Ballad of Blood

by Amy Sumida

  “Who's she talking to?” Gio asked the others.

  “One of two entities,” Torin said. “Either its the spell that binds us or her jewel.”

  “The latter,” I said as Gio lifted his brows. “Kyanite said it would be like trying to track the living; it's too general.”

  “What if we can find a piece of a Nachzehrer that survived?” Gio suggested.

  We all frowned at him.

  “You know; one of the Nachzehrer who made it through an attack—one who the necromancer took with them to the next gura,” he explained.

  “You want us to sift through dead bodies, picking up each piece for Elaria to attempt to track, on the off-chance that one of them may have survived not only that attack, but each subsequent attack and is still with the necromancer?”

  “It sounds silly when you say it,” Gio huffed.

  We all chuckled.

  “We're reaching for straws,” I said. “But we need to stretch even further. Let's take this back to the beginning; the first gura hit.”

  “In Greece,” Gio pointed to the map.

  “Gather the troops,” I said.

  “And put on your galoshes,” Gage added with a grimace. “Cause you know this one will be the juiciest.”

  We all groaned.

  Chapter Fourteen

  We found more of the same in Greece; body parts littering the Gura House and disturbed piles of blooder dust. Except for this time, there were no survivors. The white, limestone walls were stained rust-brown and slime-green by blood and bile, and the stench was so thick that it stung my eyes and coated my throat after one breath. We couldn't even investigate before the Shining Ones had cleaned the place with magic. Any clues that were organic were useless anyway; too tainted by death.

  “Can I say it?” Gage asked as he stared at the ancient beauty around us.

  “Go ahead,” Banning said resignedly; he'd been through something similar with me on my first visit to the Suceava Gura, and he knew exactly what was coming.

  We were standing in the courtyard; waiting for the house to be cleaned. The courtyard was pristine; no traces of battle or zombies left anywhere. If the fight had started out there, the necromancer had cleaned up after him or herself. The air was fresh; a faint hint of lemon and salt on the breeze. It was a perfect day in—

  “This is Sparta!” Gage declared grandly. “Damn! I wish I had an enemy to kick into a pit.”

  I snickered as Banning's gura laughed outright.

  “I don't understand,” Torin said as he looked at Declan for help.

  “No idea.” Declan shook his head.

  “It's a line from a movie,” Banning explained, “about the Battle of Thermopylae.”

  “Ah.” Torin nodded. “Spartans. Okay. I don't recall a pit featuring prominently in that battle.”

  “Talk about ruining a moment,” Gage huffed.

  “We understood and appreciated your humor,” I said with a wave toward Banning's gura.

  “Thanks, sweetheart.” Gage gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

  “All clear,” Sir Carrick called from the doorway.

  We were about to head inside when a satyr strode by. I didn't recognize him as a satyr at first, but then I saw the little horns hiding in his dark curls. He had sunglasses on—at night—and a big leather coat—in seventy-degree weather. I frowned at him, and he looked at me directly before motioning with his head. I frowned deeper.

  “Psst, come on,” he hissed.

  “What the fuck?” Gage started to go after the satyr.

  “Hold on.” I put a hand on his shoulder. “Don't scare him.”

  I rushed after the satyr and then followed him down the street a block. He turned a corner, and I continued after him. In my peripheral vision, I saw my consorts trailing us.

  “You're not a blooder,” the satyr said with an accusatory tone.

  “No; I'm a spellsinger,” I said.

  He swallowed convulsively and started to bolt. I grabbed his arm and held tight.

  “I'm not looking to hurt anyone; I just need to know who's killing blooders,” I said gently. “I'm assuming you have some information.”

  The satyr settled and pulled his sunglasses down. He stared at me with rounded eyes; too large to be human.

  “I don't know who did it, but I may know why,” he whispered.

  “Tell me.”

  “First, you tell me; what's a spellsinger doing with blooders?”

  “I'm dating one,” I said simply.

  “Oh.” He relaxed instantly. “Then you really do want to stop this.”

  “Of course I do; no race deserves extermination,” I huffed.

