The next morning as we waited for clearance to use the portals inside the palace, we wandered around the Great Hall and I saw just how much of the palace was under renovation. Lethesanar had apparently decided if she couldn"t hold the throne and the city, she"d destroy it before her sister took control. She"d done a d.a.m.ned good job of tearing up the joint, as well as ripping a swath of destruction through the streets. From what I gathered, she"d also managed to kill over a thousand citizens who had switched sides on her.

Houses stood in ruins, buildings gutted from magic, fire, and ramrods. Entire stretches of the city were destroyed and there were a lot of people living on the streets and long lines of the hungry lined up at the temples begging for food.

A stone formed in my heart when I saw that the park stretching around the southern border of Lake Y"Leveshan had been thoroughly trashed. Trees were uprooted and burned, the fountains were in rubble, and the rose gardens and arbors that had been so beautiful every midsummer were shredded. Some of my happiest memories from childhood had taken place in that park, and I cried as we pa.s.sed. Father patted my shoulder, but said nothing.

Sephreh was going with us. He had some sort of meeting to attend in Dahnsburg. Now, as we waited for word that the portal was ready, he wandered through the hall with Morio by his side. They were chatting about Morio"s connection with Grandmother Coyote.

I glanced around, looking for Iris. She was pacing the left side of the hall, her eyes focused on the ground. I caught up with her.

"Something wrong? You seem awfully quiet this morning."

She glanced up at me, a haunted look on her face. "I"ve been debating on when-or even whether-to tell you this. You"ve seen more of my past than the others, through the inadvertent glimpse you caught of my shadow the other day."

Was she ready to talk? I leaned against the wall. "What was that thing? When you ordered it to retreat, you said it wasn"t time yet. Time yet for what?"

A stricken look washed across her face and one tear slid down her cheek. "Camille, what I"m going to tell you must remain secret for now. Please, tell no one else. It doesn"t involve the demons so I"m not asking you to hide anything from your sisters that would concern them."

I hated keeping secrets, but at times hiding something was a necessary evil. "Sure. I promise, as long as this doesn"t involve our fight."

She cleared her throat. "The shadow is . . . was . . . my betrothed. That thing thing was once a n.o.ble snow sprite named Vikkommin. He and I were to be married, until something went horribly wrong." was once a n.o.ble snow sprite named Vikkommin. He and I were to be married, until something went horribly wrong."

I stared at her, my disbelief warring with the pain in her eyes. "Your fiance? fiance? But what happened? How did he . . . How could he . . ." But what happened? How did he . . . How could he . . ."

She let out a low moan. "He was a priest in the order of Undutar, and I was in line to be High Priestess. We were to be married. But one night, about a month before our wedding, he called me to his room. I went, of course, and when I got there . . ." Iris"s eyes filled with tears and she covered her face with her hands.

I knelt beside her, my hand on her shoulder. "What happened? Tell me."

"That"s the trouble! I don"t know what happened. I opened the door, and the next thing I knew, I was bound, behind bars, waking up. They said I tortured him and turned him into that shadow creature. They said that when they found me, I was gibbering like a madwoman, that I told them I hated him. But I loved him But I loved him! And I couldn"t have done that-ripped away his body and left his spirit embedded in shadow."

I pulled her close, hugging her, holding her as she shuddered against my shoulder. Her heart was breaking. "You"ve never told anyone this story before, have you?"

She shook her head, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "No," she said, staring at the floor. "I"m too ashamed."

After a moment, I gently coaxed her to look at me. "Iris, do you even have the power to do something like that?"

She sniffled. "Oh, girl, I had had the power, all right." the power, all right."

"What happened after you told them you couldn"t remember?"

Iris dashed at the tears but they kept coming. "I protested my innocence. They couldn"t prove beyond doubt that I"d done it. For one thing, Vikkommin-or the creature he had become-disappeared that night, after they dragged me away. But he"s been following me on the astral ever since. I think he believes that I actually hurt him. He never lets me forget it. He wants to kill me and drag me into the shadows with him. Maybe he"s gone mad. I don"t know."

"Holy h.e.l.l. Are you in danger?"

"No," she said, staring at her feet. "Not at the moment. Vikkommin can"t hurt me unless . . . until I return to the Northlands where he"s trapped in body."

I wanted to be tactful but decided that Iris would prefer me to be myself-blunt and undiplomatic. Someone who gave a d.a.m.n. "What did the temple elders do to you?"

