Chapter 10
ONCE AGAIN, I blinked and opened my eyes. This time, Perri wasn’t slapping my face trying to wake me up. I was in bed. Turning my head, I tried to figure out if this was real. Camille was in the bed next to mine, but the others were nowhere in sight. I tried to sit up, and Perri ran over, letting out a cry of relief. As she helped me to roll into a sitting position, Camille let out a soft moan, and she too, woke up.
“Is this real? Is this time for real?” I was just a little bit paranoid.
“You’re here. Everything’s all right.”
“I want to stand up. That’s the only way I can tell if this is real.” Frantically, I was shoving back the covers.
Perri stopped me. “Don’t jog the needle in your arm. Here, let me take it out first.” I stopped struggling, extending my arm for her to take out the IV. She pressed a cotton ball over the injection site, and then strapped a piece of tape over it. Next, she stood back and offered me her hand. “You may be a little woozy, so be careful. I don’t want you fainting. It’s been several days since you stood, or even sat up, for that matter.”
Several days? I hadn’t realized it had been so long. I eased my feet over the edge of the bed. The floor was cool against my toes, and my stomach lurched as I slowly stood, terrified that everything would vanish again and I found myself back in the Land of Wandering Souls once more. But this time, my feet stayed firm on the floor, and even though they tingled from not having been used for a few days, I actually began to believe I was home. I let out a sigh of relief.
“I’m really here. I really came back?”
“Thanks to your sister, yes, you’re here.” With a look of relief on her face, Perri motioned for me to sit back on the bed. “Take things easy. One step at a time. Let me go tend to your sister.” As she moved over to Camille’s bed, I sat back down.
Everything was all right. Everything was going to be okay. I was awake, Shade was home, back in his body, and everything would be just fine. Breathing easier than I had in a while, I turned around and watched as Perri attended to Camille.
A COUPLE OF hours later I managed to make it over to the main chamber where we had eaten breakfast a few mornings before. My muscles ached, but Perri released me, stressing for me to take it easy for a few days until all the drugs were out of my system. She also informed me that I had been gone a total of five days. Three of those were with Roz, Trillian, and Nerissa. The fourth and fifth days, I had been out there alone. I also found out that I really hadn’t returned to my body when I thought I had the first time. That had been part of the hallucination.
Camille joined me, though Menolly was asleep for the day.
“Where are the others?”
I looked around. “Shade? He’s okay?” Perri had told me that Shade had come through all right, but I had a sudden irrational need to see him.
Camille placed a hand on my arm. “Calm down. He’s fine. They’re just running some tests and checking his wound. It’s almost healed now.” She paused, then looked at me. “When I found you out there, you seemed terribly confused and afraid. You asked me something. About a trip when we were young—a camping trip. What was that all about?”
I stared at the table as I slid into the chair. Finally, biting my lip, I looked at her. “You know how they said that we might face our worst fears out there? They were right. Apparently, I’ve been hiding some deep-seated fears that I didn’t know I have. I also discovered what’s at the bottom of my fear of water.”
I hesitated, mulling over everything I remembered, trying to sort out the fears from the facts. Camille didn’t rush me. She just drank her coffee and let me take my time.
“First, I remembered a camping trip. We were out—you, Mother, Father, and me. I don’t think Menolly was born yet. I wandered too close to a stream and what I now think was probably a bollywog dragged me under. I almost drowned. Mother saved me, and Father, too, I guess. Anyway, I think I can trace my phobia of water to that point. Does that ring any bells?”
Camille frowned, leaning her elbows on the table. After a moment she let out a little gasp. “Yes. Actually, I think I do remember it. You were screaming, and I saw you. Mother and Father were going crazy.”
She paused, closing her eyes, then opened them wide.
“Oh.” She paused. “I know why I blocked it out! I was supposed to watch you, and I didn’t want to. I let you wander off and the next thing, I heard you screaming. I ran over in time to see something had hold of you. After they saved you, Father laid into me for shirking my duty. He gave me a horrible spanking—well, it seemed horrible at the time. I doubt if it was much more than a few slaps on the butt. He shook me and told me that it was my responsibility to watch over you because I was your older sister. He said that you could have died because of me. In fact, he said that if you had died, it would have been my fault.” She paused, shaking her head. “You know, I think that’s when I started intervening when the bullies came after you. I think I truly believed that if I didn’t watch out for you, you’d end up dead.”
