“Ouch!” She pulled her hand back from something sharp and summoned her mage light. Its gentle glow bounced off a veritable jungle of crystals in all shapes, sizes, and colors. The cleverly hidden passageway led into a six by ten foot cave. Its gently rounded roof was high enough for her to stand upright if she crawled a foot or so toward its center. Swiveling around, she pushed her feet forward and stood as soon as she could. The thick soles of her boots cushioned her from the sharp crystals. “This is amazing. How did you find it?”
Rune shifted from paw to paw. “I think it’s safe to talk here. The crystals should mask our conversation.”
“Yes, but how did you find it?”
“It was a place Marta knew about.”
Marta was at Taltos? “How about if you start at the beginning?” she suggested. “You told me you came here for justice for Marta. There’s more to it than that.”
Rune dropped his gaze. “I think the Old Ones killed Marta. Set her up.”
“Why would they have done that?”
“Because she was getting too close to the truth about what they are.”
“Do you know what she’d found out?”
The wolf’s eyes glittered dangerously. “No. She wouldn’t tell me. Said it was too risky. She’d figured out a way to keep me out of parts of her mind, so I couldn’t find out that way, either.”
“So, when you came here after her death—?”
“I pretended to be crippled with grief. It wasn’t difficult, since it was hardly an act. I was hoping that if they saw me as a bereft bond mate, I could learn something.”
“Did you?”
“No, they made me leave.”
Aislinn walked carefully across the uneven floor. When she got to Rune, she squatted next to him and put both arms around his neck. “I’m sorry you lost her.” She buried her hands in his thick coat and breathed in the musky wild animal scent of him.
A low growl vibrated in his chest, but he didn’t shake her off. “If they take you down into Taltos, tell them you want me with you. I can merge with you.”
“Like you do when we jump?”
“Yes. I can lend you my senses. It will help protect you.”
“Do they know you can do that?”
“I do not think so. I have spoken with many other bond animals. Except for Bella, none admit to merging minds with their mates.”
“I wonder why they would take me to their city?” she mused, still hugging the wolf.
“To turn you into one of them.”
“But they’re reptiles under some sort of coating that only looks like skin. They lay eggs. They’re not even male or female all the time.” Her skin crawled. The last thing she wanted was to be transformed into what they were. She craved Fionn, the warmth of his arms and the heat of his body pressed against her, rigid with need.
No, better not go there. I need my wits front and present. Not in my crotch. Besides, I haven’t even tried to wrap my mind around his last name and what it might mean. She stopped petting Rune. “You never told me your true name.”
“And I am not going to.”
“Why?”
“It is safer for both of us if things go wrong. The Old Ones can hurt me, but they cannot control me if they do not have my name to hand.”
Something nagged at her, the same something that had been bothering her ever since she’d asked Fionn for his last name. She knew about Celtic mythology from her mother. Aislinn doubted Fionn would have told her his full name, no matter how much he wanted to see her again, if she hadn’t asked. Power and knowledge had to be earned. They weren’t bandied about freely.
“Is there anything more you need to tell me?” She straightened, but couldn’t unkink her back entirely. A hank of hair had caught on a down-sweeping crystal. She untangled it and crab-walked to a place she could stand upright.
“Yes. Unless they plan to kill you, which is unlikely, they cannot hold you in Taltos against your will. It disturbs the magic they need to maintain their home to have negative energy present. Besides taking me, your other condition for going with them is that your visit will be short.”
“Do you think a day is enough?”
“More than enough. Half a day is better. If you stay too long, you will lose your will. Once that happens, they will suck the energy out of you and remake you into one of them.”
She stared hard at Rune. “How do you know these things?”
He woofed softly. The sound echoed in the small space, amplifying itself again and again. Silvery highlights in his coat glinted in the glow from her mage light. “It took Marta a while before she figured out just how dangerous the Old Ones were. You see, she visited them, too.”
