"Who could threaten her?" I asked. "She"s one of the most powerful beings I know."

"She would seem so to you," Aeval said, "but even the Elfin Queen must watch her back. There are powerful Fae in Otherworld. Fae who are greatly displeased with the fact that the Earthside Queens are reawakened. Fae who don"t trust us. And no doubt, they know about your work over here, and your connection to the Elfin Queen. Perhaps they"re blackmailing her."

I put down my cookie. Blackmail. Close to the thought Trillian had had. Another idea crossed my mind, though it sounded far-fetched. "Can she be charmed?"

t.i.tania shrugged. "I don"t know, but I greatly doubt it. I tend to think blackmail is more likely."

Menolly slowly nodded from where she hovered near the ceiling. "The lords of Fae who severed the realms during the Great Divide aren"t all dead. But wouldn"t they do anything and everything to keep the worlds separate? They have to know that joining the seals will only rip apart the veils and reunite the realms."

Aeval smiled. It was a smile that I did not like-cold and ruthless, and thoroughly without compa.s.sion. "Remember, they are not talking about joining the seals again-but using using them. A whole different scenario, one in which t.i.tania and I are perhaps the targets." them. A whole different scenario, one in which t.i.tania and I are perhaps the targets."

"Aeval and I made powerful enemies back then," t.i.tania added. "The armies of the summer and winter joined to fight against the new order. We destroyed many who sought to tear our crowns from our heads. The blood of Fae ran thick for a long time. There are some who walk the paths of Otherworld who are descended from those we slaughtered. They remember, and in their memory they hate us for resisting."

"So instead of uniting against an enemy that threatens us all, you think the Fae lords have, in their infinite wisdom, decided to start a new war against you and that the Keraastar Knights are somehow involved?" The thought boggled my mind, but my father"s people could be petty. And grudges lasted a long, long time.

"I think it"s a distinct possibility. Look at Lethesanar. She"s the granddaughter of one of the lords who fought against Aeval and myself. Tanaquar may be the picture of reason compared to her sister, but I guarantee you this: She won"t willingly share the spotlight with the Court of the Three Queens."

Delilah cleared her throat. "I don"t think we"ve ever asked this, but what happens if the portals do fall apart and the realms reunite? There was a great cataclysm during the Great Divide-volcanoes and great earthquakes and tidal waves. Legends are filled with stories of natural disasters, all of which can be traced to the dividing of the worlds . . . but what happens this time?"

Aeval frowned. She tapped one long fingernail on the table for a moment. "To be honest, we don"t know. There may just be a blurring of reality-like potholes or wormholes in the fabric of the universe. Or it could be a worldwide upheaval. I really don"t think anybody knows what will happen."

"As unnatural as the Great Divide was, we can"t let the realms slam back together." Menolly slowly lowered herself to the floor. "We have to find the rest of the spirit seals but, before handing them over, decide if Tanaquar and Asteria are onto something. Either way, we have to fix this mess with the portals ripping apart. And on top of that, we have to deal with groups like the Brotherhood of the Earth-Born going off half-c.o.c.ked."

Chase spoke up, even though he looked a little queasy at attracting attention to himself. "When the Earthside Fae and Supes stepped out of the closet, there was a honeymoon period, but now the public"s getting a little bit afraid. I thought we were more advanced than this but . . ."

"Did you really?" Menolly asked. She didn"t sound sarcastic. "I"ve seen the lowest of the low-I feed on the bottom feeders of society. You think you"re wiping out bigotry in one area but up it pops again in another."

Chase sighed. "Yeah, I know. And the thing is, I really don"t believe the majority feels this way. Or at least I"d like to believe they don"t. But with the economic crunch we"re going through, people are starting to whine about special treatment. It"s the civil rights issue all over again. Only instead of blacks or women or gays, this time it"s the Supes and Fae on the short end of the stick."