“Boy, that trip got to both of us, didn’t it? Turns out, camping maybe not so much fun after all.” What Camille said sparked off the memory of what I had heard from Mother. At least, from my fears that had taken the form of our mother. “There’s more. While I was out there alone, I had another experience.”
I spilled it all out. I told her about seeing Mother, and what she had said to me. “Do you think she was right? Or rather, do you think my fears are right? Was I really so much trouble? Did I cause Arial’s death? Even if I didn’t mean to?”
Camille’s eyes narrowed.
“Delilah, none of that’s your fault. All three of you would have died if Father hadn’t made that pact with the Autumn Lord. Don’t you get it? Father chose to save two of you. He couldn’t save all of you, so he opted to save Mother and one of you. It was the Autumn Lord who made the final choice between you and Arial.”
I nodded. “That’s what I keep telling myself.”
“That’s the truth. And as far as our mother goes, well, I remember her better than you do. Mother loved you so much. She called you her ray of golden sunshine. And for me? You’ve never been a burden. Oh, our father screwed me over by putting the household on my shoulders when Mother died, but I never blamed you and Menolly for that. Somebody had to watch after you, and he sure wasn’t emotionally capable of it.”
I began to cry, softly. “So Mother loved me? She wouldn’t be disappointed in me?”
“Mother loved you. She loved all of us. And for what it’s worth, I think if she hadn’t fallen off that horse, she would have come around and drunk the Nectar of Life. She never had the chance to really think it over.”
“I always wondered why she wouldn’t.”
“She was probably afraid she couldn’t handle that much time. Delilah, you’re deeply loved. Mother? She adored you. You’re our Kitten. And Menolly and I love everything about you. Except when you don’t clean your litter box.” She laughed then, making me laugh, too.
“It’s amazing, the shit that gets into our minds. I was so alone out there. I felt more alone than any time in my life. I felt like an outsider in a way that I haven’t since childhood. Remember when they used to call us Windwalkers?”
She nodded. “I began wearing it as a badge of honor, but it always stung with you. I could tell, even when you didn’t say anything. I know it hurt you dreadfully.”
“I suppose. I just wanted to be liked. I wanted to feel like part of something bigger than myself. And I’ve always felt on the outside. At least, until now. I may not want to be part of this war, but it does make me feel like I have a destiny. I think that’s where all of this comes into play. I feel like a fraud, like I’m supposed to be this heroic warrior against a demonic invasion, this woman destined to bear the Autumn Lord’s child, and yet inside I still felt like that frightened little girl who was being sucked down by the bollywog and who was constantly taunted for being a Windwalker.”
Camille threw her arms around me, giving me a big kiss on the forehead. “Never forget: We make our own rules. When we were little, we swore we would always be there for each other. And I promise you, even though we are on separate paths, even though we have our own lives and destinies to fulfill, we will always be here for each other. Aeval and Titania had a fit when I told them to fuck off, that you were my sister and I wasn’t leaving you out there. But I didn’t trust anybody else to find you, because I know you. I knew I could find you.”
I shifted, straightening my shoulders. “You actually told Aeval and Titania to fuck off? For me?” I couldn’t help but giggle. It tickled me that she had stood up against them for me.
“Yes, and it’s going to take a while for me to get back in their good graces. But hell, they knew who I was when they helped me ascend to the throne. With your life at stake, there was no way I was going to let you stay out there. Or trust you to anybody else.”
At that point, the door opened. I looked up to see Shade enter the room.
He looked a little worse for wear, but overall, he was alive, and had a smile on his face. I jumped up, groaning as my muscles tweaked. But I ignored the pain as I ran over to his side and threw my arms around him.
I wasn’t the only one with aches. “Careful,” he said. “I’ve still got stitches in me. Apparently the soul-stealer blade was pretty damned sharp. And whatever juju it has slowed my healing process.”
He eased me to his left side, leaning down to kiss me. His lips were warm against mine, and I slid my fingers along his face, relaxing as I realized he was going to be okay.
