"You"re right. Something"s going on. But how the h.e.l.l do we find out what? And meanwhile, how do we protect our friends, because I know that she means it when she says they"ll start taking them out. This letter is essentially a blackmail threat."

Chase"s phone rang again and he moved to the side to answer it.

"We have to see Grandmother Coyote. We need her advice," Morio said.

I nodded. "We"ll head out to her woods now."

Just then Chase returned, his face ashen. "Camille, I"m so sorry . . ."

"What? What is it?" The look on his face could only mean one thing, but I didn"t want to hear it.

"It"s about Henry. He"s dead. He had a heart attack while they were working on him and his body couldn"t handle the shock. Sharah said he went quickly." He pursed his lips together, and Delilah moved into his embrace, tears running down her cheeks.

I stared at him, mutely. Morio slid his arm around my waist, but I pushed him away and walked over to the store-front. Henry had loved the Indigo Crescent, and he"d been so happy when we offered him the job. And now he was dead, because of us.

I felt a hand slip into mine and looked down. Iris was holding tight. Tears shone in her eyes.

"I couldn"t love him like he wanted me to," she said, her voice hoa.r.s.e. "I wish I could have, but I just . . ."

"It"s okay," I said numbly, blinking back my own tears. Iris was feeling guilty-I could see it in her face. Henry had loved her, had wanted to be with her, but she couldn"t reciprocate his feelings. And now he was dead, murdered in our shop, and she was taking the blame on her own shoulders. "Iris, his death is no more your fault than it is mine. He was happy, he loved working with us."

"I want them dead," she said, a fierce light in her eyes. "I want to find the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds who did this and take them down."

"We will," I whispered, more to myself than to her. "Trust me. We will."

CHAPTER 22.

Morio, Delilah, and I headed out to find Grandmother Coyote. Vanzir decided to hightail it over to Carter"s to find out anything that might have come through the rumor mill over the past twenty-four hours. Iris caught a ride home with Shamas, who took her in my car.

I stared at the road as Morio drove, thinking about Henry. He"d wanted to go to Otherworld and now he"d never make it. But I"d already made up my mind to take some of his ashes there, to scatter them over the Silofel Plains, which I knew he would have loved. My heart ached for him, but yet, I knew we were lucky. We"d been very lucky so far, but that had changed. Delilah hummed an aimless tune in the back, and Morio kept his eyes on his driving until we turned off near Grandmother Coyote"s woodland.

As we forged through the sodden debris that littered the ground and the thick undergrowth, I tried to imagine just what she might ask of us for this favor. Whatever it was, I"d pay it. We needed help and we needed it from someone who could see the long picture. Riddles or not, Grandmother Coyote was spot-on with her ability to see the future, even if it took us a while to figure out what her words foretold.

The birds were silent, hiding from the chill drizzle, and a thin mist shrouded the trees ahead as we silently worked our way toward the grove. Grandmother Coyote"s glade wasn"t that far of a walk, but in the gloom of the day and the bitter taste of Henry"s death, it seemed to take forever to break into the ancient ring of cedars.

But there she was, sitting on a tree trunk, watching as we slipped out of the silent copse. The skies opened up and rain began to pound down. Without a word, Grandmother Coyote motioned for us to follow her and headed toward her tree. We traipsed along behind her.

As we entered the door against the giant tree trunk, I let out a sigh of relief. We"d found her at home. Now maybe we could make sense of everything that was happening.

As we entered the door, we also entered a magical s.p.a.ce. There was no way to account for it by looking at the tree from outside, but then again-Grandmother Coyote lived in all dimensions, through all realms. She guarded a portal, but had her own way of creating the s.p.a.ce she needed.

And yet, as we silently followed her down the hall, I could feel the heart of the tree around me, breathing silently. Then it struck me-this was like being inside the horn, though I was fully here rather than just in spirit. We were inside the spirit of the tree while in body.

We came to a round table. Four chairs were placed around it and Grandmother Coyote motioned for us to take our places. She sat next to me, on my left and on Morio"s right.

"You wish to ask something of me." A statement, not a question.

I shivered. Whoever did the asking, paid the price. "Yes, and I"m willing to pay your fee."

"Then ask, young Camille. And listen to my answer." Her words were short gusts on the breeze that flowed through the chamber.

"What should we do? We"ve got this situation with the Black Unicorn horn and Queen Asteria and the Keraastar Knights and the Triple Threat and the Bonecrusher-" I ran out of breath, panting as I realized just how frantic I felt.

"Hush, my girl. So many factors. The unicorn horn and your growth into priestess is your own path to follow and wants no interference from me," she said, producing a large pouch. "We"ll roll the bones again. Pick, Camille. Pick one for Asteria and the Keraastar Knights. Pick one for the Earthside Fae Queens. And pick one for the Bonecrusher." She pushed the bag across the table to me.

