eldritch files 07 - elemental blood (19 page)

Crwys put his hands on his hips. "Me either. I got a missing girlfriend, Nisse thicket in the middle of the French Quarter, humans locked in Nisse lamps, and has anyone listened to the radio?"

"Nothing on there about all this. No news stories," Jack spoke up. "Check your phone. Once you passed that edge"—he pointed back to where the Mustang sat—"you entered no satellite land."

Crwys pulled out his phone and checked. Jack was right. No bars, no nothing. It was dead. "I'm surprised there's been no action taken against this," he said as he pointed to the now surrounding magical forest.

"There won't be," Solomon said. "Because the humans can't see what we see. This will simply look like a dead end. There are Jötunn present, unraveling memories of it as we stand here. But because we are within the heart of the thicket, we are protected."

"That can't be right, Solomon," Ivan said. "From what I’ve read, Jötunn don't do that kind of thing unless the King tells them to, and not in the middle of a human area."

"But this isn't human land anymore, Mr. Westerfield," Solomon said. "It's Nisse land now. Legitimately deeded to a royal representative."

Everyone looked at Solomon in surprise, but it was Crwys that spoke up, "I suspect Sam signed it over to Brahms during that fight in order to keep Yolyn from gating in and attacking. It’s what saved us before. I would assume it was just temporary, but this…"

Solomon looked sad. "Have you ever known the Nisse to be as the Faerie, Apollo?" The use of his given name made Crwys believe he'd been right, and this was indeed Artemis. "Faerie are bound by their word, but the Nisse are not. They have wanted a foothold to this world for some time. Not King Satar, but those who do not support the peace they've found over thousands of years."

Dharma spoke up, "You mean those like Yolyn."

"Wait…Tas was in the shop with Brahms. Where are they?" Crwys said.

"I'm afraid that's where the story goes south, Detective," Solomon said. "You must realize it's not just the land that's been deeded to them." He turned.

A noise came from the direction of where the shop should be. A hole spiraled into the air and opened. Yolyn, looking very well and rested and not wounded at all, followed by ten of her soldiers, stepped out. Dressed in their full leather armor, they fanned out in a line as if protecting their new digs. Crwys stepped forward, his hands down at his sides. He was fighting the urge to set everything on fire and watch it burn. But if he let anything happen to Sam's shop, she'd never forgive him.

"What the hell is going on?" Crwys said.

"What is going on, human," Yolyn said, "is that this land has been claimed by the Risi nation. You are trespassing. And by doing so, you and all your possessions are now ours."

Crwys snorted. "That's not how this works. Where's Brahms? Did you kill him and take the land from him? Deeding it to him was just to keep you out."

Yolyn looked behind her and then stepped aside. Crwys heard a gasp from Dharma as Brahms, now dressed in elegant, gilded armor and wearing a circlet about his head, stepped up to stand proudly beside Yolyn. His hair was no longer silver, but green, as Riven's had been. Though Brahms's ram horns remained the same. "That was the original bargain, but I made a few changes. Now everything she owned is mine."

"What the hell?" Kyle stepped forward, but Jack put out a hand and stopped him. "This is Samantha's land!"

"I'm afraid not," Brahms said. "She freely, of her own will, signed it over to me."

"Who the hell are you, really?" Crwys said, starting to see through it all. He looked from Yolyn to Brahms and groaned. "You gotta be kidding me. You're
her
son."

Yolyn smiled. "Good deduction, detective. Can you deduce anything else?"

Crwys narrowed his eyes. "Not really. Though I'm pretty sure Brahms isn't the one that gated the King to safety, but one of his supporters."

"You would be correct," Brahms said. "A Feyn named Riven."

"Feyn?"

Yolyn sneered. "He has the blood of a Leanan Sidhe. He was the King's real Chevalier."

"Was? Until you killed him and took his place."

"That would be correct," Brahms said.

Dharma clasped her hands in front of her as she gasped. "He was the King's
son
, wasn't he? That's why he risked his life to save the King."

