I stared at the pair, as did everyone else. Everyone but Smoky, that is. He looked up at the ceiling, and I had a sneaking suspicion he knew all about what they"d been doing. I glanced over at Menolly, and she shrugged.

"So, you two are really immersing yourself in the death magic thing, huh?" Unsure just what I wanted to ask, I finally said, "Why?"

Camille let out a long breath. "Eventually, the work in necromancy will lead me into learning how to use magic against the demons. Morio"s going to teach me to use their own magic against them. How to open and close Demon Gates, set up Pentagram Snares, that sort of thing."

"Demonic rites? You"ll be practicing demonic magic? Isn"t that going a little far?" My hands on my hips, I whirled to face Menolly. "Tell them this isn"t a good idea. I can"t imagine what that kind of energy will do to her. She already has the unicorn horn. Why not just focus on that?" The thought of my sister practicing the filthy, sc.u.mmy magic that demons used made me sick.

But Menolly just shook her head, unblinking. "Let it be, Kitten. Dirty tricks can win a battle. Trust me, if I could learn how to mirror the demons" magic against them, I would. But I don"t have the talent for magic. I think we should welcome anything anything that gives us an edge against Shadow Wing and his armies. Who knows what these rogue portals will do? They might start opening up into the Subterranean Realms, and then we"ll be facing demons right and left, spirit seals or not." that gives us an edge against Shadow Wing and his armies. Who knows what these rogue portals will do? They might start opening up into the Subterranean Realms, and then we"ll be facing demons right and left, spirit seals or not."

I fell silent. In the back of my mind, I could hear Hi"ran laughing. The Autumn Lord was my my form of demon magic. And Menolly-what would happen to her next? What path would she be forced down on this unwanted war that had been thrust upon us? form of demon magic. And Menolly-what would happen to her next? What path would she be forced down on this unwanted war that had been thrust upon us?

"I get it," I said, feeling yet another thread break that tied me to the naive and optimistic girl I"d been a few months ago. "So, back to the subject at hand. Can you try this Spirit-Be-Gone spell on the wights?"

"I doubt it," Morio said. "It"s not going to make them roll over and die, I can guarantee you that. We"re going to have quite a fight on our hands, so I suggest we have weapons at the ready. And watch out for that shade. They aren"t as dangerous as revenants but they"re a lot more powerful than ghosts, and they have a touch that can chill all the warmth out of your body and leave you frozen in your boots. We can probably take him, though."

"Famous last words," Smoky muttered. "Let"s get a move on."

Menolly and Vanzir led us into a narrow pa.s.sage to the left, away from the main chamber. As we followed, I wondered what was at the bottom of the chasm. It had been a long time since we"d gone on a hike just for fun. Maybe when this was all over, we could come back and explore it.

"After we pa.s.s through this tunnel, we"ll come to the chamber with the wights in it," Menolly said, glancing over her shoulder as we wended our way through the pa.s.sage, taking care not to touch the sides where the slime was thick and waiting.

"There"s a chamber near the back. That"s where the spirit seal is being protected by the shade," she added. "I have the feeling he won"t move to attack until the wights have been dispatched. He seems to be a guardian. And that that makes me think that he"s the spirit of someone who came into possession of the spirit seal centuries ago and felt a duty to remain and protect it after his death." makes me think that he"s the spirit of someone who came into possession of the spirit seal centuries ago and felt a duty to remain and protect it after his death."

"That would explain a lot," Morio said. "Shades are often self-appointed guardians. Whether it be of a place, an object, or a person doesn"t really matter. If he did possess the spirit seal, he might have grasped the scope of its power-even if he didn"t know exactly what what it was-and knew that it needed guarding." it was-and knew that it needed guarding."

"What about the wights?" I asked. "How do they play into the picture, a.s.suming that you and Menolly are correct?"

"Wights can be summoned by shades," Smoky interjected. "They can be brought forth from the Netherworld."

Morio stopped, holding up his hand. "Let"s discuss this before we get in there. Wights can also be created by a shaman or necromancer who has the power to raise the dead. Could be that when he was alive, the shade had the power to restore life to the dead. Wights are better watchdogs than zombies, and harder to create, so if our spirit did invoke them, then we"d better be prepared for one h.e.l.l of a showdown."

