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Gambit reported for the Seattle Tattler, a rag that thrived on ignorance, bigotry, and yellow journalism. “What the hell is he saying now?”
“He’s trying to blame the FH-CSI for the problem. And he’s inciting that damned Brotherhood of the EarthBorn—the new church that the Freedom’s Angels group and the Guardian Watchdogs are forming? He’s inciting them to haul their asses out to the various cemeteries and pray for the souls of the dead. He’s going to get a lot of people hurt if he doesn’t watch it.”
Delilah’s eyes narrowed. “Prayers won’t do any good. Not unless they contain the right spells to calm the dead. And then only if you’ve got a powerful enough mage or witch to cast them.”
“I know that, and you know that, but Gambit doesn’t believe it.” Chase leaned back against the cushion and rubbed his eyes. “I’m so tired. Last night Delilah decided to play chase—and I’m not talking about me—all night long. She was going nuts, tearing around the room, knocking stuff off the nightstand, pouncing on my toes. I had to kick her outside the bedroom so I could sleep.”
“I can’t help it if that catnip mouse you gave me was so strong,” she said, laughing.
“Sure, blame me.” He gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Seriously, Camille, I wish there had been somebody around to help me last night. Menolly couldn’t go out with me. She had to watch over the house.”
“Next month we’ll make certain you aren’t alone without backup during the full Moon.” I shook my head. “The trip home was insane. I’ll go into detail once Menolly’s awake, but last night the Moon Mother . . . she promoted me, so to speak. I’m now a priestess.” I pulled down my top to show them the new tattoo.
Delilah gasped. “Oh great gods! Congratulations!” She flew out of her chair and pulled me to my feet, hugging me tightly. “I know how much you’ve always hoped this would happen! But how? Why?”
I glanced around the room. “Are the wards up?”
“Still tight and active,” she said.
“Okay, here’s the short story. I’ll tell you more tonight, so no questions till then. Talking about this is . . . difficult.” The words came harder than I thought they would. They felt so harsh on my tongue. “Last night I sacrificed the Black Unicorn with his own horn. With my horn.” And for the first time since I’d woken up, I burst into tears.
Delilah stumbled back. Even Chase looked appalled, but neither of them said a word, for which I was grateful. After a moment, Iris came out of the kitchen, holding Maggie propped against one hip. The gargoyle reached out to me and I took her in my arms. Her wide eyes glowed softly and she gently licked the tears rolling down my face.
“No sad, Camey . . . no sad . . .”
“Somebody misses her Camille.” Iris gave me a long look. “You okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, just overemotional.”
“Well, then. Delilah,” Iris said, holding up a roll of toilet paper that had been ripped to shreds. “I see you discovered a new toy last night.”
Delilah blushed. “Oh . . . uh . . . yeah. Where did you find it?”
“The guest bathroom. I hope you had fun because you knocked everything off the counter, ripped up the toilet paper, and climbed the shower curtain.”
“Camey! Camey!” Maggie interrupted.
I cooed softly as her wispy fur tickled my nose. She snuggled against me, moophing gently. She clutched my hair and closed her eyes, resting her head on my shoulder. I kissed her forehead and settled into the rocking chair, gently rocking back and forth as she fell asleep. My tears began to recede.
“She had a busy morning,” Delilah said, a guilty look crossing her face. “I left her alone in the kitchen while I bathed, and she tipped over her new playpen, managed to get out, and opened the cupboard under the sink. She dumped the garbage and was eating stale pizza when I found her, though she was wearing more of it than she got in her mouth.”>Impulsively, I threw my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. “You are a true friend, Feddrah-Dahns. Please, take care of yourself. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you. You’re the unicorn every little girl envisions walking by her side. You’re the unicorn of legends, and on the day you ascend to the throne, your people will have gained the most noble leader they could ever hope for.”
The morning flew by in a rush of portal jumping and avoiding the unicorns and elves. At noon, we stepped through the portal leading into Grandmother Coyote’s forest, and I took a deep breath. We were home, safely, but nothing would ever be the same. The marks on my back foretold that.
Grandmother Coyote was nowhere to be seen. For once, I was disappointed rather than relieved. I wanted to ask her advice about the spirit seals. The feeling in my gut was that Tanaquar and Asteria were going to make a mess of things, albeit unwittingly, and I was willing to pay the price to get some expert advice. But when we stepped out of the portal, she wasn’t there.
I glanced around, looking, but nada. After a moment, I sighed and pulled out my cell phone. Delilah answered.
“We’re back. Can you pick us up?”
“Thank the gods you’re home,” she said, her voice tense. “Chase has been asking where the hell you and Morio are. Apparently the Wedgewood Cemetery has become the liveliest place in town and there’s not much Menolly and I can do about it. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
As we made our way through the woods to the road, I closed my eyes, readjusting to the presence of power lines and airplane noises and passing traffic. It was so much noisier than Otherworld, but this time, I felt a sense of relief being back. And Trillian was with me. I glanced over at him and he gave me a soft smile, one of those that reminded me both just how passionate and just how dangerous he could be.
By the time we reached the road, the rain was pouring again. Seattle definitely had it all over most of Otherworld in terms of rain. Actually, now that I thought about it, Dahnsburg’s climate was surprisingly similar to that of western Washington’s. As I drifted into a comfortable silence, Delilah pulled up in Morio’s Subaru. He’d left the keys with her. Now, he got in the driver’s seat and I climbed in the back with Trillian and Delilah. Iris rode shotgun.
“Welcome home, Trillian,” she said. “I’m so glad you’re back.”
He stared at her, a smirk on his face. “Do tell? That’s a change.”
