The Tangled Sky Page 2

  “What are we supposed to do?” Hajeet asked. “Put a stop to the king?”

  “No, that’s none of our business. Unless we’re looking to create a war between the gods and right now, working against the Dragonni, we can’t afford a schism. No, what I want you to do is to help Ginty find a way through the cave-in so he can use the portal. If you try to take him out of the kingdom in any of the traditional ways, I’m afraid the guards will stop him.” Herne looked frustrated.

  “We should just take away Erikson’s throne,” Morgana said.

  Cernunnos cleared his throat. “You know that’s out of the question.”

  “I know, but Ginty’s been so helpful to the Wild Hunt—”

  “Nevertheless, we can’t.” The Lord of the Forest put an end to that discussion right there. “The dwarven gods are capricious at best, especially Anara—the goddess who watches over Guitwalden.” Cernunnos paused, then added, “You see, the Dwarves are our allies in the war against the Dragonni. And because of that, we don’t dare anger them. If they breathed even a word of what we’re planning to the Dragonni, it could destroy our whole plan.”

  I took a deep breath, then asked, “You have a plan to deal with the Dragonni beyond what happened with Echidna?”

  He paused, then nodded. “Yes, and right now you don’t need to know about that, but we have a plan. So it’s vital that you get Ginty and his family out without alerting Erikson.”

  Ember chugged her coffee. She was the most mortal-seeming goddess I’d ever met. “Ginty has been apprised that you’re coming.”

  “When do we leave?” Ayo asked.

  “Morning after tomorrow. So get your gear ready by tomorrow night. You should be prepared to camp out in the cold if need be, but Ginty will find you when you enter Guitwalden.”

  “So the city’s name isn’t the same name as the mountain range?” Ayo asked.

  “Correct,” Herne said. “Guitwalden was the name of the first of the Dwarven King’s line. The family still exists, but the rule fell to Erikson’s family during a skirmish about two thousand years ago and the Guitwaldens never attempted to regain control.”

  “We’ll meet again tomorrow afternoon, but for now, you’re excused,” Ember said. She stood, followed by Herne, Morgana, and Cernunnos. They filed out of the room, leaving the rest of us sitting there. Raven and Kipa turned to me.

  “Can we talk somewhere?” Raven asked.

  I nodded. “Come back to my quarters.” I said goodbye to the others and led Raven and Kipa to my quarters.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “How do you like living here?” Raven asked as we passed through the halls of Caer Briar Shore. “It’s pretty, for a castle.”

  “It is,” I said. “And most everybody seems nice. Oh, Shellsong is learning sign language. So am I. And Herne has assigned her an assistant for when she needs to go out shopping or on visits—to translate for her.” I wanted to jump right into asking how they managed to get Sparkle away from my mother, but that was a discussion that I felt was better served with privacy.

  “How’s it going with Stegis?” Kipa asked, grinning. They had found out about my tryst with Stegis back in Wildemoone.

  I shook my head. “I like Stegis, but don’t count us as a couple.”

  Raven sighed. “I was hoping for a whirlwind romance. What happened?”

  “What happened is Stegis didn’t expect to leave Wildemoone. Apparently, he expected what we had to be a one-night stand. When he was forced to return to Annwn with us, everything got awkward. I don’t regret what happened—it was nice enough—but the last thing I need right now is to be saddled with a man who doesn’t know if he wants to be with me. Hell, I don’t even know if I want a relationship, either. So we agreed to be friends and leave it at that for now.”

  I’d never been with anybody on a sexual basis before—hell, I’d never had friends before other than my sister Sparkle. In the space of two months I was living in another realm, I had friends and was working for the gods, and I had learned what sex was like. While I enjoyed it, I wasn’t ready to take on a serious relationship with anybody. My entire life had done a one-eighty and it was all I could do to keep my wits about me. And I’d also adopted a very big oclacat named Serifa. All in all, that was enough on my plate for now.

  “I don’t know whether to say I’m sorry, or good thing you escaped,” she said.