A nagging thought occurred to me, one I didn"t really want to think about. "What if the shade still has the power to summon up wights? What if the shade is still a necromancer? Do magical powers just disappear when you die?" Even with my sister being a witch, I wasn"t all that clear on the ins and outs of life in the Spell Zone.

Camille frowned. "That seldom happens. Sometimes when the spirit reincarnates, the magical abilities will come through, especially if they were innate to the soul. When that happens, it can be obvious or latent."

"But is it possible? Theoretically?" I wasn"t sure why it mattered so much to me, but I was learning more and more to trust my own instincts. Camille trusted hers, and I was trying to emulate her. Menolly swore up and down that she didn"t have any, but I was pretty sure she did. She just didn"t know it yet.

Morio spoke up. "Theoretically, yes, it can happen. Although Camille"s right; it"s a rare occurrence. But yes, we could be facing just such a situation, and if we are, we"re in s.h.i.t-deep trouble, because if he can summon up wights, he can wipe the floor with us."

"Not a happy thought." Menolly glanced at me. "Kitten, I hope you"re wrong but, considering the amount of viro-mortis on the walls of this whole cave system, you might be right."

My stomach lurched. Maybe we"d luck out, and I"d been meowing up the wrong tree. Because if we had to face a necromantic shade, we were-as Morio said-in s.h.i.t-deep trouble.

Morio paused, looking at Camille. She nodded, and he let out a long sigh. "Okay, here"s the deal. Let Camille and me go in first. We"ll cast our spell the minute we enter the chamber, then jump to the side, and the rest of you can take over. Whatever happens to the wights won"t affect you-unless there"s one h.e.l.lacious backlash, and then we"re all doomed." He motioned to Camille. "We need to prepare, and quick."

She slipped over to his side, taking his hands in hers as they closed their eyes and began a low chant under their breaths. The rest of us crowded back in the pa.s.sage, giving them room while trying to avoid the rock walls hemming us in. Camille was more accurate with her death magic than her moon magic, but I was still nervous. The thought of a necromantic spell backfiring was more than I wanted to wrangle with.

As the energy between them built, goose b.u.mps appeared on my arms. My first inclination was to turn and run. This was dark magic, darker than I"d ever felt coming from Camille except when she had sent Geph von Spynne into a tailspin with a death spell. But he"d been attacking us at that point. He"d already killed Rhonda, Zachary"s ex-fiancee, and we were next on his list. This-this was a calculated maneuver. I moved closer to Zach, who slid his arm around me.

It was a comforting gesture, and I leaned into his embrace, feeling his warmth soak through my jacket. I could sense his arousal, though I doubted even he felt it yet. And his desire sparked my own. I wasn"t about to start anything in midbattle, but it made sense. Pa.s.sion and adrenaline run hand in hand. Especially since we"d been through so many life-threatening situations in the past few months.

I pressed against him, and he tightened his embrace, then glanced into my eyes as I slid my hand around and planted it on his b.u.t.t. He was asking me a question with those golden topaz eyes of his, and I nodded gently, pursing my lips as I flicked my tongue over my fangs. Zach sucked in a deep breath, and his hand slid down from my waist to caress my a.s.s. As my breath caught in my throat, Camille looked up.

"We"re ready," she said, and her voice drifted in from a million miles away.

I let go of Zach but squeezed his hand as I stepped away from him.

"Then let"s get this show on the road," Smoky said. "Camille, Morio, head in. Delilah, you, Zach, Roz, and Menolly go next. Vanzir, you and I will take the third wave. That will give the fox and our wife time to regain their wits before they fall in behind us."

Without another word, Camille and Morio rushed into the entrance of the cavern, their voices low and haunting in the echo of the tunnel. Their magical chant was rife with pa.s.sion and pain, and the faint sound of drums echoed on the air currents susurrating through the chamber.

My body hummed in response to the magic. Not prepared for the sudden resonance, I almost fell against the wall but managed to steady myself before I touched the slime molds. My vision ran red, and I pushed to the front, my fear vanishing in the growing cloud of bloodl.u.s.t. Panther was rising; I could feel her growl deep within my heart, aching to be set free.

