”A witch who would poison her Queen isn’t suitable to serve in the First Circle,” Karla said dryly. ”It’s a question of loyalty.”
”I
”All you’ll be is some man’s whore,” Karla said flatly.
Ulka’s face became ugly. ”And you’ll be dead! And don’t think they won’t finish the kill to make sure they’re rid of
The ring Jaenelle had given her produced a sharp, warning tingle seconds before Morton’s warning cry filled her mind.
KARLA!
Morton?
Nothing. An emptiness where someone had been for as long as she could remember.
Another kind of cold filled Karla-a cold that fed her body, gave her strength. ”You killed Morton,” she said too quietly.
”
The bladed Eyrien stick Lucivar had given her was in her hands and whistling through the air before Ulka had time to realize the danger. The blades, honed to a killing edge, swept through Ulka’s leg bones as easily as they swept through the woman’s wool dress.
Blood gushed. Ulka fell, screaming.
Karla staggered, braced herself. She couldn’t use her body this way and fight the poison long enough for …
For what? With Morton dead, who would be able to reach her fast enough? No matter. She would fight to live for as long as she could. And she had more power at her disposal than her enemies had imagined since she didn’t have to use her Gray Jewels to shield herself.
Looking down at Ulka, Karla raised the bladed stick. ”Well, bitch, I may not be able to finish the kill, but I can make damn sure you’re of no use to anyone when you become demon-dead.”
She cut off Ulka’s hands, then her head. The last stroke tore through the belly and severed the spine.
Karla staggered back a few steps, away from the growing pool of blood. Sinking to the floor, she carefully stretched out, her right arm wrapped around her belly, her left hand clamped around the bladed stick.
She had seen her own death in her tangled web, and she’d done what she could to change that part of the vision. But if she had to die now, she would accept it.
Dark power washed over her, warming icy limbs. She felt a tendril of power wrap around her and recognized a healing thread helping her fight against the poison.
Cradled by Jaenelle’s strength, she turned inward to concentrate on the battlefield her body had become.
Daemon snarled in frustration when he felt the tingling coming from Jaenelle’s Ring of Honor. He hadn’t yet learned how to interpret all the information that could be absorbed from the Ring. He recognized this particular sensation as a call for help, but had no idea where the call was coming from. ”Do you-” he said, turning toward Khardeen.
The intense blankness in Khary’s eyes, the sense of focused listening, stopped him from saying anything more.
”Morton,” Khary said quietly. ”And
Daemon grabbed him. ”No. You’re needed here.”
”That’s not the way it works,” Khary said sharply. ”When one of us needs help-”
”You all take the bait?” Daemon asked just as sharply. ”You have a pregnant Queen who can’t defend herself without risking a miscarriage. Your place is here. I’ll take care of Karla-and Morton.” He studied Khary. ”Who else will have heard that call for help?”
”Everyone in the First Circle who lives in the western part of Kaeleer. The Ring has more of a range than if we were trying to reach someone on our own, but the alert wouldn’t be felt beyond that. However, every male who felt that call for help will relay a warning through a communication thread to the First Circle within
”Then relay this message to the First Circle as fast as you can: ’Stay put. Stand guard.’ ” Daemon paused. ”And locate Jaenelle.”
”Yes,” Khary said grimly. ”The Queens need to be protected. Especially her.”
Satisfied, Daemon rushed out of the house and swore. He couldn’t reach any of the Winds from here.
He started to run down the drive, then turned toward the sound of pounding hooves. Sundancer slid to a stop beside him.
I heard the call, Sundancer said. You must ride the Winds?
”Yes.”
I can run faster. Mount.
Grabbing a fistful of Sundancer’s mane, he swung up on the Warlord Prince’s bare back.
It was a short but harrowing ride. The stallion chose the fastest route to reach the nearest Winds without regard for what lay in his path, and Daemon’s legs were shaking when he slid off Sundancer’s back. Before he could say anything, the stallion pivoted and was gone.
Fight well! Sundancer said as he raced back to Khary and Morghann’s house.
”You can count on it,” Daemon replied too softly. Catching the Black Wind, he headed for Glacia.
Kaelas made an effortless leap to the roof of a human den in time to see Morton fall. He snarled silently, the desire to attack warring with the instinct for caution. Slipping down to the depth of his Red Jewel, where he couldn’t be detected by the winged males who were there, he opened his mind and carefully let a psychic tendril drift toward Morton.
The first thing he sensed was the Lady’s shield. That wasn’t a problem. The Lady had made a Ring of Honor for the kindred males, too. So he had the same protection and, more important right now, he had the means to safely slip past that shield.
The moment he did, he knew Morton’s body was dead, but he could still sense Morton, very faintly, inside it Morton was a Brother in the Lady’s court, and the Brothers looked after each other. That was important. So he would get his Brother away from the enemy and then decide what to do next.
Looking in the opposite direction, he saw the Sanctuary that held the Dark Altar. Near it was a large, old tree that wouldn’t wake again. The pale humans would have cut it down and burned it in their fires. They wouldn’t need it now.
Using Craft, he opened the Sanctuary door, letting it swing as if it hadn’t been latched properly.
Leaping from the roof, he circled around the backs of the human dens, air walking so that he would leave no tracks. Just because the sight shield made him invisible was no reason to be careless. Playing ”stalk and pounce” with Lucivar had taught him that.
Thinking of Lucivar, he remembered something else: never show your full strength to an enemy until it was needed.
His Birthright Jewel was the Opal. Morton’s Jewel of rank was the Opal. Yes,
Baring his teeth in what might have been a feline smile, Kaelas unleashed a burst of Opal strength at the dead tree. It exploded. Flaming branches soared through the air in all directions. Another burst of power shattered windows in the dens near the Sanctuary. Another burst of power sent enough snow into the air to form a small blizzard. The last controlled burst of power slammed the Sanctuary door.
The Green-Jeweled Eyrien Warlord Prince had spun around at the first blast, his face twisted with fury. Other
