'We're not strangers, and I'm sure that's not all Titian told you.'
Surreal tried again to pull away. The hand on her arm clamped down harder. Finally realizing she still held a weapon in her other hand, Surreal swung the knife, bringing it down hard on the woman's wrist.
The knife went through as if there was nothing there and vanished.
'What are you?' Surreal gasped.
'An illusion that's called a shadow.'
'Who are you?'
'Briarwood is the pretty poison. There is no cure for Briarwood.' The woman smiled coldly. 'Does that answer your question?'
Surreal studied the woman, trying to find some trace of
the child she remembered. After a minute, she said, 'You really are Jaenelle, aren't you? Or some part of her?'
Jaenelle smiled, but there was no humor in it. 'I really am.' A pause. Then, 'We need to talk, Surreal. Privately.'
Oh, yes, they needed to talk. 'I have to go to the market first.'
The hand with the dagger-sharp, black-tinted nails tightened for a moment before releasing her. 'All right.'
Surreal hesitated. Snarls and crunching noises came out of the mist behind them. 'Don't you have to finish the kill?'
'I don't think that'll be a problem,' Jaenelle said dryly. 'Piles of Hound shit aren't much of a threat to anyone.'
Surreal paled.
Jaenelle's lips tightened. 'I apologize,' she said after a minute. 'We all have facets to our personalities. This has brought out the nastier ones in mine. No one will enter the alley and nothing will leave. The Harpies will arrive soon and take care of things.'
Surreal led the way to the market square, where she bought folded breads filled with chicken and vegetables from one vendor, small beef pies from another, and fresh fruit from a third.
'I'll make you a healing brew,' Jaenelle said when they finally returned to Surreal's rooms.
Still wondering why Jaenelle had sought her out, Surreal nodded before retreating into the bathroom to get cleaned up. When she returned, there was a covered plate on the small kitchen table and a steaming cup filled with a witch's brew.
Settling into a chair, Surreal sipped the brew and felt the pain in her abdomen gradually dull. 'How did you find me?' she asked.
For the first time, there was amusement in Jaenelle's smile. 'Well, sugar, since you're the only Gray Jewel in the entire Realm of Terreille, you're not that hard to find.'
'I didn't know someone could be traced that way.'
'Whoever is hunting you can't use that method. It’ requires wearing a Jewel equal or darker than yours.'
'Why did you find me?' Surreal asked quietly.
'I need your help. I want to find Daemon.'
Surreal stared at the cup. 'Whatever he did at Cassandra's Altar that night was done to help you. Hasn't he suffered enough?'
'Too much.'
There was sorrow and regret in Jaenelle's voice. The eyes would have told her more. 'Do you have to wear those damn dark glasses?' Surreal asked sharply.
Jaenelle hesitated. 'You might find my eyes disturbing.'
'I'll take the chance.'
Jaenelle raised the glasses.
Those eyes belonged to someone who had experienced the most twisted nightmares of the soul and had survived.
Surreal swallowed hard. 'I see what you mean.'
Jaenelle replaced the glasses. 'I can bring him out of the Twisted Kingdom, but I need to make the link through his body.'
If only Jaenelle had come a few months ago.
'I don't know where he is,' Surreal said.
'But you can look for him. I can stay in this form only three days out of the month. He's running out of time, Surreal. If he isn't shown the road back soon, there won't be anything left of him.'
Surreal closed her eyes.
Jaenelle poured the rest of the brew into Surreal's cup. 'Even a Gray-Jeweled witch's moontime shouldn't give her this much pain.'
Surreal shifted. Winced. 'I suppressed last month's time.' She wrapped her hands around the cup. 'Daemon lived with me for a little while. Until a few months ago.'
'What happened a few months ago?'
'Kartane SaDiablo happened,' Surreal said viciously. Then she smiled. 'Your spell or web or whatever it was you spun around Briarwood's uncles did a good job on him. You wouldn't even recognize the bastard.' She paused. 'Robert Benedict is dead, by the way.'
'How unfortunate,' Jaenelle murmured, her voice dripping yenom. 'And dear Dr. Carvay?'
'Alive, more or less. Not for much longer from what I've heard.'
'Tell me about Kartane. . and Daemon.'
'Last spring, Daemon showed up at the flat where I was living. Our paths have crossed a few times since-' Surreal faltered.
'Since the night at Cassandra's Altar.'
'Yes. He's like Tersa used to be. Show up, stay a couple of days, and vanish again. This time he stayed. Then Kartane showed up.' Surreal drained her cup. 'Apparently he's been hunting for Daemon for some time, but, unlike Dorothea, he seems to have a better idea of where to look. He started demanding that Daemon help him get free of this terrible spell someone had put on him. As if he'd never done anything to deserve it. When it became apparent that Daemon was lost in the Twisted Kingdom and, therefore, useless, Kartane looked at me – and noticed my ears. At the same moment he realized I was Titian's child – and his – Daemon exploded and threw him out.
'I guess he figured that bringing Sadi to Dorothea wouldn't buy him enough help, but bringing Dorothea his only possible offspring would be a solid bargaining chip. And a female offspring who could continue the bloodline would provide strong incentive – even if she was a half-breed.
'Daemon insisted that we leave immediately because Kartane would return after dark with guards. And he did.
'Before Daemon and I caught the Wind and headed out, we had agreed on a city in another Territory. He was right behind me, riding close. And then he wasn't there anymore. I haven't seen him since.'
'And you've been running since then.'
'Yeah.' She felt so tired. She wanted to lose herself in a book, in sleep. Too much of a risk now. The rest of the Hayllian guards would start wondering about those four men, would start looking soon.
'Eat your food, Surreal.'
Surreal bit into the folded bread and finally wondered why she hadn't tested that brew – and wondered why 'she didn't care.
Jaenelle checked the bedroom, then studied the worn
sofa in the living area. 'Do you want to tuck up in bed or curl up here?'
'Can't,' Surreal mumbled, annoyed because she was going to cry.
'Yes, you can.' Taking comforters and pillows from the bedroom, Jaenelle turned the sofa into an inviting nest. 'I can stay two more days. No one will disturb you while I'm here.'
__ 'I'll help you search,' Surreal said, snuggling into the sofa.
'I know.' Jaenelle smiled dryly. 'You're Titian's daughter. You wouldn't do anything else.'
'Don't know if I like being that predictable,' Surreal grumbled.