Hi"ran. This was his realm, the realm of death and fire and spirits. The Autumn Lord played in this world, and I-his only living Death Maiden-couldn"t help but respond to the call of dark shrouds rising from the grave. I had to face the fact that I was as much a part of the shadow as Camille was becoming, and as Menolly had become the day Dredge got hold of her.

I motioned for Zach, Roz, and Menolly to move aside as the world began to shift. At first, I thought I was going to shift as my body wavered between worlds. Panther to woman to Panther again, with the mark on my forehead swirling. Panther to woman to Panther again, with the mark on my forehead swirling. I felt like I"d just slammed back a handful of speed or had some form of Haste spell cast on me. And then, I was just me, but with Panther fully taking control of my senses. I felt like I"d just slammed back a handful of speed or had some form of Haste spell cast on me. And then, I was just me, but with Panther fully taking control of my senses.

Racing through the door, I caught sight of the wights. Dark, squat creatures that had once been human, they were leathery, with hair grown wild that covered part of their bodies, like mummies dumped in a fur factory. The lot of them turned as I entered the chamber. Moving like apes, they crouched their way toward us, arms swinging, using their knuckles to propel themselves along, eyes glimmering with the flame of death.

They weren"t right right; they shouldn"t be here. They belonged to the realm of the dead, not in the realm of the living. I yanked my dagger free of its sheath, hungry for their blood, hungry to send them back to the grave. I plunged the tip of my blade into a shoulder as the nearest wight clasped my arm with its icy hand. Leaning over, I bit deep, driving my fangs into the flesh, and the wight let go with a screech. As I spat out the blood and fur, it started to back away.

A low roar worked its way up and out of my throat as I leapt and spun, my booted foot catching the creature on the jaw. My kick sent it sailing to the ground. Without a thought, I jumped to its side, driving my heel down on its throat, crushing the larynx as it fought to catch my ankle. Again I kicked, this time catching it in the ribs, sending the wight rolling toward Menolly, who s.n.a.t.c.hed up the creature and smashed it against the rock wall until it fell limp in her arms. She tossed it aside and turned to the next.

The wights swarmed us like bees protecting their queen. I focused on my own little spot in the cave. Again and again, my dagger tasted flesh. Again and again, I kicked and punched my way through the wall of living death. There seemed to be no end to the blood and the stench that rose from the creatures.

As my sixth enemy fell, I watched in fascinated horror as the flesh began to slide away from the bones. No longer held together by magic, it oozed into a primordial soup, a slurry of DNA and blood. Wanting to vomit but still unable to look away, I was too slow. Another wight had crept up behind me, and before I realized what was happening, he fastened his teeth in my ankle and a mind-numbing pain set in as he drove through the boot to the bone.

I screamed, kicking to shake him off, but he held fast. He was determined to bite out a huge chunk of my leg. It occurred to me that I was a lot bigger than he was, so I dropped to my knees, directly atop him, effectively trapping him. With a short squeal, the creature let go, and I tucked and rolled, coming to my feet a few yards away from the wight. He lurched toward me, but Camille was right behind him. Her dagger raised, she plunged it through his back and jumped away as he fell.

"Always playing big sister to the rescue!" I teased as she whirled to engage yet another wight headed her way.

"You know it!" I heard her call back. But another member of the living-dead brigade was on my tail, and I turned to engage, caught up in the battle again. The air hung thick with the smell of blood and carrion as sounds of screaming and the clash of blade on flesh echoed through the chamber.

My body weary, I could feel Hi"ran watching me. His spirit rested on my shoulder, smiling with those brilliant white teeth, and his pa.s.sion for the kill raced through my body like fingers tripping their way down my back, setting off sparks. Gasping, I dispatched the last wight near me, as the Autumn Lord"s breath whispered heavy on my neck. He embraced me, and a shroud of tendriling mist seeped through my clothes, coiling in my belly like a snake waiting to strike.

I reeled, but he was there to catch me up, to wrap me in his arms as he drew me inside his swirling cape. His piercing diamond gaze drove itself into my soul. I tried to push away but couldn"t move as his lips fastened to mine.

He sucked my breath away, and my knees buckled as the most intense o.r.g.a.s.m I"d ever had exploded through my body. Unable to move or breathe, my heart fell silent, and I knew I was dying. And then-when I thought my lungs would never work again, when I ready to step out of my body-Hi"ran gently exhaled into my mouth.

