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Trillian caught my thought and bowed to the King. “Your Highness, when should we leave? Are there any warnings or cautions we should be aware of?”
King Upala-Dahns glanced around the room, then motioned with a toss of the head that we should follow him. “Come, let us walk in the garden.”
The clouds had opened up and it was raining as we followed the King into one of the empty gardens. Mistletoe rode on my shoulder, and Feddrah-Dahns walked to my right. Morio and Trillian kept close, a few steps behind me.
The smell of rain-washed grass and hearth smoke filled the air and I pulled my cloak tightly around me.
“What about Iris?” I asked. “Will she be coming with us, too?”
“Yes,” Feddrah-Dahns said. “Though I don’t think the Deep is a good place for her to be right now.” But he wouldn’t explain why.
The afternoon was wearing away and even though I couldn’t see the Moon Mother, I could feel her gearing up for the Hunt. It had been a good two years since I’d leapt onto the astral to run at her side here in Otherworld, rather than Earthside. Although the Moon Mother was the same goddess in both worlds, the energy of the Hunt ran a little different depending on where you were.
We came to a low hedge trimmed in the shape of a spiral, and followed Upala-Dahns into the center. The labyrinth was simple, but as we walked it, my mind settled. There was deep magic in this place. We were tracing a ley line, and it was singing to me, reassuring me that from here, no one could overhear us. Here, we were safe.
Once we were at the center, the King paused and we formed a semi-circle around him. “I brought you here because this is the one place I know harbors no spies, no prying eyes and ears. Listen to me, and listen well. We’ve been doing what research we can into the demon threat, and we’ve uncovered some interesting information that you need to put to use.”
I perked up. Any help we could get was welcome, especially when it came from the Cryptozoid Alliance.
“As you know, the fabric separating the worlds is ripping. Together with the elves—and now Tanaquar’s magicians—we’ve been searching for a way to fix what has been broken.”
“Is that possible, though? I thought the Great Divide created an unnatural state of affairs and that’s why everything is breaking down. The world is trying to right the balance again.” I frowned, trying to remember what I’d been told by the Earthside Fae Queens and Grandmother Coyote.
“You’re right. There’s no way to fix the rip tearing the fabric of space. However, we believe that we can use the spirit seals, along with magic developed since their creation.”
What? How could they do that without risking exactly what we were trying to prevent?
“The original spirit seal was specifically created in order to rip apart the worlds, then it was broken and the pieces hidden. If you bring them together—even with one or two pieces missing—won’t that just reconnect the worlds? That’s why Shadow Wing is looking for them in the first place.” Either I was extremely dense or I didn’t have all the pieces to the puzzle.
The King shook his head, his mane fluttering in the rain.
“That’s not exactly what we’re planning,” he said softly. “I’ll let Queen Asteria tell you herself.”
“Camille, it’s good to see you again.”
I jumped as the Elfin Queen slipped from behind a well-trimmed tree. Her elderly stature seemed to have disappeared and now she stood straight and ancient, her power radiating through every pore. The woman practically glowed. Behind her walked Titania’s old lover—Tom Lane, or rather, Tam Lin. Beside him was Benjamin Welter, a young man with the faintest hints of Fae blood who we’d rescued from a mental institution over Earthside. And behind them . . . Venus the Moon Child? What the hell was the shaman of the Rainier Puma Pride doing here?
“Your Majesty! Tom . . . Ben? Venus?” I started to say, but then fell silent as another figure moved from behind yet another tree. Queen Tanaquar, and at her side, my father. As it sank in that I was standing in the midst of three of the major ruling powers of the Otherworld Fae, I didn’t know whether to fall groveling to the ground, or to break out in nervous giggles.
Morio poked me in the side. As he and Trillian began to bow and I started to curtsy, Queen Asteria waved her hand.
“We aren’t standing on formality here.” She motioned for us all to take a seat on the grassy circle comprising the center of the labyrinth. The grass was wet, but I ignored the chill. Feddrah-Dahns and his father remained standing.
After a moment, Queen Asteria said, “While the seals cannot repair the rifts, we’ve discovered that they can be used and if used correctly, we might be able to stabilize the portals.”
Open-mouthed, I stared at her. “And just who will be using them?” I finally managed to squeak out.
“The Keraastar Knights. The Knights of the Portals. I knew there was something special about Tam Lin, and then Benjamin, when I met them, and so I brought them here. My seers are searching for others with the same qualities. We looked into Venus the Moon Child and he, too, possesses the energy signature we’re looking for. These three have touched the hearts of three of the seals. They are now integrally connected to the gems.”
I began to breathe a little faster. “But they’re all human—well, Venus is a werepuma but . . .”
“And so shall be every one of the nine knights—or ladies. Or rather, they will all be from Earthside. Apparently, the imprinting forges a connection that cannot be broken. Very few possess the ability to imprint with the seals, but there are a few out there . . . And we need them here, to be trained as guardians.”
A thousand questions flashed through my mind. “Do they all have to have touched the seals at some point in their lives? Why can they wield them without worrying about corruption? What about the seal that Karvanak stole from us?”>We followed the guard along the path until we came to a large grass-covered knoll. Atop the knoll rested the King of the Dahns Unicorns. I could see the resemblance between him and his son and as I knelt into a low curtsy a whinny to my left caught my attention. I raised my head and saw Feddrah-Dahns enter the courtyard. He lumbered over toward us and, without thinking, I leapt up and went racing across the grass, laughing.
“Feddrah-Dahns! It’s so good to see you again!” I threw my arms around his neck and his velvet coat tickled my skin.
He let out a snort, then a soft chuckle. “Lady Camille, it’s good to see you again. How fare you and your sisters?”
