my people with you, but I will give you this . . . take it, use it in good conscience. Do not lose it." She handed me a delicate lacquered fan made from oak. "It will help you to control the wind. And when you change into owl form, it will travel with you."
I blinked, taking the fan. It hummed with magic, strong and brilliant and magnetic. With a soft hush, I opened it wide and felt the wind stir.
"One wave of the fan, and you call a strong gust. Two waves, and you call a potent wind. Three . . . and you can walk on the wind. But it has limitations: It may only be used by you, and only when your wind Elemental is near. Ulean has kept me abreast of all your comings and goings over the years and she is linked to this fan."
"Ulean? You've used her to spy on me?" Feeling a sharp sting of betrayal, I jerked my head up. Ulean had never, ever told me she was in touch with the Queen of Rivers and Rushes.
Lainule touched her finger to my lips. "Shush, child. The Elemental had no choice. She is bonded to you, but she was originally mine. I gave her to you to protect you."
"You . . . gave her to me? I knew you'd asked Grieve to show us the bonding ritual but I didn't know . . . I didn't know Ulean was yours." And then I looked up at the Queen and saw something in her eyes that I couldn't quite read. "Why are you helping me? Other than the fact that I'm half-Fae? Why choose my mother to bear a Cambyra's child?"
Lainule motioned toward the portal leading out of her realm. "It's time for you to go," she said, ignoring my question. "Use the fan to help you in recovering your friend. Kill as many of the Indigo Court as you can. And if you can . . . rescue Grieve and perhaps we can figure out some way to break the connection between him and Myst's Court. Also . . . Chatter--he was always one of my favorites even though he was born outside of a noble match."
I dropped into a curtsey--the best I could, considering I was in jeans and a leather jacket. "Thank you. I'll do my best. And if we can somehow save Grieve from himself . . ."
"I know. You love him. You've always been on opposite sides, child, as far back as time goes. Perhaps this time, the two of you can get it right.">"If so, then the Indigo Court may be in for some casualties. Or at least a nasty bout of stomach flu."
"Grieve's sick. I can't do a damned thing to help him right now. What if he dies? What if they used me to kill him?" I whirled around. "I need to speak to Lannan. Now!"
"You can't," Leo said. "Lannan's asleep for the day. You won't be able to talk to him until tonight."
"Then I'm heading out to Dovetail Lake. Lainule may know something about this and by gods, she's going to tell me." Frantic, terrified I'd lost Grieve a second time, I raced down the stairs, Kaylin and Leo on my heels.
"Are you sure you want to do that?" Leo grabbed me by the wrist and spun me around. "I think you should just wait . . . wait until I can talk to the vampires tonight."
He knows something, Ulean whispered.
I stared at him. There was a flicker in his eyes. Ulean was right--his eyes read guilt all the way through. "What do you know about this? Tell me. Now! Before I bitch-slap you across the room. And trust me, I could do it."
Leo backed away. "I can't tell you."
"You'd better tell me. I learned to fight in the streets, boy, and you're smart enough to know you'd better not piss me off." I started for him, fists clenched.
Leo jumped back another step and held up his hands.
"Okay! Okay . . . stop. Don't hurt yourself. Or me." He paused, then shook his head. "Sit down and I'll tell you what I know. But if Geoffrey finds out, I might as well impale myself on a pitchfork."
I crossed my arms, waiting. "This better be good."
"Good? Not likely. But the truth." His eyes flickered and he let out a long sigh. "I heard Geoffrey and Lannan talking--neither one knows I eavesdropped and if they find out, I'm toast. They were discussing the best way to get in a first attack on the Indigo Court. Someone--not Crawl, but someone of his stature in the Vampire Nation, has apparently figured out a virus that affects the Vampiric Fae. It spreads through close contact, like kissing, hugging, shaking hands."