I slowly opened it. Delilah let out a delicate mew but one look from Grandmother Coyote silenced her. Morio sat still, his eyes closed. I reached in and the finger bones inside reverberated against my skin. I"d drawn from the bones before and knew what to expect. Pulling out the first bone, I set it on the table in front of her. It was the bone off of a human. I could tell that much.

Grandmother Coyote reached out and picked it up. Her fingers deftly raced over the surface, and she jerked her head up to stare at me, her eyes luminous in the dim glow of the tunnel.

"They are not lying. The Keraastar Knights will rise, and they will stand at the portals. Not in the way the queens might hope, but their destiny is in play and cannot be suspended. They must have the seals in order to flourish, and for good or ill-you must give them what they ask."

"But why humans and Weres? Why these three to start?" Morio kept his hands on the tabletop but I could see his gaze was fastened on the finger bone she held.

"What you were told was correct, but far, far from the full scope. Even Elfin Queens have no concept of the iceberg they"ve tripped over. But once set in motion, this cannot be undone. The three men already bear three of the seals-"

"We didn"t see them wielding them," I said. "Or sense it."

"They possess them now and are being trained. But not by the mages, regardless of what the Queen thinks. The seals are transforming them into something new, something different. That is all I can tell you. Do not thwart this plan or you will throw the balance asunder and forfeit your own place on the threads we weave."

Great. So we were supposed to give Asteria the seals, even though it was sparking off a major shift for the future. I let out a long sigh. "Thank you."

"Next. The Earthside Fae Queens. Draw a bone."

I drew, and it was longer and thinner, the bone of . . . as I held it in my hands a picture formed in my mind and I gasped. A sylph. This finger bone had belonged to a wind spirit. I slowly placed it in front of Grandmother Coyote.

She caught it up and let out a low chuckle. "Ah, so I see. Not much to answer you, Camille, for most of this you must learn yourself. But prepare yourself to call Aeval your Queen for a time to come."

"What? Just me or my sisters, too?" She had to be kidding. We were supposed to hand over the spirit seals to Queen Asteria but also switch sides to Aeval? That sounded insane. At the very least, a recipe for getting our b.u.t.ts kicked.

"You, young Priestess. You won"t have a choice before long. Trust me, things are happening that will require work from both worlds to fix. You will know when it"s time." She put the bone down and motioned toward the bag.

I silently withdrew the third finger bone and this one I recognized. s.h.i.t, it was the finger I"d chopped off Bad a.s.s Luke after we took him down. It was also the first payment I"d ever made to Grandmother Coyote. I held it up so Delilah and Morio could see it and mouthed his name, then pa.s.sed it over.

Grandmother Coyote took the bone and let out a long sigh. After a moment, she gazed up at me. "There is dissension in the ranks. There is a reason the Bonecrusher seeks your alliance. And it has everything-and nothing-to do with Shadow Wing, whose attention is turned elsewhere at the moment. Don"t be fooled by her. She has her gaze fastened on a victory different than the one you think. Right now, if you strike on the heels of her attack, you have the chance to take out the lamia"s encampment. She"s expecting fear. Show courage and offense."

"So . . . attack. Even though it seems foolhardy. Should I ask Aeval for her help?"

Grandmother Coyote dropped the bones back into the bag and cinched it tight. "No. You"ll need her favor down the road. You can do this, if you are smart and if you are cunning."

As she paused, I steeled myself for the last-and perhaps most frightening-question. "What do you want in return for the information? What payment do we owe you?"

"Oh my dear, the payment is already in motion. Trust that the debt will be paid and the balance will be righted. Sacrifice is the nature of duty. Now go. You have plans to make and battles to fight." And without explaining what she meant, she vanished down the hall.

We stared at one another.

"I don"t like that last part. Sacrifice is the nature of duty? Sacrifice is the nature of duty? What"s she talking about?" I was still smarting over being chosen to sacrifice the Black Unicorn. I knew, logically, that I"d done what was necessary-for both of us-but the memory of his blood on my hands still hurt like h.e.l.l. What"s she talking about?" I was still smarting over being chosen to sacrifice the Black Unicorn. I knew, logically, that I"d done what was necessary-for both of us-but the memory of his blood on my hands still hurt like h.e.l.l.

"Come on, we"d better get home and start planning how to take on the Bonecrusher. It looks like we have no choice," Morio said, pushing himself up from his chair. Delilah and I followed suit, and we trailed out into the day again, making our way through the forest back to Morio"s Subaru. None of us said a word on the way home.

Once home, I decided to take a shower. "Meet you guys in the kitchen afterward," I said, weary and reeking of smoke from the store. "Find Trillian and Roz and tell them to get in here. Smoky, too. We need everybody"s help with this." We were going on the offensive, and we had to act fast.

