Veil of Stars Read online

  I thought of the office where Angel and I had spent almost two years learning a new way of life, of how we had made new friends and become part of something much larger than ourselves. And now it was gone. Everything was shifting again. Feeling melancholy and nostalgic for a world that was vanishing, I stared at my hands.

  “How’s Charlie?” Angel asked.

  “I got in touch with him two nights ago through a private connection,” Herne answered. “The vampires have done a lot of research, and have discovered that the dragons can’t control them like we feared. But given the state of affairs, they’re leery of coming topside again. The stock market crashed after the fight—it’s in ruins. Several world economies have been wiped out.” He gave me a bleak look. “Everything’s hunky-dory if you’re a rock. Or a slug.”

  “So Charlie won’t be coming back?”

  “He can’t. Dormant Reins isn’t allowing any of the vampires topside. They’ve got enough bloodwhores down there with them to last for a long time, and they also have a massive stash of animal blood from what I understand.” Herne’s phone rang. “Hold on,” he said, looking at it. “The deputy mayor’s calling.”

  He moved off to one side. I yawned, stretching. “I’m so achy from the days on the road. I thought I was in shape but damn, this was an eye-opener. I feel like I could sleep a week.”

  “Me too,” Raven said, following my cue. She yawned so loudly it startled Mr. Rumblebutt, who raced out of the room. “I miss Raj,” she said, leaning back.

  “We’ll go home soon,” Kipa promised. “Your father is good with him, you know that.”

  “I know,” she said, leaning against him. “I told them, by the way.”

  “Told them?” Kipa asked, then broke out in a smile. “You did? I was hoping you might.”

  “Don’t trust my commitment?” Raven teased him.

  “What are you two talking about?” Viktor asked.

  “We’re engaged. We won’t be married for a couple of years, but we made it official,” Raven said. “I’ll be following Ember’s lead and going through the Gadawnoin.”

  “You’ll be going through it long before the marriage,” Kipa added. “After what happened—with you vanishing? I can’t take a chance on you dying.”

  I glanced over at Angel, who was sitting there silently. She was smiling, but I had the feeling she wasn’t as calm about the whole matter as she let on. With both Raven and me going through the ritual to become deified, it left her out. And we had to do something to remedy that.

  Morgana stood. “Ember, I’d like to talk to you privately.”

  I nodded, following her to Herne’s office. She shut the door behind us.

  Morgana was wearing a suede jacket and linen trousers, with a sky blue blouse. Her hair was gathered back in a ridiculously intricate chignon, with tendrils curling down around her face. Even dressed in modern clothes, she was obviously not of this world.

  She motioned for me to sit on the sofa, and then sat beside me. “I’ve made a decision. Tomorrow morning, we’ll leave for Annwn. You and I. Today’s Tuesday, so we’ll start the preparations for the ritual on Thursday, after you’ve had a day to rest, and then Saturday, you will go through the Gadawnoin. Once you’ve come through, we can plan your wedding for when you like.”

  I swallowed my fear. It felt like we had been engaged for a long time, though it had only been around six months. But Herne was my match, and I couldn’t imagine being without him. The Gadawnoin had loomed far ahead, something that I was heading for, but that had remained nebulous and ephemeral. Now, though, it was solid and firm. My heart began to pound. The ritual, much like the Cruharach, could propel me into my future, or it could destroy me.

  “Will Raven be with me, since she’s engaged?”

  “No, her goddess will put her through her paces. Something is weighing on your mind. What is it?” Morgana asked.

  I sighed. “It hit me, while we were out there. Raven’s marrying Kipa. Both she and I will be ascending to goddesshood. But Angel is our third. I feel like…”

  “Like you’re leaving her behind?” Morgana examined my face, holding my gaze.

  I nodded. “Yeah. And I can’t do that. She’s had the potion of life…but this is a much bigger step.” I bit my lip, then blurted out, “I know this is highly irregular, but isn’t there a way—isn’t there something that we can do or some reason we can find to bring her through the ritual, too?”

  Morgana blinked. “You want Angel to become a goddess? It’s not like we hand out invitations like party favors, you know.”

