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The King County government could no longer look the other way when it came to polluting the bays and inlets, not now that everybody knew sentient creatures lived there. Of course, there had been an influx of membership to the Guardian Watchdogs and Freedom’s Angels groups from über-right-wing anticonservationists, but that was only to be expected. For every swing of the pendulum, there was an equal and opposite reaction.
Together, the Fae and the Supes had created a lending library of books related to their races, most of which had lain dormant in hidden alcoves for hundreds—sometimes thousands—of years. The volumes had been reprinted and were being distributed. While the Freedom’s Angels held book burnings, the lending library idea was catching on in major cities around the nation.
“That’s a good idea,” Morio said. “While you’re there, see if you can dig up any information on wights and specters. If this thing guarding the venidemons proves to be a greater spirit and we can’t deal with it, then we might need the information.” He slid into a lightweight quilted jacket and tightened his ponytail.
Camille was wearing an outfit that was downright modest. My guess was that she didn’t want to give any unnecessary encouragement to the venidemons. She’d changed into a pair of black tights, a knee-length black rayon skirt, a turtleneck sweater, and a stunning red patent leather belt. She was wearing lace-up granny boots to cover her lower legs. Smoky joined her, in his usual white jeans, pale blue shirt, and ankle-length white trench. Somehow, he never managed to get dirty, no matter how mucky the fight or how bloody the job.
I was dressed in heavy jeans, a pair of motorcycle boots, a long-sleeved knit tank, and my leather jacket. Roz was in his usual black duster and jeans, and Vanzir slid a heavy denim jacket over his jeans and T-shirt. We were outfitted for battle and ready to go.
“Where’s the nest, and how many are we facing?” I asked, grabbing my backpack and keys.
Vanzir shook his head. “I don’t know how many. I couldn’t get an accurate count. At least fifteen, though. The nest is in an abandoned house down near Boeing. It’s set back on a couple acres of land, and it looks like it’s been up for sale for a long time.”
I sighed. “I don’t like this, not at all. We’re heading into a dangerous situation without any real idea of how many opponents we’re facing, what their capabilities are, and who’s leading them.”
Camille smirked. “You mean, it’s business as usual.”
“Funny woman . . . funny woman! Okay, come on, let’s go get this over with.” I sheathed my long silver knife in my leg holster. “Iris, you taking a cab to the library, or what?” Iris was too short to drive, and we hadn’t had the time to order a new car retrofitted for her specific height needs. It was on our to-do list, though.
She shook her head. “Siobhan’s picking me up. She’s bringing us a bucket of clams, and I’m giving her some spring lettuce and baby carrots.”
Siobhan Morgan was one of our friends. She was a selkie—a wereseal—who passed in human society. Still firmly in the closet, she was a good ally if we needed someone to dig up info not normally given to Supes or Fae. She was also very happily pregnant, and because she’d managed to conceive, her boyfriend, Mitch—also a selkie—had been allowed by the Pod elders to ask her to marry him. They were scheduled for a July wedding, and their baby was due in November.
“Okay. Just keep your eyes open when you’re outside. And keep an eye on Siobhan, too. The wards are still down; anything could wander onto the land.”
Camille sighed. “I’ll recharge them when we come home,” she said. “But until we can figure out a way for somebody besides Morio or me to tell if they’ve been damaged or negated, it doesn’t really do a lot of good. If the bloatworgle managed to break them, then he’s either got a lot of power, or he had help. Otherwise, he couldn’t get through.”
“My guess is the latter,” Morio said. “Those wards were strong.”
“Well, I guess we can’t put it off any longer. You bringing the unicorn horn?” I asked. Camille had been gifted with a rare magical item and had been doing her best to learn to wield it.
“Yes.” Camille nodded. “But I don’t want to use it unless I have to. Given that I can only charge it up under the new moon, I don’t want to drain its powers unless these critters are more than we can handle.”
“I guess this is it, then. Vanzir, you and Roz come with me. Smoky and Morio will go with Camille. You got a map for them?”
Vanzir handed Camille a Google map, and she, in turn, handed it to Morio, who always took care of the details like directions. We headed out to the cars. I waved as Camille and the boys climbed in her Lexus, then I swung up into my Jeep. Roz rode shotgun; Vanzir sat in the back.
Belles-Faire was on the northern outskirts of Seattle. When traffic was light, we made good time into the heart of the city. When it was heavy, we could be stuck in gridlock for hours. Luckily, at this time of the morning, rush hour was almost over.
I swung over onto I-5. The freeway would be the quickest way to reach south Seattle, past Georgetown—a graveyard of railroad tracks and boxcars—into the Industrial District. Built over the mudflats that once lay beneath Elliott Bay and over covered landfill, the area was prone to liquefaction, and during earthquakes, the buildings were easily damaged.
As we headed down the road, I glanced toward the west. Storm clouds were moving in. We were heavily into the spring rains, and Mandy Tor, the loopy meteorologist on K-Talk, was predicting a heavy drenching for the area by early afternoon. I trusted Camille’s and Iris’s take on the weather more than Mandy’s, but both of them concurred: We’d be soaked through before afternoon tea.
“Vanzir, tell me again,” I said, steering my way between two huge semis, one hauling diesel, the other hauling gasoline. Yeah, that would be a nasty combination in a wreck. Big boom. Big bonfire. “What did you say about the venidemons? What are their weaknesses?”
Vanzir had filled us in before we left the house, but I’d still been fuming over the call from Erika and had only half listened. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the back of Morio’s seat. “Venidemons are extremely dangerous, but they do have one major weakness. They’re prone to ice and snow damage. If it gets too cold—say subfreezing—they can’t fly. Makes ’em sluggish. They die if it falls below minus ten.”
“I take it that’s . . . what’s it called . . . Fahrenheit?” I quickly switched lanes to skirt around a slow-moving RV. Camille was right behind me, her Lexus mirroring us like a steel-gray shadow.
“Right.”
“Perfect! Smoky’s heritage is directly from the Northlands. His father was a white dragon, his mother a silver, giving him a dangerous mix of ice, snow, and electrical attacks. At least we have him on our side,” I said.
“We should have brought Iris,” Roz added. “She’s proficient with ice and snow magic.”
Damn it, why hadn’t I thought of that? Or why hadn’t Camille? We were so used to leaving Iris in charge of the house that sometimes we forgot how handy she could be in a fight. “Why didn’t you say something back at the house, dork?”
The incubus winked at me in the rearview mirror. “Because nobody asked.” He laughed when I sputtered indignantly. “Don’t get your panties in a wad. I didn’t say anything because what she’s doing is valuable, too—and we do have the dragon with us. We don’t have a lot of manpower to go around, lately, not with Trillian missing, and we have to make the best use of who’s available and what resources we have handy.”