My life slowly returned to me, filtering in through my lips. As my chest rose and fell, sensation returned to my toes and fingers. My heart started to beat again, a staccato pulse, and I pushed away from him, staring with a terrible fear.

He laughed and stroked my face. "I told you, you"re one of many brides-but you are my only living living Death Maiden. You will be revered and honored for your position, and when the time comes, you will be the one to bear my heir." And then, before I could say a word, he vanished, leaving me whimpering as I sank to the floor slowly realizing just what his words meant. Death Maiden. You will be revered and honored for your position, and when the time comes, you will be the one to bear my heir." And then, before I could say a word, he vanished, leaving me whimpering as I sank to the floor slowly realizing just what his words meant.

CHAPTER 17.

"Delilah? Delilah!" Camille"s voice echoed through the fog encasing my thoughts. I blinked, realizing that I was on my knees, curled over with my forehead against the floor, hands tucked over the back of my head.

The Autumn Lord"s words rang in my ears as I looked around. The wights were all dead, scattered around the chamber like so much debris. Everybody-except Smoky, of course-was covered with blood and muck. I moaned gently as Camille and Menolly helped me up.

"Can you stand?" Menolly asked, her gaze locked on mine. She knew. Maybe not what had happened, but that something something had happened. She always knew. had happened. She always knew.

I nodded. No way in h.e.l.l was I ready to talk about what had just happened. Not when we still had a shade to take care of and the seal to find.

"Yeah. I got overexcited, I guess." I shivered and pulled away. "Let"s just finish this and go home. I need to sleep." What I needed was something to shake me out of my thoughts. Something to make me forget about the Autumn Lord and death and spirits and children conceived from Elemental Lords. My gaze landed on Zach. What I needed right now was a blond, gorgeous werepuma.

He blinked, returning my scrutiny, and slowly smiled. He could smell my arousal. I knew he could, because I could smell the same scent of desire emanating off of him. He wanted me as much as I wanted him.

Menolly glanced at Camille, and they both shrugged.

"Okay, if you"re all right, let"s get this over with." Camille motioned toward the back chamber. The seal was in there and, no doubt, the shade.

As we waded through the blood and bodies of the wights, the cavern began to feel like it was closing in on me. I didn"t like underground s.p.a.ces nor small rooms. Claustrophobia, Mother had called it, and she blamed it on my being a werecat. Cats didn"t like to be locked in, though they may like cozy corners. Mother had always said, "Never trap a cat, or they"ll scratch you to bits. Cats want the option to escape, even if they choose not to use it." I"d always believed she was referring to me with her gentle, chiding manner.

I"d never been good at being a daughter, at least not the kind Mother knew how to cope with. I"d always wanted to be wandering through the woods, wearing boy"s clothing, chasing bugs, and climbing trees. A tomboy tomboy, that was what she called me, though she said it with love in her voice. I"d always wanted her approval, and I always felt like I could never measure up, even though she"d never once told me so.

Shaking thoughts of the past out of my head, I hurried to the front, where Roz and Vanzir waited.

"Has either of you faced a shade before?" I was hoping for a yes, but I"d settle for a No, but I know how to kill them. No, but I know how to kill them. I didn"t get either. I didn"t get either.

"Nope," Roz said. He shook his curly ponytail. "I"ve seen a lot of ghosts over the years, and dealt with a few spirits from the Netherworld, but shades-they play with the big boys. They"re usually found outside of ancient ruins and old battle scenes."

Vanzir added his shake of the head. "Neither have I, though I"ve seen a few. They can be quite fierce, I understand. But I know that they hate light; they can"t stand the sun, and are seldom seen or felt during the day."

"Wonderful," I muttered. "We"re in a cavern, in the middle of the night. Perfect time and place for them to play spook central."

Camille and Morio caught up to us. "Hey, we have an idea that just might work," Morio said. "If they hate light, let"s fire up the sun. Camille has the unicorn horn; she can use it to heighten her powers with fire and lightning. If we send a shock wave of light through the cavern, it might give us the time we need to grab the spirit seal and run."

Menolly cleared her throat. "You mean leave the spirit . . . well . . . alive alive? Not attempt to send it back to h.e.l.l-"

"Technically, we wouldn"t send it back to Hel anyway," Smoky said. "Shades are usually from the Netherworld. Hel rules over the icy depths of the Underworld Underworld."

