Panther Prowling Read online

  Camille pointed to a roadside fruit stand that we normally passed on our way out to the Fae Sovereign Nation. “Look—Sandro’s . . . The stand is a mess. That sucks.” She frowned. “They barely get by as it is.”

  The fruit stand was trashed. It was a freestanding structure, much like a newsstand, with a place for the cashier in back of the counter. Wide tables held the fruit or vegetables or whatever else they might be selling. A large fir had crashed down on top of it and split the stand in two, destroying the tables with the branches. Rhonda Lopez—Sandro’s wife—was standing there, staring at it. Her kids were milling around, looking confused. Sandro was nowhere in sight.

  “I wonder if they have insurance.” But even as I said it, I knew how ludicrous that sounded. The family was poor, but they worked their asses off to build their business. “I wonder if we can help.”

  “Why don’t you start up a phone tree with the Supe Community Crisis Center—tell them that one of our own needs help. Sandro and his family are Weres. I forget what they shift into, but I remember they were at a meeting last year. Maybe we can organize a community drive to help them out.” She changed lanes. We were near the exit to Talamh Lonrach Oll.

  “You know, I’d totally forgotten they were Were. I’ll do that.” I made a note on my list. I’d found it best to write things down when they occurred to me or they’d vanish under the ever-growing to-do list.

  Another ten minutes and we managed to make it to the gates of Talamh Lonrach Oll. A carriage was waiting for us, and Myrddin silently motioned for us to get in. He remained silent as we approached the Barrow palaces.

  Camille gasped as we rounded the bend, and my own jaw dropped. There was a heavily armed contingent of guards standing in front of Morgaine’s barrow. The carriage slowed and Myrddin hopped out. The guards escorted us down the steps, as the Merlin, still silent, waited for us. He turned then, and—with us in tow—headed into the barrow.

  As we passed through the halls, the Fae had gathered in small groups, and they were all whispering. The moment we came into view, however, they fell silent until we’d passed. Myrddin looked neither to the right nor to the left, just led us on through the maze until we came to the outside of a large chamber that was heavily guarded. One of the guards stood back, allowing us access to the door.

  Myrddin opened the door and motioned to Camille. “Go in. Aeval is waiting for you.” He shook his head when I started to follow. “Lady Camille first. You will be called in after Aeval has her say.”

  One of the guards brought me a chair and I settled in to wait. I tried to gauge the mood of what was going on, but it was almost impossible. The guards here were stoic, and they gave nothing away in their expressions. The Merlin was even worse.

  Fifteen minutes later, the door inched open and there was a whispered exchange. One of the guards motioned for me to go in. Both curious, and a little wary, I entered the room to find myself in Morgaine’s bedchamber. To the right of the bed, Aeval was sitting on a bench. Titania was standing near her, and Camille was sitting between them on a chair. She looked stunned.

  It was then that I noticed Morgaine. She was in the bed, lying back against the pillows with her eyes closed and her hair streaming down over her breasts. She was wearing a gown of purple and blue . . . delicate and shimmering with beads. She didn’t open her eyes when I came in. Something struck me as odd, and I looked at her again. It was then that I noticed that Morgaine wasn’t breathing. She was still as a sculpture . . . still as ice . . . still as the grave.

  I walked over to her and leaned down. There was no breath. And her face was paler than usual, the alabaster of her skin shimmering with a faint bluish cast.

  I didn’t need to ask. I had seen enough corpses in my life to recognize death. Uncertain how I felt—I’d never really liked her, but I sure hadn’t wished her any harm—I sought for something to say. “How did she die?”

  “Her own hand.” Titania sounded incredibly distant. Her voice was like the tinkling of summer flutes on the wind. I turned around and found her staring at me, with a soft, sad smile. “Morgaine poisoned herself. She managed to get hold of some Bellavonna.”

  Bellavonna, a drink made from belladonna, hemlock, wolfsbane, and honey, was a deadly mixture with a sweet taste, and was the drug of choice for Supes who had lived so long they were tired of the world.