She closed her eyes, trying to keep her composure. "They tortured me, looking for a confession. I can"t talk about it-it was too painful. And like your sister Menolly, I bear scars both physical and emotional. Mine just aren"t quite so apparent. When I wouldn"t admit guilt, they stripped me of my t.i.tle and my strongest powers, then sent me back to Finland under a curse. I can never carry a child to term until Vikkommin is avenged. That means either I find out who did did hurt him and claim vengeance in his name, or I"ll never have children, never become one of the sacred mothers, never be able to set foot in a temple to my G.o.ddess again." hurt him and claim vengeance in his name, or I"ll never have children, never become one of the sacred mothers, never be able to set foot in a temple to my G.o.ddess again."

The Finns were wild about motherhood, that much I knew. In fact, the mothers of their heroes were more important than the actual heroes themselves. To be stripped of her ability to carry a child was a cruel punishment. And to be cast out of her temple, even worse.

Angry that anyone would ever believe she"d ever do something that terrible, I clenched my fists. "Why did you come with us today? What are you going to do? Does this have anything to do with Bruce?"

She nodded. "Bruce asked me to marry him and I"d like to. I"ve grown to love him, Camille. He"s a good man, and he"s good to me. But I know he wants children. He"s the last of his family line. He must carry on the family name. Unless I can lift the curse, I can"t-in good conscience-accept his offer. I"m headed to Dahnsburg to look up the Great Winter Wolf Spirit, who spends his summers in the city. He winters in the upper Northlands, high in the mountains near the place where Vikkommin"s shadow retreated. He might be able to help me track down Vikkommin and find out the truth somehow. I"ve tried everything else and this is the only thing I can think of."

Silently, I took her hand in mine and squeezed gently. "Does Bruce know any of this?"

Looking at me as if I was a candidate for The Jerry Springer Show The Jerry Springer Show, she shook her head. "How can I tell him what happened when I don"t even know myself? I have no proof that I"m innocent. My memory seems permanently sealed from the moment I walked into Vikkommin"s room until I woke up in the cell. I"ve tried everything I can to break through the wall but nothing works. The fact that they stripped my t.i.tle and my strongest powers from me and cursed me effectively brands me as a pariah. And . . ." she paused, her lower lip trembling.

"And what?"

"What if I did did do it?" she whispered. "What if some horrible part of me-buried deep inside-took over and tore him inside out? What if I turned him into a shadow? What if I do it?" she whispered. "What if some horrible part of me-buried deep inside-took over and tore him inside out? What if I turned him into a shadow? What if I am am the one who destroyed both our lives? If I find out that I"m truly a monster, then I couldn"t live with the knowledge. No, best I try to uncover the truth before Bruce knows anything. If I didn"t do it, I"ll be free to tell him everything. And if I did . . ." the one who destroyed both our lives? If I find out that I"m truly a monster, then I couldn"t live with the knowledge. No, best I try to uncover the truth before Bruce knows anything. If I didn"t do it, I"ll be free to tell him everything. And if I did . . ."

I gave her a long look as she stood there, staring ahead at the wall. "Then, what? What would you do?"

"I don"t know," she said in a strangled voice. "I can"t think that far ahead. The thoughts are too frightening."

At that moment, my father called to us and Iris quickly wiped away all signs of the tears. I forced a smile as we headed over to the men, but inside all I could think about was what Iris might do if she discovered that she"d been responsible for destroying the man she had loved.

The portal jump to Dahnsburg was like most of the others, but the city was a world apart from Y"Elestrial. For one thing, Dahnsburg was a port city-the western port, to be exact. The smell of brine and seaweed hung heavy in the air.

I sucked in a deep breath, closing my eyes as a crisp breeze swept past. That was one thing I"d loved about moving Earthside to Seattle. We were near the ocean. There was nothing quite as mesmerizing as standing on the pier, watching as the waves of the inlet ebbed and flowed, feeling the call of the Ocean Mother as she filtered into the channels and rivulets that formed Puget Sound.

And here, instead of the Pacific, we stood on the edge of the Wyvern Ocean, a vast body of water that led to the mythic lands of Finnish and Norse repute-the wide woodlands of Tapiola, and beyond that, the fjords of Valhalla and Asgard. And in the far, far north-the lands of Pohjola, which were rumored to contain natural portals leading into the realm of the Northlands.

As we stepped out of the portal, we found ourselves on a b.u.t.te overlooking the water. The portal itself was set between two standing stones guarded by three Dahns Unicorns. At least, I a.s.sumed they were of Dahns descent. Their manes streamed along their backs, and I was surprised to see one of them wasn"t silken as snow, but instead dappled gray on white. All three had silver horns, which meant they were female. Males bore golden horns.