  “That's not a common belief among Spellsingers.” He grimaced.

  “What do you know about my family?” I narrowed my eyes at him.

  “Hey; no offense.” He held up his hands. “But I saw the fall of Rome.”

  “That was Aunt Adelaid.” I sighed. “She's changed since then; a little.”

  The satyr snorted.

  “Anyway, I don't want the Blooders killed off,” I went on. “So, what do you know?”

  “I knew them.” He jerked his head back toward the Sparta Gura House, and his expression went sad. “They were my friends. I know most beneathers don't like Blooders, but those ones were a good sort. One of them—my friend Elian—saved me from a troll once. But I wasn't able to save him.” He swallowed roughly, and a tear slipped out of his eye. “Promise me you'll avenge them, Spellsinger. I know you can do it.”

  “I promise that I will do everything I can to avenge the dead blooders and stop these massacres,” I vowed. “I don't know if I'll be successful, but I will try.”

  “Fair enough.” He held out his hand, and we shook on it. “A few weeks before they were killed, I was talking to some of the blooders here. They said there had been an incident in Egypt that the Cairo Gura was concerned about; something about an argument between blooders and another beneather.”

  “What type of beneather?” Torin asked as he came around the corner.

  The satyr squeaked as he jumped a foot into the air and landed running.

  “Wait!” I shouted after him. “Gods damn it, Torin!” I growled as I turned around and found all of my consorts standing behind me.

  “You want me to go after him?” Gage asked helpfully.

  “No; satyrs are fast. That's their main surviving skill,” I muttered. “And I think that was pretty much all he knew anyway.”

  “Cairo,” Banning mused. “Sorin didn't say anything about Cairo.”

  “Let's go back and grab the others,” I suggested. “I want to talk to Gio.”

  The Blooders had searched the clean house while my consorts and I had chased the satyr. They hadn't found anything by the time we returned, but I hadn't expected them to. The Cairo clue was our best lead.

  To be perfectly honest, the further this investigation went, the more surprised I was by the Blooders. Even though Banning and his gura had changed my mind on the race, I had believed that they were exceptions and not the norm. You have to keep in mind that the only other blooders I'd met were from the Original Gura, and they had been obnoxious, and that was before they had attacked Banning. Seeing the strength in Diana and then hearing the satyr's testimony about Elian was giving me pause. Maybe there were fewer blooders affected by immortality and the need for blood than I'd thought. Satyr-saving blooders; it was a hell of a concept.

  “Did you hear anything about the Cairo Gura being attacked?” I asked Gio when I found him.

  “Cairo?” Gio frowned. “No; but they're under the Government of the African Falca. It's possible that something happened that wasn't made known.”

  “I thought Sorin was speaking to all the Falcas?” I asked Banning.

  “No; he said they were in hiding, not that he had spoken to them,” Banning corrected.

  “We need to get to Cairo,” Gage urged. “This feels wrong; like the Falcas are hiding something.”

  “Why would
they?” Gio asked. “They don't want our race to go extinct.”

  “They may think they can handle it on their own,” Declan pointed out. “Whatever the case is; Gage is right. We're wasting time here; we need to go to where this began.”

  “And it sounds like this began in Cairo.” Gage nodded and pulled out his eggshell. “Beam me up, Scotty.”

  I sighed. After we fixed this thing with the Nachzehrer, I was going to have to fix Gage. One Cerberus was enough.

  Chapter Fifteen

  We had to call Sorin for the coordinates to the Cairo Gura, but Gio wanted to update him anyway; so he made the call. After the phone call, Gio reported that Sorin sounded shocked to hear of the possibility of the Cairo Gura being attacked before the one in Sparta, but he encouraged us to forge ahead.

  Yeah. Great. Thanks, Sorin.

  We made another loop through the Veil and came out inside the grand foyer of a spacious, stone mansion. It was immaculate; no signs of any kind of altercation, much less Nachzehrer. We were all a bit thrown.

  “Hello?” Banning called out. “Anyone here? Maybe we were misinformed.”