  “Oh, Stegis isn’t a bad guy. He’s just a little full of himself at times,” I said. “I couldn’t believe it when you walked in. I know you promised but…I’m not used to good things happening in my life.”

  I stopped in front of the door to my quarters. “Come in,” I said, opening the door and entering.

  Sparkle and Shellsong were curled up on the sofa together, while Elta was reading Sparkle a story. Serifa was sprawled across Sparkle’s lap, looking cozy.

  “Hey,” I said.

  Sparkle jumped up, startling Serifa, and darted over to me, grabbing me around the waist as she rested her head on my shoulder. “I can’t believe I’m with you,” she said, her voice muffled.

  “I know,” I said, hugging her. “I know.” I turned to Elta. “If you have time, would you mind taking Sparkle out to get some clothes?” I knew for a fact she didn’t have many of her own. None of us had ever owned more than two outfits.

  Elta put the book down. “What about it, Sparkle? Would you like to choose some new clothes? And we can stop for lunch after we’re done.”

  Sparkle turned to look at me. “Can I, Storm?” She looked excited.

  I nodded. “Go ahead. Stay with Elta—you can trust her.”

  Elta motioned to Sparkle and, after hugging Serifa, Sparkle followed.

  “She’s happy,” I said, watching them go. I sat down by Shellsong.

  She signed, “I can’t believe you actually managed to get her away from Mother.”

  “Thank Raven and Kipa for that,” I said, smiling at them.

  Serifa came rambling up and plopped herself down in front of me. She looked up at me with her luminous green eyes and rubbed against my thigh. Your sister, do you want me to protect her?

  I blinked. While I knew that Serifa was observant, I didn’t realize she would be able to pinpoint Sparkle as family. “Yes, I’d love that. How did you know she was my sister?”

  You have the same scent—the hedge dragon scent. And there’s a strong resemblance. I like her. I’ll keep an eye on her for you.

  More grateful than ever that I had brought along the oclacat, I leaned down and hugged her. “Thank you. Shellsong and I appreciate that.” At Shellsong’s expectant look, I said, “Serifa has volunteered to watch over Sparkle.”

  Raven and Kipa made themselves comfortable on the sofa. Shellsong jumped up and ducked into the kitchenette, bringing back a loaf of the bread she’d made, along with sweet cream butter, some cookies, and a tray of tea. She handed around the cups as I curled up in one of the overstuffed chairs.

  “So, tell us the story. How did you manage to get Sparkle away from our mother?” I said, accepting a cup of tea and a slice of Shellsong’s bread. It was fluffy and tasted better than anything I could hope to make.

  Raven let out a sigh. “It wasn’t easy. So help me, I’m never going to the Forgotten Kingdom again. Why didn’t you tell me you lived near a haunted forest?”

  I groaned, rubbing my forehead. “I’m sorry—I totally forgot to mention the Shred.”

  “Is that what you call it? I call it spook-central. I’m a bone witch, remember. The dead like me. I attracted so many spirits there that I could barely breathe. It took every ounce of energy I had to block them.” She looked irate, but I had the feeling she was less angry than perturbed.

  “Was it really that bad?” I asked. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Well, it wasn’t pleasant. Someday, when we have more time, I’ll tell you about everything I found out while I was there. But one thing I will say: the Dragonni cursed that land forever when they strafed it. I doubt if the forest will ever grow again.”

  “She’s right,” Kipa said. “The spirit of the land has been twisted and deformed by what the Dragonni did to it. I’d be surprised if it ever recovers.”

  I glanced at Shellsong. “Remember when we were little and would venture too far into the Shred? Mother used to beat our butts for that.”

  Shellsong nodded. She started to sign something, then frowned and picked up a notepad and pencil. A moment later, she held it out to me. I remember. I also remember the one neighbor we had—early on after we moved to the Shred. Remember Astasha? The Babo? She went missing shortly after we moved into the cave. I remember Mother hunting for her.