“I was so afraid we were going to lose you,” I said, still clinging to his side.
“I think I lost myself for a while when I was out there. You brought me back, Kitten. And I do mean that. If you hadn’t changed into your tabby self, I don’t know if I would have recognized you. Sometimes a gentle force is stronger than all the brute strength in the world. I think that was a lesson I needed to learn.”
There was still a haunted look in his eyes, and I wondered if he still felt like half a man. I wasn’t sure whether or not I should ask him. It seemed like such a private fear and I didn’t want to embarrass him, but neither did I want him to go through life feeling incomplete. And perhaps thinking that I saw him as incomplete.
When I thought back to my own fears, it occurred to me that we all hid shadow selves. We all felt like we weren’t good enough, we weren’t pretty enough, we weren’t strong enough. That we just weren’t enough. Human, Fae, or Dragon, we all had our inner demons and they could be just as deadly as the demons we faced from the Sub-Realms. Oh, our fears might not attack us directly, but they were sneaky. We sabotaged ourselves, letting them eat away at our self-esteem, preventing us from growing and evolving.
“Do you remember much about what happened?” I decided the best way to handle this was to feel him out, to see how much he was willing to tell me.
“I remember too much. Everything has come back to me. When I first woke up, a lot of the memories were hazy but over the past couple of days I began to remember everything I encountered, and everything I said.”
He gave me a long look. “You know, when I woke up, and Roz and Trillian and Nerissa woke up, but you didn’t…that was probably the worst moment of my life.”
From the table, Camille cleared her throat. “I know there’s a lot you two want to talk about, but the others will be here in a few moments. While you were all out of your bodies, we did everything we could to locate the whereabouts of Yerghan the Blade. Today, we need to talk about what we found.”
I wrapped my arm through Shade’s and led him over to the table.
“She’s right. We do have a lot to talk over. But for now, we’re both here, and we’re both safe. And I am so hungry I could eat a horse. Or a mouse. But I’d rather have a bag of Cheetos and a burger, and a milkshake. Any chance of that?”
Camille laughed. “We should be able to rustle up something like that. I can’t guarantee we have any Cheetos in the house, but I’ll see.” She motioned to one of the serving men. He’d been standing close enough to hear the entire exchange, but now he looked at her, clicking his heels and bowing, as though he hadn’t heard a thing.
“Your Majesty?”
“Please have one of the maids bring my sister something to eat. If possible, a cheeseburger, some Cheetos, and a strawberry milkshake.”
“Very good, Your Majesty. Should I have refreshments brought for your entire party?”
“That would be a good idea. I’m sure we could all use something to eat. But make it the usual fare. I don’t want a dozen bags of Cheetos sitting around.” She laughed as he gave her another bow and walked away.
“Is it really very strange? Having servants like this?” I asked. “He was close enough to hear everything we were saying, but he acted like he hadn’t heard a word.”
“That’s their job. That’s why we choose our guards and servants so carefully. There’s no way to avoid sensitive material being overheard, so we have to be able to trust them. And it’s their job not to listen unless it sounds like there’s a threat being made. Trally overheard every single word, and he could have easily just taken care of matters without me. But it’s my place to instruct him.” She shrugged. “It’s a complicated situation. And it does feel strange at times. But I’m getting used to it, and I’m not sure whether that’s a good thing.”
Shade leaned his elbow on the table, and with his other hand pushed back his hair. For once, his shoulder-length hair was hanging free. He usually kept it in a ponytail, but today the amber strands were loose around his face, giving him a softer look. The scar down his cheek was half hidden by his hair, and his eyes were luminous. He was truly a beautiful man.
“In dragon culture, this would be casual. Camille knows—she’s seen it from up close and personal. The hierarchy there is fiercely enforced.”
“Now, how do shadow dragons play into it again? You’ve never really talked about it much,” I said. Even though Shade was half–shadow dragon, he seemed almost as distant from his heritage as he was from humankind.
“Unlike the other dragons who all live in the Dragon Reaches, shadow dragons inhabit the Netherworld. We are third in the hierarchy ranking. Silvers are always at the top. And then the gold dragons. Shadow dragons come next. Blue dragons are at the bottom. But as Smoky has told you, you can marry up. Which is why Hyto held the power he did.”
