Chapter 4
VENUS THE MOON Child looked a lot more refined than he had when I first met him, but he was still the same old feral shaman at heart. His hair was plaited back in a long tawny braid, heavily interspersed with gray. He had shaved his beard, but his eyes were still luminous, and the brilliant fire opal he wore around his neck glowed with that same luminosity. He crackled with magic, the sparks practically flying off of him. He was wearing the colors of Camille’s court—violet, black, and silver. The werepuma looked like he had just stepped out of the pages of some magical faerie tale.
“Delilah, I came as soon as I could. The guards are waiting in the reception area, although two of them insisted on following me to the room. They’re right outside the door, and I need to let them know that everything’s all right in here or they’ll come bursting in to make sure nothing is wrong.”
“Of course.” I opened the door with him, allowing the guards to take a peek inside. “There are no windows, so nobody can come through except magically. If you want, you’re welcome to stay inside with this.”
One of the guards chose to do so, with an apologetic grin.
“We can’t let anything happen to Venus, I’m sure you understand.”
I nodded. The Keraastar Knights were integral to our future plans, and now that Camille had gathered them all together, we didn’t dare chance losing any of them. Not again.
I motioned for the guard to stand in the corner, out of the way. Then Mallen and I explained to Venus exactly what it happened. His expression sobered when I told him about the soul-stealer blade.
“Well, that’s not good. But you came to the right place. I’ve had experience in soul retrieval. I’m not certain if I can bring him back, but I should be able to find out where he is.” He motioned for us to move away from the bed, then positioned himself beside Shade.
“Delilah, I need you to leave the room. Your energy is too frantic. It will interfere with my abilities to trace his whereabouts. Mallen, please monitor his condition. Even though what I’m about to do shouldn’t jar the wound, it can affect his heart rate and pulse.”
Once again, I left the room, wishing to hell that I could stay. This time, I refused to return to the waiting room. One of the guards brought me a chair and I sat down outside in the hallway, hugging myself as I strained to hear what was going on inside. I wanted to call Camille, but I wasn’t sure what I could say.
Ten minutes passed, and another ten. I stood, pacing the length of the hall. I thought about peeking in, seeing if everything was all right, but the kind of work Venus was doing required absolute concentration, and anything I did to interrupt him would only disturb the process.
A few minutes later, I glanced over at the guard. “So are you a guard for the Keraastar Knights in general?”
He gave me a sympathetic look. “I really can’t talk about my duties, Miss Delilah. I’m sorry. But if you want to talk about something else, to take your mind off of what’s happening in there, I’d be happy to help.”
Grateful that he understood, I asked him about Talamh Lonrach Oll.
“So my sister’s gardens, how are they coming?”
It was a lame attempt at conversation, but at least it was something.
“The gardens are beautiful, miss. Her Majesty has a lovely eye for landscaping. We’re increasing the apple orchards, and Her Majesty has also instructed the gardeners to plant a number of other fruit trees. She intends for the court of Dusk and Twilight to become an extremely fruitful place. And Their Majesties Titania and Aeval concur. It’s hoped that by next harvest, Talamh Lonrach Oll will be selling fruit at the local farmers’ markets.”
That led us into a discussion about the seasons, and how autumn was coming quickly. I didn’t want to talk about the equinox, because that led me to thinking about Shade, but the guard seemed to be aware of my hesitation and he led the discussion to the fall cleanup, and how Talamh Lonrach Oll was expanding its borders once again. That was news to me, and it got me wondering just how big the sovereign Fae nation would become. Before I realized it, forty-five minutes had passed, and the door to Shade’s room opened.
Mallen motioned for me to follow him inside. I thanked the guard, and he gave me a gentle salute. Venus was standing by Shade’s side, looking grave. My heart began to plummet.
“Were you able to find anything? Were you able to find out where his soul went?”
“I know where to find him. But I can’t retrieve his soul. You’re going to have to do that.”
I wasn’t sure I had heard him correctly. “Me? I’m not a shaman.”
“Delilah, Shade is lost in the Land of Wandering Souls.”
The words reverberated through me, meaning nothing and yet, everything. Mallen led me over to a chair, and I sat down, clutching the arms.
“The Land of Wandering Souls? I’ve never heard of that before. Where is it? How do I get there?”