  “Did she really kill herself?” Morgaine had been a firecracker, a take-no-prisoners, no-holds-barred type of woman. It was a hard image to reconcile with the idea that she’d killed herself. “The Morgaine we knew wouldn’t let anything beat her down.”

  Aeval let out a soft sigh. “She was not the Morgaine you knew. Not since Arthur and Mordred died. She’s been sinking deeper and deeper into her fugue. The only times she seemed to surface was when she would find something of theirs—a shirt or a belt or a photo. Then, she would sit and cry for hours. Morgaine could handle anything except the loss of the two people who kept her going all these years. She lived to take care of them. Once they were gone, so was her reason for living. When we found Mordred’s body, it was the final straw.”

  Her words hit me, then. I slowly sat down on the edge of the bed beside our long-distant cousin, feeling unaccountably sad. Camille rose and joined me, on the other side of the bed. She took one of Morgaine’s hands, and I held the other as we whispered our prayer for the dead.

  “What was life has crumbled. What was form, now falls away. Mortal chains unbind and the soul is lifted free. May you find your way to the ancestors. May you find your path to the gods. May your bravery and courage be remembered in song and story. May your parents be proud, and may your children carry your birthright. Sleep, and wander no more.”

  Camille silently replaced Morgaine’s hand, folding her arm so it rested on her chest. I did the same.

  “Camille, you should tell your sister your news.” Aeval sounded both relieved and yet pensive. “Delilah, the only ones who are to know this are you, Menolly, and Camille’s husbands. None of the others—not yet. We cannot risk this news getting out yet, and the implementation of it will take a long while yet.”

  I frowned. What the hell was going on now? I turned to Camille.

  Camille glanced over at the two Fae Queens, then, with a look that read both petrified and awestruck, she came around the bed and sat down next to me, taking my hands. “Aeval and Titania . . . they’ve decided that eventually I’m to take Morgaine’s place. I’m not only going to be the first Earthside High Priestess for the Moon Mother, I’m going to be the Queen of Dusk and Twilight.”

  * * *

  Of course, that shifted my entire focus. While I was worried about Daniel, he fell to the background as I tried to take in what she’d just said. I looked at Aeval, then Titania, and they both nodded.

  “When . . . How did you . . .” I didn’t know what to say. The idea was so huge, so life-shifting, that it felt like there was suddenly an elephant in the room and I had no clue how it got here.

  Aeval stood, and by the look on her face, I realized this wasn’t up for discussion. “The Hags of Fate have decreed it so. And Titania and I concur. Camille’s destiny has led her here, and it is here that she will make her home when the time comes.”

  “It will take quite some time, of course. She must be properly trained, and you must get through this war first. But Aeval is correct. Camille is ours. She belongs to Aeval’s court until then, but she will have her own as time passes.” Titania beamed me a smile so warm that I almost forgot my hesitation.

  Camille hadn’t said a word, and I wanted to ask her how she felt, but I was smart enough to realize this was neither the time nor the place. She had to walk a tightrope here, and if she had any hesitations or fears, it was better she express them in private.

  She caught my gaze, and I could tell she was pleading with me to just let it be for now. Given that they weren’t talking immediate coronation, I decided to bit
e my tongue and keep my misgivings to myself for the moment.

  “I really have no clue of what to say. That’s . . .” I let my words drift, hoping it would sound like something other than what I was thinking.

  “As I said, you, your sister Menolly, and Camille’s husbands are the only ones who may know.” Aeval gave me a long look and I suddenly felt like she was probing into my energy, searching for something.

  A thought occurred to me. I could be playing a dangerous game here, but if we knew, then the whole household would find out. There was no way to exclude the others.

  “Lady Aeval . . . surely the rest of our family needs to know. Rozurial and my fiancé, Shade, Nerissa and . . . Vanzir. You understand how hard it can be to keep secrets from getting out.” I met her gaze and her eyes burned like glowing coal as she stared me down.

