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"When is she supposed to start flying?" I asked, picking up one of the Cheetos and blissful y closing my eyes at the tangy taste.
"Oh, not for another ten or twenty years. Her wings won't be big enough til then. In the wilds of Otherworld, the young ones are secluded for the first fifty or so years, and their parents bring them food. But she has to learn quicker than they would, although her body can't grow faster than it's normal y supposed to." Iris poured us both tea and sat down near me at the table.
"On one hand she seems to be growing so quickly, and yet . . ." I sighed, thinking of how we were going to deal with a teenaged gargoyle. But we'd have many, many years to worry about that. We just had to stay alive for the present.
"How are you faring tonight?" Iris sipped her tea, inhaling the steam. She motioned for me to do the same.
I lifted the cup, letting the minty smel envelop me. It soothed my headache that was brewing, though it couldn't cure the heaviness in my heart. "I'm probably better off than Camil e. I just lost a boyfriend. She lost a father. It's quiet in here, did she go to bed?"
"Aye. A few hours back. Her men made sure she was tucked in and asleep before ten P.M. They're a good lot, those boys are. They may be a handful at times, but they love her dearly. But you're right. Camil e worshiped her father--to have him pul this, it's a dark day for her." She shook her head.
"I'm so pissed at him. I can't even begin to express how mad I am. Menol y and I are going to have to confront him before long." As I sat there, contented to eat Cheetos and watch Iris as she made little snow etchings on the table with her magic--doodles, real y--I began to drift. The room grew hazy, and the next thing I knew, I was standing in a misty vapor.
"You're here." The voice and presence felt familiar. I turned but could only see shifting shadows skittering around me.
"I . . . I don't know. What am I doing here? Who are you?" Puzzled, I looked around. I was in the astral, that much was apparent.
Eyes shimmered from the mist, gleaming like those of a cat, but this was no feline energy. It felt like Hi'ran, and yet . . . there was something different.
The voice was smoother than his but had the same timbre. "You must be tired. I didn't realize you were so strong at sending."
"Are you . . ." Hi'ran's name would not form on my tongue. "You aren't . . ." My voice fel . "But you feel so much like him. Who are you? Tel me?"
A shadow moved forward; the rush of bonfires came with it, the scent of the autumn wind, boreal and icy, and the silhouette of a man around my height swept me into his arms. Even though I couldn't see him clearly, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
"Oh, I wish I could take you here. Now . . ." He nuzzled his face in my neck, and I closed my eyes, letting the wash of passion rush over me in one fel swoop. It was like being dragged under dark seas. Welcoming the embrace, I wanted to slide into the sweet taste of restful oblivion.
The shadow kissed me again, and I tasted loganberry wine. He pressed his lips to my neck as his hands searched my body, setting off explosions--a cataclysm of sparks, a rain of la petite mort. It suddenly occurred to me that with Hi'ran, even though I'd felt his energy envelop me and stroke me, this was more tangible, actual fingers touching me, hands sliding across my body.
And then, with a shudder, I climaxed. The shadow kissed me again as I caught my breath, feeling renewed and refreshed.
"I'm not sure who you are," I whispered, "but only one other being has made me feel like this."
"Before long . . ." He paused, and I stared at the dark form that smel ed of bonfire smoke and oak moss.
"Before long . . . what? Is my death drawing near?" I didn't want to know, and yet--I had to know.
"No, my dear one. No . . . nothing of the sort. But keep your eyes open. Listen to your heart."
"What about . . . the Autumn Lord?"
And then Hi'ran himself was there, strong and looming in back of me, and the shadow faded from view. He enfolded me in his cloak and once again, it was his energy touching mine, not the touch of fingertips.
"While you are mine in the end scheme of things, I am not a jealous master as long as you remember that I am your master."
And then--like the wind--he was gone, and I opened my eyes. Iris stared at me, grinning.
" Him . . . again?" She could feel the energy. I could see it in her face.
"Yes, him. The Autumn Lord. He makes me feel . . . beautiful and bril iant and powerful. I both fear him and desire him in a way I've never wanted anyone else before. But . . ." How could I explain there had been someone else, someone who felt like Hi'ran but wasn't him? I decided to keep that to myself for now. "I don't feel quite so worn out."
I was tired but no longer heartsick. I felt like I'd just had the mother of al massages, and in a way, I had. Orgasms given by the gods--priceless. I finished my tea and picked up my Cheetos.
"I'm going to go to my room, finish eating these, then sleep for a good eight hours. I'l see you in the morning, dear Iris." As I kissed her, she smiled, but behind that smile I sensed worry. And then I remembered--she was carrying a secret of her own, one that she had yet to tel Menol y and me. "And tomorrow, perhaps you can tel me what's going on with you--why you need to go to the Northlands."
The house sprite dipped her head. "You'l know at some point. But for now, sleep wel , my dear. Sleep wel ."
As I headed upstairs, I pondered what Iris could be keeping secret. It was enough that Camil e had promised to visit the Northlands with her--a journey not for the faint of heart. In fact, it was a daunting journey and--with what we knew about Smoky's father and him being on the rampage against my sister and her husband--potential y dangerous.