Camille winced, and a cloud raced across her face. She seldom talked about Smoky’s father and what he had done to her, but no matter how much time passed, I suspected there would always be a certain amount of PTSD. As Menolly had said long ago, you can drop the baggage and leave it behind, but you always carry the claim tickets.
“I think we should leave talk of Hyto out of this.” I flashed a look at him.
He grimaced. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Camille said. “What happened, happened. I’ve come to terms with it for the most part. But Shade’s right. Heritage is everything in the Dragon Reaches. If you don’t have a lineage, you might as well not exist. Orphans aren’t considered part of society. Everything is based on your ancestors, and while you can marry up, that offers no guarantee of lifelong success or respect.”
“What about us? How do they see the Fae and humankind?”
“Normally, the dragons wouldn’t blink twice in my direction. It’s only because of what happened with Hyto that they felt they owed me a debt—they do live by honor. I think when I took the throne here, in Talamh Lonrach Oll, it may have helped matters. But when you get down to the nitty-gritty, dragons are an elitist, classist, and bigoted society.” She glanced over at Shade. “How does the fact you are half dragon play into matters?”
“That again depends on heritage. Smoky holds prominence because his mother is a silver. In cases of half-breeds, the higher blood wins out. As far as shadow dragons go, we’re accorded a separate status. Because we inhabit the Netherworld, and because the Stradolan race is the only one that can interbreed with us, we stand outside of the class structure. You’ll never find a half-shadow, half-silver dragon, for example.”
“So shadow dragons can only breed with their own kind, or with Stradolans?”
“Yes, and because of the realm we inhabit, both full and half-breeds are accorded great respect. Shadow dragons tend to be given a wide berth by the others, precisely because they don’t quite understand how we work. It isn’t like we’re a great authority, not like the silvers, but because we truly represent the dead in a way. We’re what you would call the shamans of our race. And those of us who are part Stradolan…well…we seem mysterious and deadly to the other dragons.”
At that moment, the door opened. In trooped Smoky, Morio, and Trillian. Behind them were Roz, Menolly, and Nerissa. Vanzir and Trytian followed. I didn’t see Iris, Bruce, or Hanna.
I leaned close to Camille. “Where are Iris and Hanna? And Maggie?”
“I told them to stay with the twins.” She paused for a moment, then added, “Yerghan the Blade is one of the most dangerous warriors who ever lived. He’s carrying a soul-stealer sword. I refuse to allow Iris or Hanna to come near this. Especially Iris. I know she’s faced a lot of foes with us, but she has children. I won’t risk losing her. I would never do that to Bruce, or the twins.”
I nodded. And Hanna had to take care of Maggie, and Hanna wasn’t a warrior, either. “Good call.”
A couple of serving women entered the room, pushing carts filled with food. One of them set a tray in front of me, and on it was a small bag of Cheetos, a triple-stack cheeseburger, and what had to be a twenty-ounce strawberry milkshake. I licked my lips.
Menolly let out a snort. “Never change, Kitten. Never change.”
“Hey, I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten in days. Hell, I didn’t even realize that it was evening until you showed up. I had no clue how long I was out there.”
She sobered. “Well, I can tell you this. You gave us quite a scare.” And in those few words, I knew how relieved she was.
After everybody had eaten, we settled down to business.
“All right, here’s the rundown. When you four went after Shade, Trytian and Vanzir began searching for information on Yerghan. I’ll leave it to them to tell you what they found.” Camille motioned to Vanzir.
“Our first thought was to talk to Carter, and it was a good choice. He was a great help. Apparently, Trytian’s father was right. Shadow Wing has been absorbing the power from his sorcerers down in the Sub-Realms.” Vanzir let out a sigh.
“What do you mean, ‘absorbing their power’?” I tore open the bag of Cheetos, absently popping one in my mouth.
“What I mean is that he has been feeding on their life essence. Sucking them dry. And when he does that, he absorbs their magical abilities. Now, he’s never been able to do this before, so something has either shifted in his makeup, or he has discovered a new alchemical process. Either way, it’s trouble. Remember when we talked about him being called the ‘Unraveller’?”
