Blood Bonds

by Yasmine Galenorn

  Trillian rested a hand on her shoulder. Smoky and Morio both tensed. The three of them would protect her to their deaths, but this was one battle they couldn’t fight for her.

  “Do you know how this will play out? Do the prophecies say anything about the end?” I asked Carter, holding his gaze.

  He shook his head. “I’m no prognosticator. I’m a researcher. I can’t tell you how this will end, or what Camille’s supposed to do, but she and the Keraastar Knights are the endgame in this battle. Everyone here can help, but in the end, it’s up to them to deliver the final blow.”

  “We need to summon him to a place where, if he gets free, he can’t do much damage. Or at least, where he can be contained,” I said after a moment’s thought. “We can’t just gate him over into the open where he could run amok.”

  Camille glanced over at Smoky. “What about the Dragon Reaches? I figure that if nothing else, your people can tear him apart, even if you can’t destroy the soul receptacles. The dragons pledged to help us.”

  Smoky pressed his lips together, looking somber. His hair—down to his calves—twitched, belying his nerves. After a moment, he said, “I’ll have to talk to my mother and the Wing-Liege. I can’t approach the Emperor on my own. I fear that they’ll look upon the action against Telazhar as fulfilling their promise to you. What time frame are we talking about?”

  “We can’t wait too long,” Vanzir said. “There are rumblings from the Demon Underground that Shadow Wing is draining his army for power. He’s a Soul Eater, so he can eat their essence and their magic.”

  “He knows that the end is near, and he’s gathering his strength,” Camille whispered. “Vanzir’s right. We have to move fast. We’ve run out of wiggle room.”

  “That’s about the size of it,” Vanzir said.

  “Speaking of the demon army,” Carter said, pulling out a folded piece of paper. “I received a missive this morning from Joreal addressed to you.”

  “Joreal?” I cocked my head. The others looked as clueless as I felt.

  Carter arched his eyebrows. “Trytian’s father.”

  Blinking, Camille let out a soft sound. “Do you realize that in all this time, Trytian never once told us his father’s name?”

  Trytian had been the son of the daemon general who was leading a war against Shadow Wing down in the Sub-Realms. The daemons bore no love for the demons, and they viewed Shadow Wing as unstable and reckless. Trytian had fallen in our last battle, and even though he’d been a pain in the ass, we all felt his loss.

  “We’ve always just thought of him as ‘Trytian’s father.’ It never occurred to me to ask for his name,” Menolly said.

  “So, what’s the news?” Smoky asked. He bore no love for Trytian, though he had honored his death.

  “Shadow Wing has truly become the Unraveller. He’s not only tearing apart everything he touches in the Sub-Realms, but he’s absorbing as much magical energy as he can. He’s eating the souls of his followers right and left, and those who have stayed in his service have turned into a death cult, bent on shoring up his revenge. The most fanatical are offering themselves to him, freely advancing to their deaths to shore him up. Once you managed to regain all the spirit seals, Shadow Wing realized that he had lost his chance to break out via ripping open the portals. So he’s doing what he can to beef up his powers so he can force his way through. And he blames the three of you for his losses.”

  “If I thought that he was actually locked down there for good, I’d say leave him be and forget about him. But given all of the rogue portals popping up, and with him gathering power, we don’t dare rest until we’ve destroyed him,” Camille said. “The prophecy with the Keraastar Knights has played out as foretold, and we’re near the end. We need to make sure he’s dead and can never rise again.”

  “So what’s next?” I asked.

  Camille stared at her hands. “I’ll talk to Grandmother Coyote. Maybe she can give me some direction about how I’m to use the Keraastar Knights against him. She helped set this in motion four years ago.”

  Iris slowly stood. “Before we continue, I need to say something.” Her expression was strained.

  “What is it?” Menolly asked.

  Iris glanced at me and I gave her a nod.

  “Go ahead. You have to tell them sometime.”

  “Right.” She let out a sharp breath. “Delilah knows, but the rest of you don’t. I’ve been feeling off for the past month, so I went to see Mallen. I’m pregnant again. And as much as I want to help you in this final battle, I can’t walk into it carrying life in my womb.”