"I wasn"t speaking of the G.o.ddess, you fire-breathing lizard." Menolly shot him a withering look. "I was speaking literally, as in, h.e.l.l. You know, the place where the fiery dudes in red tights dance on the skulls of their enemies."

I snorted. "Yeah, right. You know as well as I do that Lucifer is a G.o.d, not a devil, and that most spirits have nothing to do with the Sub Realms. Besides which, Shadow Wing is far more dangerous than any ent.i.ty any mortal could think up. Let"s get serious here. If we can get out of this without a fight, so much the better. The shade isn"t causing problems, not that we know of. It"s probably bound to this spot. How many people do you think are going to come visiting? I, for one, just want to get the heck out of here, go home, and take a long bath."

"Might be, probably not . . . there aren"t guarantees. The shade also might might follow us, looking for the seal," Menolly said. "Who"s to say it wasn"t sent here to protect the seal and to track anybody who manages to steal it? The spirits can"t speak. What do we do if it comes after us? Tell it we"re sorry, but we gave the seal away?" follow us, looking for the seal," Menolly said. "Who"s to say it wasn"t sent here to protect the seal and to track anybody who manages to steal it? The spirits can"t speak. What do we do if it comes after us? Tell it we"re sorry, but we gave the seal away?"

"Well, yeah, I suppose you might be right. If you think you can dispel it, great, but I don"t want to get caught in a one-sided battle with it." I frowned.

"Ladies, we don"t have time to quibble," Roz said, interrupting us. He pointed toward the chamber door, where a shadowy figure had emerged.

The spirit was a black silhouette, a lot like the revenant we"d fought earlier, except it had glowing eyes. Red, of course. These things always seemed to have glowing red eyes. As it stared in our direction, it unleashed a wave of malevolent energy that rolled at us like a tsunami heading toward sh.o.r.e.

"c.r.a.p, it"s using some sort of energy drain," Menolly said, racing toward it. I tried to stop her but could barely open my mouth.

As she swiped at it, her hand went clean through as if she was batting at mist. Startled, she stumbled back. The shade ignored her. Hands on her hips, Menolly contemplated the creature. I struggled to keep my thoughts clear, but that was about all I could do, the focused hatred coming our way was so strong.

Menolly motioned to Smoky as the shade slowly began to move forward. "You got anything? Apparently, I"m not a threat."

Smoky frowned, gesturing for Zach, Roz, Camille, and me to move behind him. "I don"t know," he said darkly. "I"ll try, but I"ve never held much keep with spirits." He pressed his fingertips together and formed a triangle with his thumbs. "Spirit, oh spirit, the balefire burning, I call upon my forefathers. Dracon, dracon, dracon Dracon, dracon, dracon, send this creature cowering back to the Netherworld! Remove this spirit from my sight!"

As a blast of silver light burst from between Smoky"s hands to beam directly at the shade, the spirit recoiled for a moment, then straightened itself. I stared. Not even Smoky could trip the thing up. s.h.i.t. A cold sweat began to form on my back as it hovered right in front of the dragon. Could it hurt him? Could he protect us from it?

Just then, Morio and Camille linked hands and stepped to the side where they would have a clear shot. They had already begun to incant, and the power they were building scared the c.r.a.p out of me.

A low rumble echoed from beneath their feet, as a bluish mist rose from the ground to swirl around them. Camille had hold of the Black Unicorn horn in her right hand, and her left was linked with Morio"s. In his his left hand, he held an Oreosized silver medallion I"d never before seen. left hand, he held an Oreosized silver medallion I"d never before seen.

Smoky stared at them for a moment, then pushed Zach and me out of the way as he backed up. Menolly dove for cover, along with Roz and Vanzir. Apparently, everybody could feel the rising energy. I was relieved-and a little embarra.s.sed-to see that I wasn"t the only one who had no desire to get in the way. I peeked out from behind Smoky"s long white trench to see what was going on.