  In that moment, I noticed someone standing behind Aeval. I started to say something but then I realized I was staring at Morgaine, who was glaring down at the Fae Queen. She looked up, blinked as she saw me looking at her, and let out a crafty smile as she headed my way.

  Aeval let out a huff. “Very well. But make sure it goes no further for now. Raven Mother must not know.” Disconcerted, because Morgaine’s translucent form was now standing beside me, and she was giving me a snarky look, I stammered out, “Thank you. And we’ll make sure she doesn’t find out.” I glanced at Camille, who was giving me a cautionary shake of the head. She didn’t seem to see Morgaine. I decided the best thing to do would be to beat a hasty retreat so I could figure out what the hell was going on. “We have to go find our cousin Daniel. He’s in danger.”

  Aeval gave me an odd look, as though she sensed something was up, but then she shrugged nad nodded. “Go, if you need to. We will notify you when we arrange the service for Morgaine. I’m sorry she wasn’t strong enough to manage the shock. Morgaine had her faults, but she was growing on me.”

  At that point, Morgaine gave Aeval the finger and stuck her tongue out. I burst out with a snicker and Aeval blinked, staring at me for a moment before saying, “I understand you have asked the Merlin for his aid.”

  I forced myself to regain some semblance of control and nodded. “He has the power to trace something we’re looking for.”

  “Then go, and be off to your duties.” The Queen of Shadow and Night was still watching me closely as we crossed to the door. “Delilah?”

  I turned, to find her right behind me. The Fae Queens moved as silently as the creeping dusk.

  “Yes?” I might be taller than she, but she scared the hell out of me when she got this close. The Elder Fae might be loco bananas, but the Fae Queens knew exactly what they were doing and that seemed almost more frightening.

  “Be cautious. Curious kittens often find themselves caught up in a tangled skein of trouble. Watch your step, that you don’t make a wrong turn. Is my meaning clear?” Her voice was low, but the threat echoed clearly in my ears.

  “Yeah . . . I hear you.” I tried to break off eye contact, but she held me fast. I inhaled a slow, deep breath. “Loud and clear.”

  “Good. We understand one another, then.” She motioned to Titania. “Come. We have a funeral to plan, sister.”

  At that, both Camille and I whirled around. Camille, who had been silent during the whole exchange, asked, “Sister? Are you sisters, then?”

  Aeval laughed. “In the long distant past, yes. We were born to parents who stood outside of the Summer and Winter courts and we were parted when we were young. I can barely remember those days, they were so long ago.”

  Titania looped her arm through Aeval’s. “Too true. But the world changes, the Wheel turns, and we adapt. So now, we are three queens instead of two, and we find that a much healthier balance. Camille . . . you will join us and the Barrows will thrive as Talamh Lonrach Oll takes its rightful place in the coming world.” With that, the pair followed us out of the room. I glanced around, but Morgaine had vanished, too, and I wondered if I’d really been seeing her ghost, or if the bump on my head had been more serious than we thought. On the way to the outer chamber, I wanted to tell Camille what I’d seen, but the chances of being overheard were far too great.

  Camille and I found the Merlin standing in the corner, watching us closely as we crossed the hall to him. Impatient, I wanted to get all of this over with so Camille and I could talk. But Daniel’s life was in danger and so I focused on the immediate business at hand.

  He waited till we were near to speak. “So you know.”

  I nodded, glancing at Camille. Speaking out in front of Myrddin was problematic, too, because we were in no way clear as to where we stood with him.

  “Cat got your tongue?” He smiled at me.

  “I think we should focus on Daniel for now,” was all I said.

  Camille backed me up. “Kitten’s right. We have a lot to think about, and a lot to process, but first we have to take care of Daniel and the sword.”

  Myrddin scanned our faces, and once again I felt like we were being probed for our reactions. I remained as stoic as I could, trying to give away none of my thoughts. I didn’t feel safe here. The politics ran thick and deep, and even though we were half-Fae, our Earthside counterparts were used to hiding their agendas and keeping under the radar. That made them stealthier than we were and, therefore, more dangerous.