  Blushing, I stared at the floor. “I know,” I said, lowering my voice. “I realize that. But elevating her to goddesshood would only benefit the gods. She has so much to give.”

  Morgana opened Herne’s desk drawer and pulled out a pack of breath mints, popping one into her mouth. “So, you think she would make a good addition? Well, so do I, but it’s not up to me. Unless she’s marrying into the pantheon, her ascension would have to be approved by the Triamvinate. And they’re a tough trio to sway.”

  The Triamvinate were the three cornerstones on which the Celtic pantheon of gods was forged. Consisting of Danu, the mother of the pantheon, the Dagda, the father of the gods, and Eiru, who was the land incarnate, they held sway over the entire realm of Annwn. And their word was law.

  “Can you talk to them?” I asked. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but…”

  “But…where Angel goes, you go. I swear, the two of you have to have lived past lives together, to be as tight as you are.” Morgana relented, smiling. “Very well. I’ll discuss it with them, but I make no promises. And do you even know if she’s interested? On the off chance that I talk to them and they approve your request, they’ll expect her to accept. I want you to discuss this with her before I plead her case. They owe me a favor, and I don’t want to use that marker for no reason.”

  “I will,” I promised. “And now, can you tell me what I should do to prepare for the Gadawnoin?”

  “Rest. Hydrate. And think over your fears and why they are there. For that is one aspect I am allowed to tell you—you will be facing your fears.” She stood. “Let’s return to the others and find out what the deputy mayor had to say to Herne.”

  I followed her back into the living room. So much was happening, and all I wanted to do was crawl into my own bed, in my own house, and pull the covers over my head.

  Herne was waiting for us to return. “Okay, I talked to Maria Serenades. The news isn’t good. About an hour ago, a group of the Luminous Warriors demanded a meeting with all government officials from the United Coalition. This will happen tomorrow morning.”

  “We need to call Ashera and find out if she knows what this is about,” I said. “Can I borrow someone’s phone, since mine is still charging.”

  Herne handed me his phone and I headed over to the table while they continued to talk. I called Ashera and waited. She answered on the fourth ring.

  “Herne?”

  “No, it’s Ember. My phone…never mind—I haven’t had my phone available for a couple days, so I’m using Herne’s. Do you mind if I put you on speaker?”

  “Go ahead. I’m glad you called. I tried to phone you but there was no answer and I was sent straight to voice mail. I suppose you’ve heard by now that the Luminous Warriors have approached the United Coalition?”

  “Yes, just now. What’s going on? Do you know?”

  Ashera sighed. “Yes, unfortunately, our agents do know what’s going on. The Luminous Warriors are going to wrest control of the UC. They’re demanding a ruling place on the council and if they don’t get it, they’ll start destroying cities and towns. The government knows there’s not much they can do. And we—the Celestial Wanderers and the Mountain Dreamers—can try to fight them on this, but it would be an unending battle, given we’re immortal. We’d end up destroying what we were trying to protect. We could do what they are doing and demand a voice on the council, but that would lead to a stalemate, as well. We
could withdraw to the Forgotten Kingdom—”

  “If you do that, you leave Earth to the mercy of the Luminous Warriors. You told us they plan to make our world their own private lunchbox. I had hoped they would honor the agreement Echidna and Typhon made.” I had a headache now, full blown and pounding away.

  “The Luminous Warriors have no honor. I will be honest, some of the dragons are returning to the Forgotten Kingdom. We can’t leave the Hedge Dragons to tend to it forever—they’re younglings and it’s far too dangerous to leave them all alone.”

  “Hedge Dragons?” It was the first I’d heard of them.

  Ashera lowered her voice. “We don’t talk about them much, outside of our own kind. They’re a species of dragon formed from the connection between elemental magic and some of our own DNA. They aren’t immortal, but they do carry the magic of the elements. They’re young, though—so incredibly young compared to us, and they are under the protection of the Celestial Wanderers and Mountain Dreamers. The Luminous Warriors hate them and would kill them all if they had their way.”

  “I had no clue…there’s so much in this universe that I don’t know about.” I paused, then added, “So, are all of you leaving?” It made me incredibly sad and scared to think of the world left to the machinations of the Luminous Warriors.

