A Shadow of Crows

by Yasmine Galenorn

  I tried not to show him how relieved I was. At that moment, Celia joined us on the patio, bringing out a tray of hamburger patties.

  “Celia, it’s so good to see you again,” Herne said, taking the meat. He paused, then asked, “So, have you heard anything from Coyote lately?”

  Celia shook her head. “He’s been making himself scarce in my life, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him show up again soon.”

  I had turned away to layer charcoal briquettes in the grill, so I could only hear the conversation over my shoulder.

  “Do you think Yutani will ever figure it out?” Herne asked. “There have been several incidents lately that make me think it would be a good thing if he knew.”

  Celia sighed. “I keep hoping that the Great Coyote will tell him, but I’m beginning to think you’re right. I’m beginning to think that someday, we’re going to have to tell Yutani that Coyote is his father.”

  There was a sudden silence, then the sound of metal hitting the concrete. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I turned as Celia gasped.

  Yutani was standing there, a platter of salmon on the patio in front of him. He was staring at Celia and Herne, a wild-eyed look on his face, his mouth agape.

  “Oh my gods, I didn’t know you were there,” Celia said.

  “What did you say?” He stared at her, his eyes blazing. “Coyote is my father?”

  Herne and Celia glanced at one another, and Celia moved a step closer to Herne.

  “I didn’t want you to find out this way,” Celia said. “I thought you were still in the house.”

  “Obviously,” Yutani said. He crossed his arms, staring her down. “Tell me again, do you mean what you say? Are you seriously telling me that the Great Coyote not only dogs my heels but that he’s my blood?”

  Celia paused, paling. She glanced at Herne, who put his hand on her shoulder to steady her. Finally, she whispered, “I’m afraid it’s true. Coyote is your father.”

  Yutani stared at her for another moment, then he turned on his heel and ran toward the house. Before we could stop him, he slammed through the door. I raced toward the side of the yard just in time to see him hop in his car and screech away from the curb. As he roared off down the street, I turned back to see Celia crying. Herne wrapped his arm around her.

  So much for the barbecue, I thought, as I headed inside to tell the others what had happened.

  Chapter 15

  THE REST OF the evening was a spectacular bust. Viktor and Sheila ended up driving Celia back to Yutani’s place. By the time they got there, there was still no sign of Yutani, but he had left a note telling Celia to go home, that he needed some time to himself.

  Herne was pissed at him, I could tell that much, but he said nothing. Talia went over to Yutani’s, helped Celia pack, and then drove her to a hotel near the airport. Celia decided to leave on the next flight home, but begged us to talk to Yutani for her.

  Angel and I froze the meat, cleaned up the patio, and ended up eating hot dogs for dinner with Herne until he went home an hour later.

  The next morning, we drove in to work together, not feeling very cheery. The past week had been one intense clusterfuck. The only bright spot was meeting Raven, and the fact that Rafé had called Angel as promised, and the pair arranged to go out to dinner.

  We arrived at work at the same time as Herne. He was looking all sorts of grumpy.

  “I still haven’t heard from Yutani. Damned jackass, running out on his aunt like that.” Herne unlocked our stop on the elevator and we entered the office.

  We immediately noticed that the superintendent had fixed the furnace, so Angel gathered up the space heaters and put them in the storage room for the next time the furnace failed.

  “Meeting as soon as Victor and Talia get here. Ember, find out if there are any messages from Yutani.” Herne turned to Angel. “Can you make a pot of strong coffee? And if we don’t have any pastries, order some in.” With that, he shut his office door behind him.

  I knew he was out of sorts over Yutani’s behavior, but I had to admit, if I had been Yutani, I would have been pissed, too.

  While Angel headed into the break room to take care of the coffee, I sat down at her desk and checked the messages. There were a few from clients and one from Raven, but none from Yutani. While I was sitting there, I decided to give him a call. He didn’t answer, so I texted him.

  you need to get your ass back here. herne is pissed out of his mind. i know what you found out was a shock, but this is not the best way to deal with it.

