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Sharing me? A sudden thought struck me and I stared at her, wondering if I could be right. No . . . but yet . . .
"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."
"Then you know--"
"It's time to leave. Stay longer in my domain and the years will fly by outside. For now, you leave but a moment after you entered."
As we turned to go, she called out, "Kaylin--the Court of Dreams is but a step away from my own domain. Watch closely. Your demon is about to awake."
Kaylin jerked around, but Lainule's guards thrust us back through the portal and we were standing in the middle of the snow again, thick flakes now pouring from the sky. I glanced at my watch. We'd been gone all of five minutes.
"Come on. Let's gather Rhiannon from Anadey's, and then . . . then let's go hunting. We're about to become soldiers in this three-sided war, although I'm not sure just whose side we're on."
Kaylin remained silent, looking pensive, but Leo snorted. "I think we make up the fourth side, Cicely. Haven't you figured out yet that we've got our own little army right here? Let's get a move on, because if the Indigo Court is really being hit in the gut with whatever poison or virus that was sent back through you, now's the time to dive in and see what damage we can do."
We headed back to Favonis. To war. To battle. To rescue Peyton. And hopefully . . . to survive.
Chapter 23
When we showed up, Anadey and Rhiannon were just finishing a few energy-control exercises. We waited until they were done, then went over what had happened with Lainule and Grieve, and what we were planning.
"I'm so glad Lainule is alive, but that she's dealing with the vampires is unsettling. The Fae and the vampires tend to distrust and dislike one another. She must be in desperate straits if she's turning to them for help."
"Her people were massacred. She's holding court just off a parking lot by the lake. I think that qualifies as desperate," I said.
