Demon Song

“True that,” Dawna added with a nod. She’d noticed her undone hair and was putting it back into the bun by stabbing it repeatedly with the ornate chopsticks she used as hair ornaments. “We had to drag him out of the computer lab when we went out somewhere. Half of the time he wouldn’t come because someone on campus had a broken computer. His Vaso must be someone he knew at school. He never went anywhere else.”



“Makes sense to me. But it was a big university. Could be any of a hundred people.”



No. Day or night? The words were hurried, like the ghost had an idea.



I knew so little about Vasos. I pointed to the computer screen. “Bring up the Internet. See if there’s a time of day that a werewolf has to drain his energy. I’ll bet Vicki’s right. She usually is.”



A few clicks later I was reading over Dawna’s shoulder, feeling a chill on my neck as my dead best friend did the same thing. “Ooh, look at this. The best time is right before bed. But Kevin never went to bed until late. What’s open on campus at night?”



“Infirmary,” Dawna offered.



Security appeared on the window.



But I was the one who got it and we all knew it the minute I wrote the word on the pad on Dawna’s desk. Library. I wrote it to protect her identity from anyone listening or watching, just as Kevin had asked. The university library was open until midnight every day except Sunday.



The Vaso could be only one person. Anna, the metaphysics section librarian, had worked at the college for more than a decade. She was a smart, powerful witch who I didn’t doubt could manage the excess energy. I’d seen them talking at least once a week but hadn’t ever thought about it because everybody talked to her. She knew the library backward and forward.



Dawna let out a delighted guffaw and held up her hand—to slap cold air. “Girl, you know that’s got to be right. Who else? Kevin was there all the time.” The best part was that if Jones was somehow still listening in, he had nothing, and I’ll bet he was seething.



So now I had to convince Anna to do whatever it was she needed to do. I just hoped she knew she was Kevin’s Vaso. I’d hate to think he would do something like that without her permission, but then again, he’d done stupid stuff like that to me, so what did I know?



My cell phone rang. The screen didn’t recognize the number, but it was an international call judging from the long string of digits. I pressed the receive button. “Celia Graves.”



“My mother would speak with you.” I recognized the voice. Princess Adriana was Queen Lopaka’s daughter but was not her heir. Our relationship hadn’t begun well—actually, Adriana had challenged me to a duel. I’d won and she had taken it pretty well. I wouldn’t call us friends, but I didn’t think she’d try to kill me again.



“Good evening, Adriana. How’ve you been? What’s new?”



There was a pause, as though she’d never actually been asked that. “I’m engaged to be married. I suppose that’s new.”



Engaged? Wow! That was news. “Omagawd. That’s fabulous! Where’d you meet him? Is he another siren or human or what? Are you ecstatic?”



There was another pause and her voice sounded confused by the question. “It’s … um, complex. I believe I’ll be happy. We have much in common. I will finally be a queen, even if it’s not of my own people.”



A queen? That would mean she’s marrying a king. There weren’t very many eligible world monarchs. Of course, there are a bunch of princes who might someday get the throne. “What country? Have I ever heard of it?”



Now she sounded amused: “I believe you have. It’s Rusland.”



She was marrying King Dahlmar? I felt my jaw drop. “But he’s … well, he’s old!” He was handsome, to be sure, but he was silver haired, elegant. A grandfather, not a husband.



Her laugh was the gentle tinkle of water over chimes. “He’s younger than me, Celia. By a number of years. You forget how old I am. He’s lost two sons and has no heirs. I have no hope to rule here but could be a queen there and gain an important ally for my mother. And he is quite attractive. We’re both lonely and I’ve always … dreamed of having children.” The admission seemed to startle her, and the tone of her voice changed from amazed wonder and joy to a more businesslike one. “Of course you will be invited to the wedding. But now my mother would speak with you. Thank you for asking after my … well, just thank you.”



Wow. I’d never really thought about the realities of such a long life or the duties of a royal. To have to worry about strong allies and heirs just to find a mate. I hadn’t heard the word “love” in her rambling, though her happiness was evident. But Dahlmar was a good man—strong, smart, and devoted to his people. He actually was quite a bit like Adriana. They’d make a good match … and maybe they’d wind up really falling for each other. It had happened before.



“Celia?” The queen’s voice came over the wire. “You seem to have befuddled my daughter. She scurried out of my office with a red face and odd smile.”



A small laugh escaped me. “I have that effect on people. I hope you have good news for me. Did your people talk with the judge?”