It had been some time, but I nodded. At one point, Shadow Wing’s focus had shifted from simply taking over Earthside and Otherworld to razing both to the ground. Speculation ran that he had been gathering the spirit seals in order to reunite them and obliterate all three of the worlds—Otherworld, Earthside, and the Sub-Realms—with the resulting implosion. As long as the seals didn’t touch one another and weren’t magically bound together again to reform the one seal, the three realms would stay separate.
The Great Divide had resulted in an unnatural balance, and it wasn’t holding up quite as well as the Great Fae Lords had thought it would. But to reunite the spirit seals together? The disasters that would unfold would shake all three realms.
“At least he doesn’t have any of the spirit seals anymore.”
“Yeah, well, we think that’s what has triggered this current mania. Basically, when Menolly went down to rescue Nerissa and managed to win back all of the spirit seals, it pushed Shadow Wing over the edge. We’re not sure what he intends on doing now, except for the fact that he’s totally focused on destroying the three of you and anybody surrounding you. Basically, Shadow Wing’s lost it, but he’s far too powerful to catch and throw in the loony bin.”
“So whatever it takes, his goal is to take us out.”
“Pretty much,” Trytian said. “He’s still got enough deranged followers to help him. Although I’m pretty sure that Yerghan the Blade agreed to this simply to win his freedom. I doubt if he wants to stay Earthside. My guess? His goal is to work his way back to Otherworld and disappear into the mountains somewhere.”
“That sounds about right. There isn’t much over here for a barbarian warlord,” I said.
“Anyway,” Trytian continued, “Vanzir and I asked some of our contacts to snoop around. The Demon Underground is pretty rife with knowledge, especially since a number of the minor demons escaped over here to get away from Shadow Wing. They’re as afraid of him as we are and the last thing they want is for him to manage to get over here. It appears that Shadow Wing did put a geas on Yerghan. He can’t go free until he returns with your heads to Shadow Wing.”
I gulped, fingering my neck. “Then he can’t back off until he’s dead.”
“Pretty much. Carter said there’s been some unusual activity down in the industrial district. Several transients were found murdered, and a small tent city abruptly up and moved to a different area of the city a few days ago.” Vanzir shrugged. “The transients who were murdered were stabbed. And it wasn’t for their money, because they didn’t have any.”
“What makes Carter think it was Yerghan?” Any number of loonies could run around through a homeless tent city, stabbing people.
“As you know, Carter monitors the police reports. Actually, he monitors just about everything. The police found a couple of witnesses willing to talk. They mentioned a huge, burly Viking-type going off on the homeless. Now, we know Yerghan isn’t a Viking, but he could be mistaken for one. They also said he was carrying a very large sword that looked, according to one bystander, ‘Brutal as hell.’ Since most citizens in Seattle don’t carry swords, I think we have our man. To cap it off, the witness also said that the sword was glowing. Glowing sword? Try magical sword.” Trytian shrugged. “I’d bet good money that it’s Yerghan.”
“I have to admit,” Menolly said, “that sounds about right. So Carter thinks he’s hanging down in the industrial district? He couldn’t have just passed through?”
“Think about it,” Vanzir said. “There are a lot of abandoned buildings down there, as well as several magical bars and dives. Just the type of scum Yerghan would hang out with.”
“There’s more,” Trillian said. “After we got back—while you were still lost in the Land of Wandering Souls, Delilah—Roz and I did some reconnaissance work. We tapped Morio’s computer skills, and he brought up a list of abandoned buildings, so we paid a cursory visit to all of them. We didn’t go in just in case he was in there, but we noticed that one of the buildings seems to have lights on at night, even though it’s supposed to be empty. Since Yerghan came over here with four demons, it’s likely that he prefers to have companions to back him up. And since he lost all four of those demons, chances are good he’ll be looking for some new muscle. I doubt if Shadow Wing sent him over with no resources, so he’s probably got money on him.”
“It’s the best lead we’ve got so far.” Vanzir leaned back in his chair. “The sooner we act, the better. We can’t give him a chance to build up a private little army. I don’t know if he knows about the Demon Underground, but the demons down there wouldn’t give him the time of day anyway. So he’ll probably be looking for humans or Fae to fill out his roster.”