One of the unicorns stepped forward and tossed her head, snorting.

"My name is Sheran-Dahns. You are the Moon Witch, Camille. Correct?" She spoke in Melosealfor, a beautiful and rare dialect of Crypto that all Moon Witches learned, and that the Dahns Unicorns had perfected over the years.

I inclined my head and gave a quick curtsy. "I am. This is my father, Sephreh ob Tanu, Advisor to Her Royal Highness Queen Tanaquar of Y"Elestrial. And this is my mate and husband Morio, and my friend Iris."

The unicorn blinked and her long lashes fluttered in the wind. She had the most lovely eyes-brilliant green against the dappled coat, and they were like twin pools of a verdant pond. With a soft whinny, she dipped her head in my father"s direction and spoke in the common tongue. "Your Excellence, we welcome you and your party to Dahnsburg. King Upala-Dahns awaits you in the palace. Please to follow me."

Morio looked at me, slightly confused. He spoke a few words of the common tongue-I"d taught him enough to squeak by, but he wasn"t fluent in it yet. I whispered a quick translation to him.

We swung in behind the unicorn as she lightly picked her way down a sloping path. The gentle decline ran four or five hundred yards from the city proper, parallel to the sh.o.r.e below before swinging inland. There were few trees on the b.u.t.te, or near the sh.o.r.e. The city was situated in the Silofel Plains, a long, narrow stretch of land that was dotted with tall gra.s.ses and egg-sized pebbles and sandy soil. The Plains b.u.t.tressed up against the Windwillow Valley. Dahnsburg itself was positioned on the Bay of Tides.

The morning was overcast and by the looks of the water, a storm was coming in from the ocean. Gray thunderheads swept in from across the sea, driving a force of wind before them that churned the breakers, sending a frothy surge of waves crashing to sh.o.r.e. Electricity crackled through the clouds, saturating the air.

I sucked in a deep breath of the supercharged air as a ripple of sparks surged through my body. At times like these, I missed this world, where everything was so vibrant and alive. Oh, the clouds and the land were alive over Earthside, to be sure, but here they were right in your face, and there was no denying the sentience of the elements.

Morio reached for my hand and I squeezed his fingers. He flashed me a giddy grin.

"You can feel it, too," I said, delighted.

He nodded. "The first time I was here, it wasn"t so present. Perhaps because we were in Aladril. But here . . . on the edge of the ocean . . . I feel if I just closed my eyes I could see the Elementals dancing around one another. Everything is so vivid."

"Vivid is good," I said.

Father glanced at us. He"d caught what we were saying and now he winked at me and smiled. In that brief moment, I could tell that he was glad I was home. He must be lonely. Right then I decided that-war or no war-my sisters and I had to find him a wife. He needed someone, and though I cherished my mother"s memory, Father needed to move on. To open his heart and his life again.

At that moment, we reached the gates of the city. Dahnsburg was well-fortified. To the north, it faced the Wyvern Ocean. The other three sides were surrounded by large stone walls, with turrets evenly s.p.a.ced around the top of the walk wall. Each of the three walls had its own gatehouse with a portcullis ready to drop in case of invasion.

"Do you get many threats here? You aren"t very close to Darkynwyrd or Guilyoton."

Sheran-Dahns glanced back at me.

"No," she said, her voice lightly trilling over the words. "But there are plenty of Cryptos who roam the Windwillow Valley with nothing but darkness in their hearts. And there are trolls in the Nebulvuori Mountains who travel this way. Thistlewyd Deep lies to the east, and while not as dangerous as Darkynwyrd, the blessed woodland harbors those both good and ill. The ill-tempered often come to see what trouble they can stir up in the city. And then there are the Mere who attempt raids from the ocean."

I nodded, catching up to walk by her side. "True enough. No place is safe, not really."

Sheran-Dahns glanced down at me. Her eyes glowed with a soft light and I wanted to fall into that brilliant green and lose myself. She snorted, just a little, and then reached down and lightly pressed against my arm with her muzzle. The hair was velvety soft, and her nose was damp. I looked up into her eyes.

"All of the Dahns Unicorns know about the demons, Camille. Remember this: You can only do your best, young Windwalker. Don"t fret, and don"t second-guess yourself." The way she said Windwalker Windwalker didn"t make my skin crawl. In fact, it felt almost like a compliment. didn"t make my skin crawl. In fact, it felt almost like a compliment.