  I reached out to catch her hand. “You’ve stood by our side through this whole ordeal. You need to take care of you, now.”

  Camille was out of her chair, hugging her as soon as she finished speaking.

  “Iris, you’re part of our family. There’s no chance we’ll ask you to put your life on the line when you have young ones to care for. Nor would we allow it, even if you want to. Right?” She flashed Menolly a sharp look.

  Menolly looked crestfallen, but nodded. “Camille’s correct. Knowing this, we wouldn’t let you fight, even if you wanted to. In fact, as much as it pains me to say so, I think you should leave for the duration of the fight. We still have many enemies, and the woods surrounding this house have never been truly safe.”

  I walked over to stand behind Iris, placing my hands on her shoulders. “I’m glad you said that, because Iris is going to move to Ireland. At least until the new babies come.”

  “Babies?” Camille blinked. “You’re pregnant with twins again?”

  Iris laughed then. “Yes, it seems to be in my blood. I’m so glad you don’t feel that I’m abandoning you. I’d never do that—but…” She paused. “Delilah’s right. The Duchess has asked Bruce and me to move to Ireland so she can help with Maria and Ukkonen, while I’m brooding the new buns.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Roz staring at the table with a gloomy look. He had fallen for Iris years ago, but given he was an incubus, there wasn’t a chance in hell that she would have taken him on. He had managed to accept that his love was unrequited, but it was still obvious that he still had feelings for her.

  “When do you leave?” he asked.

  “In a couple days. I know this is short notice, but Undutar is pushing me to hurry. For some reason, she feels it’s unsafe for me to stay here.” Iris was Undutar’s priestess, and when a goddess spoke, her priestess jumped. That was just the way things were.

  “We’ll do anything you need to help.” I couldn’t imagine what it was going to be like when she left, but everything was changing around us. It was like a whirlwind had settled down in our lives, gusting us this way and that.

  “I appreciate it. Truly. Of course, we’ll tidy up the house and make sure it’s locked up. If you could check on it every now and then, we’d be grateful. I figure we’ll return in about eighteen months—once I give birth and we find a nanny willing to come back and help us.” Iris slowly took her seat again. Her voice was clouded. “I can’t believe I’m leaving. I’ve been over in Seattle for decades…in the US for centuries. Now, I’m uprooting my life and moving off across the ocean again.” She glanced at me. “We talked about going to Finland, but my family and I are so estranged that we decided it’s just better to accept the Duchess’s gesture and go where we’re wanted.”

  After that, the conversation broke apart.

  Camille had to leave, so we agreed to get together the next day and go talk to Grandmother Coyote. Menolly wouldn’t be able to come, given the daylight, but not all of us needed to go. Carter promised to continue searching for more information before heading out into the night.

  After everyone had left, Shade and I curled up on the sofa in the living room. Hanna entered the living room, carrying a tray containing a bowl of Cheetos and some hot cocoa. She set it on the coffee table.

  “If you’re good for the evening, I’m off to bed,” she said. “It’s been a long day for me, and tomo
rrow I want to tackle cleaning all the rugs.”

  “Go ahead.” I waved her off. “You’ve done enough for one day. Go relax and sleep.” After she left, I leaned my head against Shade’s chest. “I’m sad.”

  “Why, love? Because Iris is leaving? You know it’s safest for her and her family to go.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, stretching out his legs and resting them on the coffee table. For a dragon shifter, he was remarkably relaxed.

  “Yes. No. Oh, I don’t know why I’m upset. I’ve managed to handle all the changes so far, but I’m starting to feel boxed in by chaos. I know that sounds odd, but I’m a cat. I don’t like change. It’s not easy for me.” I inhaled his scent, closing my eyes as it calmed me down. He was cinnamon and spice, pumpkin pie and falling leaves and rain on the window—all things shadowy and autumn.

  “I know, love. And things are bound to change even more.”

  “I suppose.” I shrugged. “Menolly said Roman’s off to handle some crisis overseas. Some big issue with one of the regents over there, and if they don’t nip it in the bud, she said it could turn very nasty, very quickly. At least she didn’t have to tag along.”