“That’s a question for the Autumn Lord. The Land of Wandering Souls is found in the realm of eternal autumn. It’s an elemental realm—a realm belonging to the season. The only ones who can travel there without help are those of that nature. The Harvestmen. I imagine the Death Maidens, too, given you’re pledged to the Autumn Lord. But I can’t find my way there.”
I was silent for a moment, trying to digest what he had told me. “I have no clue what to do. I’ve never heard of the place, and Greta has never mentioned it. Neither has the Autumn Lord.”
“I suggest you contact them as soon as possible. I don’t know much about the realm myself, except that when a soul is out there too long, there’s a chance it will be lost forever. The longer Shade’s out there, the less chance of retrieving him.” Venus gave me a little shrug. “I wish I had better news, sweetheart, but at least we know where he is. I’m not sure how the soul-stealer blade sent him there, but that doesn’t really matter.”
I could barely breathe, my chest felt so tight. I gripped the arms of the chair trying to brace myself as the impact of what he was saying hit home. His words kept ricocheting through me, and I was doing everything I could to prevent myself from turning into Tabby. I wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn’t come. Numbly, I looked up at Venus after a moment.
“I’ll have to contact Greta. How long do I have before he’s lost for good?”
“I don’t know. As I said, I know very little about this realm. I knew it existed, but I’ve never been there.” He pressed his lips together then, reaching out to touch my shoulder. A wave of energy passed through me and I realized he was trying to calm my panic.
I closed my eyes, allowing him to work on me. He moved around behind me and placed both hands on my shoulders. The ripple of energy flowed through me like a soothing wave of heat, smoothing out the wrinkles and bumps and jolts. After a moment, I was breathing again, and I realized that my breath was matching his own—rhythmic and even.
I inhaled deeply, then let out the breath and stood, surprised by how steady I felt.
“Thank you, I needed that.” Even as I spoke, I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to contact Greta here in the FH-CSI. The energy was too sterile, and the closer I was in proximity to Shade, the more frazzled I felt.
“Is Vanzir back yet?”
Mallen popped outside to find out. I turned to Venus.
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you doing this. At least we know where he is. There has to be a way to retrieve him.” I felt weary, tired beyond words. “I’m so tired, Venus. Tonight was horrible.” And then, a wave of tears rose up in my throat. “Shade threw me a bridal shower. I was shopping for my wedding dress and when I came home everybody was there, waiting to surprise me. And then, after people went home, we were just sitting around talking and having fun—and Yerghan attacked.”
Venus worried his lip. After a moment, he said, “You know we’re approaching the final battle. Shadow Wing grows desperate. When Menolly managed to wrest all the spirit seals away from him, it was a great blow. And now that all the Keraastar Knights are together, he feels the approach of the end. He no longer has a chance to use us, and he’s losing what grip on sanity he had. I’m afraid that sending Yerghan after you was a desperate act on his part. The daemon army encroaches even as his own demons flee him.”
“How do you know this?” I asked.
“The spirit seals. You have no idea how they’ve affected those of us who carry them. The Keraastar Knights are not simply integral to the downfall of Shadow Wing, but now that we’re all gathered together, it increases our power to sense what is happening in this war. We don’t talk about it much, but we’re training with Camille to create a unified force. The Keraastar Knights, as a unit, are no longer individuals. We each have our own selves, our own pasts, but we’re rapidly evolving into a hive mind.”
I thought about what he said for a moment. If the Keraastar Knights could feel Shadow Wing’s energy, then could he feel theirs? Could he feel Camille out there, wearing the Keraastar diamond? The thought chilled me.
“I have a question for you, and I’m not sure how you’re going to feel about me asking. I know Camille would have said something if she was concerned, or at least I hope she would. Shamas—our cousin. What do you make of all of this?”
I still didn’t trust Shamas. It wasn’t that I thought he was out to muck things up, but the fact was, he had been dead and buried until we had gone to Otherworld to find the last Keraastar Knight. During the ritual Camille performed, Shamas had appeared to claim the last spirit seal. His resurrection had thrown all of us for a loop, and while Camille and I had talked a little about it, she kept most of her feelings to herself. I didn’t blame her. This was her burden to bear, and there were things that I would probably never know. But it still made me uneasy.
Venus shifted from one foot to the other, looking uncomfortable. “I’m not sure how much I should talk about this. I know she’s your sister, but I am honor bound to Camille as the Queen of the Keraastar Knights. Just like I am honor bound to this seal I wear around my neck.”