“What about vampires?” I asked. “Do you think he’d work with them?”
Menolly shook her head. “Roman and I have spies out watching the community. We’ve passed along the word that anybody found working with anybody questionable will be staked upon contact. Most of the vampires around here have accepted Roman’s rule, and they know he doesn’t mess around when he puts out a decree like that.”
“Shifters?” I asked. “There’s a large Were community, and I wouldn’t put it past a number of them to sign up for something like that. Tensions have been running high lately. Maybe it’s because Chase suddenly quit his job to join the Keraastar Knights. And Yugi has yet to win the full respect and trust that Chase managed to incur. All I know is at the last Supe Community Action Council meeting, there were several arguments that almost turned into brawls.”
Camille pressed her lips together, shaking her head. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make that meeting. As you know, I did send a representative, and he told me about it. There’s just so much flux going on within the internal politics of the Supe community right now that I think everybody’s a little on edge. I don’t think that Chase changing jobs has a great deal to do with it. I think we’re just undergoing one of those times when the power structure shifts. Also, remember, with the vampire rights bill sure to pass, there’s a lot of stress among the human community from that.”
“Whatever the case, I think there’s a better chance than usual that Yerghan could recruit followers from the Supe community. I think he’d scare off most humans.”
“Point taken,” she said, nodding. “So, what are our next steps?”
“We check out the building. I suppose we could do a stakeout first, but if we see Yerghan, we’re going to want to make our move as soon as possible. I suggest we move in tonight.” Even though I was feeling a little rocky, I was itching to get back to normal—or at least as normal as I could.
“All right, so what’s our plan? It’s 7:30 now, so whatever we do, we’d better get started.” Camille leaned back in her chair, looking at the laptop.
“Once again, you don’t go,” Morio said. He leaned forward, staring hard at her. “Unless we’re actually facing Shadow Wing, you don’t get to play anymore. Your duties are here, in this Barrow, to the people who live here.” He said it so bluntly that I almost gasped.
Camille glowered back at him. “Yerghan the Blade was sent by Shadow Wing. I feel like I should be there.”
“We need a strong contingent, yes. But we don’t need everybody there to take him on. Just like you decided that Iris doesn’t get to go this time, Aeval and Titania will have your hide if you decide that you need to be part of this. You’re already in the doghouse for going after Delilah. The day you accepted that crown, you signed away your freedom.” Morio held her gaze.
“Menolly gets to go, and she’s a princess.” But even as she said it, Camille’s voice fell and I knew she had accepted the inevitable.
“I may be a princess, but I don’t rule the kingdom.” Menolly flashed her a sympathetic smile. “At least not right now. I’m not betting it will always be that way, and in fact, I have a feeling the day will be coming when Blood Wyne imposes limitations on my activities as well. And since I’ve given my promise and my oath to her and to her son, I’m going to have to accept it when she does. Morio’s right. As much as we love you, the fact is, your place is here.”
Vanzir cleared his throat. “To that end, Aeval doesn’t want me going in either. Though if this were a war that all of the Fae were involved in, I think she’d want Camille and me to be at the head of the pack. And she’d be there with us. But Yerghan the Blade coming after the three of you? I think she’s pretty much only concerned about Camille’s life.”
That stung a little, but it didn’t surprise me.
“I don’t think we should be surprised at all by that. Let’s face it, the two of you are benched for this battle. Nobody blames you. But the rest of us can take him on.” I straightened. “So, who does that leave to go?”
“I told Nerissa to stay here, too,” Menolly began, but I cut her off.
“Don’t underestimate her. You should have seen her take on the cyclops.” I flashed a grin at Nerissa, who smiled back.
“Thank you. I appreciate someone finally standing up for my skills. I worked hard to get where I’m at, and I can fight just as well as anyone of you. Well, maybe not as good, but I’m no slouch.” She snorted, then gave Menolly a long look. “You are not going to sideline me anymore. It’s not that I enjoy fighting, but I want to do my part.”
“Touché. I’ll stop being so protective. At least, until the next time.” Menolly reached out a finger, tucking it under Nerissa’s chin, and pulled her forward to give her a long kiss.