  I didn’t expect an answer but a few seconds later, Yutani surprised me.

  ember, i don’t expect you to understand. but you need to keep your nose out of this.

  too late. i’m already nose deep in it. i’m serious. if you come back and talk, we can figure this out.

  herne knew, didn’t he? and so did you, right?

  I hesitated before answering. Finally, I texted back.

  herne suspected as much. i’m not sure if he actually knew, or if your aunt told him. he didn’t tell me that, but ye —he told me that he believes that you are Coyote’s son. i believe he felt it wasn’t his place to tell you.

  yet he felt perfectly fine telling you. and if he told you, he probably told the others. you see, that’s what I can’t quite forgive him for.

  I let out a sigh, and then tried one more time.

  then come back and tell him that. you need to tell him what you’re feeling. otherwise this will cause a permanent rift between the two of you and I do not believe this is unfixable. yutani, you’re smart enough to know all this. what’s the real reason you ran off?

  I waited for a moment, thinking that he wasn’t going to answer. But as I stood up to give Angel back her seat, one last text came in.

  what if I am coyote’s son? what then? tell herne i’ll be back by tomorrow.

  Angel glanced at me. “Yutani?”

  I nodded. “He’s pissed at Herne, but I think more than that, he’s terrified this is real. I wonder if Danielle went through that when Myrna told her that Herne was her father? I suppose finding out that one of your parents is a god can be terrifying. Finding out that you’re a godling must be even more so.” I glanced over my shoulder at Herne’s closed door. “He’s not in a good mood today, so watch your step around him. There’s a message from Raven, and a couple others from potential clients. I’m going to head in the break room, so when —” I stopped as the elevator opened and Viktor and Talia entered the room. “Herne wants us all in the break room as soon as you guys get settled in. I wouldn’t take too long, because he’s not happy today.”

  Viktor nodded. “Good, because I’ve got news. I got a phone call from Erica this morning. There’s been another abduction attempt. This time, the man escaped.”

  WE WERE GATHERED around the break table, with Angel’s super strong coffee and two boxes of designer doughnuts. Looking at the doughnuts made me think of Ray, and part of me wanted to find out how he was. Part of me was afraid that he might find out that I had checked. I decided after the meeting to put in a quick phone call to the hospital, and ask them not to tell him.

  Herne scanned the table, frowning. “Obviously, we’re down a man—”

  “I talked with Yutani. He’ll be back tomorrow morning.” I glanced across the table at Herne. I had no desire to tell him how pissed off Yutani was, and decided to let them sort it out.

  “He all right?” Herne asked.

  “I guess so. As okay as you can get when you’ve just found out your father’s a god.” The words spilled out of my mouth before I realized what I had said. Herne stared at me, an incredulous look on his face. I realized that my words had hit too close to home.

  “You know that wasn’t meant personally. But face it, Yutani has just had a big shock. He wasn’t sure how to take it and I think he’s terrified.”

  Talia let out a cackle. “You know she’s right. The poor kid is probably petrifie
d. And ten to one, he’s embarrassed that he’s the last one to know.”

  I gave her a quick nod. “Right on both scores. He only texted me a few times but I could tell that he’s feeling pretty crummy right now.”

  Herne set down his tablet, pushing it back from him. “Neither Celia nor I realized he was there. We were stupid, yes, but we didn’t mean any harm, and I hope you can believe that. Is he really that pissed at me?”

  I shrugged. “As far as I can tell, yes. But I convinced him to come back and talk to you instead of just running off. So I suggest you go easy on him. Anyway, he said he’ll be back tomorrow morning.”

  Herne held my gaze for a moment, a faint grin on his face. “The day you are playing diplomat is the day that I know I went too far. All right, I’ll play nice and apologize. I really didn’t want him to find out like that. I’m worried about his aunt as well. Celia was truly between a rock and a hard place on this one. Maybe I can help patch things up between them. All right, onto business. Viktor, you have news?”

