Chapter 633: Out Of Options
Lepa was already retreating, about to leave me, when I latched onto her with my maji power, anger returning. Sure, she'd proven she was on my side, okay. But I still had questions.
"You could have told me I was in imminent danger of being wiped out," I said.
She didn't fight me as I held her, hovering on the edge of the gash she'd made in the veil. "There was little reason to worry you. Either he and the others would destroy you, or they wouldn't. Prevention of the former was impossible."
Far too practical for my taste. "Any idea when the Brotherhood will be ready for an all-out assault? If I don't free Ameline?"
Iepa spread her hands in front of her, palms down. "No way of knowing," she said, "but I feel it is close. Very close. If the Sidhe are allowed to fall, I have no doubt the Brotherhood will take that as the sign they need to act."
Yet another reason I had to save their arrogant Fey asses.
"Remember," Iepa said, "Ameline still needs time to develop into full power. You were delivered what you needed in full force. She must grow what she requires to match you."
Funny, I thought things always came easier for the bad guys.
Iepa finally pulled against me, gently, though, from the weight of her magic she could break free of me if she wanted to. "I must go," she said. "I will try to reason with the dark maji while you retrieve their daughter."
I let her leave without a fight, feeling the last of the warmth leave the room as the veil sealed behind her. Only the light from the bathroom illuminated the space, though, as I turned, I noticed the thin red line of dawn shining through my window. I retreated to the sink in my bathroom, splashing my face with water, staring at my tired expression in the mirror. The subtle hum of the taint gem buzzed against my hip, one hand falling to pat the pocket though I knew it was still there.
I really had to get rid of the damned thing.
It wasn't until I left my room, on my way to the stairs, I stopped with a start. Charlotte's door stood open a crack, but there was no sign of my bodywere. Not that she slept much. I knew she patrolled late at night. But she hadn't said boo about me leaving this time and, oddly, I started counting up the times she'd reacted badly to me going anywhere without her in the past month or so.
I shook my head and kept moving, promising myself I'd sit her down and talk to her once this present disaster was dealt with. And no amount of weregirl stoicism would keep me from finding out what was wrong.
Shenka sat in the kitchen over a cup of coffee, looking out the window with Sassafras curled up on his placemat next to her. She smiled and rose, came to hug me before pouring me my own cup as I sank with a sigh into my seat.
Magic topped up my cup with milk and sugar. The scent alone made me feel perky, the soft feel of Sassy's fur under my free hand helping, too.
They weren't going to like what I had to tell them, but I owed the pair of them the rest of the story. They both listened quietly until I fell silent, now moodier than ever, staring into the cooling coffee in my mug.
"You have to free Ameline." Shenka laughed without humor. "I can't believe I'm saying that, but you must."
"Agreed." Sassafras nudged my hand with his nose. "We're out of options and the Sidhe are running out of time."
Right on cue, Liam's mind reached for me. Thalion's here.
The tension in his mental voice made me sit up straighter. Trouble? Dumb question.
You could say that, Liam sent, though with an edge of anger in his mind.
I stood, hugged Shenka again, kissed Sassafras and walked out into the early morning. Reached for the veil. Felt a hand take mine. I looked back over my shoulder into Charlotte's blank stare before pulling her along with me.
The steps to the basement of town hall were dark, Liam waiting for us at the bottom. Weird to be able to appear inside the building. There was a time when the Sidhe Gate kept me from riding the veil to anywhere near the interior, forcing me to use the lawn. Liam's eyes widened as I descended and hugged him, as concerned with the change as I was.
I followed him inside the cavern, feeling the wards at the entrance weaker than I remembered, sluggish to act. While I shivered over what that had to mean for the Sidhe, not for the first time, my mind went to Sonja O'Dane. Yes, I had bigger problems, like the imminent downfall of an entire race. And yet, I couldn't help but wonder where Liam's meddling mother had run off to, petulant thought vanishing as I joined Thalion in the Gate room.
"Sydlynn." It was the first time he'd called me by my name. Shaylee sighed sadly and I realized then how much she would miss his devotion.
She could mourn later. "What's up?" Images of the Sidhe realm crumbling to dust, of the Brotherhood sweeping in and devouring everything, drove little spikes of feverish need into my flesh, making me antsy.
But Thalion's unhappy expression told me not only was I not going to like what he had to say, it had nothing to do with the Brotherhood.
"I've been geased," he said in a growling voice so unlike his normal velvet tone I flinched, "to escort you," bring me by force, in other words, "before Queen Aoilainn of the Seelie and explain why you are attacking our people."
Oh no, she did not just put this crap on me.
"With pleasure," I snarled.
And the pleasure would be all mine.
You betcha.
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