Delilah followed me up, needing a shower, too. "Let me come in with you. We can discuss what"s going on,"

I nodded. We stripped and padded over to my shower. After adjusting the temperature, we climbed in and I handed her one of my loofahs, and grabbed the sponge puff for myself. I took the spot under the showerhead since I knew she hated it spraying in her eyes. I was using my vanilla-scented body wash. Delilah chose the tangerine. We scrubbed away at the stench of smoke and soot.

I let out a long sigh as the hot water streamed over my body. The reality of what had happened was just starting to sink in. Henry was dead. My store was in ruins. And we were about to walk into the lamia"s den. A sudden bubble of tears welled up and I let out a sob.

Delilah dropped the loofahs and held me tight. I leaned on her shoulder, crying. "Shush," she whispered. "You"ve had one h.e.l.l of a past few days, haven"t you?"

"Not as bad as Henry." I tried to sidestep the ache in my heart. But it was useless. The numbness had worn off and I slipped out of her arms and sat on the edge of the tub, letting the water beat down on me and splash over the side. "I can"t believe they killed him like that. He wasn"t part of this-he had nothing to do with the spirit seals and yet they came in and deliberately harmed him and left him for dead."

"I know, I know," she said, sitting beside me. She picked up the puff and began gently washing my back. "He was caught in the middle. A casualty of war. We knew this could happen, and it will be a lot worse if we let Shadow Wing win. A lot more Henrys will die."

I let out a ragged sigh. For once, she was taking charge and letting me be the one to fall apart and I appreciated it more than she could ever imagine. "Everything is a mess. I don"t know what to think. The only one I trust anymore-besides our little group-is Grandmother Coyote. I don"t even trust Father now that he"s sleeping with Tanaquar."

Delilah nodded, rinsing off my back. "Yeah, I"m having problems with that thought, too. I wonder why we"re going to end up aligning ourselves with the Triple Threat. Pretty, these are so intricate." She fingered the tattoos on my back, then her own on her forehead. "I wonder if there"s any way out of this?. Is destiny always preplanned? Can we avoid our fate, or is it always fate that we meet it?"

Choking back the tears, I tried to wipe my eyes and only succeeded in getting soap in them. "Oww! Hand me that towel," I said, motioning to the towel I had hung over the shower curtain rod. Delilah handed it to me and I wiped my eyes, then dropped it on the floor.

"You"re asking some pretty deep philosophical questions," I said. "Why? I mean . . . we are what we are. We"re on the paths the G.o.ds set us on. Aren"t we?"

She shrugged. "I don"t know. Was it my destiny to become a Death Maiden? Will I have to bear the Autumn Lord"s child? Was it our destiny to fight the demons? And now you"re a priestess and have an unknown path opening in front of you. I"ve been thinking a lot lately about the randomness of things. Henry"s death is just another one of them. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was our friend-which made him a target. Was it his destiny to die today? Why did they choose him to start their vendetta with? I guess I just hate feeling like a p.a.w.n anymore. I want to have a choice in my life."

I examined the sponge quietly, then rinsed it under the water. "Hand me the shampoo, please." She did, and I stood up and lathered my hair with the rich scent of cinnamon and apples. "I think we"re beyond having a choice in the current direction we"re pointed in."

"Then you think this is our destiny?" she asked, taking the shampoo.

As I rinsed the foam out of my hair, I thought about it. Did I really believe in destiny? Did I believe we were meant to walk this path? Did I believe this was Henry"s day to die?

After a moment, I found my answer. "I don"t know, Kitten, but what I do know is this: We"re here now. We"re involved in this war-h.e.l.l, we"re on the front lines. We"re facing several tough choices and our advisor is one of the Hags of Fate. Destiny or not, I"m listening to her. I"d rather take the chance she"s right-which the Hags of Fate usually are-than muck things up. Because the G.o.ds know I"m all too good at doing that. As far as Henry . . ."

My eyes watered again, but I stared into the spray of warm water and let it wash the tears away. "As far as Henry, he was a victim of circ.u.mstance. Maybe it was his time to go, maybe not. But it happened, and we lost a friend. And we"re going to make d.a.m.ned sure the motherf.u.c.kers who did this meet the end of our swords."

"Yes," she said, quietly. "I"m right there with you on that."

We finished bathing and toweled off. She ran up to her room to dress while I found a clean skirt and bustier, and then headed downstairs. We had a battle to plan, because I sure as h.e.l.l didn"t want to lose anybody else.

Delilah brought up Google Earth on the computer and we typed in Stacia Bonecrusher"s address. Smoky was on his way-he"d called from a pay phone to let us know-and Trillian and Rozurial had returned home while we"d been in the shower. Iris had bathed, too, and she was grimly fixing sandwiches for everyone.

