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"Titania!" Morgaine's voice echoed through the clearing.
The element of surprise was clearly in the Fae Queen's court. Titania gave Morgaine a warning look as I raced over to her side.
"Am I ever glad to see you." Maybe she'd overlook me stealing away her lover just this once. After all, it wasn't like I'd taken Tom Lane for myself. I glanced up at the tall, gossamer beauty, and she gave me a sly smile. Good sign? Bad sign? Not sure, I opted to hope it was good.
Titania stepped in front of me, and as she did so, she whispered, "Your scaly boyfriend asked me to keep watch over you."
Scaly boyfriend? I did the wisest thing I could think of. I kept my mouth shut.
Morgaine gave Titania the once-over. "So, last I heard, you were so deep in your cups that you might as well roll over in the gutter and die. What happened? Run out of wine?"
Hokay, that was enough for me. I backed away. Titania might be a shadow of her former self, but she could still mop up the floor with me and wring me out to dry afterward. If Morgaine provoked her enough…
Titania straightened her shoulders. She no longer reeked of booze, and her powers crackled around her, a nimbus of sparks. Oh yeah, apparently her stint in magical rehab had done wonders. Her dress, a gossamer see-through gown, seemed to float from her shoulders, and her long, golden hair shimmered under the bonfire light.
"Upstart. I know what you're doing. Don't you even dare dream that you could replace me. If the Courts of Fae rise again, I will be riding the crest, not you. I could squash you like a beetle with one hand." She moved forward, gliding as if she were skimming the grass with her feet.
Morgaine caught her breath, and I saw her step back, fear washing across her face. Yeah, mighty sorceress she might be, and half-Fae, but she was a baby compared to Titania's age and full power.
"You… you have hidden out for so long and now you expect to step in and reclaim a throne you willingly vacated years back? The Merlin told me you were fickle, when he taught me so long ago—"
"Fickle? We're all fickle, you snot-nosed brat." Titania squared her shoulders and raised a finger, pointing it at the sorceress. "You, me, her—" She swung around to nod to me. "Anyone with Fae blood will turn their backs on someone they love, sometime. It's in our blood, it's in our nature. Don't you know that the Merlin was my lover long before you were born? He was an old fool who cared too much for his reputation and too little for what he could offer to the world. If you seek his help to raise the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, you'll understand what it truly means to be betrayed."
Morgaine opened her mouth, then quietly closed it. She dropped to one of the fallen logs and clasped her hands together. "I know. That's why I stopped hunting for him. But we have to do something. I cannot allow this world—and all that I love about it—to fall into the hands of the demons. And that girl is no match for a demon lord." Again, a nod to me.
I was beginning to feel invisible, the proverbial fly on the wall. I started to speak, but Mordred, who had inched his way over to my side, shook his head.
"Don't get involved. It isn't safe." He had a dark scowl on his face, and I wondered what he thought of the whole matter.
But I didn't ask. I wanted to hear everything I could that Titania and Morgaine were saying.
Titania gave Morgaine a dangerous smile, showing her teeth just enough to remind me of a snarling dog. "Don't dismiss the girl and her sisters so lightly. And remember this: they are under my protection and the protection of the dragon who lives on my land."
I blinked. Obviously, Smoky and Titania were having some sort of dispute over property boundaries. I idly wondered if he'd ever slept with her, but decided not to go there. At least not right now.
"Morgaine, we have much to discuss." She turned back to me. "Camille, return to Smoky's for now. Do not stray from the path; there are dangerous traps and creatures that wander this land. We will be in touch with you soon. You are not out of this yet."
"But the horn—she has—" Morgaine jumped to her feet.
"Enough!" Titania's voice shook the clearing, and Morgaine cringed. "Leave it be for now."
I chose that moment to make my exit, stage left. I gave a short bow to the Fae Queen emeritus and the sorceress. As soon as I was away from the clearing, I started to jog along the path, wanting to put distance between me and the sparring women. What the hell were they up to? Titania looked far stronger than the last time I'd met her. I would have bet my pay that she couldn't have returned from the sodden state she'd been in, but I'd been wrong.
As I rounded the bend, a noise startled me. I glanced over my shoulder to check if Mordred had followed me, but there was no one there. Just then, a beautiful red fox raced onto the path and blocked my way. I dropped to my knees.
"Morio! I'm so glad to see you." I recognized the particular glint in his eye. Within seconds, he'd changed back into human form and retrieved his bag from beneath a huckleberry bush.
"Camille, I was worried about you. I saw everything. I've been prowling the land all day. Smoky and Titania have the place loaded with magical traps, but I'm good at spotting most of them." He helped me to my feet and slid his arms around my waist, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. "I thought I was going to have to jump in there and help you get away from that witch."
"You mean bitch, don't you? I don't think I like Morgaine," I said, frowning. "Grandmother Coyote was right. She's power hungry."
"She may be, but she's right about one thing: we need all the help we can get to fight Shadow Wing." He drew me to the side of the path. "This area is safe. I checked."
As we settled down on the lush patch of grass, Morio held out his arm and I leaned into it, realizing how comforting it was to be on familiar turf again. Morio and Trillian were safe. I knew them, we had our routine and rhythm down. But everything out here felt dangerous. Smoky, included.
"I'm scared," I said. "I just want it to be tomorrow so that I can go home."
"It will be soon, just hang on a little longer," he murmured.
