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"I'm sorry we have to split up the week," I said.
"No you're not," he countered. "But that's all right. It just means you'll be bound to me longer than you thought—what with all the days in between. I'm not going to insist you come out tonight. I know you'll be busy with the demon business."
"Thanks." And there was far more at stake than just the demon business, I thought.
Titania was scary-powerful again, and Morgaine was no slouch, herself. What if Titania encouraged Morgaine to take over the Unseelie crown, and they raised the courts that way? What if Morgaine decided to try to kill Titania? That alone would marshal the Fae from both OW and Earthside into action. But not the kind of action we needed.
I stared at the path. The leaf debris from last autumn had worked its way into the mulch of soil and undergrowth, and the trail was wet but not sink-to-your-boot-tops muddy. As we stepped over rock and branch, I tried to tune into the land to see if I could find out what Titania and Morgaine were up to.
For a few moments, all I could sense were the usual comings and goings of the forest, the scurrying of creatures, the wind whistling through the branches, the sun trying to break through a heavy cloud cover. And then, slowly, my attention narrowed. I could feel the signature of a huckleberry deva as we passed by a stand of the shrubs. And over there, a group of nature sprites working on a fir who was ailing.
Then I felt it—a stirring, almost like a vortex.
"There's a disturbance in the force, Luke," I muttered.
Smoky frowned. "What does that mean?"
"No kidding," Morio said. "Even I can feel it. Something big is on the horizon."
As I sorted through the energies whirling in the maelstrom, I began to sort out two distinct presences. One, a swirl of leaf and branch, of stone and wood and autumn colors and summer scents… the other a cacophony of mist and shadow, of starlight and crystals and deep caverns, but the energies weren't in conflict.
"It's almost as if… oh gods. Oh Great Moon Mother, what the hell are they up to now?" I jerked out of my trance and opened my eyes before they could sense me. The sudden jolt almost sent me sprawling across a root that caught my toe as I stepped forward.
"Who?" Smoky's tone demanded an immediate answer as he caught my elbow, keeping me from falling.
"Titania and Morgaine. They're working together. I dunno what they're up to, but whatever it is, you can bet it's going to cause major havoc. Last night they were almost at each other's throats. What happened between then and now?" I tried to zero in on the exact nature of the energy, but nobody was giving away any secrets.
Morio joined me, taking my hands in his. Even with his added boost of power, we couldn't pinpoint the nature of the spell they were casting together.
"Okay, that makes me nervous." I glanced over my shoulder at the forest behind us but could see nothing out of the ordinary.
"Don't let it bother you," Smoky said as we entered the clearing near the house that had once belonged to Tom Lane. The place now housed a broken, fragile soul named Georgio Profeta. Or Saint George, as he thought of himself. Saint George was forever trying to slay the dragon. Namely, Smoky. Georgio's plastic chain mail and foam sword couldn't do much damage, but in his eyes, they were the finest armor, fit for a royal knight.
Morio's SUV was parked off to one side, and as he unlocked the doors, I said good-bye to Smoky.
"Call me if you need me," he said, softly nuzzling my face. "For anything."
"Thank you," I whispered back. "Thank you for offering me a glimpse of your life, of your love."
He shook his head. "Don't thank me for that until you accept my invitation."
With a short laugh, I turned toward the car. "Think about it. I cannot bear dragon babies, and you'll want to father children someday, being the ninth son of a ninth son of a ninth son. And you know perfectly well—"
"Yes, yes, I know," he said. "You love Trillian. You love Morio. But Camille, I know you love me, too. For now go and do what you must. You'll return. And I'll be waiting." He winked at me then, waving as we drove off, heading back to the city. Heading back to the reality of my life.
Chapter Eighteen
Morio and I didn't speak much on the way. There wasn't much to say, really, and I wanted to save speculation for when we could talk to Delilah and Menolly so we didn't have to cover old territory.
As we pulled into the driveway, a thought occurred to me. "You didn't tell me the rest of what happened at the rug shop."
"Not much. I tried to poke around, but that djinn was watching my every movement once she figured out that I wasn't really in the market for a carpet. There was no reason for me to hang out, so I left. But I'll bet they have security cameras and now have my picture plastered on their back wall as a 'to-watch' individual."
He opened my door for me, and I slipped out, taking a long breath. It was good to be home. As I stared up at our house, I felt like I'd spent the past eighteen hours in a dream. I grabbed my overnight bag and dashed up the stairs, throwing the door wide as I burst into the house.
"I'm home!" I called, but my words were lost in an uproar.
Iris and Delilah were in the living room, Delilah frantically punching buttons on her cell phone.
