We didn’t use the door immediately. Cerridwen held us back with a gesture, and then poked her head through before nodding with satisfaction. “The grounds on the outskirts of Lord Usuriel’s court.”
Grounds? “I thought we were going straight to Aubrey?” Surely that would be easier. Grounds suggested we’d have to navigate our way into the actual buildings. That sounded…not fun.
“This is safer. I can study his wards a moment before we take the final step. Stay quiet,” Cerridwen instructed and beckoned us forward.
We emerged in a garden, or what passed for a garden in a land that I suspected was eternally shrouded in night. But night or not, there were plants in the beds. Plants whose blooms seemed to reflect the cold starlight glowing faintly in a thousand shades of gray and silver and pale purples and blues, their leaves and branches deeper blacks and charcoals. They twined and writhed, jockeying for position, reaching. The paths between them were narrow, which, given the wicked thorns I could see on some of the plants, seemed like a choice made to make navigating the garden dangerous, if not deadly. If the Nichtkin liked poisons, then that might well include their choice of vegetation. I made a mental note not to touch anything.
Beyond the garden was a sizeable house. It stood out in the darkness, made of white marble that gleamed like the flowers, night mist colors shifting across the walls in drifts. Which, in a way, was as unsettling as the garden.
So was the fact that there were no people anywhere. Tall metal lampposts holding lanterns shining cool white light were set at intervals along the paths and light also came from the windows, which had no shutters or blinds. But there was nobody visible in any of them. So where was everyone? Nichtkin meant ‘people of the night’ and even if this was the true night of a sunless land, surely some of them should be around? It all felt just that bit too convenient.
Cerridwen stared silently at the house, her expression intent, all her attention focused on it. If she’d been a s’ealg oiche in canine form, her ears would have been pricked. Her tail twitching. Ready for the hunt. Once she was sure she had the scent of her quarry.
“Should it be this quiet?” I whispered to Callum.
Even through the illusion I could tell that he was on edge. “It may be just a quiet hour,” he said. “But, no, I would expect the grounds to be patrolled, at least.”
“That’s not good.”
“No.” His golden eyes scanned the garden restlessly, even as Cerridwen made an impatient gesture, warning us to be quiet. I moved closer to Callum, leaving enough room to draw my sword, if I needed, and joined him in his silent surveillance.
“How long do you think she needs?”
“She’s checking the wards and other defenses. Not something to do hastily. Just watch and be ready.”
I did as he suggested, heartbeat spiking with every rustle of leaf and branch in the icy breeze.
“This way,” Cerridwen said, eventually. She stalked forward, not looking back to see if we were following. I’d only taken a few steps before a hissing growl pierced the silence and shapes began to coalesce like mist around us.
“What the h—” I started to say, but Callum was already drawing his sword, and so was Cerridwen, so I shut up and pulled mine. The mist began to shape itself into dogs, not as large as Callum in his other form, but sleek and night-black, their fur reflecting subtle glints of the starlight. The only color came from fiery red eyes glaring at us, and white teeth long enough to also catch the starlight.
“What do we do now?” I hissed at Callum.
“Take care of them, and then we’ll use the door,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Doesn’t the fact that they’re here suggest that whoever’s inside also knows we’re here?” I hissed back.
“Focus, Maggie,” Callum snapped as the snarling growls grew louder, more of them appearing behind the first group. He reached out and put a hand on the hilt of my sword, muttering something I didn’t understand.
“What was that?”
“Night wraiths need more than simple steel to kill them,” he said. “The spell will help. Aim for the neck.”
Night wraiths. Yeah, that definitely sounded like something that would be easy to kill. Why couldn’t I ever get attacked by sentient marshmallows or something? Though those would probably win because I’d be too distracted by their cuteness to fight. Just as I was being distracted now, I realized, as the growls stopped simultaneously. All the hairs on the back of my neck rose in response.
Fuck. It was all I had time to think before the nearest wraith thing leaped toward me. I countered intuitively with a slashing blow. To my dismay, just before my blade struck, the wraith turned misty, so my sword passed through it rather than making any contact. As I ducked and the beast flew over my shoulder, I saw it had some sort of collar around its neck. Close enough to the color of the beast itself that it was hard to see.
I straightened and turned, trying to spot the next attack. Callum and Cerridwen fought side by side, their blades flickering almost too fast for me to see, night wraiths vanishing as their blades swept through them.
“Aim for their collars,” Callum yelled. “They need that to stay solid.”
That piece of information barely registered before a growl came from behind. I spun on my heel and saw yet another wraith. Or maybe the same one that had attacked me initially. I managed to get my sword up to swing as it sprang, jaws snapping. My arm hit its leg, enough to knock it off course slightly so that its teeth caught the edges of my jacket at my shoulder rather than connecting with my throat.
I heard a yelp from my left and saw one of the beasts collapse at Callum’s feet. He bounded past me to strike at another one that I hadn’t even registered was coming. “Look sharp, to your right,” he shouted. I turned again and saw another beast gathering to spring. This time I had a second to center myself, take a breath and let my focus narrow to the movement of my hand and the sword. When I struck, the sword connected with the collar, sending a shock up my arm. The beast crumpled and vanished, leaving only the severed collar lying on the dark grass, glimmering faintly.