  “Banning,” Gage said from the open front door, “stop shouting, man; this place is empty.”

  Gage waved his hand at the line of yellow, crime-scene tape that was spread across the doorway.

  “The humans were here,” Gio whispered. “That's bad.”

  “Not as bad as the possibility of annihilation,” I said. “Come on; let's look around.”

  “At least we don't have to clean,” Gerard said to Carrick—both of them were Torin's knights.

  “Whatever chemicals they used to sanitize this place were heavy duty.” Gage wrinkled his nose. “But I suppose they were necessary.”

  “Sorry, Super-Sniffer,” I said. “You're going to have to tough it out.”

  “This house isn't just empty of blooders; it's empty of everything,” Declan said. “The police must have taken whatever they thought might help them figure out why there was a slaughter here.”

  “Along with anything that might help us figure it out,” I said. “You're right, but we're here; let's look anyway.”

  “Or we could just ask the sphinx,” Gage suggested as he stared out the door.

  “You know that thing doesn't actually speak, right?” I asked him; wondering if he were making a joke. “It's just stone.”

  “No; I mean the sphinx that's watching us from the window across the street.” Gage pointed outside.

  I followed his motion and caught the movement of a curtain falling back into place.

  “How the hell do you know that's a sphinx?” Declan asked.

  “Eagle eyes.” Gage tapped his temples. “That's definitely a sphinx, and she's definitely interested in us. I think we'll find out more over there than we will here.”

  “The satyr helped.” I nodded. “Why not talk to a sphinx?”

  I headed out the door.

  “Hold on.” Torin slipped in front of me. “At least let us go first.”

  Adorable. Kyanite chuckled. He thinks he's still more powerful than you.

  “Isn't he?” I murmured under my breath. “He's a Shining One king.”

  And you're so much more.

  That made me pause. I knew I'd gained power, but I hadn't thought I was past the level of a Shining One monarch. How and when had that happened?

  What do you mean exactly? I asked Kyanite in my mind.

  I said exactly what I meant; you are special, my love. It's why I chose you.

  This isn't all from the Relic, is it?

  The Relic enhanced who you are, Kyanite said smugly. It gave you what you needed to become a queen and opened the door to your greatness.

  That sounds ominous, I noted.

  “Unless you want to stay here?” Declan interrupted my inner conversation.

  “Huh?” I looked at him blankly.

  “Are you joining us?” Declan tried again. “Or do you want to stay here with Banning and the others?”

  “Oh.” I blinked. “No; I'm coming.”

  Gage frowned at me as I crossed the street with the three of them. “What's up?”

  “Nothing; just talking to Kyanite.”

  “The RS has been rather quiet,” Gage said. “Nothing from her?”

  Tell that hunka griffin that I'll speak when I have something to say. RS purred.

  I chuckled and translated, “She says you're hot.”

  Gage grinned and took my arm. “She's obviously a spell of discerning taste.”

  “Did you mean to say 'disturbing taste?'” Declan smirked back at us.

  “Hurry up,” Torin reprimanded us. “We don't want that sphinx making a run for it.”

  “She won't run,” Gage huffed. “She's part lion; she's a predator, not prey.”

  We went through a wrought-iron gate and up some steps to the porch of a home just as impressive as the one we'd left. More so since it didn't smell of chemicals. Torin stepped up to the front door, but before he could knock, the door opened, and a strong hand reached out. It grabbed Torin's shirt and yanked him inside.

  “Hurry up!” The Sphinx hissed. “Get in here before anyone sees you.”

  She was a dark-haired woman with golden-brown skin and tawny, almond-shaped eyes that were upturned at the outer corners. She was tall and sleek, with the muscles of a runner, but wore loose, flowing clothing like a Bohemian.

  “I told you she wanted to talk,” Gage said smugly as he sauntered in.

  “Yeah; well spotted, griffin,” the woman huffed and closed the door behind us. “What are you doing here, anyway? I thought all of your kind were on Torr-Chathair?”

  “I wanted to be with my mate.” Gage waved a hand at me.