"That I can believe," I said. I"d heard enough grumbling from my customers about food prices and rent and medical expenses. If they thought the Fae were taking their jobs, they"d be p.i.s.sed out of their minds.

Menolly shook her head. "We"re good entertainment, but in their minds we aren"t the neighbor next door who needs to pay rent. A lot of people think that our powers ensure our survival, and for vampires-they"re not that far off base. But the other Supes-it"s not necessarily a walk in the park. Getting someone who"s afraid he"s going to lose his job at the local grocery store to believe anything else is a Herculean task. So what do we do?"

I pulled out a notebook and began listing our concerns. "First, there"s Shadow Wing. Then we have the whole business with the Keraastar Knights. And add in the potential problems brewing with the FBH community. Where does that leave us?"

"In tumultuous times." t.i.tania stood. The Queen of Morning was brilliant and beautiful, and whatever strength she"d lost during the Great Divide was back. Her hair gleamed and her eyes were the clearest I"d ever seen them. She smiled softly at us. "And now, to the reason for our visit. We ask you to switch your allegiance to the Earthside Courts of Fae."

I started to speak but she held up her hand.

"I know Morgaine paid you a visit about this, but she did so without our permission. We do not ask for the same reason she does. It comes down to this: We cannot allow the seals to be used, whether by Fae or human hands. If Morgaine does not come to understand this . . ." Her voice lingered over the words like a threat.

Aeval picked up her thought. "If Morgaine doesn"t voluntarily come around to our point of view, then t.i.tania and I will take action to ensure she does. The fact is, as we understand the legends, no one no one has the power to wield the seals without putting everyone in jeopardy. We need your promise that you won"t hand over any more of them to Asteria until we know more. We aren"t asking you to give the seals to us, just hide them and keep them safe." has the power to wield the seals without putting everyone in jeopardy. We need your promise that you won"t hand over any more of them to Asteria until we know more. We aren"t asking you to give the seals to us, just hide them and keep them safe."

I stared at them. They were serious. As I glanced at Delilah and Menolly, indecision clouded their faces. I turned back to t.i.tania. "May we have some time to discuss this in private? We"ll contact you when we"ve made a decision."

"Don"t dawdle," Aeval said. "So much hangs in the balance. And don"t let familial loyalty interfere with the facts."

She joined t.i.tania near the door. Once again, I was struck by her beauty. A walking column of shadows and gossamer cobwebs, she was cloaked in the velvet black of the night sky. Her face was pale-as pale as my own-and by her very stance, her royalty proclaimed itself.

She caught my gaze. Without warning, her voice echoed in my head, ringing as clearly as if she were speaking aloud.

Camille, you sacrificed the Black Unicorn. You did what was necessary to give him rebirth. You understand the nature of the cycle. The Moon Mother chose wisely when she picked you for the task. You will make a worthy priestess, but do not throw away the opportunity because of outworn devotion and affiliations. You can never go back to the way things were.

I glanced around, but n.o.body else seemed to hear her. I turned back, gazing into those brilliant eyes, and felt the magic of the night rising through my body. I understand, I understand, I thought at her. I thought at her. We won"t just write off your request. I promise you that. Too much has happened to a.s.sume anything We won"t just write off your request. I promise you that. Too much has happened to a.s.sume anything.

And with that, she nodded-almost imperceptibly-and sent me one parting thought. Remember, I owe you a favor. If you align yourself with our courts, you may all call in that marker and join my court instead of Morgaine"s. She may be a relative, but you are right to be cautious. She grasps for too much, too quickly. Remember, I owe you a favor. If you align yourself with our courts, you may all call in that marker and join my court instead of Morgaine"s. She may be a relative, but you are right to be cautious. She grasps for too much, too quickly.

And with that, they made their good-byes and left through the back door.

CHAPTER 20.

"Well, what are we going to do?" Menolly looked in the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of blood labeled STRAWBERRY SHAKE. She tipped the bottle to her lips, smacking them as she drank. "These flavored bloods make all the difference in the world to me," she added. "Thank you."