  “No. But those of us staying are going to have to establish our own stronghold in order to throw a scare into the Luminous Warriors. We may be able to keep things in a checks-and-balances state for a while, but eventually, things are going to get rough and we want to be around to help where we can.”

  I silently stared at the others.

  Talia spoke up, loud enough so Ashera could hear. “So we’re at war, but this time, with dragons.”

  “I’m afraid you’re right,” Morgana said.

  Ashera paused, then said, “I’m sorry about your offices being destroyed.”

  “You didn’t do it,” Herne said.

  “No, but somebody had to say it.” She sighed.

  Cernunnos motioned for me to hand him the phone. “Ashera? I’ll have a messenger come by your place. You’ll know who he’s from, trust me. He’ll bring you information on how to reach us once we return to Annwn. May the spirit of Echidna be with you.”

  “And may you journey safely through the realms,” Ashera said, ending the call.

  Cernunnos hung up and handed Herne back his phone. “I’ll have the portal keeper over on Bainbridge take her a message. She can meet us in Annwn. Because for now, that’s where we’re going. There’s not much we can do here, not at this point. Saílle and Névé know how to get in touch with us.”

  I yawned. “I’m so tired. I want to sleep.”

  “You’ll sleep more safely in the palace,” Herne said. “We haven’t had a chance to tell you about the Fire Eaters. The Luminous Warriors have managed to assemble enough thugs and malcontents among the humans and the Otherkin community into roaming bands of toughs. They’re combing the streets for enemies to the new regime. The National Guard has its hands tied. They can’t go up against the dragons and they know it. The dragons have shown enough force in the past two days, razing monuments and buildings, that the United Coalition has knuckled under. I think they’re all in shock, to be honest. So these ruffians are—”

  “Brownshirts,” I said, my heart dropping.

  “What?”

  “Hitler’s brownshirts. The Braunhemden. Essentially the Luminous Warriors are militarizing groups of people to do their dirty work for them.”

  Herne’s expression chilled. “Yeah, that. Right now, our best bet is to withdraw to Annwn and decide what to do. We can talk with other leaders of other realms. The dragons could do what they’re doing here, anywhere.”

  Angel, Raven, and I stared at each other. We had been away for five days and the world had gone to hell. In some ways, it was worse than coming home to find absolute chaos. At least then, we could try to make some sort of order out of things. But while some buildings had fallen, and there had been casualties, life sounded like it was going on as though nothing at all had happened, at least for most people. And that was more surreal than the total anarchy.

  “So, does everyone have their luggage?” Morgana asked.

  Viktor, Talia, and Yutani nodded.

  “My dogs are in my car. I’ll go get them,” Talia said.

  “I’ll crate Mr. Rumblebutt in his carrier,” Herne said, hurrying toward the bedroom.

  “I have to pack,” I said, heartsick over the fact that we couldn’t go home. I loved my house, and while I knew that—once I married Herne—I wouldn’t be living there, I had hoped to give it to Angel, and to visit her there.

  “You’re already packed—at least for now. I asked Talia to pack for you,” Morgana said. “You too, Angel. Come now, let’s go before the cold settles further. There will be carriages waiting on the other side.” She shooed us toward the door.

  Herne returned, carrying Mr. Rumblebutt in his crate, and hoisting a pack over his back. “Some last-minute additions. I sent over a buttload of cat food and litter, so we’re fine on that account. At least for now.”

  I took one last look at Herne’s house. I loved his place as much as I loved my own. I didn’t want to live in somebody else’s palace. But right now, retreating and regrouping seemed like the best option. And if I was to start preparations for the ritual, I’d need rest.

  We trudged out to the backyard and headed up the trail that wound through the trees. As the snow fell in little whirls and swirls, Mr. Rumblebutt yowled a couple times, then fell silent. Ten minutes later we were at the portal, and the next moment, we were in Annwn, right near the palace at the base of two portal trees I didn’t recognize. Without a single word, a company of guards assembled and—guarding the lot of us on all sides—they led us into the tree palace, to our new home.

