Autumn's Bane Read online

  “What?” Herne looked like he was ready to explode. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Kipa stepped in. “A shadow dragon landed and shifted form. He vanished around the corner and I hurried to follow. He was on the run, heading toward Ember, so I did what I could to throw him off.”

  “Viktor was trying to help me,” I said. “He jumped in front of me. Gyell grabbed hold of him and before we could do anything, they vanished. But the vrykos…we couldn’t stop to look for him.” I pressed my forehead to my knees, not wanting to move or think or feel. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “We couldn’t stop.”

  Herne leaned down and with gentle hands, lifted me to my feet. “No, you couldn’t. And shadow dragons are terrifyingly powerful. But now we need to figure out what happened to Viktor.” He motioned to Yutani. “Call Akron. Get him over here. Kipa, you and your men take one last look through the entire complex and make sure we got all of the vrykos. Then let the medics know they can safely go in for the residents.” A raven shifter, Akron led a cleanup crew that took care of crime scenes.

  I leaned against Herne’s side, feeling drained. He helped me out of the facility and back toward the parking lot. The events of the day were so convoluted in my brain that all I wanted to do was shut out the world.

  “We need to wait until Yutani and Kipa return,” he said, “but you can sit in the car.”

  I shook my head. “I’ll wait till they come back.”

  And so we stood there, waiting, until Kipa and his men and Yutani returned.

  “Akron’s on his way,” Yutani said.

  “Did you ride with Viktor or vice versa?”

  “I drove.” Yutani looked even more exhausted than I felt. He looked almost defeated. “I hate just leaving. What if he’s somewhere on the grounds?”

  Kipa spoke up. “My men and I will search the grounds and the cemetery. If Viktor’s still around here, we’ll find him. And that way, we can make certain there aren’t any vrykos hiding in the bushes. We’ll meet you back at the office.”

  Herne nodded his thanks, then helped me into the car. We headed out, with me silently staring out of the window, wondering where Viktor was, and if he was even still alive.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  At the office, Herne and I took a shower together. We bathed silently, not talking about Viktor as though we might break a spell if we did so. But the half-ogre filled my thoughts as Herne soaped my back for me, rubbing my shoulders gently, offering comfort. As the water poured over us, he lathered me up with bath gel, then helped me wash my hair. We rinsed off and changed into the extra clothes that we both kept at the office.

  I braided my hair back so that it would dry without my having to blow dry it, and headed for the break room. Angel was there, and she had ordered lunch. Steaming bowls of chowder were waiting for us, along with fried fish, biscuits, and coleslaw. Yutani went to take a shower while we sat down to eat. Angel was keeping his food warm in the oven.

  “Yutani told me what happened to Viktor,” she said, sitting down across from us. “Do you think he’s still alive? What do we do now?”

  “I don’t know,” Herne said, shaking his head. “If anybody can survive being captured by a dragon, it’s him. But we need a location spell. We need some direction as to where Gyell took him, because there’s no way we can find him otherwise.” His worry was evident in his eyes. “I’ve texted my parents. They’re on their way.”

  Angel turned on the TV. The local stations were covering the incident at the nursing home. All told, eight out of the twenty-seven residents had been killed, along with three staff members and three officers. Fourteen dead from one little skirmish.

  “The United Coalition has to tell the nation about the dragons soon.” Herne shook his head. “I’ll ask my parents to talk to the UC. While the Coalition is working with us, I think they can work faster if they do.”

  Yutani appeared in the doorway, looking clean and refreshed. “Lunch? Thanks.” He sat down and Angel brought him his lunch.

  At that moment, Talia hustled in from her office. “I’ve been doing research on Echidna this morning. I think Ember may be right with her hunch. I think Echidna might actually be in Death Valley. There have been several sightings of dragons around there over the past decade. I’ve called in the help of friends I have down there to do some sleuthing. Hawk shifters—they can see from a long distance overhead. Maybe she could help us with Viktor, if we found her.”

  “We really do need her, because things are just going to get worse from here on out. Why the hell Tartarus and Gaia had to go and create the dragon race, I don’t know, but I could have done without them at this point,” Herne said.

