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As I gazed into Trillian’s eyes, they took on a gleam of victory, and the edge of his lip quirked into a sardonic smile as he inclined his head in a polite nod.
“Advisor Sephreh, how good to see you again,” he said, his arm snaking around my waist as he pulled me close to him.
Father cleared his throat. “Trillian, as always, I’m glad you’re well. Don’t feel you have to stand on ceremony with me. I won’t. But then, you know my feelings about you and my daughter.”
Whoops, we were being blunt here, so it seemed.
Trillian dismissed the comment with a wave of the hand. “Over the years, you’ve made your disapproval abundantly clear. I don’t expect that to change. So I accept your greeting for what it is.” He reached out with one hand and my father let out a long huff, but took it, rolling his eyes.
Just then, Morio and Iris joined us, and Trillian let out a short cry. He leaned down to hug Iris. “My lady,” he said, gently. “I did not expect you to be joining us but I’m happy to see you.”
Iris had always been able to tame Trillian—just like she was able to keep Smoky in line. Whatever charm the woman had, I envied her. She could stop an argument with a soft-spoken word. Nobody ever laughed at her when she complained. Now, she broke out of her gloom and kissed him on the cheek.
“Trillian, I’m so glad you’re well. We’ve missed you sorely.”
“I’m sure some more than others,” Trillian said, turning to Morio. The two men stood for a moment, then Morio clasped Trillian in an embrace and Trillian returned the hug, clapping Morio on the back. “Fox Boy, it’s good to see you. Have you been taking care of my woman for me?”
Uh-oh. Now was so not the time to spill the fact that I’d married Morio. Or Smoky. I prayed that Morio would keep his mouth shut, but where men and testosterone were concerned, there was no telling whether the big brain in their skull would override the little brain in their pants.
Morio glanced at me, a teasing grin on his face, then nodded. “Smoky and I have kept her safe, but truly, you have been missed.”
“So, now that the reunion’s over, when do we see the King?” My father interrupted us, still looking put out as his gaze fell on Trillian. I let out a low growl. He didn’t like him just because he was Svartan. That was the only reason, and it was getting on my nerves.
“Give it a break, Father. Trillian’s been missing for six months—”
“It’s all right, Camille.” Trillian kissed my forehead.
“No, it’s not all right.”
“Your father is more concerned with matters of state than our love life. In fact, I’m here to take you to King Upala-Dahns. I’ve been working with the Dahns Unicorns for the past couple of months. Your father knows all about it.”
That stopped me cold. Working with the unicorns? Tanaquar sent Trillian on some odd missions, all right. I was dying to know what he’d been up to during the time he’d been missing. I’d finally accepted that his disappearance had to go unquestioned, but now surely he could tell me what had been going on.>I nodded, catching up to walk by her side. “True enough. No place is safe, not really.”
Sheran-Dahns glanced down at me. Her eyes glowed with a soft light and I wanted to fall into that brilliant green and lose myself. She snorted, just a little, and then reached down and lightly pressed against my arm with her muzzle. The hair was velvety soft, and her nose was damp. I looked up into her eyes.
“All of the Dahns Unicorns know about the demons, Camille. Remember this: You can only do your best, young Windwalker. Don’t fret, and don’t second-guess yourself.” The way she said Windwalker didn’t make my skin crawl. In fact, it felt almost like a compliment.
“Thanks,” I said, impulsively reaching up to pat her side. “It’s hard not to worry, but you’re right. We can’t always win the day. I just hope we win in the long run, because the alternative isn’t such a hunky-dory deal.”
She snorted again and shook her head, her mane billowing out like a woman on a shampoo commercial. Damn, whatever she used for hair care, I wanted some. Just then, our path forked onto the main road leading in through the west gate of Dahnsburg.
Sheran-Dahns led us to the gate, where a carriage waited, hooked to a team of nobla stedas. Once again, it seemed we were to ride through the streets in luxury. I’d gotten used to the cars over Earthside, but when we’d lived in Y’Elestrial, most of the city population walked wherever they went. As my father reached for my hand to give me a boost up, I glanced back at the unicorn.
“Thank you,” I said, smiling at her. “And please, if you ever come Earthside, you’re welcome at our house. Always.”
She dipped her head. “I will remember the invitation. You never know what’s going to happen, Camille.” Turning to gaze at my father, she added, “Advisor Sephreh, I trust your visit will be a pleasant one. The guard will take you to the palace in safety. Good day.” And just like that, she was gone.
The guard in question was Fae, that much I could tell, but it was hard to peg which branch of the racial tree he’d fallen from. Pale to the point of gray, his hair was slicked back into a ponytail. The color was the faintest of blues amidst a silver wash. He looked old, or at least as old as just about any Fae I’d ever met, and he waited for us to seat ourselves in the carriage before climbing atop and picking up the reins. As the horses began to move, I leaned forward, wanting to peek through the window at the city as we passed.
Dahnsburg reminded me of Terial. And, in some ways, of Seattle. All port cities seemed to have a sensation of openness—an expansive air to them. Maybe it was the fact that they bordered coastlines, with wide, unending stretches of water lapping at their shores. Maybe there was an international feel to the air—with peoples of all races and countries journeying in through the shipping lines. Whatever the case, Dahnsburg gave the impression of being vast and roomy. I also sensed there would be more than one escape route should we need one.
The architecture was light; the buildings large and made of stone and adobe. They were whitewashed, though, and throughout the city, I noticed that the streets were clean and litter-free. The roads were wide, too—wider than those in Y’Elestrial. I noticed the number of unicorns wandering through the streets, along with a few centaurs and a handful of giants, and realized that the city had to be built to a larger scale to accommodate the size of the Cryptos.
Trees were rare, but we saw a few. They were similar to the palm trees over Earthside, but I knew them as trehavé—hardier and more suited toward cooler climates than the date palm. The trehavé bore fruit that made wonderful mixed drinks. At the thought of a drink, my stomach rumbled. We’d eaten breakfast but portal jumping sucked the energy right out of me.
The open market was jumping, but even amid the chaos of the street fair, there seemed to be an organization to the venue. We passed by hagglers arguing with vendors, and odd-looking creatures that I couldn’t identify. But amidst all the fluttering awnings of the stalls of food and fish, the carts of rugs and clothing, a sense of lawfulness permeated the crowd.
I tapped my father on the arm. “What’s going on? I’ve never seen people in an open market so well behaved.”