Yolyn gave Dharma an accusing stare. "Who are you to know such things?"

But Brahms held up a hand. "She is a Water Witch. It's not surprising she's picking up on strong emotion here. This thicket was sprouted by a seedling from the King's own Thatch." He looked at Cryws. "Yes. That is why Riven risked his life. We believed at first he was working with Arden Vervain, since Riven had cut such a direct path to that particular Cairn."

"I see," Cryws said. "So that's why you took her and tortured her, to find out the truth."

Yolyn smiled. "Yes. I found that experience…most satisfying. It was Brahms here that convinced me she shouldn't die. I hope she is doing well in your hospital?"

"You leave my aunt alone, bitch." Kyle was more than pissed off. Crwys was happy Jack was there to try and calm him down. He doubted Kyle understood the kind of power the Risi had on their own land. They were all in danger the longer they remained where they were.

Brahms shook his head. "Too bad she didn't possess the knowledge to open the door. No matter, we will succeed and when we do, we will satisfy the Quest and Tolyn will be Queen."

"You don't have a Dragon's heart," Solomon spoke up. He didn't look at anyone, just watched Brahms.

Yolyn smiled. "Oh, but we do. Again, thanks to him."

All eyes focused on Crwys. He returned the stare, thinking in the back of his mind that this was it. They were going to try and take him. He couldn't wait to unleash his form if they did. He doubted they'd ever actually fought with a real Dragon before.

"You think
he's
a Dragon?" Solomon nodded to Crwys, a bit of a smile on his face.

"No," Yolyn said. "But someone who hates him knew of a Dragon hiding amongst you. And now she's ours."

She
. Crwys's world stopped for a second. It wasn't Solomon? He looked at the Conjurer, who shook his head slowly.
Hiding amongst us… The only Dragon hiding is me. So…who…

"Where's Tas?" Ivan stepped forward. "She was in the shop when all this started."

Tas?

Tasoula?

Crwys looked back at Yolyn and Brahms and…knew. All Tas's knowledge. That weird, stone-like patience of hers. Her ability to do magic. And her look…

How could he have been so blind? Crwys put his hand to his head. Tas had to be Artemis! It made sense as everything fell into place. He hadn't seen Tas at the bonding ritual, but her car had been there. And she had been standing outside, watching the fight in the air. She'd forged that arrow and then waited for it to kill Lethe.

But it failed. And Lethe was alive.
I've spent my entire life trying to make amends for a wrong I committed a long, long time ago,
she'd said once after Sam left with Bastien
.
It was the only clue to her past she'd given since joining them.

Had that wrong been me? By making those arrows to kill me, commissioned by Ra? Had she been trying to make things right after sealing my future as a Dragon?

Crwys narrowed his eyes at Yolyn. "Someone who hates me told you Tas was a Dragon. Would that someone be—"

"Me," came a voice behind them.

Everyone spun to see the familiar, if not a bit pale, visage of Ethel Delecroix. She didn't look as human as she once had, her magic unable to fully glamour her skin, so the thicket light cast an eerie green and blue hue to it. Her hair was white, and long, and frayed on the ends. She wore a large, loose-fitting trench coat, and one arm was tucked neatly inside of it, perhaps in a sling.

"Where is Sam, Lethe?" Crwys didn't crouch in a fight-ready stance like Dharma, Ivan, Kyle and Jack did. Neither did Solomon. The Conjurer stood to the side, silently observing the structure, almost oblivious to the events unfolding around him.

Lethe smiled. "Safe. For now." She moved past them to stand before Yolyn, towering over them. "I've kept my part."

"Indeed you have, Sorceress," Yolyn said in a voice tight with indignation. It was obvious this Nisse soldier thought very little of Lethe.

Crwys pursed his lips. Sorceress? Was it possible they didn't know Lethe was also a Dragon? It would make sense that she'd keep that from them, in case they decided to attack her in her weakened state. It was either they didn’t know or her heart was unusable. "So Lethe gives you a Dragon to fulfill your Quest," he said as he approached them, his arms down, his internal oven ignited. If they could sense magic, let them. Let them look deep into him and see the tragedy they were setting in motion if they continued this stupid game. "And you give her the Risi whose blood Artemis used to create the cursed arrow."