"Thanks," I said, impulsively reaching up to pat her side. "It"s hard not to worry, but you"re right. We can"t always win the day. I just hope we win in the long run, because the alternative isn"t such a hunky-dory deal."

She snorted again and shook her head, her mane billowing out like a woman on a shampoo commercial. d.a.m.n, whatever she used for hair care, I wanted some. Just then, our path forked onto the main road leading in through the west gate of Dahnsburg.

Sheran-Dahns led us to the gate, where a carriage waited, hooked to a team of n.o.bla stedas n.o.bla stedas. Once again, it seemed we were to ride through the streets in luxury. I"d gotten used to the cars over Earthside, but when we"d lived in Y"Elestrial, most of the city population walked wherever they went. As my father reached for my hand to give me a boost up, I glanced back at the unicorn.

"Thank you," I said, smiling at her. "And please, if you ever come Earthside, you"re welcome at our house. Always."

She dipped her head. "I will remember the invitation. You never know what"s going to happen, Camille." Turning to gaze at my father, she added, "Advisor Sephreh, I trust your visit will be a pleasant one. The guard will take you to the palace in safety. Good day." And just like that, she was gone.

The guard in question was Fae, that much I could tell, but it was hard to peg which branch of the racial tree he"d fallen from. Pale to the point of gray, his hair was slicked back into a ponytail. The color was the faintest of blues amidst a silver wash. He looked old, or at least as old as just about any Fae I"d ever met, and he waited for us to seat ourselves in the carriage before climbing atop and picking up the reins. As the horses began to move, I leaned forward, wanting to peek through the window at the city as we pa.s.sed.

Dahnsburg reminded me of Terial. And, in some ways, of Seattle. All port cities seemed to have a sensation of openness-an expansive air to them. Maybe it was the fact that they bordered coastlines, with wide, unending stretches of water lapping at their sh.o.r.es. Maybe there was an international feel to the air-with peoples of all races and countries journeying in through the shipping lines. Whatever the case, Dahnsburg gave the impression of being vast and roomy. I also sensed there would be more than one escape route should we need one.

The architecture was light; the buildings large and made of stone and adobe. They were whitewashed, though, and throughout the city, I noticed that the streets were clean and litter-free. The roads were wide, too-wider than those in Y"Elestrial. I noticed the number of unicorns wandering through the streets, along with a few centaurs and a handful of giants, and realized that the city had to be built to a larger scale to accommodate the size of the Cryptos.

Trees were rare, but we saw a few. They were similar to the palm trees over Earthside, but I knew them as trehave-hardier and more suited toward cooler climates than the date palm. The trehave bore fruit that made wonderful mixed drinks. At the thought of a drink, my stomach rumbled. We"d eaten breakfast but portal jumping sucked the energy right out of me.

The open market was jumping, but even amid the chaos of the street fair, there seemed to be an organization to the venue. We pa.s.sed by hagglers arguing with vendors, and odd-looking creatures that I couldn"t identify. But amidst all the fluttering awnings of the stalls of food and fish, the carts of rugs and clothing, a sense of lawfulness permeated the crowd.

I tapped my father on the arm. "What"s going on? I"ve never seen people in an open market so well behaved."

He laughed. "Camille, you forget your social science studies. The Dahns Unicorns are extremely harsh on rule breakers. Thieves, brawlers, all the petty a.s.saults are harshly punished. It"s far worse for murderers and rapists, of course, but crime simply doesn"t pay here. It"s not worth the risk of getting caught. King Upala-Dahns is reputed to be a severe leader. He keeps a tight rein on his people, if you"ll forgive the pun."

Oh great, and I was scheduled to have a nice long chat with him. I just hoped Feddrah-Dahns would be there. I liked Feddrah-Dahns. Feddrah-Dahns liked me me. He knew what to expect out of me. But first . . . before facing the unicorn king, I wanted more than anything to see Trillian. Although, while I wouldn"t admit it to anybody, I was a little worried about what he would say once he found out I was married. To Dragon Dude and Fox Boy, as he"d put it.

But beyond the worry over my love life, I couldn"t help but wonder how Trillian"s months caught up in the war had affected him. Would he be suffering from some post-traumatic stress disorder? Had he been in active combat all this time? Or hiding, spying his way through the months? I still had no idea what he"d been doing for Tanaquar.

Trillian was not an easy man. He could just as soon slit a throat as kiss it, but when he was devoted to someone, his loyalty came with the promise of his life, should need be. I loved that he was blunt, that he was direct, refusing to p.u.s.s.yfoot around. He didn"t like women who shied away, who refused to stand up for themselves and be who they were.