"Not a problem." Morio gave her a wide-a.s.s grin. That was one thing I loved about the man-he enjoyed giving people small luxuries.

I let out a long sigh. "So, what do you think? The Keraastar Knights-a group of mortals, albeit changed in one way or another-wielding the seals?"

"If we throw ourselves in with the Triple Threat, we"ll be ostracized from Otherworld and branded as traitors. Then we"ll never find out what"s really going on," Delilah said.

She was right. Openly defy Asteria and Tanaquar and we"d be screwed.

"Then it"s simple. We fake it. Make it look like we"re going along with their plan while secretly figuring out if we think it"s viable. Which may mean working with the Triple Threat." Oh, that sounded like such a bad idea, but there was nothing else we could do. "Lying to Asteria and Tanaquar is dangerous, so we"d do best to avoid contact with them as much as possible."

"When we find the sixth seal, we have to keep it secret," Menolly said. "Because I don"t trust any any of them. If Morgaine gets her paws on any of the seals, she"ll use them and screw us all. I think Aeval and t.i.tania know that, too." of them. If Morgaine gets her paws on any of the seals, she"ll use them and screw us all. I think Aeval and t.i.tania know that, too."

"Agreed," Delilah said. "So we lie and tell everyone we can"t find the next seal."

"I can"t think of anything better right now. We"ll have to be very careful, though. Lying to them is tantamount to cutting our throats if they find out. Any of them." I shook my head. "In the meantime, we have to hunt down Grandmother Coyote and ask for her help."

As I pushed back my chair, the phone rang.

Delilah answered briefly, then handed the phone to Vanzir. As we helped Iris clear the table, he held a whispered conversation, then hung up.

"Well, I have some good news for a change. At least, I think it"s good news," he said, leaning against the counter. "Carter"s got a lead on where we can find the Bonecrusher. We can go over to his place tonight, if you want."

Thank the G.o.ds, I thought. We needed a break. We"d been slogging through mud a yard deep. "I"m so tired I could spit, but let"s head down there. We"ll sleep afterward." I thought. We needed a break. We"d been slogging through mud a yard deep. "I"m so tired I could spit, but let"s head down there. We"ll sleep afterward."

Smoky gave me a quizzical look but I shook my head. Any nookie was going to have to wait. At this stage in the game, the idea of just crashing into bed was whoopee enough for me.

Seattle was a brilliant sight during the night hours, filled with towering buildings and bright lights, but unless you were near the Opera House or some of the clubs, not much happened on the streets except for down in the Industrial District, where the vampire clubs like the Fangtabula or Dominick"s were located.

Carter lived on Broadway, the home of the subculture. But the wide street also played host to the druggies and hookers who plied their wares along the rain-soaked pavement. His apartment was belowground, with a concrete stairwell running down to it. A metal railing topside kept pa.s.sersby from falling in, and a magical barrier kept the thieves and lowlifes from bothering him. But overall, it wasn"t the most comfortable place to visit on a bl.u.s.tery autumn night.

At least our cars would be safe, though. Carter"s magical boundary extended curbside for three or four s.p.a.ces along the building he made his home in. Rather than all descend on the demon, Delilah, Chase, Trillian, and Smoky had stayed home. Now, as we headed down toward Carter"s door, Menolly poked me in the ribs and nodded across the street to where two hookers stood, watching us. Except they weren"t hookers. They both had distinct demonic auras.

"Friend or foe?" I whispered.

Menolly shrugged and tapped Vanzir on the shoulder. "You recognize those s.k.a.n.ks?"

He squinted at them for a moment, then shook his head as we trudged down to the door. "No. Once we"re inside, I"ll sneak out the back and veer back around through the alley. If they"re still there, I"ll get a better look at them."

"I"ll come with," Menolly said. "I"m fast, I"m silent, and I"m deadly."

"I may not be as fast or as silent, but I"ll bet you anything I"m just as fatal as you, girl." Vanzir gave her a slow wink.