  Viktor nodded. “As I said, Erica just called me before I came in. There’s been another attack. This time, the man got away. Erica interviewed him. While she can’t tell me what he said, she did give me his name and suggested we pay him a visit. Apparently, he fits the victim profile. She also confirmed, unofficially, that the department isn’t investigating the deaths in any way that matters. Saílle told them that the Dark Court would take care of it. Which we know is bogus. They have no intention of doing anything. So I suggest we question him.”

  Talia held up her phone. “Text me his number and I’ll set something up.”

  “Excuse me,” a voice echoed from the door. “May I join your meeting?” Before we could turn, Morgana walked up to the table and sat down, reaching for one of the doughnuts.

  “Mother! What are you doing here?” Herne looked as startled as the rest of us.

  Morgana laughed. “Can’t I visit my son and his girlfriend when I want to? Actually, I have some information about the Triamvinate.”

  As I stared at her, I realized what struck me as strange. Morgana was wearing a pale blue pants suit—high-waisted trousers over a cream-colored shirt, and a matching jacket. Her flowing hair had been pulled up into a high chignon, and she was carrying a Louis Vuitton handbag. Her dress seemed so at odds with what she normally wore that I had to blink twice in order to take it in.

  “Are you going shopping?” I asked, suddenly realizing the words had actually left my mouth and not just stayed inside might brain. I blushed, sinking down in my seat.

  But Morgana just laughed. “Actually, I have a luncheon to attend. I’m meeting with several of my high priestesses at the Space Needle. This attire is a better fit than my regular gowns.”

  I nodded, zipping my lips shut.

  “You look lovely,” Viktor said. “If I may be so bold as to say so.”

  “And I thank you, Master Viktor.” Morgana gave him a gracious nod.

  Herne looked a little nonplussed. “What about the Triamvinate? Are they going to grant it?”

  “Well, here’s the rub.” Morgana’s expression darkened. “Apparently, since the United Coalition has seen fit to allow Elatha and his minions into the fold, Danu is convinced that the Fae do need to defend themselves against him and she has convinced the Dagda and Eriu to go along with her.”

  “So they’re not going to convene a Triamvinate?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “Since Danu is the mother of the Tuatha de Danann, I can’t go up against her on this. Neither can Cernunnos. We’re at a standstill. Unless we can convince some of the other gods that this is necessary, the three of them overrule us all. This means trouble for humans and Fae alike. Saílle and Névé have no idea exactly what they are getting themselves into with this.”

  “What do you mean?” Talia asked.

  “Callan was more than just an extraordinary warrior. He was a beast, vicious and cruel to his own men. He sacrificed hundreds of lives in pursuit of his obsession, which was to drive the Fomorians back. I truly fear this decision, but there’s nothing I can do about it. When I tried to argue, the Dagda questioned as to whether the Wild Hunt is necessary at all at this point. Cernunnos and I believe that if we push this matter, they might dissolve the agency. Cernunnos is livid—not at you or me—but he’s truly unhappy with the Triad.”

  “Triad?” Viktor asked.

  “The Dagda, Danu, and Eriu. They have the final say over matters amongst the Celtic gods. Although at times Arawn insists on being included.” Morgana looked pissed as hell. I had thought that Herne looked angry when he was out of sorts, but seeing her smoldering expression made me grateful that I’d never gotten on her bad side.

  “Well…this isn’t good.” Talia poured herself another cup of coffee and held up the pot. “Would you like some?”

  Morgana nodded. “Half a cup, please. I have to leave soon.”

  “Then what do we do?” Herne asked. “Callan is untouchable and you know the moment Elatha finds out he’s back among the living, there’s going to be hell to pay.”

  “That’s an understatement. Elatha never forgets an enemy. And he already hates the Fae. When he finds out that Névé and Saílle have summoned Callan’s spirit back among the living, I fear open warfare. The only thing I can advise is that you keep your eyes open. Be alert. Look for any signs that the Fomorians and the Fae are going up against each other.”

