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"Come out, come out, wherever you are. I have questions and concerns for you, Grandmother. You are needed," I whispered.
Within moments the undergrowth on the other side of the glade rustled, and out stepped an old woman. Clad in a long gray green robe, she moved silently across the lea to stand beside me. Her hair was hidden beneath a hood, but wisps of white fur peeked out from the edges to frame her face, which was so ridged with wrinkles it was difficult to imagine that she'd ever been young. Cracks on the road map of eternity.
She might have been born old. One of the Elemental spirits, Grandmother Coyote was bound to Earth but served all realms. She lived outside of time, immortal. Or as immortal as the planet allowed her to be. When the earth died, so too would she. No demon could kill her, no human could harm her, no one from Otherworld could charm her. Outside of reach, she was in touch with everything that wandered the planet, every event that took place on its surface.
She looked into my eyes, and I stood still, allowing her to probe my essence. Grandmother Coyote would speak or not as she willed, but my behavior would determine how much she might be willing to tell me.
"What is it you seek, daughter of Y'Elestrial, and of Earth?"
Y'Elestrial… my homeland in Otherworld. I knelt, genuflecting.
"Very pretty," she said, her voice a smidgeon above a cackle. "But you know as well as I do that actions can be deceiving. All the pretty manners in the world won't cover an empty soul. Stand and let me listen to your heart."
I rose from my knees and sat beside her on one of the windfalls while the clouds parted and the gibbous moon flared through the trees, its silver beams illuminating our faces.
"I'm with the OIA, and I'm looking for answers to a murder, and a recent shift in power. We need to know what's happening. Will you help me?"
Grandmother Coyote stared at me, her gaze splitting me wide as she viewed every atom within my body, every thought within my soul. I felt like I was naked, tied spread-eagle to a stone under the starry night, open for scrutiny, every flaw and strength exposed.
After a moment she motioned for me to follow her to the base of one of the nearby trees. The trunk was huge—wide enough to fit several men—and when she approached, a light shimmered as a doorway formed. She ducked her head, entering, and I followed.
Within the trunk we strode along a dirt path lit by dancing lights and shrouded on both sides by mist and shadow. Near the end, we came to a cave within which rested a small table and two chairs carved out of oak. The knots and burls blinked as I took the chair opposite her. I had the uneasy feeling I was sitting on somebody's face but pushed it aside. Now wasn't the time to question seating arrangements.
Grandmother Coyote sang a few notes, and a candle sprang to life. On the oaken table rested a crystal ball almost as big as my head. Grandmother Coyote leaned close and blew a long, slow breath on it, the mist from her lungs enveloping the orb like fog. A spark flared in the center of the crystal, radiating out. She opened a velvet pouch that hung on her belt and held it out to me.
"Let's see what the bones have to say," she said. "Choose three."
I cautiously reached within the darkened pouch, and my fingers met a smooth surface that felt like polished ivory. The bag was filled with finger bones from all different races and species. Swallowing a lump that rose in my throat, I let my fingers close around three of them before withdrawing my hand.
"Place the first on the table."
I opened my hand, and the first bone, a long, narrow digit etched with symbols that I couldn't read, fell onto the table. Grandmother Coyote gazed at it for a moment, then looked deep into the crystal ball.
"A great shadow arises. He intends to rule all three worlds. Born from the fire, his nature is greed." She jerked her head up, and even though I knew she was immune to fear, I imagined a quaver in her voice as she said, "A Soul Eater. He charms the birds from the trees, the fish from the water. He unites those who will not be united into a great force, and they are sending out scouts even as we speak… to look for…" She paused, then shook her head. "I'm not sure what he's looking for yet."
Shadow Wing. She had to be talking about Shadow Wing. Soul Eaters were the biggest of the big bads. They devoured the very essence of their enemies, casting the souls into oblivion as they absorbed their opponents' power. Among the highest order of demons, Soul Eaters were rare, and they usually managed to charm their way into positions of authority. Once there, they turned tyrant, and the resulting rule was always bloody. By the time their minions realized what was going on, it was too late.
"The second bone," Grandmother Coyote said. I dropped the second bone in front of her. It was a finger from a Brownie. Shuddering, I jerked my hand back as she picked up the digit and closed her eyes.
"Long ago, the Elemental Lords were given guardianship over the spirit seal, which was broken into nine parts, fashioned into pendants. The Lords grew lazy, and the seals were lost. Eventually mortals found them and took possession. These are what the scouts seek. When they find the seals, they will take them into the depths where they will be joined back as one, and the Soul Eater will rip open the portals that separate the worlds."
Spirit seals? I must have looked confused, because she paused. "You don't know what the spirit seals are?"
I shook my head. "No, I've never heard of them."
"No accounting for the school system, either in OW or here," she said, disgruntled. "But that doesn't surprise me. Whenever mortals of any kind are involved, they forget the past and repeat mistakes." Grandmother Coyote looked as if she was debating whether to tell me more. She held up a hand. "Wait here," she said, rising to disappear into the shadows that surrounded the table.
I slowly opened my hand and stared at the remaining bone. It was the finger of a human—a woman. That much I could read off of it, but more I couldn't see. I started to stand, intending to stretch, but the chair wrapped a branch around my waist, holding me fast.
"Hey! What are you doing?" I squirmed, trying to get free, but the limb anchored me firmly in place. Apparently, I wasn't allowed to wander around. At least it wasn't trying to feel me up. I relaxed, and the branch relaxed. I tried to stand again, and once again found myself slammed back into the seat. "Okay, okay, you win," I mumbled.
Just then, Grandmother Coyote reappeared. "Getting fresh with you, is it? No worry. I just don't want strangers wandering through my labyrinth."
She flashed me a smile then, the first I'd seen from her, and I cringed. Her teeth were razor sharp, shining steel in the night. Menolly's fangs looked like baby teeth in comparison to Grandmother Coyote's metal mouth. Either she didn't notice or she chose to ignore my response, because she held out a book. "You can have this. It will teach you the history of the spirit seals, at least enough for you to understand what you're up against."
I murmured a thank-you and took the book. The cover was hand-tooled leather—dragon leather. I ran my fingers over it, feeling the low rumble that still emanated from the skin. I hadn't heard of a dragon slaying in a long time. The book must be ancient. I carefully set it aside and tossed the third bone on the table. Grandmother Coyote fingered it for a moment, then shook her head.
"Out near Great Mother Rainier, you will find one of the seals. That is, you will if you get there before the Soul Eater's scouts."
