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“Is that why you’re dressed like that?” I couldn’t help but ask. Aunt Rythwar had never worn anything but the most extravagant of outfits, and now she looked ready for a jaunt through the forest.
“There is too much danger to go about in fancy robes and gowns. I was trained in combat early—all of those who sit in the Court are. I still practice my skills and work with my trainer every month. I can handle myself. At least, I am not a burden to any who travel with me.” She winked in the direction of my voice. “I love you all, and wish you could come home, but Y’Eírialiastar is not a safe place to be. I heard about your escape from the palace. Your father would be so proud of you.”
I swallowed hard, choking back my tears. Camille and Delilah were trying to do the same; I could see it in their shoulders, in their faces. It was going to be rough for the next few months; that was obvious. We didn’t have the luxury to really let go and grieve.
“Auntie, please, be careful.” Delilah leaned toward the screen. “We can’t lose you, too.”
“I’ll do my best, and I’m taking guards with me. Tell my foster son Shamas I love him and miss him. And girls… be safe. Be careful. And I’ll see you as soon as we can meet.” She moved away from the mirror and Trenyth returned.
“I have more news.” He looked somber. “Smoky and Trillian found Venus the Moon Child. They will be returning home in a short while.”
There was more. There had to be, or he wouldn’t look so solemn.
“What’s going on, Trenyth? Was Venus dead when they found him? Or—Roz? He’s not hurt, is he?” I leaned over Camille’s shoulder, even though he couldn’t see me.
“No, both Rozurial and Venus are alive. Venus has his spirit seal. But your men found Benjamin’s body. The seal was missing. We don’t know where it went or who has it.”
Camille let out a soft murmur. “Not Ben. He was such a nice young man. And for so long, he thought he was crazy.”
“I’m sorry, I know you neither wanted nor needed this news. But you must know the truth of where we stand. As of now, we have no idea who possesses that seal. It could be Telazhar, it could be some random creature. All we know is that Benjamin was murdered, and whoever did it wanted to make sure he stayed dead.” He grimaced. “I will spare you the details. If you want to know, ask your men. They will be home within the hour.”
He leaned back in his chair. “I think, girls, that we have to settle in and accept this is going to be a long road to haul. We aren’t going to win this one overnight. Telazhar has seen to that. We are witnessing the dawn of a new age in Otherworld. Or perhaps, the reemergence of an old one—one we hoped never to repeat. Whatever the case, cinch yourselves in for a rough ride.”
“To quote an Earthside movie, Fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.” Delilah chewed on her bottom lip. “All we can do is our best. Meanwhile, the world will keep turning.”
“That about sums it up,” I muttered. “We’re a cheerful little group here, aren’t we? But seriously, is there anything else we can do that we’re not doing?”
Trenyth slowly shook his head. “No. Just protect the Keraastar Knights and the four spirit seals we have in our possession. And find that last spirit seal remaining Earthside if you can. Meanwhile, we will search here for the one that belonged to Benjamin. We know that Shadow Wing possesses at least three. We cannot allow him to gain control of any more, or all is lost.”
And with that, he saluted us, and the mirror faded to mist again. Camille covered it with the black cloth that protected it and sat back, staring at the wall.
“Things are so fucked. Things are beyond fucked. I’d ask where we go from here, but there is no where. We just… maneuver through this mire one step at a time, and hope to hell we are still on the right path.” She sighed as Hanna entered the room.
“Time for food. You can worry later.” Her voice was as stern as Iris’s and we all jumped to attention.
As we filed into the kitchen, Nerissa spoke up. “While we eat dinner, why don’t we revisit my idea of creating a profile on Supe Matchups?”
Too tired to fight anymore, I gave in. “Fine. But I don’t like it. Two rules, though: You run all e-mails past us. And you don’t agree to anything without our permission.”
Nerissa stuck her tongue out at me, but nodded. “Oh, all right.”
Delilah fetched her bag and pulled out her laptop. As we gathered around the table, she fired up the computer and set it to the side of her plate. Thanks to the huge wooden table that Smoky had bought, we were able to seat a veritable army in the kitchen. And after they built Iris and Bruce’s house, the men had finished the addition to our dining area, which gave us plenty of room.
As Hanna served the food, Delilah pulled up the website, then slid the computer in front of Nerissa, who pored over the information.
“I still don’t like this.” I sat back, grumbling. “But if we’re going to do this, let’s do this right. Do we have a clue as to what they’re looking for?”
Camille frowned. “Violet was into bondage and domination. She was looking for multiple playmates. She wasn’t into pain, but that wouldn’t matter to the sex slave industry. They don’t care what their victims want or don’t want.”
She looked Nerissa up and down. “You should change clothes, though, if we’re going to shoot a video and put it up. Show off those amazing boobs of yours.” She wiggled her eyebrows at my wife. “How about a kiss, sweetheart?” Her attempt at a Humphrey Bogart impression fell as flat as the cake I’d attempted to make for Nerissa’s birthday.
I cracked up. “Oh please, if the two of you ever ended up trying to kiss, you couldn’t even reach each other. Between the two of you, the cleavage factor would keep you at arm’s length.” Shaking my head, I turned to Nerissa. “She’s right, though. You should probably put on something skanky. Or sexy. Whichever you choose.”
Nerissa headed toward my lair. “Will do, but if anybody touches my dinner, they’re dead meat.”
By the time she returned, everyone had been served. Chicken soup and biscuits and a hearty bowl of fruit salad were on the menu for the others. For me, Morio had enchanted a bottle of blood to taste like soup. Heated, it did my spirits more good than just about anything else could tonight.
Ever since he’d volunteered to give me some sense of my old life back through food-flavored blood, I hadn’t felt quite so much the outsider. I realized I’d never fully told him how much this meant to me. I’d have to remedy that. Maybe a present, or maybe just a quiet word when we had a moment.