  While Morgana took a bite of her doughnut and sipped the coffee that Talia gave her, the rest of us fell into a melancholy silence. We all knew that the Fae had no self-control when it came to spilling their troubles into the human community. And Elatha wouldn’t be any better. He might be sneakier, but that just made things worse.

  “What are you working on now?” Morgana asked.

  Herne motioned to me, and I told her about Raven, and Ulstair.

  “There’s also something I wanted to ask you about, but it’s more of a personal matter. I’m seeing crows and ravens in visions, and they’re showing up a lot in my life. In fact, one of them brought me Ulstair’s ring.” I brought out the ring. I had totally forgotten to show it to Herne.

  “I wonder… Hand me that.”

  Morgana held out her hand and I dropped the ring into her palm. She closed her eyes, shuddered, and shoved it back across the table.

  “There was a lot of love invested in that ring. I think you’re right about Raven. I encourage you to keep up your friendship with her. It can’t hurt to have one of the Ante-Fae in your corner. But there’s more.”

  “What?”

  She licked her lips. “The ring is invested with a great deal of pain, the type that comes from torture. I believe Ulstair was wearing it during the moments he was murdered. Whoever killed him is seething with envy and hatred. And, I might add, psychosis of the worst kind. You must locate the murderer and eliminate him. There’s no coming back from the shadows in which he’s steeped himself.”

  I picked up the ring, grateful that I hadn’t given it to Angel. Her psychometry was too good, and the last thing I wanted to do was inflict that kind of pain on her.

  “Do you know anymore?” Herne asked.

  Morgana shook her head. “No. But I know the gods are involved in this somehow, though not encouraging or inflicting the murders. Anyway, I have to get on for my luncheon.”

  As she gathered up her things, she turned to me. “I’ll summon you soon. I’ve talked to Marilee and Cernunnos, and we’re preparing for the final ritual to take you through the Cruharach. I’ll be in touch through Aoife.” And with that, she vanished through the door.

  TALIA GOT HOLD of Hassa, the man who had almost been abducted, and arranged for Herne and me to visit him at two pm. Meanwhile, we discussed how to approach the mess with Callan, the Fomorians, and the Fae.

  “So, we aren’t allowed to interfere with Callan. Does this mean we’re no longer allowed to stop any dangers that threaten to trickle through the human communit
y?” Viktor asked.

  Herne shrugged. “I don’t know. And I don’t think my mother knows either or she would have said something. We’re going to have to talk with her and Cernunnos to get this straightened out. If we go against the Dagda and Danu, even accidentally, we might as well pack up and move to the ends of the earth.”

  “That bad, huh?” Angel asked.

  “Oh, they may seem congenial on the outside, but there’s a reason they lead the pantheon. And Eriu is the very spirit of Ireland. She’s…well…like the Gaia of the island. The Fae, at least the Tuatha de Danann, are part of her very makeup. Until we know more, just keep your eyes open and report anything you see. And somebody make certain Charlie knows about this. He’s enthusiastic, and I don’t want him making any wrong moves. Also, remember, we’re throwing him a party to make him feel included. So don’t put anything on your calendars.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’ll cancel our date,” I said, with a laugh.

  We spent the next few hours tidying up loose ends on some of the cases we’d recently closed. There was a never-ending amount of paperwork that came with the job, and I never seemed to finish my reports on time.

  Herne tapped on my office door at one. “Let’s go. Hassa lives on the Eastside, in Woodinville close to TirNaNog.”

  I slipped on my leather jacket, grabbed my purse, and followed him out. I realized I had forgotten lunch, I had gotten so immersed in dealing with the paperwork.

  “Can we stop for a burger on the way? I forgot to eat, and the doughnuts I ate this morning during the meeting aren’t going to hold me. I could also use more caffeine.”