I stood there, unsure of what to say. At one point my sisters and I had been completely open; we hadn’t had secrets and we had all worked toward the same goals. Now, Venus had just reinforced the fact that we were moving into different worlds.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll ask her later. If she can tell me, she will.” I held up my hand to forestall the apology I saw forming on his face.
At that moment, Mallen returned, Vanzir behind him.
“Sorry it took me so long, but Camille’s guards thought they found somebody down at Birchwater Pond.”
“Who was it?” I stiffened, part of me hoping that it was Yerghan the Blade and that they had managed to kill him, even though I knew that was a pipe dream.
“Martin. He came wandering over to look for Wilbur and somehow got himself on the path down to the pond. So how are things going?”
“I think I need to go home. I have to contact Greta.” I glanced back at Shade, then looked over at Mallen. “Take care of him for me, please? Call me if anything happens.”
“Of course. And Delilah, whatever you need to do, do it quickly. We can keep his body alive, but after a while the comatose state takes its toll.”
“Not only that, but if you take too long to find his soul, there won’t be a way to bring him home,” Venus interjected.
“Way to put the pressure on, guys,” I muttered. And with that, Vanzir and I left for the house as the guards returned Venus to Talamh Lonrach Oll.
ON THE WAY home Vanzir kept quiet, refraining from asking me any questions.
I was grateful, since I didn’t want to have to repeat myself several times over. By the time we pulled back into the driveway, the chaos appeared to have settled down, but I could see guards spread out everywhere. Camille had brought in an entire contingent from Talamh Lonrach Oll, and they were milling around. The lights were blazing in the living room. I was surprised that the electricity hadn’t shorted out, given the fire in the kitchen.
“We still have electricity?”
“No, actually we don’t. It seems Iris is a fiend for those battery-operated candles. She must have a hundred of them and so we brought them all up to the house. The electric company is coming out tomorrow, but for now, it’s going to be a chilly night.”
As we hustled into the house, I was overwhelmed with the smell of soot and charcoal. Someone had walled off the kitchen with a plastic tarp, and I didn’t even want to look at the damage. As I entered the living room, everyone was gathered around, including Iris, Bruce, the Duchess, the twins, and Maggie.
“How is Shade?” Camille jumped up, a worried look on her face.
“I have a lot to tell you. But first, did you find any sign of Yerghan the Blade?” I glanced at Vanzir, adding, “Vanzir told me about the false alarm with Martin.”
Wilbur, who was still there, let out a snort. Martin was sitting beside him, quietly content. The ghoul was an odd sort. I knew that Martin’s spirit was actually hanging around, although the necromancer didn’t seem to be able to pick up on him. I had a feeling that Wilbur’s guilt over his brother’s death was too strong to allow him to sense his spirit.
“No sign. Somehow he teleported out of the area, which tells me he has to have help over here. Either that or he’s got himself some sort of handy-dandy mega-magic scrolls. One way or another, he vanished.”
“You haven’t heard the last of him,” Trytian said. “Trust me, he’ll be back. He wants his freedom, and if the only way he can obtain it is to kill the three of you, he’ll be back to try again.”
“But why would he bother? He’s over here now. Shadow Wing can’t follow him here. And he probably can’t do anything about Yerghan if he just decided to take off and forget about us. I doubt if Yerghan’s rah-rah in favor of Shadow Wing’s growing insanity.” Camille shook her head. “If I were Yerghan, I think I’d vanish into the crowd and try to make my way to Otherworld.”
“You make a good point,” Trytian said. “I suppose that might be what he’s done, but if so, why bother making the attempt in the first place? I’ll check through the grapevine. Chances are, Shadow Wing placed him under a geas of some sort. If that’s the case, then Yerghan has to come through, or Shadow Wing may be able to yank him back into the Sub-Realms.”
“You’re probably right about that. Just because Shadow Wing is unstable doesn’t mean he’s stupid.” Menolly let out a disgusted sound. “I hate these fucking demons. I just wish this were done with. Why don’t we do what we had planned to do? Let’s gate Shadow Wing over here and take him out?”
“If we’re going to do that, then we have to plan it out step by step. We can’t take any chances or go off half-cocked. We also need to find someone strong enough to gate him over here. That’s going to be one hell of a sorcerer.” Trillian shook his head. “We have to be smart about this. I know we all want the war over and done. And now that the Keraastar Knights are together, we actually have a chance. But we can’t allow ourselves to screw up. If we were to gate Shadow Wing here and not be able to kill him, he’d have free rein. Do we really want that?”