Aislinn’s mouth went suddenly dry. “How long did she stay?”
“Two days once. She was a shell when she escaped. After that, she closed her mind to me and told me that if she ever talked about returning to Taltos, I should do anything in my power to stop her—including killing her.”
“How long after that did she die?”
His upper lip drew back in a snarl. “Only one turn of the moon. It probably would have been sooner, but she stayed inside our warded home where no one could get to her, trying to get her mind back. She had me recount our years together because the Old Ones stole her memories.” Rune’s tail swished angrily. “Marta finally thought she was strong enough to face whatever they could throw at her. I remember her saying she couldn’t hide forever.”
“What happened?”
Another snarl, this one louder. “A pack of Bal’ta, led by Tokhots, lured her to her death. She used the last of her magic to protect me.”
Aislinn swallowed hard. “Anything else?” Do I really want to know? She shivered, wanting the warmth of a cook fire.
“No. We can leave.”
Strong magic zinging through the air brought Aislinn bolt upright out of an uneasy sleep. The night was well on its way toward dawn. Three of the Old Ones glimmered in the darkness. They all looked like Metae, with long, thick blond hair, iridescent, golden skin, and whirling pools for eyes. Where Metae favored gold ornaments, her two companions wore heavy silver bracelets and rings. Metae had traded her white robes for pale green. The other two wore black, sashed with peacock blue silk. No matter how many times Aislinn saw them, their height was still unnerving. She wondered what the bodies under those robes looked like. Were reptilian claws and scaled skin hiding beneath the long, dagged sleeves?
“We have come to a decision,” Metae announced.
“Yes,” an unfamiliar voice seconded. It was deeper, but the multi-faceted voice tones were genderless.
Aislinn scrambled to her feet and hastily stuffed her few things into her rucksack as she waited to hear the results of their discussion.
“We offer you a choice,” the third Old One said.
“Uh, look,” she said a shade too brightly, heart pounding. Aislinn wondered if they knew how nervous she was. Of course they do. “All I really wanted was an anti-sex charm so I can hold the dark gods at bay. Once I have that, I’ll be on my way.” She felt like she was chickening out, but she wanted to put as much distance as she could between herself and the Old Ones. Her conversation with Rune had been unnerving. She wished they’d had it before she’d dragged them to Taltos.
“What you want is of little consequence,” an Old One informed her.
“We have decided you need help developing your…potential,” Metae added.
“Yes, we will be taking you into Taltos,” the third one said. “It is a great honor.”
“Please don’t take this wrong”—Aislinn spread her hands in front of her in a self-deprecating gesture—“but what if I don’t want to go?” She had no idea where her sudden burst of courage came from, but she welcomed it. “I have a home. I don’t need yours.”
“We think you do.”
An Old One took hold of her arm, his fingers ice cold. It was the first time one had actually touched her. She was appalled. Their touch was just as frosty as the dark god’s had been. Pulling fire, she yanked her arm away and stepped out of easy reach, the sound of her own breathing loud in her ears.
“Now, now,” Metae said, a placating spell woven into her words. “She must come willingly as our guest. We agreed on that point. You’ve frightened her.”
“Yes, he did,” Aislinn agreed quickly. Had it been a he? She wasn’t sure, but it didn’t really matter. “And I’ve been scared enough lately.” She tried to infuse just the right hesitation before her next words. “If I can bring my wolf, I’d be willing to come for a short visit. Maybe half a day or so. But I have to be free to leave if I’m uncomfortable.” Suspicion gnawed at her insides. Her stomach burned. “What choice were you talking about earlier?”
Between when she’d wrenched her arm away from the Old One and now, Rune had positioned himself between her and it. The clicks, clacks, and buzzing that comprised their language filled the air. Aislinn had never been able to interpret it. Untangling their speech was as impossible as trying to make sense out of a buzzing beehive.
“That would be…acceptable,” the Old One who hadn’t grabbed her said.