Morio leaned over and whispered in my ear. "Are you all right? I can smell you. You"re aroused and yet . . . there"s fear on your scent."

I shook my head. I didn"t want to talk about my concerns over Trillian in front of my father. He"d only snipe against my lover. As caring and fair as Father could be, he wore his prejudices like a cop wears his gun-as a warning to keep away. The fact that he"d apologized to Menolly for pushing her away when she was turned into a vampire still amazed me. And she had confided in me that she wasn"t sure he fully meant it.

"I"m fine," I whispered back. "I"ll tell you later."

Morio lowered his voice even more. "Trillian?"

I nodded.

"As you wish. We"ll talk later." Morio wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

Iris glanced at us, a wash of worry beneath her smile. She caught my gaze and shrugged, shaking her head with a "what can you do" look in her eyes.

"How far to the palace?" She adjusted her skirt and slid her hand in the pocket, pulling out a box of Milk Duds. I held out my hand, putting on a sad-puppy face. Morio did the same. "Oh for heaven"s sake, you two are hopeless. Here, you may have a few but next time bring your own snacks."

Father looked at the box. "What are those?"

"Candy," I said.

"Your mother used to love chocolate, but I never understood why," he said, shaking his head when Iris offered him some. "Thank you, Lady Iris, but no, I"m not fond of sweets."

I popped one of the chocolate caramel drops in my mouth and chewed. "I never understood that about you. Though Delilah"s more of a sweet freak than I am. Oh, Morio managed to find a way to flavor the blood Menolly buys to drink while she"s hanging out at home-he can enchant it to other flavors now." I watched Father"s face, wondering what he would say.

A shadow pa.s.sed across him, but then he smiled. "I"m glad she has some comfort. There"s so little we can give to her, with all that"s happened. After you told me what she"d been through, I spent some time in penance for treating her as harshly as I had. I have a surprise for her, but it"s in the making and I don"t trust you to keep a secret."

When I started to protest, he held up his hand. "I love you, my dear, but you and your sisters always did share secrets. Your mother and I couldn"t tell any of you something without the others knowing before we"d turned our backs."

Laughing, I swallowed the candy and peeked out the window as we entered the gate to the inner courtyard of the palace. "That doesn"t look like any palace I"ve ever seen."

King Upala-Dahns had a court fit for a unicorn king. Or a horse. Situated within a series of sprawling gardens, the entire court was surrounded by a series of golden canopies to shelter against the rain. Heavy ivory panels hung from the canopies and formed the roofs. Embroidered with golden silk, they were held back by burgundy sashes, ready to close when the storms arrived. The palace looked mobile, as if it could be packed and moved within hours. Like the hospital on M*A*S*H Like the hospital on M*A*S*H, I thought. Only much nicer. Only much nicer.

The inner court was surrounded by a wall, with permanent dwellings within for all the two-legged courtiers.

The carriage pulled to a stop and we made sure we looked presentable while waiting for the coachman to open the door. But when the door swung wide, the face staring up at me was not that of the driver. Instead, his skin gleaming jet in the shimmer of the overcast skies, his hair as silver as the dagger attached to my thigh, with hints of cerulean flowing through the long strands, his eyes as blue as the ocean herself . . . there stood my Trillian.

CHAPTER 12.

"Trillian!" I flew out of the carriage, landing hard in his arms as I covered him with kisses.

He held me tight, then pushed me back a moment, cupping my face in his hands. His eyes were cool, but behind that cold arrogance I knew so well lurked a whisper of ghosts, a skittering that told me he was haunted by something. Whatever it was had to have happened in the past six months since he"d disappeared, because it had never been present before.

"Camille, my Camille." His voice was steady, but then he pulled me to him and his lips were fastened on mine, and I burned with the fire his touch always set off in me. Trillian, not my first lover, but my first love love. Trillian, my first heartbreak. Soul-bound as I was with Morio and Smoky, I"d long before given myself over to this man in a ritual older than the Elfin Queen herself. No matter what else happened, he was my alpha.

I pressed against him, aching to drag him to the ground right there, to feel him in me again, to know for sure that he was safe and back with me. His fingers slid along my back, the gleaming jet of his skin glowing under the morning light. He"d always been trim and muscled, but now I could tell that he"d buffed up as my hands roamed his body, and the s.e.xual tension that had been present between us since the first day we met kicked itself into high gear.