Menolly let out a little snort. Hmm . . . what was this? Vanzir and Menolly flirting? I wasn"t sure I wanted to ask, though. What f.u.c.king a demon was like-not Morio"s kind, but a real Sub Realms bada.s.s demon-wasn"t top of my need-to-know list. Especially after seeing Vanzir at work. Those tentacles shooting out of his hands were freaky.

As we knocked, the silence thickened. Then the door swung open. A lovely young woman stood there, holding it wide. Half-Chinese, half-demon, she was Carter"s foster daughter. He"d saved her from life as a slave in the Sub Realms. She was also mute, and served him silently. He took good care of her and they lived a quiet, una.s.suming life smack in the heart of Seattle.

Carter was also una.s.suming, if you looked past the horns on his head that curved back, regal and highly polished. His hair was the same color as Menolly"s-brilliant copper, only cut short in a deliberately disheveled s.h.a.g.

The demon had a limp and wore a brace on his right knee, though he"d never told us how he"d been injured. But Carter had money. He ran an Internet research business as his cover. He kept watch over the demonic activity in Seattle, recording everything he saw or heard. A living well of local supernatural history, he straddled a fine line, doing business with us, doing business with some demons, and trying to keep under Shadow Wing"s radar.

"Come in, come in," he said, waving us into the living room, then turned to Kim. "My dear, bring us some tea, please. And a good port, and a cheese plate, please?" With a glance at Menolly, he added, "And a goblet of warm blood for the vampyr vampyr."

The girl gave him a gentle bob, almost a curtsy but not quite, and silently slipped out of the room.

"Sit, please. Everyone."

He moved over to his desk-a mammoth oak affair-and returned with a file folder and a sheaf of papers, which he handed to Vanzir, who took one, then pa.s.sed them on. I glanced at the blank papers when the stack came my way. Carter had made enough for everyone and I took several for the others at home.

"I take it this is pa.s.sword protected?" I asked.

He nodded. "The keyword is rutabaga rutabaga."

"Rutabaga?" Menolly c.o.c.ked her head, glancing at him.

Carter grinned. "Would that be the first word you"d think of when trying to view a demonically sealed doc.u.ment? You want me to change it to open sesame open sesame perhaps?" perhaps?"

With a snort, she shook her head. "You"re okay, Carter."

As I whispered the word, writing appeared on the paper-notes about Stacia Bonecrusher, and a map of directions to her safe house. Her house happened to be an elaborate mansion according to the printout picture, located in one of the wealthier suburbs on the Eastside.

"That figures. She lives over in Redmond, near Marymoor Park. No wonder we couldn"t get a bead on her here in Seattle."

"Close to Bill Gates," Morio said.

"No, that"s Mercer Island. But he"s no demon, regardless of what people think." A smile played over Carter"s lips. "Stacia Bonecrusher lives in a secure compound. From the street, it may look like a sw.a.n.ky gated mansion, but don"t be fooled. The place has top-level security and I"m pretty sure she"s got a number of demons hiding there."

"Speaking of," Vanzir said. "There are a couple of s.k.a.n.ky streetwalkers we pegged as Demonkin as we headed in here. I should sneak out the back way and see if they"re still there. I don"t think they"re part of the demonic underground here, so there may be a chance they"re working for the Bonecrusher."

"They are," Carter said. "I know who you"re talking about. I haven"t done anything about them because I don"t want to raise suspicion. As long as I ignore them, they won"t go into hiding and I"ll know where they"re at."

I stopped Vanzir as he stood. "Carter has a point. If we tip our hand, we could make everything worse. Leave them alone, but make sure we check our cars for b.o.o.by traps or bugs-"

"Not necessary," Carter said. "When they first showed up, I decided I needed a little more protection than the barrier spell I have out there, so I summoned an imp to keep watch. They try to do anything, all h.e.l.l breaks loose."