“So who all is going? I am, and I assume Shade? Or are your wounds still too severe?” It suddenly occurred to me that Shade might not want to face down Yerghan again, given he still had that damn sword.
“Oh, trust me, I’m coming along. My stitches are almost all healed, and I want a crack at him. I plan on giving him a little taste of what he gave me. And what he did to our house.” Apparently Shade’s self-doubt didn’t impair his desire for revenge.
Roz raised his hand. “I’m going.”
“Of course I will go, and Trillian and Morio,” Smoky said.
“I’m going, too,” Trytian said. “I think we should try to capture him alive, so we can question him.”
“You really think we can manage that?” I stared at Trytian, wondering what the daemon had been smoking.
“I intend on trying. Think about it: if we can capture Yerghan the Blade, he can tell us a hell of a lot of useful information about Shadow Wing.” Trytian’s eyes gleamed, and I had the feeling he was actually looking forward to the prospect.
“What makes you think he’s going to talk?”
Trytian stared straight at me, holding my gaze. “I have ways to make him talk. And I don’t have the same moral compass as you.”
My stomach lurched. I wanted to protest. The thought of torture made my stomach queasy, even if it was Yerghan. But the idea of having an arsenal of information about our enemy was so tempting that I couldn’t just blindly say no. I glanced around at the others, wondering what they were thinking.
“Opinions on the subject, please?”
Smoky gave a little shrug. “I think it behooves us to consider the option. After all, we’re planning to kill Yerghan. We know that. We’re not going in there just to catch him and put them away behind bars. That didn’t work so well the first time, did it? Even if the bars were the Sub-Realms.”
“I know, but the concept of torturing someone is hard for me. I’ve come a long ways from my rose-colored glasses days, but there are lines that are hard for me to cross.” I thought for a moment. “Is there some magical potion that can force them to tell the truth?” And then I realized what else was bothering me. “It’s more than the concept of torture that bothers me. Trytian, I don’t want to see you resort to that. I think you’re better than that.”
He blinked, then let out a sigh. “Delilah. I’m a daemon. I know you don’t like to think that some people have it in them to torture someone without recrimination, but I do. Whether I choose to do so depends on the situation. But we’re in a battle against an insane Demon Lord who would love nothing better than to destroy your world—well, both your worlds—and you and your sisters. If Shadow Wing had his way, Earthside and Otherworld would be overrun with demons. Billions of people would be enslaved, and he would revel in every moment. So if torturing Yerghan the Blade helps lead to Shadow Wing’s downfall? I’ll jump in with joy and take the responsibility.”
I swallowed my protest. Trytian meant business, and he was here to help us. And no matter what I said or did, he made a valid point. I was squeamish, and I didn’t think I could ever do what he was thinking of, but I had to put my feelings aside in the situation.
“Never mind. I won’t fight you on it. But I won’t help you, either. I’ll help you capture him, and oddly enough, I can help kill him, but I can’t inflict torture.”
“I won’t ask you to be there. If we’re lucky, we might be able to get the information out of him by lying, although he’s probably smart enough to see through the ruse. We can always tell him we’ll let him go if he tells us everything he knows.” Trytian paused, then gave me a sly grin. “Would you do that? Would you lie to someone to get information?”
I felt like he had put me on the hot seat. Because I knew that I would do exactly as he had said. And I knew that wasn’t much better than what he was suggesting.
“Leave the philosophical arguments on morality out of this.” Camille sounded irritated. “Whatever it takes, we need to destroy Yerghan. Beyond that, any information we can find about Shadow Wing will help. I’m not going to ask how you get it, because in the long run, Shadow Wing needs to die. We’ll never be free of danger, but if he stays in power, everybody connected with us will also be in danger. So Vanzir and I are staying here, and the rest of you are going. Morio, can you show them a map of where the building is? I wish I could stay, but Aeval has requested my presence. I think I’m about to get dressed down for what I did to rescue Delilah.”
She stood, looking like she’d rather do anything else in the world except what she was about to. “Vanzir, why don’t you stay and help them make plans? I’ll tell Aeval you’ll be back in a bit.” And with that, she left the room, shutting the door behind her and her guards.