  Chapter Twelve

  Morgana settled us into our suite of rooms, leaving her maids behind to help us. They had already unpacked for us, and there was a tray of pastries and savory treats on the table. Angel and Talia’s room was to the left, Raven and Kipa were staying to the right. Yutani had a room down the hall, and Viktor and Sheila were staying together. Except for Angel, who was visiting her brother and Cooper’s family in rooms farther along the wing of the palace, we all gathered in Herne’s and my rooms, and the mood was anything but excited.

  After the servants had brought jugs of ale, bottles of wine, and a bucket of milk, they vanished out the door, leaving us to ourselves.

  I dropped on the bed, groaning as I leaned back to lie on the pillows. “What say we take this up again over breakfast? I’m so exhausted, I can’t think.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Raven said, slapping Kipa on the knee. “Come on, Wolf Boy, take me to bed.”

  He grinned. “Gladly, love. At least we know we’ll be safe here.” He led her out of the room. Talia and Yutani also withdrew, followed by Sheila and Viktor. That left Herne and me.

  I turned to him, feeling oddly out of place. But then, the entire past week I had—very aptly—felt out of place.

  “So, tomorrow I rest, and then…”

  “And then prepare for the ritual,” he said, motioning for me to join him in bed. I stripped off my clothes, sliding beneath the heavy quilts. I settled into the crook of his arm, resting my head on his shoulder as his scent filled my heart, making me feel ever safe and secure.

  “So, here we are,” he whispered. “You’re trembling. Are you scared?”

  “I’m afraid of so many things right now,” I whispered as Mr. Rumblebutt leapt up on the bed and curled up at our feet. “I’m afraid of what’s going to happen next. Back home. I’m afraid the world I grew up in, as flawed as it can be, will never be the same. It will never go back to being a world free from the Dragonni.”

  “You’re right,” Herne said. “It will never be the same. And I hate to tell you this, but before it’s over, it’s going to get worse. Ashera and her comrades will try to help out, but one thing we’ve
discovered over the past months—the Luminous Warriors are stronger than their Celestial Wanderers kin. The Mountain Dreamers maintain a slight edge when it comes to strength. This will be the cold war to end all cold wars.”

  I stared glumly at the wall. The flames in the fireplace crackled and popped, casting a glow around the room. Herne had turned off the lanterns when the others had left, and outside, the snow was falling thickly. The night was far darker than most I remembered except from when we’d been in Arianrhod’s lands.

  “Everything feels so wild here,” I said, snuggling closer. “Tell me the truth. Are we here for good? Will this be our new home?”

  Herne hesitated for a moment, then said, “I think…perhaps so. We can go back over to Earth when you’ve gone through the ritual, but we can’t stop the dragons. The Wild Hunt was formed to put a harness on Saílle and Névé, not for anything else. All the other cases we took on were incidental. Yes, we helped a lot of people, but now, there won’t be much use for us any longer. Saílle and Névé may talk about beefing up their militias, but I happen to know they’re looking at moving their cities.”

  “But what will they do about the home cities—the ones here in Annwn?” I couldn’t see their egos taking a backseat when it came to leadership, and the Fae Queens of the great walled territories of TirNaNog and Navane here in Annwn were sure to give them the brushoff.

  “There are other realms bordering Annwn. I suspect they’ll move their cities there. I know of one that buttresses up against the borders of our land. There are no real Fae cities there…so it’s prime territory.” He paused. “You mentioned a map you saw at the inn?”

  “Yes. A great map with Pohjola and Annwn and Kalevala and other countries—realms—on it.”

  “Do you remember seeing a realm called Wildemoone?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Yes, I do.”

  “That’s where I suspect the Fae Queens will move their cities to.” He burrowed under the covers, pulling them up to his chin. “I was so afraid you were dead, but my mother said you still lived. She just couldn’t find you. Sometimes crossing through the portals makes it difficult to locate someone, even if you have a connection with them. Which is one reason the coin I gave Raven didn’t work. I hadn’t even thought about that possibility when I gave it to her.” He paused. “I’m proud of you—of all three of you. You managed to survive a journey that would have killed many. But I never want to worry about your life again.”