Trillian was helping her, and they worked quietly at the counter while Roz, Vanzir, Delilah, and I gathered around the kitchen table. Menolly was still asleep, but it wouldn"t be more than a few hours before she was able to join us. Meanwhile, we"d map out our plans and get everything ready to go.

"There she is, right near Marymoor Park, on Oakdale Street. Just through that strip of trees that divides the area from West Sammamish Parkway." Delilah zoomed in and pointed out the house-a large, gated mansion set back from the street. From here, we could see several outbuildings in the back.

"Can we get there from Sammamish Parkway?"

"It"s not all that easy. If we come in from the other direction-from the freeway, we can find access roads leading into the area. Or we could park in Marymoor and sneak across the street and through the woods. I"m a.s.suming we"re going in at night, given we need Menolly"s help?" She glanced up at me and I nodded. "Okay, I"ll start printing out more detailed maps here."

Trillian carried the tray of sandwiches to the table and handed them out, while Iris finished pouring the hot cider. As we all gathered around, eating, Vanzir returned from Carter"s.

"Good news!" He tossed a notebook in front of me. In precise, stilted print, was a bevy of notes and as I began to read them, I realized they were about Stacia"s compound.

"Where did you get these?" I pushed them toward the center so everybody could see them.

"I ferreted them out. I decided what the h.e.l.l. I smell like demon-they aren"t going to notice me as being that out of place. I snuck through the back to the edge of her lot and did a little scouting."

Vanzir looked so proud I didn"t have the heart to chew him out, which is what I wanted to do. He could have put the whole operation in danger. Instead, I motioned for him to sit down. "Tell us what you found out."

"Hold on," a voice said from the front door. Smoky strode in and took his place at the table, giving Trillian a short nod. The two had walked around each other like they were on egg-sh.e.l.ls, but so far no fights had broken out.

He looked troubled when I brought him up to speed. "I"d better make sure Estelle and St. George have some sort of protection out there. St. George told me he thought he saw something creeping through the bushes. It was probably a cougar or even a large dog, but we can"t be too careful."

Estelle Dugan was Georgio Profeta"s caretaker. Georgio, or St. George as he fancied himself, had been trying to fight Smoky for years. He knew Smoky was a dragon and-in his fragile mind-he was the hero out to save the world against Smoky"s fire. But the poor man was slipping further and further from reality, and spending more and more time in fugues. Estelle looked after him and cleaned house, making sure that St. George was comfortable and as happy as he could be. I figured it wouldn"t be long before we heard that St. George had retired permanently from the world. At least mentally.

"That might be a good idea," Iris said. "Neither one of them are fit to defend themselves and they live way out there alone. You"re not around much, so you should probably either move them into town, or hire them a guard."

"Give me a few moments," he said, disappearing into the living room. When he returned, he nodded. "Done. They"ll have their protection." Just like that. I wanted to ask who he"d called but that could wait until later. When Smoky decided to do something, it got done and there was no wishy-washy mulling over the question.

"So tell us what you found out?" I said again.

Vanzir frowned. "The place is heavily guarded from the front, but they seem to feel that the barrier of the woods and the concrete retaining wall on the other side is enough to protect them. I think they have a h.e.l.lhound or two running loose out there, but otherwise, I mostly saw a few scattered demons lounging around. I didn"t see Stacia."

"Hmm . . . not exactly a compound," I mused.

"No. And there"s another thing I found odd. There were wards around. I checked them out-and before you ask, yes, I was careful-and the wards aren"t set up against Fae or humans. They"re set up against demons demons. I was lucky I didn"t trip any of them off and that I stayed at the perimeter of her compound." He leaned back in his chair. "What do you make of that?"

"Do you think she"s afraid of rebel demons coming after her?" Delilah asked.

"No, I don"t. In fact, the wards are specifically set against common types Shadow Wing uses in his Degath Squads, as well as the more sophisticated types like me."

"An odd turn of events." I pondered the information for a few minutes. "Do you think it might have something to do with what Grandmother Coyote told us? She said something about dissension in the ranks, and that Stacia"s goal is aimed for something very different than we think."

"Well," Iris said. "What have you been thinking her goal is?"

"To prevent us from getting ahold of the seals. She"s working for Shadow Wing-so, wouldn"t that be her primary focus?"

"Not necessarily," Vanzir said, a triumphant gleam flickering in his eyes. "It"s beginning to make sense now."

We stared at him. "What?" I asked.

"You say that Stacia"s goal is something different than what we think. That dissension"s going on. Suppose Stacia means to move up the ranks in her own way? Suppose Stacia isn"t happy working for Shadow Wing and wants him out of the way?"

"What? Are you saying Stacia might be two-timing Shadow Wing?" Trillian narrowed his eyes. "Wouldn"t that be suicidal?"