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After a moment: “I am not truly albino, although I suffer from a distinct lack of pigmentation in my skin, and yes, the sun is most certainly a danger for me. However, I’m the best and Queen Asteria knows it. Not only am I one of the most highly ranked assassins running free from any guild, but I was posted to Ceredream for some time, emerging to do business at night and holing up during the day. I know the customs of the Southern Wastes in an intimate manner.” He crossed his arms and stretched out his legs, reminding me of Vanzir when we’d first met him.
“How did you make it this far without a guild? I thought they had a chokehold on assassins. Thieves can get away with running independent, at least as long as they remain petty thieves and don’t make themselves noticed. But assassins are watched in all the major cities by the big guilds.” I’d had to infiltrate one of the major guilds many years back, and barely escaped alive. But I’d learned a great deal about the way the assassins’ hierarchy worked. And they weren’t kind to those who ignored their summons.
Quall’s eyebrow twitched and he cocked his head. “So you have done your homework. Being the Queen’s pet has its perks. The guilds up here know enough not to bother me. And I have forged credentials that keep me out of trouble when I’m out on a mission.”
He glanced at Chase and snorted. “Now, answer a question of mine. Since when do vampires, Windwalkers or not, play buddy-buddy with an FBH?” Addressing Chase directly, he added, “We don’t see many of your kind around here.”
Chase bristled but kept his mouth shut. Before Delilah or I could speak, Camille leaped to her feet.
“Listen, dude.” She stood, hands on hips, looking ready to thrash Quall. “Hotshot assassin or not, mind your fucking manners. We were in the OIA for years before switching over to working for the elves. We may be half-human, but you’d better start showing some respect for us—and for our friend here.” She motioned to Chase. “Chase is one of the bravest, most helpful allies we have, and if you don’t back off, you’re going to find out how we’ve managed to take out several demon generals. The hard way.”>Three figures stepped in. I didn’t recognize any of them, but Trillian and Camille both gasped as one of the figures let out a low chuckle. He was a Svartan, ruggedly handsome with the same blue eyes and silverish hair as Trillian. But rather than mirroring my brother-in-law’s smooth metropolitan look, this man’s eyes were wild and he felt slightly uncivilized. He was also far more muscled than Trillian, who was no slouch in the buff department.
“Darynal!” Trillian was around the table before they’d cleared the door, hugging the man, who clapped him on the back. Camille joined them, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
“Lavoyda…it’s been too long. Bound by oath, bound by blood.” The Svartan held out his hand and he and Trillian performed some sort of intricate handshake.
“Bound by oath, bound by blood, my brother.” As Trillian broke away, Darynal turned to Camille and bowed low.
“Your woman, she is looking good. Camille, lovely to see you again.”
She offered her hand and he took it, kissing it gently. She reached out and stroked his face, brushing a stray curl out of his eyes.
“My husband’s brother…it’s so good to see you again.”
And then, I remembered who he was. Darynal was Trillian’s blood-oath brother. Pledged to back each other to the death, they weren’t lovers, but brothers on a level that was almost soul-bound.
“Lavoyda…I’m glad to see you here and healthy. But what are you doing with the elves?” Trillian suddenly stopped, as if aware all eyes were on them.
Camille brushed him on the shoulder. “We should let Queen Asteria tell us,” she whispered, and they positioned themselves near Darynal as the three newcomers took their seats.
Queen Asteria favored them with a brief smile. “I knew that you would be surprised, Master Zanzera, but I chose to let Darynal’s appearance speak for itself.”
Trillian cocked his head and winked at the queen. Shaking my head, I repressed a snicker. He was incorrigible, but he’d come a long way from the arrogant bastard to whom Delilah and I had taken an instant dislike. We’d been wrong about his character, for the most part. Our prejudices had blinded us.
Asteria gave no sign whether she noticed the wink, but instead, she motioned to Trenyth, who introduced the others in the trio.
“Darynal is our lead scout in this mission. You know his background, you know he’s a skilled mercenary, so allow me to introduce the others. This is Quall, an undercover agent for Elqaneve for many years. He’s an assassin.”
The tall, lithe Fae stood. With pale blond hair barely cresting his shoulders, he was almost albino except for his eyes, which shimmered a startling green against the pale cream of his skin. He almost looked anorexic, but upon a closer look, I saw the tightly wrapped muscle molded beneath his skin.
Assassins were an odd breed, especially those employed by governments. They danced to their own tune, made their own rules, and usually ran outside the law in almost every way. As I looked into his eyes, I knew right then how much Quall enjoyed his job. He enjoyed the hunt, and ten to one, he enjoyed the kill. He caught my gaze and held it, an insolent sneer lurking behind the brief nod.
The third member of the team was average height, cloaked so heavily that I couldn’t tell exactly what race he belonged to. Only his eyes gleamed from within the fiery red robe.
“This is Taath. He’s one of our sorcerers.”
“Your sorcerers? But…” Camille looked confused.
“Yes, my dear. We have our own sorcerers. After the Scorching Wars, we vowed Elqaneve would never be caught unprepared again.” The Queen leaned forward. “Sometimes the only way to fight fire is with fire. Sometimes the only way to fight hatred is with violence. Often people think the Elfin race a passive one. We are not. We think first, but when we act, we do not hold back.”
“I’m starting to realize that.” Camille said.
“Perhaps now is the time to tell you. Your beloved Moon Mother trains her own sorcerers, although she will not call them that. They wield dark Moon magic…death magic. Why do you think Morio’s magic comes so easily to you?”
Camille gasped, staring at her, but said nothing, although I could see the wheels churning in her head. None of us did. That was a revelation we’d address later.
After a moment, Asteria turned to me. “I asked you here because we will need all of your talents soon. Your father requested that all of you come to Otherworld.” She held up her hand, putting a stop to any outbursts before they could happen. Delilah and Camille looked like they wanted to say something but kept their mouths shut. As for me, I could be very petty when I chose, and so I refused to ask what he wanted.
Queen Asteria looked my way. “He asked for all three of you. Do not enquire as to why. When you finish here, you will travel to Y’Elestrial, and there you will meet with your father.”