  We had barely finished eating when there was a noise in the hall. Herne started to rise, but before he could fully stand, his mother and father came striding into the room.

  “We didn’t want to bother you to open the door,” Cernunnos said, motioning for us to stay seated. “You said something went wrong. Tell us what’s going on.”

  That was one thing about Cernunnos—he didn’t stand on ceremony. If there was work to do, he got it done. If there was something to find out, he went in search of it. And he didn’t abide shirkers in his court.

  Morgana gave me a weary smile. She actually looked tired and I wondered what could make a goddess tired. She accepted the chair that Cernunnos pulled out for her, sitting to my right. The Lord of the Forest then sat beside her, barely fitting in the average-sized chair.

  “Viktor was abducted by Gyell, a shadow dragon who’s been stirring up trouble with the vrykos,” Herne said.

  An idea suddenly struck me. “I know! We need to call Ashera. If anybody would have an idea of where Gyell took Viktor, it would be her.” I jumped out of my seat. “I’m going to call her now.”

  “Good thought,” Herne said, waving me on.

  I moved to the sofa, putting in a call to Ashera.

  She answered on the first ring. “Ember, what’s up?” She had picked up on English faster than I ever thought anyone could, but then again, dragons were incredibly intelligent.

  “Gyell captured Viktor. Do you know where he might have taken him? He grabbed hold of him and they disappeared.” The words tumbled out of my mouth.

  She gasped. “Oh no. Tell me what happened.”

  I ran down the attack at the nursing home and how Gyell had been there. “We couldn’t do anything. They just vanished. We had to fight off the vrykos, and then, when we finished, there was still no sign of either one so we came back to the office and now we’re trying to figure out how to locate him. Do you think Gyell killed him outright?” I added, dreading the answer.

  She paused for a moment, then said, “No, I don’t. Viktor’s a good bargaining chip. My guess is that he’ll try to use him to lure all of you in. You—the Wild Hunt—are a direct threat to Typhon, so it makes sense for Gyell to do his best to bring down the entire agency. He’ll know enough to realize that he can’t kill Herne, but he can destroy the rest of you. No matter whether he offers you a deal or not, you can’t trust him. Shadow dragons are treacherous. All of the Luminous Warriors are. They beguile and charm and say whatever you want to hear in order to get what they want.”

  “Where do you think he took Viktor?”

  “Into the Underworld,” Ashera said. “That’s where Gyell will be strongest.”

  My heart sank. “But…can Viktor survive there? He’s alive. Can the living exist in the lands of the dead?”

  Ashera cleared her throat. “Yes, for a while. Stay too long and you’ll fade and become a wight. The Underworld is filled with wights and creatures that were once alive but haven’t yet died. They live in the Between, the space between life and death. It’s a shadowy world of fire and smoke, and endless twilight.”

  I closed my eyes, swaying. The Between… I had never heard of the realm before and now that I had, I wished I hadn’t. It sounded like a horrible place.

  “Limbo,” I whispered.

  �
��Yes, it’s very much like limbo. But Ember…if Viktor does fade into the Between, then you’ll never be able to bring him back. You have to rescue him before then, or he’ll be lost for good. Even ghosts can be freed from their state, but once you’re caught in the Between, you’ll never escape.” Ashera paused, then added, “I’d offer to help you, but I cannot go there—the only dragons who can enter the Underworld are shadow dragons.”

  I thought for a moment. “What happens when you die? When dragons die, I mean. Where do they go, if not to the Underworld?”

  “Our spirits travel to the Summerlands—some of us. Others actually end up in Valhalla, and still others, in darker realms. Like mortals, it varies depending on who we are and what we’ve done in our lives and the gods we may be connected to.” She sighed. “I wish I could go with you, but I can’t. However, you cannot enter the Underworld if you’re still alive, not without a guide. And stay with that guide at all times. You might want to contact your friend Raven—she can guide you, given she’s pledged to a god of death.”

  After asking me to let her know what we were going to do, Ashera signed off.