  After another moment, Myrddin let out a disgruntled sigh and motioned for us to follow him. “Morio is here, with the man. And the others. They are waiting for us.”

  We wound through the barrow. It was obvious the news was out—everywhere the Fae looked stricken. We might not have taken to Morgaine much, but it looked like her people had appreciated her. As we walked, a low drumming began to filter through the halls.

  “The drummers will continue until her burial rites.” Myrddin escorted us into his chambers, but stopped before we were fully into the living space. “Something you need to know about your cousin: Her destiny was originally slated to be glorious and magical. What happened to her was not approved by the Hags of Fate. It set up an imbalance in the web and changed the history of the Fae here, Earthside. The Hags cannot repair it to what it should have been, but Camille—you are their answer to bringing it back into stability. Do you understand what this means?”

  She caught her breath, and again, I saw the wash of fear race through her eyes. But she inclined her head. “Yes, Lord Myrddin. I do.”

  “Then let us take care of your current problem. There is all the time in the world to discuss your future.” And with that, he led us into the living room, where Morio, Smoky, and Vanzir were sitting there. Leif was waiting with them.

  “Trillian and Roz?” I looked around.

  “Home with Hanna and Maggie. Nerissa called. She’s going to be practically living at the station the next few days, given the damage that’s been done. A lot of houses are sporting holes thanks to all the trees that fell.” Vanzir stretched, but he kept a careful eye on Camille. “You okay? You look a little pale.”

  Smoky noticed the interaction, but instead of grumbling at Vanzir, he scoped out Camille, too, and apparently noticed the shift in her mood. “Are you all right?”

  “We’ll talk later. Right now, we need to deal with the sword.”

  I walked over to Leif, who had a glazed expression on his face like he’d just climbed through the looking glass. He was sitting very straight and very still. “You doing okay?”

  “I feel like I just wandered into an alternate universe. I knew about this place—everybody does—but nobody I know has ever been out here.” He lowered his voice. “I’m afraid of offending somebody and getting my head chopped off or something.”

  I snorted. “We’re half-Fae; do we really seem like monsters?” But I was grateful we weren’t dealing with the Elder Fae right now. No use giving the poor guy a heart attack. “Leif, we think we can track the sword but we need you here, because you are
connected by blood to Einar.”

  “What do I need to do?” He still sounded nervous, but seemed eager to help. As one of the serving girls wandered by, his gaze flickered to her ass, but he immediately reined himself in, as though he sensed I was watching.

  “Come here and sit in front of me, put out your hands, and do not move.” It was obvious that Myrddin was done with small talk.

  “He’s not familiar with magic, Lord the Merlin. You might want to explain what you’re doing. Especially if you have anything wiggy going on there.” I had a horrible vision of Myrddin drawing a dagger out for part of the spell and Leif shrieking his head off, thinking he was going to be sacrificed.

  That actually elicited a faint smile from the druid. His gaze flickered to Leif, then back to me. “You might be on to a good idea there.”

  While he began to explain to Leif what he was going to do, I wandered over to Camille. She still looked a little shell-shocked. I still wasn’t sure whether to tell her about seeing Morgaine’s spirit, but first I wanted to find out how she was. “You okay?”

  “I guess. I have no fucking clue what this is going to mean for my life. And . . .” She glanced around, then lowered her voice. “What will Smoky, Morio, and Trillian say when I tell them that, ‘Guys, one day in the future you have to move out to the Fae nation with me because I get to play Fae Queen?’ I mean, I know it’s quite a ways off. There’s so much I have to learn first, and my first duty is to the Moon Mother as a priestess. But . . . this changes the game on everything.”

  A sadness crept into her voice and I suddenly realized that both destinies—ES High Priestess, and ES Fae Queen—came down to one inexorable conclusion: Camille would never be returning to Otherworld to live.