“All right. It’s settled. We start planning for this. But first, let me tell you about Shade. I asked Venus to examine him—we needed a shaman. Shade’s trapped in the Land of Wandering Souls. It’s a plane of existence in the realm of the Harvestmen. Venus can’t travel there to bring him back, so I have to contact the Autumn Lord. Looks like I’m the one who has to find his soul.”
“What happens if you don’t—or rather, can’t?” Iris asked.
“Then he’ll be lost forever. To further complicate matters, the longer I wait, the more chance there is that I’ll never be able to find him and bring him back to his body. So I have to move quickly.” I slumped back in my chair, exhausted. “I can’t believe that just a few hours ago I was out shopping for my wedding dress, and now I have to find my fiancé’s soul. Can’t anything in our lives ever be simple? Can’t anything ever go right for a change?”
All of the adrenaline that had coursed through my body during the fight and at the hospital suddenly vanished, leaving a wave of grief in its wake. I felt like I was drowning, unable to surface, and suddenly I realized that I was sitting there in my tabby form. I hadn’t even felt the transformation, I had been so numb.
I looked around, and spying Camille, leapt into her lap. I pressed myself against her heart, shivering. She wrapped her arms around me, holding me as she cooed to me. I couldn’t stop shaking, and I let out a mew, aware that I should be trying to transform back, I should be trying to help Shade, but right now I felt frozen and numb and afraid.
“It’s all right, Kitten. Everything’s going to be okay. We’ll make sure of it. We’ll do everything we can to help. It’s all right, just snuggle up against me right now.” She looked over at Iris and said something that I couldn’t catch.
I buried myself in her arms, taking a moment to breathe, to feel safe and secure. Camille had always protected me when we were little. She had stuck up for me when the other kids teased me. She had thrown punches when they tried to trigger me into turning into a cat and then chased me up a tree. She had beat the living crap out of several neighborhood boys when they pushed me into the water, knowing full well how phobic I was. And now, all I wanted was to curl up in her arms and feel safe.
She stood, carrying me, and headed into the parlor followed by Menolly, who brought two of the battery-operated candles. Iris followed behind, bringing Maggie. Camille settled down on the sofa, petting me gently, calming me down.
“It’s all right, Kitten. It’s all going to be okay. I promise you. We’ll find Shade and bring him back into his body. Everything will be all right.” Her voice was gentle, soothing, and I started to purr.
A moment later Iris began to sing softly, and the song turned into a second, and then a third.
Menolly was sitting on the floor playing with Maggie. She looked up at me as I cuddled in Camille’s lap. “Would you like to play with Maggie? Maggie needs a hug.”
Maggie let out a giggle and reached out her arms toward me. She wasn’t allowed to play with me without supervision when I was in tabby form, given she was still too rough with other animals and children. I realized that I hadn’t spent much time with her the past few days. Feeling slightly guilty, I stretched, gave Camille’s hand a lick, and delicately stepped off of her lap. I jumped onto the floor, and in a moment, had turned back into myself.
Neither of my sisters said anything as I gathered Maggie in my arms. Iris held out a sack, and when I peeked inside, I saw a bag of Cheetos.
“Bless you.” I settled myself on the other end of the sofa, crossing my legs so Maggie could sit in my lap. As I tore open the bag, stuffing a fistful of the orange puffs into my mouth, I realized that I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. But the confusion and fear had died down.
After finishing off half the bag, I set it on the floor, snuggling Maggie as she flapped her wings gently. Her fur was growing longer. Woodland calico gargoyles grew into being about as furry as a panda bear, and the swirls of color were growing more vivid and beautiful. She would be a toddler for decades to come, growing slowly over the years, and sometimes I wondered what it would be like for her living with me as the years progressed.
Maggie’s native environment was the woodlands of Otherworld, but the little gargoyle was an orphan. She’d been raised in a food mill by harpies, rescued by Camille during a fight on the Space Needle. She had never known what it was like to be with her own kind except when she was very, very young. Her mother’s spirit occasionally visited us, dropping in to check on her baby.
“Are you going to contact Greta tonight?”
I bowed my head, staring down at Maggie. “I should, but I’m so tired. I’m exhausted.”
