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My father was an ethical man. He would remain loyal to Court and Crown, but not necessarily to she who wore the crown.
"Yesterday, Tanaquar went public with her accusations, and it was then that the emissaries from Svartalfheim arrived. The Queen's livid, and she's banned all Svartans from the city, but she can't stop them from coming to Otherworld. They've already contacted the dwarves about this and have formed an alliance. And you know how much the Elves hate their darker brothers, but the Elfin Queen must believe the stories about Shadow Wing, because she's forged a truce with the King of Svartalfheim."
I stared at the mirror, unable to comprehend just what I was hearing. Such an alliance was unheard of in history. "Holy crap. Father, we have to get Tom back to OW—neither he nor the spirit seal are safe here."
He shook his head. "I can tell you what I know about Bad Ass Luke's weaknesses, but you must not bring the spirit seal to Y'Elestrial. The Queen would attempt to use it against her sister, as futile as that might be."
I stared at the mirror, a wave of helplessness pouring over me. "Then what do we do? Where can we hide it?"
He stared at me, his face a blank slate. "Take it through Grandmother Coyote's portal. On this end, it's guarded by' Great Mother Bear and is out of the OIA's jurisdiction. From there, take the seal to Asteria, the Elfin Queen. She has the least to gain with it in her possession, and I think you can trust her. Tell no one in OIA what you know. Kill Luke, and report it as an isolated incident."
I knew it hurt him to go behind the OIA's back. I also knew that our father wouldn't order us to do something like this unless our lives depended on it.
Nodding, I sat back. "As you say, Father. Now tell us about Luke. Does he have any weaknesses?"
My father closed his eyes, and he looked tired and worn-out. "I'll tell you again what happened when I fought him, but I fear that eliminating this demon will be the hardest thing you've ever done," he said.
* * *
CHAPTER 18
By the time we signed off, we were all as weary as Father had looked. Chase was obviously shaken. He was a by-the-book cop until he'd joined the OIA, and now he was being told that his beloved new agency was corrupt and that civil war threatened to interfere with everything that he'd helped build Earthside during the past few years.
While Delilah and Chase made sandwiches for us, I filled Morio and Iris in on what was going down. We hauled Wisteria into the living room, where it was easier to keep an eye on her and yet she still wouldn't be within earshot.
Tom was another matter. He hadn't spoken much, merely humming to himself under his breath. But when he saw Maggie, his face lit up, and he asked if he could hold her. I watched as they snuggled together in the rocking chair that sat near the kitchen range. He played with her little hands, smiling as she wrapped tiny claws around one of his fingers. I wiped my eyes, feeling weary and sad. The evil we were facing threatened to overrun the Toms and Maggies of the world. It would chew them up and spit them out bleeding and raw without a second thought. And that was why we would stay and fight.
"We're going to need the cooperation of Grandmother Coyote. We need her portal to get Tom over to Otherworld." I drummed my fingers on the table, trying to think out the logistics. "Then we track down Luke and dispatch him as quickly as possible."
Morio shook his head, a worried light glimmering in his eye. "I have the feeling that Luke will be coming to us before we ever reach Grandmother Coyote's woods. For one thing, his buddy should probably have checked in with him by now, but instead he's lying dead in your living room. For another, you know that by now Luke has to have figured out that we have Tom."
"Can you sneak through to convince Grandmother Coyote to help us—to let us use her portal?" I stared at him, and images of our hot-to-trot liaison out on the mound flickered through my head. Once Trillian was back, I was going to be walking a tightrope between the two men because I really didn't want to give up either of them.
He glanced over to the counter where Delilah was putting the finishing touches on our lunch. "As soon as I eat. Meanwhile, I suggest that you cast a tracking spell to locate Luke. I'll bet you anything he's on his way here. The last thing you want is to be caught unprepared."
"Oh, that's just what we need," I said. "And if it works as well as the one I cast on the harpy, then all our troubles will be over because good ol' Luke will appear right in our living room."
Chase snorted, and Delilah laughed outright. But Morio was right, I thought. We just couldn't sit around and wait for Luke to come to us. I accepted the turkey sandwich Delilah handed me and morosely bit into it.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm good for a laugh," I said. "But Morio does have a point. I'll give it a try, but we all need to be prepared, because if my spell backfires and he shows up in the living room, we need to take him down then and there. This is to the death, people."
Chase slid into the chair next to mine. "Camille, how long has this civil war thing been brewing in Y'Elestrial?">My study was where I worked on my magic, made my potions, and spent a good deal of time curled up in the overstuffed armchair, reading. My Whispering Mirror was in the corner of the room, covered by a black cloth. I pulled back the velvet. The size of a vanity mirror, the frame had been worked from silver delved from the Nebelvuori Mountains—the lands of the dwarves.
The silver had been wrought into an interweaving knot work pattern, with delicate roses and leaves ornamenting the frame. It was stronger than it looked, thanks to the Wizards Guild, and it would last until either the charms were broken or until the winds of time wore away the world. The glass inside was tempered, though it could be shattered by a blow from a magical creature.
The mirror was voice-activated and specifically tuned to the frequencies of our voices—the only three who could use it were my sisters and me. Chase had a similar mirror in his home. The OIA decided it was safer there than in a public office and had charged him with keeping it secret from all but OIA members. I knew he kept it inside a locked closet and that he'd installed a highly sensitive security monitoring system.
I slid onto the chair and said, "Camille."
The mirror began to mist over. We waited, Delilah, Menolly, and Chase crowding in behind me. After a few moments, a voice from the other side of the glass said, "How may I direct your call?"
"Earthside Division reporting in." As I said, humans had nothing on the Sidhe when it came to bureaucracy. The mists began to lift, and my reflection disappeared, replaced by an image I'd been longing to see for months.
"Father!" I almost jumped out of the chair, but that wouldn't be protocol. I forced myself to sit still. After all, he was a senior officer, and we owed him respect. Besides, he'd write me up if I didn't follow procedure, and the last thing I needed were any more demerits in my file.
Delilah, however, couldn't restrain herself. She jumped up and down and waved behind me. Menolly leaned in over my shoulder, her face eagerly soaking in the sights of Otherworld. Homesickness oozed off of her like honey, and in that moment, I realized that she, more than any of us, had lost the most by accepting this assignment.
"Camille!" Father broke out in a smile, his eyes crinkling around the edges as he leaned forward. He was a handsome man, looking young by human standards but he was far older than any human walking the planet. Except for Tom Lane. Of medium height, he was trim and fit, muscled in a lanky way, and he wore his hair in a long, raven-blue braid. My own hair was this color, and my violet eyes matched his. I was surprised that he hadn't started dating again. Our mother had been gone a long time, but he only mingled with other women at parties and social functions.