The one who’d touched her bowed stiffly from the waist. He looked like a marionette, bobbing on unseen puppet strings. “I am most sorry if I made you uncomfortable. Metae has told us much of you. I was simply…eager for your visit.” Something feral shone from his swirling, multi-colored eyes.
“The choice,” Metae made a chopping motion in his direction, “was which of us you wanted to apprentice yourself to. We all possess slightly different skills. Would you like me to tell you about them?”
Aislinn shook her head, trying to figure out a diplomatic way to get out from under the Old Ones’ gun sights. The last thing she wanted was to antagonize them. “I’m sure you’re offering me quite an honor.” She picked her words with care. “Maybe, someday, I might be interested, but not just now. I’m still rattled from Perrikus and D’Chel. And from finding I have Hunter and Healing talents. I need time to assimilate them before I add any more magic.”
Metae inclined her head. “I understand. Perhaps, once you have seen Taltos, you will change your mind.”
“If the half day begins now”—Aislinn wanted to get things moving before she completely lost her nerve—“that means Rune and I will be back outside in this clearing by noon.”
“Child,” Metae purred, “whatever has happened to you?” Compulsion ran beneath her words. “You used to trust me.”
“It’s been a rough few days,” Aislinn answered honestly. “I’ll fight all the Bal’ta, wargs, bats, and human shades I run across, but those dark gods are downright creepy. I particularly didn’t like it when Perrikus told me he wanted to use me as a brood mare.”
More clicks and clacks. She thought there might be an outraged undercurrent, but she wasn’t sure.
“Let us care for you. If only for a few hours.” Metae’s voice was honey. “Mayhap you will decide to stay longer—”
“Not this time. Promise you won’t force me.” The fear in Aislinn’s voice was real. Don’t be a fool, she chided herself. Their promises don’t mean shit. I sound like a ten-year-old.
“No, no. Of course not. Are you ready?” Metae held out a hand. Despite the Old One’s neutral tone, Aislinn picked up a note of impatience.
With Rune sticking to her like a shadow, Aislinn shouldered her pack and walked toward Metae, avoiding her touch. Whatever the Old Ones were did not include warm-blooded. Somewhere beyond the bulk of Mount Shasta, dawn was probably lightening the eastern sky. Aislinn stole a final glance at the world she knew, hunting for evidence that the sun was truly rising. She’d always craved its warmth. Something about retreating into the bowels of the earth—God only knew how deep—curdled her stomach. This was different than her cave, or Fionn’s. She was free to come and go there. What if they tried to trap her once she was in Taltos? Aislinn clamped down on her thoughts.
“So tentative,” Metae murmured.
A pronounced alien cadence knotted Aislinn’s muscles. Maybe it had always been there, and she’d just never noticed before. Rune leaned closer to her, warm and reassuring. The air began to shimmer, then to burn. Fire licked at her. She fought the urge to pull magic of her own and run. The fire would burn her long before it had any effect on the Old Ones, with their forty-degree body temperature. As quickly as they’d ignited, the flames died. The earth beneath her and Rune dropped away. For one gut-wrenching moment, they were suspended in midair, just before they fell into a void.
She traveled through blackness for a long time, an arm around Rune’s thick neck. Finally, the inky curtain around her shaded to a pallid gray. Lights took shape beneath her, like she was in an airplane looking down on a big metropolitan area. They glided to a stop in front of a gilt plaza with a fountain shooting blue-green water at least a hundred feet into the air. Gemstones glittered under the water. Aislinn looked around, trying to get her bearings. Twin suns sat halfway up the sky. Am I on another world? Old Ones passed in groups of twos, threes, and fours, chattering away.
“Welcome to Taltos,” one of her guides announced.
“This is the central square. The city is arranged in spokes spiraling outward from this point,” Metae noted.
