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"What? He's the one who took Feddrah-Dahns? He didn't hurt him, did he?" Delilah looked confused.
"No. In fact, he probably saved Feddrah-Dahns's life. What else did Smoky say when he was here?"
"He might drop by tonight. Apparently, he cast some sort of barrier across the entrance to the portal in Underground Seattle, but he doesn't think it will last once the goblins get their shamans to work on breaking it down."
She jumped up to help Morio dish out dinner. They piled everything in the center of the table while Iris fed Maggie her cream and sage drink.
I dug into the food as soon as plates were on the table. My stomach was kicking up a tantrum, and I chowed down, wishing I'd remembered to buy drinks and fruit salad. Delilah ate like she was starved, too. In fact, it was obvious there wouldn't be any leftovers tomorrow.
As the last rays of the sun disappeared, I pushed back my plate and jumped up. "Chase, you and Morio go in the living room—now."
Chase glanced at the clock. "Time for her to wake up, huh? You know, eventually we're going to see the entrance to her lair. It's got to be in the kitchen somewhere. Don't you trust us by now?"
I shook my head. "It's not you we're worried about." When he gave me a blank look, I added softly, "Think, Chase. Say one of the demons happens to capture you. Or one of the Elwing Blood Clan. Maybe somebody still kicking around after the battle with Dredge. Somebody who might be after Menolly. How long do you think you'd last under torture—"
Chase blanched, shuddering.
"Yeah, it sounds bad, but it could happen, and you know it."
"You could be more tactful—" Delilah started to say, but I cut her off.
"I'm over sugarcoating anything within our little group here. We can't afford to ignore the possibilities anymore. As I was saying, how long do you think Chase would last before he told them where the entrance to her lair is?"
I turned to him. "You may think you know it's in the kitchen, but there are the hall and the back rooms. You really don't know as much as you believe you do, and trust me, that's a good thing."
As I ran out of words, I realized everybody was staring at me. "What? We're in a fight, not only for our own lives, but for two worlds. And look at who we are! Morgaine was spot on when she told me we needed more allies. We may not be able to trust her, but at least she was honest about it. And we have to be blunt with ourselves, too. When mortals are dreaming of demons tearing apart the world, and when Raksasas are living in the open right here in the city—the problem's a whole lot bigger than we feared."
Realizing that I was on a rant, I dropped into my chair again. "Sorry, sorry…I'm just… Chase and Morio—living room, please. We'll finish dinner in a few minutes." As the two men filed out, I leaned my head against the table.
Delilah stood behind me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. "I know you're worried. We all are. And you're right. We have to be honest with ourselves, or we'll make mistakes. But you're tired. You can't let this mess drain away your hope—"
"Let what drain away her hope?" Menolly pushed open the bookshelf that hid the entrance to her lair and slipped out, carefully shutting it tight again. "I thought those two oafs would never leave. I've been standing in there for five minutes."
She blew kisses to Delilah and me and paused to press light fingers on Iris's shoulders. Menolly wasn't a huggy person. Most vampires weren't very good with showing physical emotion.
While Iris summoned the men back to the table, Menolly poured herself a goblet of lamb's blood. We kept spare blood on hand for her from an organic ranch outside of Seattle. They saved it for me when they butchered their livestock, and we had a freezer full. It wasn't all that tasty, and Menolly often complained, but it worked in a pinch. Morio was working on a spell that would change the taste to some of the foods she missed from when she was alive, and so far it looked promising.
When we were all gathered around the table again, Chase said, "Can you fill Menolly in on the goblin and demon mess after I leave? I want to hear what you found out at the institution today. Then I have to get back to work. I'm probably not going to see my bed until well past two or three tomorrow morning."
"No problem," I said. "To cut to the quick, we know where to look for the third spirit seal. It's not going to be easy, though."
Morio and I filled them in on everything Benjamin had told us. After we finished, Delilah jumped up, drumstick in one hand, biscuit in the other, and started to pace.
"You think that the woman in the crystal might really be Aeval, the Unseelie Queen? What's going to happen when somebody uses that sword? Do you think she'll wake up? And was she the one who put it there in the first place?"
I shrugged, biting into another chicken thigh. Starved, I wished now that I'd bought a bigger bucket. Iris retrieved a cold ham from the refrigerator, and a fruit salad, and set them on the table. I flashed her a grateful smile.
"You read my mind," I said, slicing off a thick piece of ham. I turned back to Delilah. "As to your questions, I have no idea. We're going to find out, that I guarantee you. Because no way in hell am I allowing anybody else to get to that spirit seal first. But there's something else. Something I sensed while we were out at the retreat. I haven't even told Morio my suspicions yet, and I'll bet anything that Benjamin has no idea."
"No idea about what?" Morio dished out the fruit salad and slid a bowl across the table to me.
I gave him a grin. "I think Benjamin Welter is part Fae."
Chapter Twenty-three
Of course, that broke the conversation wide open.
"How do you figure?" Iris asked.
