AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Not lately." It had been a week or two since one of our late night trash-TV fests. I wasn't about to admit it, but I kind of missed them—they gave us time to just hang out and chill. "Tell you what, though. I'd rather be doing that than chasing down rogue vamps."
Delilah let out a sigh. "Jerry Springer's kind of yummy, don't you think?"
Camille and I shouted her down and she waved us off. "Get out of here. Tim and I are going to start building the database for the Supe community roster. And I might just do a little spying tonight with Roz."
"What? You can't go with him—he's an incubus!" Oh yeah. That's just what we needed. My sister the Death Maiden all wrapped up with an incubus.
"Uh, I know what he is. And he knows better than to play touchy-feely with me. But he's helping us out. I don't like the idea of him out there alone. And remember—the Autumn Lord was standing on my shoulder the other night. We know I'm being watched."
"Just be careful, you idiot," I muttered, giving her a peck on the cheek.
Delilah shivered. "I'm not the one who's in danger. If Lethesanar should catch you—" She let her words drift, but we both knew the ending. If the queen of Y'Elestrial caught us, we might as well roll over into the roasting pit.
"That's not going to happen," Trillian said. "Grandmother Coyote's portal leads to Elqaneve, and it's easy transport down to Aladril via one of the private elfin portals."
Queen Asteria had informed us—on the q.t.—that Elqaneve had several secret portals they didn't tell outsiders about. One led to Aladril and one led to Darkynwyrd. There were probably more, but those were the only two she mentioned. We were offered use of them, should we need. And it looked like now we needed. Of course, Trillian knew about them. He seemed to have his fingers in just about all the pies.
"Once we reach the gates of Aladril, we should be safe, at least from Lethesanar and her cronies. She wouldn't dare attack them or the seers would level Y'Elestrial." Camille glanced at the clock. "Time to go."
"Let's get moving." I headed toward the door. "Who's car are we taking?"
Morio held up his keys. "My SUV. Come on, let's get on the road."
Ten minutes later, we pulled into the turnout and piled out of the vehicle. After locking the doors, we began the trek through the woods. Camille had come this way before, alone and in the dark, which impressed the hell out of me since the snowbound stillness of the woods was enough to spook even me. I preferred the dark glare of the city streets at night to the wilds here Earthside. There was more control, more ability to predict what was going down. Rooftops were easy to scale, and I never felt like the buildings were watching me.
Camille led the way. We moved silently, any sound we made muffled by the thick cloak of snow. The moon shone through the parted clouds, the edge of her full, round beauty slowly being eaten by the dark gods. During the black of the moon was the time in which the dead preferred to prowl. The Moon Mother owned the Hunt and witches like my sister, but the Dark Mother watched over those of us who had passed; the icicles of the Crone mirrored in the reflection of Grandmother Coyote's steel teeth.
We came to the portal, and Grandmother Coyote, who was there, silently stood aside to let us pass. As we. stepped through the shimmering web of magic that stretched across the standing stones, I wondered what we'd discover in Aladril. And would it be enough to help us find and destroy Dredge, before he created a panic that would sweep the human community and stir up a violent hatred against all things supernatural?
CHAPTER 12
I'd forgotten that the lack of neon and electricity made for darker nights in Otherworld, with a clearer view of the stars. The world seemed far larger and bigger than over Earthside, and it shocked me to realize just how used to my adopted home I was becoming.
Earlier in the day, Camille had sent a message through the Whispering Mirror that we were on our way, and Trenyth was waiting for us. He brushed aside pleasantries.
"Her Majesty sends her regrets—she won't be able to meet with you tonight. Do not go to Y'Elestrial, no matter the temptation." He bustled us toward a road near the barrow in which the first portal rested. "Follow me. I don't have a lot of time, so I won't be able to go all the way to Aladril with you, but you may return this way to go home again."
Everything about Otherworld was different—from the feel of the air to the energy coiled within the ground. As we stepped out of the portal, it was as if the entire world had come to life and was aware of our presence.
Earthside, I'd gotten used to the muted sense of awareness and actually had developed a taste for it. When my senses were hyped to every noise, every smell, every pulse that walked by, it was nice for a change not to be inundated by the natural energies of the elements, too. But here that aliveness was still a glowing, living entity that permeated the essence of our homeland.
A look of bliss spread across Camille's face. "Oh, it's so good to be home. I've missed this."
Morio gawked at the panorama of stars. "I've never seen the stars so clearly—not even on the slopes of Mount Fuji." He took a step closer to Camille and she dropped her head back and sucked in a deep breath.
"It's quite the sight, isn't it?" she said. "I wish we could show you Y'Elestrial. Our home is incredibly beautiful."
"We need to hurry," Trenyth said, motioning to us. "I wish we had time to tarry, but we don't."
I touched Camille on the arm.
She let out a long, tremorous sigh and her shoulders drooped. "I'm coming, I'm coming."
I swung in behind her and Trillian, next to Morio, and we continued on another quarter mile until we came to an ancient oak that must have been a good six hundred or seven hundred years old. The tree rose into the night, a dark silhouette framed by a faint glow. The branches spread over the path, draped with oak moss and ivy. Spiderwebs stretched between limbs, and the spiders within watched us with careful precision, their jointed legs crooking in the air when we got too close.
Camille let out a low gasp. "This oak must be ancient."
"I've never felt this much power from a tree before," Morio said. "Or maybe I have, but not this much…connection."
