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"Before this goes any further, how do you feel about telling me who and what you are? It's only fair." I'd had enough of making deals unseen. My pact with the vampires was weighing heavy on my mind and I wasn't about to fall in unaware with someone else who might try to pull one over on me.
"She's safe," Leo said. "We both vouch for her. By blood, bro."
Kaylin eyed me closely, then shrugged. "All right. I trust you to that." He pushed back his chair and wiped his mouth on his napkin. "I'm a dreamwalker, Cicely. When I was in the womb, my mother was initiated into an ancient shamanic tradition. There was a demon hanging out nearby and it took the chance to enter my soul. It's not in me--not as possessing me. But the experience changed my very DNA. It opened me up on a psychic level. When the demon entered me, it died, but its essence blended into my own soul during the ritual and now we are one. I am both Kaylin, and what's left of the night-veil."
"Night-veil?" Oh wonderful. Now we were dealing with demons. Although it was hard to imagine any demon worse than the Vampiric Fae.
"They're the creatures that you catch a glimpse of in the shadows--they hide in dusty attics, creep into old basements, and live in rotting barns. Only during the cover of night do they emerge, and they're connected to the Bat Tribe."
I had a lot to learn. So much of this had gone under my radar, living all those years on the road.
"I feel so stupid compared to all of you. So unprepared. Half this stuff . . . I knew it existed because, hell, I'm magic-born. But my life was so far removed from most magic except the spells I could summon. My existence with Krystal was like a bad seventies road movie. I learned what I could, but there are times I think I'm going to be a detriment because of my ignorance."
"You'll be fine. There's more to you than meets the eye. Just remember: When in doubt, ask." Kaylin gave me a gentle smile and I suddenly felt safe with him. His eyes promised that he'd do his best to help us, and that was good enough for me. He was on our side, and right now that's what we needed.
And so, like that, we had our fourth. We spent the rest of breakfast filling him in on the Indigo Court, and what was waiting for us in the wood.
"I don't like this," Leo said as he carried our plates to the sink. Kaylin was washing the dishes, while Rhiannon and I cleaned the counters. "We're going to get ourselves killed."
"That's probably going to happen anyway, if we don't do something about the Shadow Hunters. But we know Heather and Peyton are out there and we have to at least give it a try. If the four of us go together, we might be able to hold off the tillynoks and whatever else might be out there."
Kaylin stared at me for a moment, then wiped his mouth on a napkin. "Leo's right. We're probably going to get ourselves hurt, but I'm in."
I folded the tea towel and hung it over the refrigerator handle. "Since it's still fairly early, we might luck out and Myst's people will be asleep."
Some of them will be, but be careful, Cicely. Not all beasts thrive in the dark and the shadow. Ulean's voice rang clear in my head, and so did her concern.
At five minutes to nine we were standing in front of the path leading into the ravine. The sky was an odd silver color and the scent of snow-covered cedar hung thick in the air. Everywhere, the glint of light on snow sparkled like diamonds, glistening on the ferns and bushes.
Kaylin had his pack, Leo was dressed in khakis and a sweater that matched the surrounding foliage. Camo, I thought. Rhiannon was carrying a lighter and the firebombs that Leo and I made her bring.
I'd opted for the tough chick look: black jeans, black turtleneck, and my leather jacket. We all wore boots in which we could move through the snow and slush. For my weapons of choice, I'd slid my switchblade into a sheath attached to my wrist, and had stuck my athame in my boot sheath. Both blades were highly illegal to carry, but they did the trick.
"Okay, let's head out." Taking a deep breath, I plunged into the ravine. The path was level for the first twenty minutes of walking, then slowly began to descend. When Rhiannon and I'd been children, we'd usually stayed on this side of the ravine, in the wood near the house. But today, we had quite a hike in front of us.
The mat of needles and leaves beneath the snow scrunched as I led the way into the thick copse. Throughout the woods, the call of crows echoed from tree to tree, and one lone bird sang to announce the coming storms. I listened to the breeze that had picked up, but Ulean warned me from playing in the slipstream too much.
A storm's on the way, with heavy snowfall behind it. This is an unusual winter and Myst might be behind it.
Great. Storms were crazy enough on their own. I tried to stay out of their way because if they could sense you had tuned in on them, they'd take aim at you like a lightning rod. And those of us who worked with the wind or weather tuned in to them like a compass needle seeking north.
I sent a mental hug to Ulean, surprised to feel one in return. It occurred to me that, now that I was settling down--and especially if I were to start up some sort of magical business--I'd need to begin regular meditation again. I'd taught myself how to meditate over the years and it kept me sane during my exile with Krystal. Now I could start to truly dive into my work with Ulean and see just how far we could take our partnership.
I'd like that. A smile broke through her words.
I'd like that, too.
I turned to the others. "Let's get a move on, rough weather coming in."
As I scrambled to the edge of the ravine, I noted the overgrown state of the path leading down and through it. When I was little, it had been carefully tended, but now it was a tangle of briars and other dangers, all hiding under a blanket of white.
"Watch it, there's stinging nettle along this path and it will be hard to see now. Everything's so overgrown and wild, and the snow over the slick ground won't make this any easier."
" 'Lay on, Macduff! Just don't lead us to ruin.' " Leo was joking but I could sense the tension in his voice.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," I said.
The path was slippery, the overgrown foliage slick from the winter's touch. The patches that were clear of plants had frozen, and were slick with black ice. Down below, mist rose from the bottom of the ravine. And the temperature was hovering around thirty-three degrees. Good thing we'd all worn heavy clothing.