Feeling like a tourist, all Aislinn could do was gawk. Tall, glittering buildings in pastel colors stretched as far as she could see. The roads were crowded with Old Ones walking purposively. Everybody seemed to have a destination in mind. She looked for cars and then laughed at herself for her stupidity. Of course there wouldn’t be any. The Old Ones used magic to go places.
Something jostled her mind. Her perspective shifted, and she realized she was looking through Rune’s eyes. She sucked in a surprised breath, turning it into a cough to cover her shock. The grand buildings had to be illusion, since the wolf didn’t see them. The fountain and gemstones were real enough, but the fountain was closer to twenty feet than a hundred. Rather than being paved with something golden, the streets were dirt. Aislinn adopted a neutral expression and tried not to stare. She shielded her thoughts so nothing would give her away. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, but she couldn’t do much about that, other than try to keep breathing.
“This way.” One of the Old Ones trotted down a street.
Aislinn wanted to ask where they were going, but didn’t trust herself to talk. She was afraid her voice would tremble and betray how anxious she was.
It wasn’t just buildings and streets that Rune perceived far differently than her. He saw the Old Ones for what they truly were. She swallowed hard. So what I always suspected is true. While still tall with whirling eyes, the creatures striding along with such purpose had lizard-like faces, scaled skin, and clawed appendages. They were wearing neither clothing or jewelry and looked more like tailless dragons walking on two legs than anything else. If she hadn’t been so nonplussed, that last thought might have made her smile. She’d had no idea illusion could stretch so far. D’Chel was a piker by comparison. That thought did bring a grin to her face.
“That’s better,” Metae said, mistakenly interpreting Aislinn’s facial expression to mean she was relaxing.
“Why yes, it is, isn’t it?” Aislinn turned her smile on Metae. It was getting easier now that the shock of seeing what she—no, it—really was had worn off a little. “Where are you taking me?”
“Why, to the alchemists, of course. You wanted a charm, or a spell. It must be matched to your energy. By the time that is accomplished, the time you said you were willing to spend with us will be all but gone.”
A door in one of the illusory buildings opened. They walked down many stone steps into an underground grotto. Lan
terns masquerading as cut crystal lights hung from hooks. Shelves crowded with scrolls lined the walls. A raised pallet sat in the middle of the room. Beneath its illusion, it was really an earthen platform splotched with red and green stains. A coppery scent tickled her nostrils. Aislinn wondered what color their blood was.
“Lie down, child.” Metae’s voice was gentle.
“I’d rather not.” Aislinn backed stiffly toward the stairs.
“How else can we match a charm to your energy?” The voice exuded reason, promised shelter.
With every fiber of her being in full rebellion, Aislinn propelled herself toward the platform. When she lay down, the wolf positioned his body next to hers. Forcing herself to relax, she reached for her magic. It was muted, as if some sort of shielding stood between her and it, but she thought she could punch through it if she had to. They think I’m weak.
An Old One positioned itself at her head. The wolf’s withdrawal from her mind was immediate. He obviously did not want the Old Ones to know what he could do. A chilly foreleg—that looked like a hand and arm again now that Rune was no longer in her mind—dropped onto her forehead. Energy shot through her brain, probing. She wondered what the thing was hunting for, when her head began to spin. Before she could marshal her resources to fight against it, consciousness ebbed.
From a long way away, she heard herself scream, “Noooooooo—” Aislinn arched her back and kicked her heels to stay awake, but something dark and insistent leached the will out of her. The last thing she felt before slipping into oblivion was Rune, warm and solid against her.
Chapter Eleven
Aislinn ran. Something was behind her. She heard the scrape of claws on stone, felt hot breath against her back. The whoosh of what sounded like huge wings filled the air, but the passageway was so narrow, the thing probably couldn’t spread them. Her lungs burned. She didn’t know what was back there and couldn’t afford the time to look. If she did, her slender margin would vanish, and the thing would snap her up. It wanted to kill her. Hatred raked her back each time it breathed.
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