  “What? Did Dracula pop his head out of the shadows?”

  I laughed, but then sobered. “Not quite, but too close for comfort. Apparently, some old-school vamp over there wants things to return to the days when the Vampire Nation considered humans to be on the same level as cattle.”

  “Ouch, that sucks, no pun intended. I’m glad she didn’t have to go along, though. I don’t think she and Nerissa have adapted too well to Roman’s life yet.”

  “I know, but there’s nothing Camille or I can do to help. Maybe they’re just war-weary. I suppose we all are. Once Shadow Wing’s dead, then we can get on with our lives and find a way to make all the changes work.” I grabbed a handful of Cheetos, staring at them. They were my favorite food in the world. “Just three more months till we see Jerry Springer. I can’t thank you enough for the tickets.”

  Shade had managed to find tickets to see Jerry Springer in January, when he was coming to Seattle. Over the years, my obsession with the talk-show host had waxed and waned, but it had never fully died, and I was looking forward to fulfilling one of my bucket-list goals.

  Shade slid his hand out from behind my head and stretched. “I will never understand your fascination with that man, but whatever floats your boat, honey.”

  Laughing, I picked up the remote and turned on the TV. “Want to watch a movie?”

  Shade nodded. “Whatever you like.”

  I flipped through the channels until I found Godzilla attacking Tokyo, and we watched late into the night. We moved on from Godzilla to Mothra and then to giant ants mutated by radiation, and my anxiety faded as I lost myself in worlds where monsters were sure to be defeated, and the good guys always won.

  Chapter 3

  Camille

  SMOKY WAVED ME over to where he was sitting at one of the desks in the office. “My mother responded.” He held up an envelope. An ornate wax seal marked the back, Vishana’s symbol.

  “Can you guess what her answer is?” I asked, sitting beside him, running my fingers up his arm. It had been over a week since I had managed to catch some bedtime with any of my husbands, and I was feeling the lack. I really didn’t appreciate it when royal duties interfered with my sex life.

  He stared at my fingers for a moment before a lock of his hair rose up to coil around my wrist, bringing my hand to his lips where he kissed each finger in turn. Only then did he answer me. “Honestly, I don’t.” Opening the envelope, he slid out the single sheet of paper, folded once, and set the envelope down on the desk. He scanned the note, then sighed and handed it to me.

  I read what Vishana had written.

  My son, the Wing-Liege and the Emperor regretfully decline to host the final assault on Shadow Wing in our lands. We will send help, if you need, but we cannot allow the Demon Lord into the Dragon Reaches. —Love, Mother

  “They really said no?” I stared at the note, willing it to change before my eyes. “I know that they helped us with the battle against Telazhar. But I thought for sure they’d go one step further.” I crossed my arms, disappointed. But I couldn’t really fault them. They had helped us more than we ever expected during the assault on Elqaneve and the other lands in Y’Eírialiastar.

  “I have another idea,” Smoky said.

  “What’s that?” I read the note again, just in case we had missed anything. But it was short and not-so-sweet, and not-so-helpful.

  Smoky straightened. He was tall, over six-six. I had found out he was still a growing boy, at least as far as dragon shifters went, and he had sprouted up two inches in the past few months.

  “What if we build an arena in which to contain him over in Otherworld? We could ask the techno-mages from Elqaneve to help us. Sharah’s done a remarkable job in recruiting new members for her team, and we could build a chamber that would be almost impossible for him to break out of.”

  “One problem with that,” I said. “If it’s an anti-magic chamber, we can’t just gate him into it. We’d have to gate him outside of the chamber and then drive him in. We’d have, what…five minutes in which to engage him before he realizes what’s happening and either kills somebody or escapes.”

  Smoky frowned. “True enough. But what about gating him right outside the walls, then immediately trigger a ring of anti-magic spells to surround him? At worst, it will confuse him, which would give us the extra time to drive him inside.”

  “That might work,” I murmured. “Damn it, I wish your kin would just help us out.” I had come to love my dragon in-laws, but they could be stubborn lizards.

