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"Youch! Watch where you're going!" Delilah said, rubbing her butt. She pushed herself off the ground and helped me up.
Menolly was standing behind us. I expected her to be snickering, but her expression was dead serious as she stared at our visitors with a veiled gaze. Morio and Smoky swung in behind us.
"The fact that both of you are here at the same time doesn't give me any fuzzy feelings," I said, gingerly rubbing the sore spot on my hip. "What's up?"
"We have to talk," Grandmother Coyote said, her steel teeth gleaming in the dim light. We were a few days past the new moon, and I could still feel the energy from the Dark Mother rumbling in the air.
"Do you want to go inside?" I asked, gesturing to the house.
She shook her head. "No. We have no time for niceties. You must make haste. The scales will tip tonight. Tomorrow is the equinox, and the balance must shift. What has long been set askew can be righted this night. The powers that once reigned will rise again. You must be present to bear witness, and you must do what you can to help the shift occur."
Riddles. It was always riddles with Grandmother Coyote. I didn't even bother to ask what she was talking about. I knew better. We'd find out the hard way. We always did.
I turned to Trenyth. "And what bad news are you bringing to the table? It's got to be bad in order for Queen Asteria to send you through the portal after she said she didn't want to risk your neck."
He sucked in a deep breath. "It is bad news. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but there's been a slipup. It's about Trillian…"
I began to breathe hard. "No… no…"
"Camille, listen to me—"
"Don't you dare…" A rush of energy raced through my body. My heart was beating so loud I could barely hear myself think. I began to shake.
"Trillian's—"
"No! He can't be dead!" I bit my lip, and blood poured into my mouth. This couldn't be happening—it was too much. It was all too much.
Delilah jumped behind me, shoring me up. Smoky was down the steps instantly, and I leaned against him.
Trenyth rushed to say, "He's not dead. His soul statue its unbroken." He shook his head, and my lungs gave a jump start, and I let out a ragged breath. "At least, he's not dead… yet."
I let out a strangled cough, and Smoky held me tighter. "What the fuck do you mean? Not dead yet? Was he wounded? Hurt? Just tell me what's wrong!"
Trenyth sighed. "We think he was captured by a goblin contingent. Another informant saw the battle go down."
And then my world went black.
As I regained consciousness, I was aware of someone leaning over me. I blinked, willing my vision to clear. What had happened? Why was I lying on the cold ground?
Grandmother Coyote's gleaming teeth came into focus as she smiled down at me, her hand caressing my cheek. Her fingers were rough, and her eyes bored deep into my soul, calling me back from wherever it was my mind had fled. I gasped and sat up as a jolt passed through her hand, into my face. Like rough whiskey, it shocked me awake.
"Come, girl, get up. You don't have time to mourn. You must shoulder the burden and move on for the night. Ask your questions. You can cry later," she said.
I shook the fog out of my head and looked around. Smoky was sitting beside me. My head had been in his lap. Morio and Menolly were kneeling on my left, Delilah and Chase on my right. They helped me up, and Smoky slid his arm around my waist while Morio took my hand.
"Are you okay?" Delilah asked.
"How can I be okay?" I asked, staring at her. "You know what the goblins do to their prisoners. Capture is as good as a death sentence."
She turned away, but I couldn't stop talking.
"Trillian and I belong to each other—through life and through death. When he reentered my life, I was terrified, because I knew that I'd never be able to send him away again, that I'd never leave him again. No matter how many other lovers we take, no matter how many miles stretch between us, we are bound forever." I closed my eyes. "Tell me what happened."
Grandmother Coyote interrupted me. "There isn't time."
"Then make time!" I turned on her, feeling as frozen as the northern wastes. "Trillian is my oath lover. I will know what happened to him and why he was sent on another mission even though he was already pegged as a spy. The world can shatter like glass for all I care right now. But I will know!"
She stared at me, and for a moment I thought she was going to strike me down, but then she motioned to Trenyth. "Hurry. We don't have time to waste."