“Well, you’re not staying here, that much I’ll tell you. Not while Yerghan the Blade is still out there running around free. Everybody is coming back to my Barrow with me.” Camille looked at Menolly. “Can you and Nerissa come, too? Will Roman mind? This matter concerns all of us.”
Menolly gave her a shrug. “It doesn’t matter what Roman says. Nerissa and I will come with you. Besides, he’s really busy right now with some sort of political thing. We haven’t been able to talk much the past few weeks. But is there a space for me to safely sleep, come the morning?”
“Oh, we’ll make sure that you’re safe. Plus, most of the Barrow is belowground, so you’ll be safe from the sunlight. And my guards can be trusted to watch over you.” Camille turned back to me. “So, do you need to contact Greta before we leave?”
I let out a breath. “I suppose I might as well try. Maggie should leave the room, though. I need as little distraction as possible.”
As Menolly carried Maggie back out to the living room, Camille shifted so that I could lay down on the sofa and stretch out. Usually it was Greta who came to me, but I knew how to get to Haseofon without her. I had been a Death Maiden long enough to know exactly how to transfer myself over to the Autumn Lord’s realm.
As I lowered myself into the trance that would allow me to move through dimensions into the realm of Haseofon, the room became very still. At first all I could hear was Camille’s breathing and my own, and then finally, all I could hear was the beat of my heart, slow and rhythmic, calm and quiet.
I summoned up the image of the path in my mind, envisioning the jungle that I knew so well. Usually I traversed this route as Panther, but tonight I would make it in my two-legged form. All around me, the verdant greenery burgeoned out, a perpetual explosion of twisting vines and brilliant trees overshadowing me. The pungent scent of soil rose to meet my nostrils, and I shivered. While most jungles were hot, this one had a constant chill to it, like the edge of a cool autumn morning when the mist rolled down the mountain to cover the valley below.
Along the path, stones and twigs crunched under my feet as I hurried along, listening to the scuffling sounds in the undergrowth. Birds and animals abounded here, although I seldom saw them when I was Panther. Then, they hid from me, fearing for their lives. But today, I caught a glimpse of a fox beneath a low-hanging bush, and a brilliant bluebird flying overhead, and to my left, a skunk padded along through the undergrowth, followed by her babies, unconcerned with my presence.
The sky was covered by a layer of clouds, although here and there a shaft of sun pierced the blanket. I could sense the edge of rain hovering on the outskirts.
My nostrils twitched as the scent of a distant bonfire wafted past. It was late afternoon heading toward twilight as I wound along the path, through a small clearing. At the bottom of the ravine, far below me to my left, a stream cascaded along. The water raced over rocks, foaming white caps that roared, threatening to sweep away anything daring to cross its path. At the edge of the ravine, a log spanned across the water, held fast on either side by chains embedded deep in the ground. The first time I had come this way I had been afraid, terrified I might fall off, but over the months and years I had learned that I could easily dart across the trunk as long as I didn’t look down. I set one foot on the trunk, and then the other. Summoning up my courage I scampered across, lightly jumping off the other side.
Still more forest awaited me, but here, the land was beginning to change. The jungle gave way to woodland, a brilliant array of maple and oak. These trees were always on the precipice of autumn, always prepared to drop their leaves at the first great windstorm of the season. But they never did. For this was the land of the Autumn Lord, this was the realm of the Harvestmen, and here this season ruled as king, holding sway over the land. No matter how hard the wind blew, the leaves never dropped, and new buds never appeared on the branches.
I shaded my eyes as a shaft of sunlight broke through the clouds, washing everything with a golden tinge. The beauty struck me dumb and I paused, just watching as the energy of the Autumn Lord’s kingdom reverberated through my blood, through the beating of my heart, through the rhythm of my pulse.
In some ways I belonged here more than I belonged anywhere else. I was one of his chosen. I was a Death Maiden, and autumn was my season. Autumn burned in the core of my heart. I slowly let out my breath, reveling in the alertness of the land. It was awake and aware, a constant vision of the harvest, not yet claimed by the fallow slumber of winter, but long past the lazy days of summer. Autumn was the time of action, it was the time of busyness, a time of preparation.
As I stared into the distance, I saw the dark silhouette of rising towers against the glow of the sun. Then the clouds rushed in again, extinguishing the light, but I knew that I was close. I straightened and exited the valley, onto the path leading to the temple of Haseofon, where I prayed I would find my answers.