“I spoke with the judge personally.” That made me wince a little and she must have realized it, because she hurried to add, “I swear there was no improper manipulation. I made certain he was protected from my psychic abilities before I walked into the room.”



Oh! That reminded me of my talk with Alex. Lord, was it only yesterday? “By the way, before I forget, the police here have asked me to provide DNA to make charms for their officers. Would hair from me protect against any sirens, or just me?”



“Hmm. Well, likely with your weak bloodline, it would just be you. I understand why the authorities there would have reason to want protection. It’s likely you’ll be visited by other royals from time to time.” Crap. That wasn’t good news, because the other queens hated me. “I will have my security office coordinate with the police there to create suitable charms. After that fiasco of a court case you were forced to endure, I will be certain the police do not treat you harshly because they fear you.



“As for your mother, she is on her way now to the Isle of Serenity to complete her sentence. While here, she will undergo treatment to heal her body and her spirit. Of course, to fully accomplish that there can be no early parole and she might even have to stay beyond that. Still, I hope she will return to the mainland as a whole person. I must tell you, Celia, it nearly made me cry to see what she’d been reduced to behind those dry stone walls. Just getting her on the boat did a great deal to bring her back to herself.”



It was a day for sighs of relief. “My gran will be so pleased. I’m so pleased. And grateful. You can’t even imagine. Thank you more than I can express, Your Highness.”



“You are quite welcome, Celia. And you are welcome to call me Aunt Lopaka, if you prefer. It is fact and would go far to establish your credentials in the eyes of the others.”



Wow. That was a big thing. Lineage is everything to the sirens. I’d had to defend my right to even exist, and when the queen had acknowledged me as a family member it had caused a lot of discontent with the other rulers.



But it might be too much too soon. “For the moment, Highness, I’ll decline. I thank you, but there are already enough people who want to take off my head for overstepping myself.”



She didn’t offer a second time or insist or even try to convince me I was wrong. I liked that she respected my opinions even on our short acquaintance. “As you wish.”



There were still a few items on my list of big issues and I wondered if I might be able to scratch one more off tonight. “However, there is a history question you might be able to answer for me, if you will.”



“The history of our people? Of course. If I can.”



“What can you tell me about the Millennium Horns? Do they still exist?”



The pause on the other end of the phone was long enough that I thought about speaking. When Lopaka finally spoke, there was unexpected fury in her voice: “How dare you ask that! Family or no, this call is at an end.”



There was a click without even a good-bye. My face must have shown my sudden shock and embarrassment, because Dawna reared back like I’d grown a second head. Crap. All that goodwill I’d built up with sweat and blood … gone because of asking one question? Shit, shit, shit! I felt sick to my stomach. “Oh, man. I think I just really messed up. And I don’t even know what I said wrong.”



“Why was that a bad question?” Dawna sounded honestly confused. “Even I’ve heard of those. The story’s in the history books in school.”



A sudden blast of cold air made me look toward the window. Right story?



My stomach squirmed even more. “Oh, I didn’t think of that. What if the history books got it wrong? What if the real story is a huge scandal or something?” Well, there was nothing I could do about it now. I’d have to figure out some way to apologize for my faux pas.



“Well, I guess the best thing I can do now is find out everything I can about the horns.”



Dawna smiled slyly. “I bet I know where you’re going to go look.”



I returned her smile. Kill two birds with one stone. “Want to come along?”



She shrugged and laid her hand on the mouse. “Sure. I’ve got nothing better to do and I have some stuff I want to tell you. Just let me shut down.”



Yeah, I had stuff to tell her, too. I didn’t know whether to bring up the idea of living together yet. So far she’d been a trooper with the vampire thing, but she was always careful to stay behind glass or concrete or such. The last thing I wanted was to be a source of trauma to her.



Actually, that wasn’t true. The last thing I wanted was to be the source of her death.



12



I was a little worried about getting into the campus library. Though I’d graduated, I was still officially a student—I took a class or two every semester to maintain my health insurance. Right now I was getting a D in ornamental gardening because I hadn’t been showing up for class and I’d missed the midterm exam. Well, my life had gotten just a little complicated. I think the only reason the instructor hadn’t failed me outright was because he was giving the class for the same reason I was taking it, so he was somewhat loathe to make me lose my benefits. But he did warn that I was going to have to spend some time with the design books and a hedge clipper after the winter break or he wasn’t going to be able to let me skate by anymore.