  I crinkled my brow. “I do remember that, actually, though I’d forgotten till you mentioned it. Astasha…I think she was human,” I said to Raven and Kipa, “but I’m not sure. Babo is the word for ‘sorceress’ in hedge dragon. She was old, so old that it was impossible to think she’d ever been young. She used to threaten to turn us into toads if we didn’t behave. And when we really bothered her by trampling on her garden, she’d threaten to drag us into the Shred and lose us.

  “One day, she just vanished. Mother went out to look for her but never found a single sign of Astasha. Since the Babo lived alone, Mother eventually took her things from the little hut Astasha lived in. That’s how we got our blankets.”

  “Well, I can tell you it would be massively easy for anybody to get lost in there. But someone with strong magical powers? My guess is some of the ghosts drained her power and killed her.” Raven shivered. “Anyway, I don’t ever want to go there again.”

  “Once we made it out of the Shred, it was fairly easy to follow your directions to your mother’s house. She didn’t welcome company, but when we told her that you had sent us, that got her attention.” Kipa let out a sigh.

  “We told her that you and Shellsong had sent us to bring Sparkle to you. Your mother was about to say no, till we offered her some gold. Then it went like a breeze,” Raven said.

  “Anyway,” Kipa continued, after we all sat back down, “we told her again we were taking Sparkle but she was so busy fawning over the gold pieces that she didn’t object. The rest of the journey was easy. Sparkle took to Raven and so we journeyed through Kalevala, to our home, where she met our gargoyle, Raj. We needed to pick up a few things. Raj and Sparkle had great fun. Then we brought her here.”

  I stared at the coffee table. “I wonder if our mother ever loved us at all?”

  “You know she didn’t,” Shellsong wrote. “Look what she did to me. She’ll forever take advantage of everyone else to serve herself.”

  “You’re right,” I said. “But…you would think she’d care more about Sparkle, given her nature.”

  “Let it go. She’s behind you now. You never have to see her again,” Kipa said, resting his hand on my shoulder.

  “I’ll watch over her while you’re away,” Shellsong signed.

  “Thanks.” I turned back to Raven and Kipa. “Thank you for rescuing her. You probably saved her life. Who knows what that bitch would have done to her if any more time went on.”

  Raven glanced at Kipa, then said, “I happen to have met one of the Ante-Fae who lives over in the Forgotten Kingdom—one of the few there. I suggested he might want to pay your mother a visit. There’s not much she could do to him, and I think he can make life a lot harder for her than she’d like. His name is Frostjun, and he’s really good at stirring up ice elementals and ice storms.”

  I locked her gaze with mine. “Thank you. I welcome all help.”

  Kipa motioned to a bag he had set on the table. “We brought Sparkle’s things. There wasn’t much and a few of them, we gave her. She fell in love with the carved wooden nesting dolls that one of our friends makes back in Kalevala.”

  “Thank you,” I said, once again near tears. “Thank you so much for helping us. You saved my life, and now you saved my sister. I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

  Raven gave me a tight hug. “Forget about it—we’re friends. You’d do the same for us if the situation was reversed.”

  “Yes, I would,” I said.

  “Me too,” Shellsong signed.

  As we escorted them out the door, the only thing I could think of was how we were free now, free from our mother.

  I turned back to Shellsong. “One day, I’m taking Mother down, even if we have to find a way to imprison her so she never gets out. An eternity in solitude might begin to pay for what she’s done.”

  Shellsong regarded me solemnly for a minute, then signed, “Whatever you think is best, I’ll help you. I’m willing to let things ride, even with what she did to me. But I’ll help you.”

  As she headed back into the kitchenette, I couldn’t help but think how much Shellsong had changed. Or maybe I’d never given her a chance. Maybe I had assumed she was selfish when she had been focused on just making it through the day. In some ways, our mother did us a favor. She’d given us the chance to bond and truly get to know one another after we’d gotten away from her. And that was a priceless gift. I thought about whether it was wisest to just leave our mother alone. But I didn’t have to decide now, and that was a blessing.

