I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, letting the sun stream on my face. “Exhausted of this battle? Yes. Tired? No. But I want to fly. I need to stretch my wings.”
“Then do so.” Grieve leaned over me, looking strangely out of place. “Fly free, my love. Take it on the wing.”
I glanced around. “Would anybody mind?”
“Go ahead. It will be all right. And we are safe here.”
I stood, shedding my clothes. I was beginning to feel less self-conscious about the process, and nakedness was starting to be commonplace with me. Rhia watched, a smile playing on her lips.
“I’ve never really seen you change. We’ve always been in battle, or you’ve shifted before I came on the scene, or something or other. Now I get to watch what happens. Does it hurt?” she asked.
I shrugged. “A little. More so when it’s cold, but that’s one of the downsides. It’s like…shedding your skin. Putting on a new mask for the night. Or, rather, taking off a mask.” I wasn’t sure exactly whether the owl form was my natural form, or the two-legged Cambyra/magic-born, but right now I didn’t care.
I stepped away from the bench and looked for a tree. The oak nearby would do. Nimbly, I swung up, caught the lowest branch, and climbed up the bark face, ignoring the abrasions it caused my knees and feet. After a few minutes, I was high enough to edge out on a thick limb-carefully, considering it was between my legs. I did not need a set of pussy slivers to deal with.
Cautiously, I held on to the trunk as I stood, balancing on the branch, bending slightly to keep several of the higher branches from knocking me off. The ground was a dizzying distance below, but it didn’t bother me. Instead, I clutched my moonstone pendant and closed my eyes, feeling the power grow. Then, with one long deep breath, I spread my arms and toppled forward.
The rush of air whistled around me as I fell. The rush of plummeting to the ground sent me into a delighted giggle as I began to transform. Arms to wing, torso to body, nails to talons-and then I soared. The updraft carried me aloft, and I realized I could hear laughter in the wind around me.
And then I felt them. I could feel the swirl of their bodies, the tailwinds in their wake. I spun and flew, diving into the center of their circle and through to the other side. They wheeled around me, laughing. I rode the currents, soared upward, screeching loud as the freedom of being on the wing overtook me. All I wanted to do was fly, soar, hunt, ignore everything else. I rode the winds, feeling free again for the first time in a while.
As I swooped down to speed past Rhia and Grieve and Chatter, I heard their laughter as they watched me, Rhiannon pointing with wonder in her eyes. And then, as I circled, I saw the great horned owl-my father-waiting in the tree for me. I soared up, losing my playful spirit, intent. As I settled on the branch near him, I could feel his desire to hunt.
And so I followed him, wings outspread, into the wide field, as we went to catch our prey. Hunters, we were, and usually cloaked in shadows. Maybe there was a little bit of Myst in us both.
Chapter 14
We’d circled the meadow twice when I caught sight of a mouse and gave chase. I was winging in hard, fast, talons down and ready to snatch up my dinner when Wrath suddenly landed and turned back into himself. Worried, I gave the mouse a pass to freedom and made a sharp turn, gliding back to him. With a soft landing, I touched the ground and willed myself back to form.
It was becoming easier to change each time. My father had told me that eventually I wouldn’t need the necklace. It really was just a booster and had triggered my latent abilities at first, but now that I was aware of that side of myself, the inner knowledge of what to do was coming to the surface.
Whenever I shifted back, I ended up in a crouching position, and this time was no exception. I fell forward, catching myself with my hands, then slowly rose, stretching into my full form. I stood naked, unabashed as various Fae walking by glanced at me. Grieve handed me my clothes and I quickly dressed.
“What’s going on? Is Lainule all right?” I asked, worried that maybe she’d had a relapse. I pulled on my jeans and fastened my bra, then pulled my turtleneck over my head. It was too warm for the realm of Summer, but once we left we’d be right back in the middle of a snowstorm.
“She’s fine now, thanks to you.” My father gave me a long look, almost a sad one, but then shook his head. “You and Rhiannon saved her life. We’ve been summoned back to her chambers. She has rallied help for the meeting tonight with Altos.”
I nodded, not wanting to think of the potential carnage that lay ahead. “I’m ready. Let’s go.” I reached for Grieve’s hand as Chatter reached for Rhiannon’s, and we followed Wrath back to the barrow.
Lainule was waiting for us, looking fresh and vibrant, like she’d never been sick. But when Wrath kissed her hand, a tear rolled down her cheek, dropping to his fingers. He pressed it to his lips, gently sucking it up. Something was definitely afoot, and I intended to find out what, but right now was not the time. Especially since she was surrounded by a dozen burly warriors.
The men were hardened-even I could tell that-and while they were full Cambyra Fae, they looked as deadly, if not more so, than any Were or yummanii. They were decked out in armor the color of the sun, and they carried dark blades-obsidian daggers like mine. The presence of so much of the stone sang to me, and I licked my lips as I eyed the serrated edges, wanting to reach out and touch one of them. Wrath looked at me, then at the blades, and slowly shook his head.
But Lainule ignored my reaction. “These men will fight for you. They will protect Lannan, and they will protect you. They will offer up their lives if need be, and should any of Myst’s unholy Shadow Hunters arrive, they will battle to the death.”
I focused my attention on them again, tearing my gaze away from their daggers. “We thank you. In this battle no one can stand alone against Myst and the Indigo Court. Have any of you encountered the Vampiric Fae before?”
Even as I said it, I wanted to sink into the ground. I was an
Their gazes did not flicker, but a ripple ran through the group. Lainule smiled at me softly when she saw my discomfort.
“Yes, you remember now. All of these men lost loved ones. They watched Myst’s horde tear them to bits, eat their hearts out alive. The floors of my barrow ran red with blood the day the Indigo Court lay siege. They did not stop for children or women or the old and infirm. All who could not run were devoured or enslaved. Some-like Grieve-were turned to be their allies and servants. A few-like Chatter-were saved by the grace of those who could keep their sanity after the change. So, yes, Cicely, all of these men have met Myst in battle, and all would give their lives for revenge. However, they’ve been ordered to act only when you and your friends give orders. They will come to you later this day, at Lannan’s mansion, and they will journey with you through the night. I will not be far from hand, either.”
As Wrath led us back through the portal, Rhia turned to me.
“What do we do if Myst doesn’t show?” She kept her voice low. But I could tell everyone else had heard her.
“She will be there-or her allies. There will be blood tonight.”
We headed back to Lannan’s mansion, grim. Along the way, I could only wonder what waited in store for us this evening-and just how bad the carnage would be.