  I returned to the table, feeling grim. “So, Gyell most likely will try to use Viktor as a bargaining chip in order to trap the rest of us. One goal the dragons have—Typhon’s side, that is—is to destroy the agency since we’re such a threat. And Ashera says that he’s most likely taken Viktor into the Underworld.”

  Cernunnos let out a long sigh. “I feared that might be the case.”

  “Ashera suggested we take Raven as our guide.” I sat down again and Morgana reached out to pat me gently on the shoulder, a sad smile on her face.

  “I concur,” Cernunnos said. “But the trip will be dangerous and you’ll have to make it short. It would help if we knew precisely where in the Underworld to look.” He frowned, turning to Morgana. “My dear, do you have any oracles in your bag of magical tricks?”

  She thought for a moment, then said, “Actually, I might. I can do an interdimensional location spell. That way we can find the coordinates for where to send you across. Think of it like…oh…latitude and longitude, only it applies between realms as well.” She glanced around. “It would help if I could have something Viktor touched today. I can take his energy signature from that, and it will give the spell a much better chance of working.”

  Talia stood. “His jacket’s in our office. He forgot it when he took off for the nursing home this morning. He wore it in, so the energy should be fairly fresh on it. Do you want me to get it?”

  Morgana nodded. “Yes, but please don’t touch it any more than necessary. Use a glove or something to carry it back to me, so your signature doesn’t imprint over his.”

  Talia nodded and headed out of the room.

  “You should call Raven,” Morgana said to me. “If I find his signature, you’ll want to head out as soon as possible, in case Gyell decides to move Viktor.”

  As I once again stepped aside, this time to call Raven, Talia returned, holding Viktor’s jacket with a gloved hand. We kept plenty of disposable non-latex gloves around for examining evidence and anything else that might come up. Morgana took the jacket as Raven answered.

  “Hey, Ember, what’s shaking?”

  “I have a big favor to ask, and it could be dangerous. Hell, it is dangerous, but we need you, Raven.” I explained what had happened to Viktor and how we would probably need to travel into the Underworld to find him. “We could use a good bone witch with us.”

  I could feel her hesitation, but then she said, “I’m on my way. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Kipa’s here and he’ll come with me. What should I bring?”

  “Let me ask Morgana.” I turned back to the table. “Raven wants to know what she should bring with her. And Kipa’s coming too.”

  “Kipa cannot enter the Underworld,” Herne said.

  Morgana shushed him. “He’s right, but that’s no matter. Ask her to bring her heart-gift from Arawn.” At my questioning look, she added, “Like the necklace I gave you representing your pledge to me. She’ll have a heart-gift from Arawn. And also, the one from Cerridwen, for the Keeper of the Cauldron of Rebirth has free rein in the Underworld. They may offer some protection. I don’t know.”

  I nodded and went back to my phone call. “Your heart-gifts from Arawn and Cerridwen, Morgana says.”

  “I’ll see you as soon as we can get over the bridge.” Raven signed off.

  I turned back to the others, only to see that everybody had backed away from the table, giving Morgana room to cast her spell. I quietly took my place beside Herne, waiting.

  The casting of spells varied depending on the spell-caster, but this was new for me. I had watched Raven cast her spells, and Marilee, and even Angel, as she was learning. I knew how I cast my own spells. But I had only seen Morgana cast a spell once, and I was curious to see what she would do.

  Morgana spread the jacket on the now-empty table and took the glass of water that Talia handed her. She trickled it out of the glass to encircle the coat, making certain there wasn’t a single space left in the line of the circle. Next, she set a bowl from the cupboard on the center of his jacket and filled it with more water. Holding out her hand, she closed her eyes and whispered an incantation. A smooth, large pearl appeared in the center of her palm. It was as large as a marble, and more luminous than any pearl I had ever seen.

  It suddenly occurred to me that as a goddess, I might be able to do things like this. I was learning to work with the magic of water, and Marilee had been teaching me, filling in the gaps of my magical knowledge. I had learned haphazardly, without my mother to train me. Oh, she had taught me some things when I was little, but she had died before I was ready to begin any formal training. Now, I was making up for lost time, but it was almost harder than starting from the beginning.