  “Well, give us some credit. We did help with Telazhar.” Smoky shrugged. “Besides, given the fact that the prophecies state it will require the Keraastar Knights to destroy him, surrounding him with a ring of dragons won’t make much difference. We might be able to defeat him momentarily, but if you and your Knights are the only ones who can kill him, then having the dragons at hand won’t do any good in the long run.”

  “I’m off,” I said, standing up and slipping into my jacket. “Speculating is futile until we know more. Hopefully, Grandmother Coyote can clear up a few things. Delilah said she’d be waiting for me. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

  “Drive safe, my love.” Smoky kissed me, long and slow, warming my heart as well as my body. “Do you want me to come with you?”

  I shook my head. “No need. I’ll be fine. Just try to figure out anything you can to help matters. Think some more about that anti-magic arena idea. Maybe there’s something there.”

  GRANDMOTHER COYOTE WAS one of the Hags of Fate. Four years ago, almost to the day, she had tipped us off to what we were facing with Shadow Wing, but there had been a price. And there would always be a price for her aid. Sometimes, it was steeper than the help was worth. Other times, it was well worth the effort she asked.

  Followed by my guards, I headed to the back of the Barrow. At my request, a side road had been put in, giving us easier access to our vehicles instead of having to go all the way to the parking lot at the front of Talamh Lonrach Oll, the Fae Court Sovereign Nation. They waited till I was safely in the car and headed toward the gate before backing away. I always had the feeling they weren’t happy about me driving myself, but I wasn’t going to knuckle under. Aeval and Titania both knew just who they were taking into the Court of the Three Queens when they chose me, and I wasn’t inclined to compromise more than I already had.

  The drive from Talamh Lonrach Oll to our old house took me about half an hour, though traffic was light during the early afternoon, and I wasn’t all that worried about being late.

  The weather was blowing up a storm. The wind gusted past at a steady clip and the clouds were crowding in, threatening rain with their dark thunderheads. I could have sworn it was already dusk even though it was only mid-afternoon.

  As I approached the land where Grandmother Coyote’s lair wa
s located, I eased off the road onto the embankment and parked behind Delilah’s Jeep. She was sitting in the driver’s seat, reading something, but when she saw me she jumped out of the car.

  I made sure my jacket was snugly buttoned up and slipped into the storm. Inhaling deeply, I stretched my arms wide as I reveled in the silhouettes of the tall firs and cedars, and the smell of wood smoke in the air from down the street.

  “Wilbur?” I asked, indicating the whirl of smoke that drifted past.

  Delilah nodded as she hurried over to me, hands jammed in her pockets. “Yeah. Wilbur. Say, are we going to include him in this battle? He’s been there for us a lot of times, even if he is a pain in the ass.”

  I shrugged. “I’m not sure, but actually, now that you mention it, he might be able to help Shamas. He’s a sorcerer, too. Or rather, a necromancer, but his powers are similar.” I shivered as I began to cross to the field leading to Grandmother Coyote’s tree.

  The Hags of Fate ruled over destiny, but they neither wove it nor created it. They observed, and when it was needed, they intervened. They could predict the most likely future, and together with the Harvestmen and the Elemental Lords, they were the only beings who were immortal. They existed outside of time, yet walked through the world when they chose.

  The woods surrounding Grandmother Coyote’s place were darker than I remembered. It had been awhile since we had last come here, wandering through the undergrowth in search of her tree.

  “It’s going to get cold tonight,” I murmured, my wings shimmering through my jacket. When the weather was too extreme, it was harder to control their appearance.

  “Do your clothes ever get in the way of those things?” Delilah asked. “They look like they’ve been dusted in glitter.”

  I shook my head. “I can control how far they manifest in terms of solidity. I prefer to keep them out of sight most of the time, because they’re a distraction and kids like to try to play with them. And cats,” I added, staring at her pointedly. “I can feel them, but they don’t exist in this realm the way my jacket or dress does.” I paused, then giggled. “Some nights, though, I like to go outside under the moon and dance around. They make me feel graceful, and they also connect me with the Moon Mother more. I know it sounds silly, but I pretend I’m flying.”