"Great, just what we need. An imp. Let"s get on with this." As I glanced over the paper, I stopped short. Stacia Bonecrusher was was a necromancer, and a powerful one at that. Carter"s notes listed her as training under Telazhar. "Holy h.e.l.l, this is bad." a necromancer, and a powerful one at that. Carter"s notes listed her as training under Telazhar. "Holy h.e.l.l, this is bad."

Menolly heard me; she looked up and nodded. "Telazhar must be working for Shadow Wing, then."

"Not necessarily," I said. "He swore never to bow to another, but that he"s still alive after all these centuries and that he"s training Demonkin is one big-a.s.s sign to beware and be careful."

Morio shook his head. "Who is he? I"ve never heard of him."

I let out a long sigh. "If I remember my history lessons correctly, Telazhar was one of the most feared Fae to ever live. Centuries ago, he was a powerful necromancer. He raised an army and terrorized Otherworld during the magical wars that scorched the Southern Wastes, leaving them barren and rife with rogue magic."

"How did he get down to the Sub Realms?" Vanzir asked.

Menolly picked up the story. "Telazhar led an army of the dead to lay siege on Aladril. He planned on marching on Y"Elestrial after he"d taken over the City of Seers. But the seers took him by surprise. Y"Elestrial sent help and so did the elves. A powerful Fae warrior led the armies against Telazhar and they drove him back into the desert. Once they cornered him in the depths of the Wastes, Aladril"s seers held him in stasis, and they sent him through a Demon Gate into the Subterranean Realms, then dismantled the spell so it could never open again."

"Apparently," I said, "Telazhar is still alive. His powers must be terrible by now." I sucked in a long breath and stared at the page. "Want to make a bet he"s the one who gated her over here?"

"No, because you"d win," Menolly said.

I nodded, not wanting to think about the coming battle. "We have to be so careful and so crafty that she doesn"t know we"re coming. We could use some extra help."

Kim returned with our tea, and as we silently sipped the warm brew from bone china cups, and ate the ripe Camembert spread on seasoned crackers, all I could think about was curling up in my bed and sleeping for weeks. This was such bad news it made me want to retreat back into Otherworld. Maybe I should take Raven Mother up on her offer. A little house in the heart of Thistlewyd Deep, live there with Smoky and Trillian and Morio . . . it didn"t sound so bad.

"What next then? And how do we cloak these notes again?" Morio asked.

"As far as how to cloak the notes," Carter said, "use the locking word. And that, my friends, is clotted cream clotted cream. Again, I chose something that won"t immediately come to mind. And as to the dilemma you"re facing, I can"t tell you what to do."

"We"re going to have to look elsewhere for help. And I know where." I gazed up at my sister.

She groaned and slapped the side of her head. "Not the Triple Threat?"

"Suck it up. They"ll have to agree-or at least Aeval will. She owes me a favor. But once I call in the marker, I"m going to owe her so big. I have the distinct feeling it"s not going to turn out a quid pro quo situation."

"So we go out there tomorrow and hit up the Queen of Night to help us track down and destroy a demon general. Great." Menolly shook her head. "I really don"t want to see the fallout from this one."

"Neither do I, but it"s our only choice. We need more help. At least we don"t have to track the Bonecrusher anymore, thanks to Carter." I held up the sheet of paper. "And we have a map."

"Yeah, we have a map," Menolly said, her eyes turning bloodred. "Big whoop. Ten to one, it leads straight to our doom."

Doom or not, we had no other choice. If we didn"t destroy Stacia, she"d mangle the portals trying to rip open a gateway for Shadow Wing"s buddies. And that spelled trouble with a capital T T. I stood, feeling as resigned as I was resolved.

"Okay, let"s get a move on. We"ve got a long day facing us tomorrow."

On our way back to the cars, we didn"t catch sight of the streetwalker demons. Had they run back to the Bonecrusher to tell her we"d been at Carter"s? Either way, she knew we were on the move. She just didn"t know when.