  Morgana slowly circled the table, her hand stretched out above the jacket at all times. She held up her other hand, palm cupped upward holding the pearl. A trail of droplets drifted out from her fingers, hovering in the air behind her.

  Through the mists, through the veils,

  Carve a path, show the trail,

  Sacred water, now I drink,

  Waters creep through nook and chink,

  Seek and find, deliver to me,

  Viktor’s location, for to see.

  She paused, holding perfectly still and then suddenly, with one swift motion, plunged the pearl into the bowl of water and leaned over it, staring intently as the water foamed and churned. A moment later, the surface smoothed, still as ice, and from where I stood, I could see an image forming in it. I wasn’t able to tell what it was, but Morgana watched intently.

  Then the lights flickered and she stood, letting out a long breath. “I know where he’s being held.” She turned to Cernunnos. “I’ll need your help to send Ember and Raven over there.”

  He nodded. “I can do that, my dearest.” He paused, then turned to me as Talia helped Morgana clear the table. “This is neither the best time nor place, but while we’re waiting for Raven, your mother and I discussed the matter, Herne, and we’ve decided you’ll have the wedding in Annwn, at my palace.”

  There it was. Firm, no doubt, no wiggle room. I was glad Herne and I had already discussed the possibility of two ceremonies, one for show and one for just us.

  “Thank you,” I murmured, feeling suddenly shy. Cernunnos always made me feel spindly and awkward, though I knew he had no intention of doing so.

  “Morgana’s seamstresses will make your wedding dress, of course. Fit for a goddess.” Cernunnos seemed more excited than I would have expected, and it struck me that it might be bringing back memories of his own wedding to Morgana. They might live in separate homes, but they still seemed happy together, and they meshed in an unexplainable way.

  “All right, who will be going with you and Raven?” Morgana asked. “I can send three of you. No more.”

  “I guess…” I glanced at Herne. “You can’t come, can you? Or Kipa?”
r />   He shook his head. “I’m not a god over death. I cannot enter the Underworld.”

  I turned to Yutani. “I suppose that means you.”

  “I’m sorry, but Yutani can’t go, either,” Herne said.

  Yutani jerked around to stare at him. “Why?”

  “Your father is Coyote, and Coyote does not walk among the dead. You’re a demigod, regardless of how recently you found out about it.”

  Yutani blinked. “I hadn’t even thought of that.”

  “Then who do we take?” I couldn’t imagine taking Talia. She wasn’t weak, but she never went out on fights with us.

  Herne turned toward Angel. “My instincts tell me to send you along.”

  Angel’s eyes widened and she shuddered. “Are you sure? I can’t fight my way out of a barrel. I’m learning but…my magic is still new. Wouldn’t I just be in the way?”

  I didn’t want her to come with us, but something resonated inside, like a jigsaw piece fitting into place, and I slowly nodded.

  “I think…yes. Angel, we need you.” I wasn’t sure why, but it felt clear as crystal now that she had to go along. However, that meant that I was the one who would do the brunt of the fighting, if there was fighting to be done.

  “All right, if you’re sure…” Angel looked like she was seasick, but she straightened her shoulders and asked, “What should I take?”

  I turned toward Morgana. “Any suggestions?”

  But it was Cernunnos who answered. “You’re not going into a fight. You’re to go in stealth, and you must rely on brains, magic, and cunning to win Viktor back. One thing I say to you,” the Lord of the Forest said, leaning down to hold my gaze. “Remember why you are doing this. Should the occasion arise where you falter, remember the reason for your journey, and remember the friendship you share with the half-ogre.”

  Angel and I spent the next fifteen minutes getting ready. Regardless of whether we expected a fight, I still took my daggers. I wasn’t going to risk losing Brighid’s Flame—or even Serafina, my bow—over there, so I opted to take one of the agency short swords as well, buckling the sheath around my waist. Morgana told us to return before midnight.