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As we sped down I-90 and then turned off on exit 25, the trees grew tall and thick on either side of the freeway. The towering firs loomed dark over the landscape, and the undergrowth was thick and full with burgeoning ferns and huckleberry and scrub holly and wild grasses.
The Cascade Mountain Range and its foothills, running the length of Washington down into Oregon, were a wild region. Mountain lions and bears and coyotes roamed the hills, occasionally venturing into the outskirts of the city, and the land felt rugged and tough. If you weren’t up to the challenge, you could die in the mountains in any number of ways, none comfortable to think about.
As the engine hummed, I inhaled deeply, then let out a long sigh. How many times had we raced off to quell a problem in the past six months? How many nights had we spent bashing heads and getting beat up in return?
The problem with rogue portals opening showed no signs of stopping. Cryptos and Fae were showing up everywhere, especially around the Northwest. Guarding the portals that opened into the Subterranean Realms was proving to be difficult, because the OIA had been absorbed into our Queen’s army and for now, we were working off the radar.
One thing we had to be grateful about, though, was that the new portals showed no signs of opening into the Sub Realms. The Netherworld, yes, but the Sub Realms—not so much. A blessing we couldn’t ignore.
I leaned forward and peeked over Roz’s shoulder. He was riding shotgun, while Morio drove, and considering he had the map, it was probably a good arrangement. “You’re sure that Karvanak hasn’t got wind of the seal yet?”
He shrugged. “As far as we could tell, no. Of course, there’s no guarantee, but I don’t think he’d be torturing that poor man if he already had the information. He’d just eat him. RÄksasas do that, you know. They eat humans, along with other species.”
Shuddering, I slipped back in my seat. “Yeah, I know, but thanks again for the visual. Just what I needed.”
Smoky, who was sitting on my right, snorted. “I eat people, too.”
“Not like that,” I said. “You don’t just go devouring innocents, and we know it. Maybe some dragons do, but don’t pretend that you’re like them.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You’ve got a mouth on you, girl,” he said, and it wasn’t a compliment by the tone in which he spoke. But I noticed he didn’t contradict me.
I glanced over my shoulder at Camille, who was sprawled in the back, along with Menolly and Vanzir. “Did you bring the unicorn horn?”
She nodded. “We have no idea what we’ll be facing. I figured I might as well bring it, especially since my hand’s still sore, and it’s going to hurt like hell to run energy through it.”
Vanzir let out a huff of impatience. “We get the seal, then you take it wherever you need to take it. Then what?”
“We start searching for the fifth one, I guess.” I shrugged. “That seems to be our current direction, don’t you think?”
Camille shook her head. “I hate to remind you of this, but the demons aren’t our only rivals for the spirit seals. I’d say it’s a good bet that Aeval, Morgaine, and Titania are probably looking for them, too. And should they find one, I’ll lay odds they won’t be keen to turn it over to Queen Asteria. The pit of my gut tells me that Morgaine wants to give them to Aeval.”
Morgaine. Titania. Aeval. Three brilliant and terrible queens. We’d recently found out that Morgaine was a distant relative of ours, but she didn’t seem to put a lot of stock into blood ties unless it benefited her own agenda.
“Get real,” Menolly said. “They played you like a Spanish guitar. I grant you that Grandmother Coyote had a hand in it, but I still maintain they somehow put her up to convincing you that it was your destiny to help them.”
I gulped. I’d been wondering the same thing, but it never occurred to me to say it to Camille’s face. For one thing, no matter what had really happened, there was no changing the outcome. For another, the thought had flickered through my mind that perhaps Camille had been so desperate to believe we had allies that she’d allowed herself to be blindsided.
Whatever the case, with her help, the three nobility of Earthside Fae had reestablished the fallen regime that had been, at one time, the Unseelie and Seelie Courts. Now, Morgaine, Titania, and Aeval ruled over the Courts of the Three Queens. And they weren’t just sitting around looking pretty.
“Have you noticed just how many Earthside Fae have been flocking to the area? The Supe Community Council has been paying attention, and rumors are filtering out that there’s a growing unease rising between the Earthside and OW Fae. The FBHs are thrilled by the novelty, but they don’t see the potential dangers of the situation. We have enough on our plates without coping with yet another civil war between the Fae, this time one between the realms.” I shook my head.
“Wonderful.” Menolly sounded anything but thrilled. She flicked Camille on the head with her thumb and forefinger. “I still think you were off your rocker to help them.”
“You’ve made that abundantly clear,” Camille said quietly. “I’ve taken a lot of flack for my actions from a lot of people, so maybe, just maybe, my own family can lay off?”
Her eyes narrowed. “You really think that I acted on impulse? That I didn’t know what I was doing? I knew perfectly well. I also know that it will take a miracle for them to allow me to stay on should the OIA ever regroup and the death threat on our heads be removed. I’m as good as gone from the fold, no matter who wins the war in Y’Elestrial. Lethesanar . . . Tanaquar . . . doesn’t matter. I’m history to any government who had a hand in the Great Divide. And if you think I didn’t consider that before I helped Morgaine and Titania free Aeval from the crystal, maybe you’re the ones who are blind. When the Hags of Fate tell me to do something, I do it. This is bigger than just us. Bigger than Otherworld.”
Smoky let out something that sounded like a huff. He was glaring at me, and I had the feeling he was none too happy with Menolly, either. He kept quiet, but I could feel him tensing beside me.
I also felt my own inner equilibrium beginning to blur, and I took a deep breath, trying to avoid shifting. Family arguments always gave me the most stress, and I had a hard time keeping it together when we squabbled.
“The portals,” I whispered. “You did it because the portals are breaking down.”
Camille glanced at me, looking surprised. “Ten points for Kitten. The fabric that separates the three realms was never meant to be stretched so tightly. The Great Divide was a big, fat mistake, and the OW Fae who participated in it are going to have to acknowledge their error sooner or later. And I don’t think we have until later.”
“Do you think any of them still exist? Beyond Queen Asteria and the Fae Queens?”
“I’m fairly certain there are a few of the forefathers still alive. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that the system is collapsing, and we have no idea how this mess will affect our problems with the demons. Shadow Wing might be able to rip through the portals easier with the fabric dividing the realms breaking apart. We aren’t in this alone; the Earthside Fae can help us, but we need to give them a reason to. And not feeling second-class to OW Fae might just be the start.” Camille frowned, leaning her head against the side of the car.