"As slowly perceptive as usual,
Detective
," Lethe said. "But these Risi haven't been able to deliver my part of the bargain."

"Because they can't get into the basement to retrieve the King," Crwys said

"Bravo! Once again, slowly perceptive."

"I told you," Yolyn said through clenched teeth. "We've not been able to open the lower room."

"Even after owning the land?"

"It's not that simple," Brahms spoke up. "This land has been through many owners, most of them Arcane based." He glanced at Crwys, but his eyes didn't linger. "The lower room has two layers of magic. Two layers of Arcane attached, neither of which I can break through. We can't build a gate into that place."

"So you've failed in giving me my half of the bargain." Lethe smiled. "I guess we know what that means." She abruptly turned to face Crwys. "Bring me King Satar by midnight or your girlfriend burns." Her eyes glittered green and pink as she held her hand out. In the center was Sam's engagement ring. "She already has her own kindling."

NINETEEN

I've gotten myself into some weird situations before. Some weirder than others, but easy to overcome. Some just so-so weird and damn near impossible to muddle through. And then there are the big ones. The predicaments that defy logic and confound the senses. Yes, yes, step right up and see the Witch Tree of New Orleans! Incased inside is a loud-mouthed Witch from Picayune, once infected with the power of Arcane Magic, highly forbidden, folks. Why? Because it's all powerful that can't be contained.

Really?

Then how come I'm stuck in a tree?

It was as if I knew that's where I was because it felt like I was stuck in a tree. It felt more like…absolute stillness. Like being cemented into a yoga pose and no way to move. My arms hurt, as did my lower back, my feet, and my chest. I know was no longer bound by rope or cloth, but by the ultimate stillness of a forest. I couldn't see or hear anything except the internal sobbing of a hysterical woman in my head.

That would be me, by the way.

No voice. No movement. Not even contact with my Elementals. The place they filled was little more than an echo.

I remembered Riven…the look on his face. He was half Leanan Sidhe. I assumed Lethe stole his power, maybe in dreams, which would account for his semi-conscious behavior previous to her little spell.

And that was a puzzle I'd tried to concentrate on as my mind wandered in and out of consciousness. I didn’t know Lethe could do this…steal magic. All the more reason to take her out.

Maybe it was a dream? I was in a hospital? A coma? Dreaming I was a tree? Oh hell…what if I was in the same room with Arden? I did not like this idea at all.

I'd already tried thrashing around. All that did was tire me out and things went black. I wasn't even sure what day it was.

I cried…a lot. Crying was all I could do.

I even asked my Arcane to forgive me…over and over. But there was nothing.

No, there is always something.

And there was that voice again. It wasn't Arcana's voice, but it could be just as annoying. Full of good cheer and words of wisdom. Like one of those inspirational calendars I used to get in the mail from my insurance company.

I'd chalked it up to me hallucinating because I hadn't ate or drank anything in…how long? That and you know…being stuck in a tree.

I am not your imagination, Samantha.

Whoa…that was the first time it called me by my name.

Would you prefer I use Sammy? That's what your mother called you.

I tried not to think of any reply. Usually, the voice would just go away. But now it was reading my thoughts?

Yes
.

Shit! I'm crazy.

No. But you are weak and nearly ready.

If I still had eyes, I would blink. Ready?

Yes
.

For what?

For the next step.

Confusion, thy name is me.

Would you like to talk face to face?

With my imagination? If I could snort and laugh, I would. Sure, why not? What else have I got to do?

Bright light blinded me, and I found I could blink again. And I could move as I literally fell on my front, as if I'd been standing for a long time and finally tipped over. I tasted dirt in my mouth and smelled burned wood. Lots of it. When my eyes could focus in the light, I found I was looking at ash-coated dirt. So much ash.