  CHAPTER THREE

  When Elta returned with Sparkle, their arms were full of bags and Sparkle was laughing at a joke Elta had just told her. They were getting along great. Sparkle seemed cheerier than ever, and I realized she was blossoming being away from home, where she was mostly ignored.

  “Elta, will you check in while I’m gone? I’m off on a mission day after tomorrow.”

  “Yes, I will. So you’re off to the Dwarven Kingdom?”

  I nodded. “Yes. I don’t think I’ve met a dwarf before.”

  “They’re smart—the dwarven race is as ancient as Elves. Maybe more so. They’ve mined down into places that no one should ever go, but anyone who uses Dark Silver or ilithiniam should be grateful to them—those metals would never see the surface of the world without the dwarves,” Elta said. “Ember’s friend Yutani has a whip with ilithiniam threads braided into it.”

  “I’ve never heard of either metal until recently,” I said. I knew who Yutani was—I’d met him once or twice. He was half human, and the son of a god, though I’d never heard of the Great Coyote, either. He was a serious, taciturn man who was too handsome for his own good and I felt there was something feral and wild behind his unreadable nature. The fact that he owned a whip didn’t surprise me.

  “Lady Ember asked to see you this afternoon. Why don’t you come with me back to her office?” Elta and I both referred to Ember as “Ember” in private, but we kept up the title for decorum whenever we were out of the goddess’s presence.

  I peeked into Sparkle’s room to tell them both I’d be back as soon as I could, then followed Elta through the castle to Ember’s office. The halls were bustling with activity. As Caer Briar Shore became more settled, and the village associated with it sprang to life as people came to stay and live under the castle’s shadow, the activity in the castle had begun to speed up.

  We passed by a group of servants decorating the grand ballroom for an event, and it looked like a peacock had thrown up all over the area, there were so many blues and purples and greens around.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  Elta laughed. “Ember’s birthday is coming up in a week, so Herne’s throwing a dance in her honor. And Ember loves those colors.”

  “That makes sense.” I had learned how much emphasis some humans and their kin—the Fae especially—put on their birth anniversaries. It had never occurred to me to even think about the day I was born, and even if I had thought about it, I had no clue what day or year it was.

  We went to Ember’s office and Elta peeked in, then motioned for me to follow her. Ember was at her desk.

  “Thank you for coming,” Ember said as she glanced up. She leaned back as she pushed her book away.

  “Your Highness, we really should locate my office outside of yours so I don’t interrupt you if I need to talk to someone.” Elta propped her hands on her hips, looking a little put out, giving me the distinct impression that they had navigated this discussion before.

  “Yes, yes. But I like having you in here.” Ember motioned for me to approach. “Have a seat.” She placed a slip of paper in her book, marking her place, then looked at me. “I wanted to talk to you about your mission.”

  I took the chair opposite the desk from hers, crossing my right leg over my left. “Is there something else I should know? Also, can I beg a favor? Would you have your healers look over Sparkle to make certain she’s okay? You know that I told you she was a bit slow—I’m wondering if there’s anything I should know about that. How far can she develop with the right help?”

  Ember flashed me a broad smile. “Of course. Elta, bring Avina, now.”

  Elta excused herself and vanished out the door.

  “I’m happy to help. You’re part of our home now, so don’t be afraid to ask things of us. I’ve sent for our main healer. She’ll know which one of her staff is best for this job.” She paused, then asked, “When Elta returns, would you like a mocha?”

  Mocha was a drink I had quickly learned to love. Coffee, the stimulant behind it, had the most pleasant effect of speeding up the day and I had quickly become addicted to it.

  “I’d love one. Elta said you wanted to speak to me?”

  “Yes.” Ember leaned forward, a serious look on her face. “I’m going to tell you something, but it must remain absolutely secret. You must give me your word and I’m going to place a silence choker on you, but I think you need to know this for your own peace of mind.”

  I frowned. I’d been around enough to know that a silence choker was a spell that the gods could place on their followers—and others as well—to keep a secret from leaking out. The thought of knowing something I couldn’t talk about didn’t bother me, actually, given how quiet I had to be in some places about what I was.