"Reverente destal a Mordenta, reverente destal a Mordenta, reverente destal a Mordenta . . ." Chanting in unison, Morio and Camille stood strong, with wild, feral expressions on their faces. Their voices resonated as they punctuated each stanza with a tangible infusion of power. The mist surrounding them began to spin as Camille thrust the unicorn horn into the air. Sparks flew off the tip of it, gathering up the vapors that were rising from the floor into one giant vortex, a thundercloud hanging low over their heads. Chanting in unison, Morio and Camille stood strong, with wild, feral expressions on their faces. Their voices resonated as they punctuated each stanza with a tangible infusion of power. The mist surrounding them began to spin as Camille thrust the unicorn horn into the air. Sparks flew off the tip of it, gathering up the vapors that were rising from the floor into one giant vortex, a thundercloud hanging low over their heads.

The shade let out a shriek and moved toward them, then paused as Camille dropped out of the chant to say, "Don"t you dare. Get out of here, sucker, or we"ll make sure you"re so much smoke and ashes."

Her voice was caught up by a sudden breeze. I wasn"t sure where the gust originated, but the currents of air swept through, howling like a bean Sidhe, rushing in on some invisible freight train. The cloud over her head let out a low rumble-thunder. The tip of the crystal unicorn horn was glowing now.

The shade moved forward again, eyes glaring out of the dark shroud of its body.

"Reverente destal a Mordenta!" Morio shouted as Camille dropped her head back. Morio shouted as Camille dropped her head back.

"Cover your eyes!" she screamed, and we barely had time to look away when their spell crystallized into a lightning bolt that came scorching out of the point of the unicorn horn. It plowed through the spirit like a jagged pitchfork, and the brilliance lit up the chamber. For a moment, all I could see were spots, and then the flare died away as quickly as it had come. The shade vanished.

Menolly moaned, and I raced over to her, where she was cowering behind a rock. She had a few scorch marks, but the singed bits of flesh-mainly under her eyes and the tips of her fingers-were already healing. I helped her up.

"Are you okay?" I asked needlessly. Obviously, she"d made it through relatively unscathed.

"Yeah," she said. "Thank the G.o.ds she used lightning instead of invoking fire, or I might be a pile of ashes now."

Camille rushed over, her eyes round and wide. "Oh Great Mother, I"m so sorry! Are you okay? I had no idea it was going to be that powerful," she whispered, staring at the horn in her hand. "Guess it"s going to take some practice before I learn how to control it. Then again, I did stop a lightning bolt in its tracks when Eriskel tested me."

Eriskel was the jindasel of the horn, a guardian spirit, not unlike a djinn but not as powerful nor as nasty. The jindasel watched over the Elementals sequestered within the spiraling crystal horn. I didn"t fully understand everything Camille had tried to tell us about it, but what I did know was that the horn was a powerful weapon. A hunch told me she had no idea just just how powerful. Yet. how powerful. Yet.

"Guess it"s going to take you some practice. Just make sure I"m not in target range!" Menolly huffed, then stomped over to where the revenant had been. There was no sign of the spirit. As good as gone.

We all looked at each other, and I saw Vanzir eyeing the door of the chamber. A nasty and thoroughly uncharitable thought occurred to me. I raced into the back chamber.

There, on a pedestal made of granite, lay an open box, hand carved out of crystal. In the box was a pendant. A ruby, set in bronze. I slowly picked up the heavy talisman, and the light within the gem swirled, taking my breath away. The fourth spirit seal.

As I glanced over at the door, Vanzir stood there, staring at me. He was leaning against the arch, and when his gaze dropped to the spirit seal, I immediately reached for my dagger. He snorted.

"If I wanted to take the seal from you, your dagger wouldn"t stop me," he said, a contemptuous tone fueling his words. "Trust me, nothing would stand in my way, werecat werecat." For a moment, he seemed to tower, his eyes luminous and glowing. And then he faded and relaxed.

"I gave you my word. I"ve bound myself in the Ritual of Subjugation. There"s little more I can do save slit my throat for you to believe me. But I"ll try once more. I do not desire the seal. I do not desire the seal. Nor do I desire for Shadow Wing to possess it. You seem to believe otherwise, but my kind"s existence relies on humanity making it through unscathed. We have a very powerful motive in helping you." Nor do I desire for Shadow Wing to possess it. You seem to believe otherwise, but my kind"s existence relies on humanity making it through unscathed. We have a very powerful motive in helping you."