  The woman sniffed at me; as in, she smelled me like a dog. Her eyes started to glow as she processed whatever information she had gleaned from my scent, and then they widened.

  “A spellsinger?” She asked in surprise. “Even more rare than a griffin, and with an escort of Shining Ones to boot.”

  “Yes; we're a unique group,” Torin said as he smoothed his shirt. “But we're here about the—”

  “Blooders,” she finished for him. “Yes; that's obvious. How far has she taken it?”

  “She?” I asked. “You know who's behind this?”

  “Oh, yes.” The Sphinx grimaced. “But I can't simply tell you; you must guess.”

  “We must what?” I huffed. “Are you fucking serious?”

  “She's a sphinx,” Gage said as if it explained it.

  I scowled at him.

  “We love riddles,” the woman said. “I can't help it. If you want important information from me, you must solve my riddle.”

  “Fine.” I rolled my eyes. “Tell us the damn riddle.”

  “Don't worry; I'll make it easy,” the sphinx said gleefully. “The soul beckons to the flutter of her wings. The dead bow at her feet. She is the giver of life and the taker of it; the keeper of magic and secrets. Lady of Heaven and Hell; she wears the Horns and the Sun as her crown. Who is she?”

  “Oh, fuck,” I hissed in annoyance. “I don't know.”

  “Hold on,” Gage said. “I saw something on the Discovery Channel the other day about Egyptian Gods.”

  The Sphinx's eyes widened hopefully.

  “Some of those goddesses wear this crown that's a sun disk bordered by cow horns,” Gage went on.

  “Cow horns?” I asked. “I didn't know those were cow horns. That's an odd choice for a crown.”

  “But you know what I'm talking about, right?” Gage asked.

  I frowned and then nodded. “Yeah, and only one of those goddesses has wings. At least, only one I can think of.” Then my eyes went wide, and I looked at Torin. “Fuck!”

  “What is it?” Torin asked.

  “This may have something to do with me after all,” I whispered.

  Torin frowned and then it seemed to click in his head. His expression fell before it transformed into one of rage. “If this has anythi
ng to do with that slimy bastard...”

  “What slimy bastard?” Gage and Declan asked.

  “Osiris,” Torin and I said together.

  The Sphinx's eyes started to glow, and I turned to look at her.

  “Isis; for our final answer,” I said.

  The Sphinx smiled.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Isis is doing all of this?” Declan asked with a snarl.

  “And we're not talking about the terrorist group,” I muttered.

  “If only we were so lucky.” Gage grimaced.

  “Damn; it's not just a necromancer; it's a goddess necromancer,” I lamented.

  “What the fuck is wrong with her?” Declan snapped.

  We all looked at him in surprise.

  “Do you know her?” I asked him.

  “I knew her once,” he admitted. “Briefly. Well enough that I wouldn't have thought her capable of this.”

  “Oh-ho.” Gage laughed. “You guys get around.”

  “You know, at least my ex helped us.” I looked from Torin to Declan. “Instead of trying to murder everyone.”

  “I'd say you have terrible taste in women, but it's obviously improved,” Gage said with a look my way.

  “That goes without saying,” Torin said it so nonchalantly that it made it even sweeter.

  I gave them both a little grin.

  “Are you all together?” The Sphinx asked with surprise. “Like a quintuple?”

  “Before we get into our personal life; who are you?” I countered. “I'm Elaria.”

  I held out my hand, and she shook it with a mysterious smile.

  “I am Shani,” she said. “It's nice to meet you, Elaria.”

  “Nice to meet you too,” I said. “These are my consorts; King Torin of Onyx, King Declan of Alexandrite, and Gage of Torr-Chathair.”

  “What tribe are you from?” Shani asked Gage.

  Gage's eyes widened. “I'm of the Saeiqa Tribe. You know of the Griffin Tribes?”

  “We are related.” She chuckled. “Don't you know your own history?”

  “I know that Griffins are originally from the Tehar Realm,” he said hesitantly.

  “The planet of Faylon.” Shani nodded. “And so are the Sphinx. We are branches of the same race; your people are the warriors, and mine are the scholars.”