Callum dispatched another one and, as I turned to face the next one, I realized there were no more night wraiths.
Cerridwen was already sheathing her sword. She wiped her forearm over her brow and crooked her fingers at me. “Hurry.”
Callum crouched to wipe his sword through the damp grass as Cerridwen’s hand curved a line through the air to open a door. Then he straightened and grabbed my hand, half dragging me toward the door at a run. He pushed me through, and I stumbled, almost falling, only to have Cerridwen catch the hem of my jacket and pull me upright.
I panted as I found my balance. We were in a small, dimly lit room, decorated in navy and gold and black, satin and silk, and polished black wood. Candles in black brackets on the walls offered the only light. Aubrey stood at the far end of the room, staring at us in astonishment. Possibly because of the illusions we wore. But even as I had that thought, I saw Callum return to his usual human form. Apparently our disguises were no longer required.
Aubrey looked unhurt. I heaved a relieved breath. “Are you okay?” I asked, and she shook her head, mouthing something I couldn’t make out. I started to move forward, but Cerridwen’s hand clamped over my arm, pulling me back as the air beside Aubrey flickered into golden sparks, and Lord Usuriel appeared. He wore black, stark against his golden skin and hair. His nails were long and black, too, which they hadn’t been at the council. Here in his court, he might feel free to let more of his true self show.
He gave Aubrey a stern look and then turned his attention to us. “I’m sorry. Did you think that you could just walk in here and I wouldn’t notice?”
Cerridwen raised her chin. “Well, you seem to think you could just walk into Morgain’s territory and steal one of our allies. You cannot expect us to follow the rules when you disregard them yourself.”
Usuriel inclined his head as though acknowledging the point. “I saw an opportunity,” he said. “I took it. I wish to understand more of certain matters.” He looked at Aubrey, and I saw her eyes flick to me and back. Had he been pumping her for information about me? I wasn’t sure how much more she could tell him that I hadn’t already told the council. So, what did he really want?
“Regardless of opportunity and your misplaced curiosity, we will be taking Miss Carter and leaving. You cannot simply abduct a Cestis witch and expect there to be no repercussions. We cannot afford to have the humans turn against us, Usuriel. You should know that better than most. After all, your people are the ones they’ve turned into tales of fear and horror. The ones they would behold and see proof that all those fears were real. You know humans. You know what would happen next if the Cestis were not there to intervene,” Cerridwen said.
It was hard to read an expression in those black eyes, but I thought I saw his face flicker and shift to something less pleasant before it solidified back in place.
“As to that,” he said, “I’m able to defend my own.”
“You are delusional if you think you can defend your people if the humans decide to try to destroy us,” Cerridwen countered. “There are billions of them. They have weapons now that you cannot imagine. We cannot win against that.”
I hadn’t considered that. But if the Fae feared a demon getting into their realm, then what might happen if one of our countries learned about the Fae, decided they were a threat, and acted as humans have been wont to do throughout history and tried to destroy them. How many nukes would it take to blast the Fae realm away from the human one? And what would it do to us and them? I shivered. Surely, Lord Usuriel wasn’t willing to start a war to prove a point.
“Come now,” Cerridwen said. “We reached a concordance about the door in San Francisco. It is necessary for the stability of the realm. That means we take what comes in San Francisco.”
“And you are happy for demon witches to be one of those things?”
Not this again. Suddenly my fear died away, replaced by anger. I sucked in an outraged breath. What the fuck would it take to convince him? “I am not a demon witch and Aubrey couldn’t have told you anything different. Because it’s the truth.”
“Humans lie.”
“We do,” I agreed. “But why would I lie about this? If I was actually working with a demon, well, I’ve had access to the realm for months now. I could have brought it through at any time. Do you think a demon would wait to attack once it found a way in?”
“She is right, Usuriel,” Cerridwen said. “Any of the Greater Dark would have already struck at us.”
“So you say,” he sneered.
“Yes. I do. With hard-won certainty. My family has bled to keep our realm safe. To keep all of us safe. I have bled for it. We may not be friends, and we may not always agree, but I am a bad enemy, Usuriel.” Cerridwen’s voice was matter of fact and the two Fae stared at each other.
My anger sparked again. I didn’t have time for Fae politics. I wanted to take Aubrey and get to the door. Get to Damon. The fact that Usuriel hadn’t just appeared with a squad of whatever he used for guards and tried to kill us, and hadn’t attacked Cerridwen just now, suggested that he wasn’t willing to really piss her off. Yet.
Time to play dumb human and change the subject and get us back to rescuing Aubrey.
“How did you find Aubrey, anyway?” I asked. “You shouldn’t have known where we were.”
“You’ll come to learn that the Fae are not such a trusting people,” he said. “We tend to keep an eye on things.”
“Knowing we are in the realm is one thing,” I said, “Knowing exactly where to find Aubrey is another. How did you do that?”
Aubrey’s eyes flared wide at that question. I couldn’t tell if she was scared or worried. And I didn’t have time to figure out why she might be worried.
“As to that. It is easier when you have assistance,” Usuriel said.
“You have a spy in Morgain’s house?” Cerridwen asked, sounding shocked.
“As though you don’t send your agents into other realms,” Usuriel scoffed.
“I send my hunters to hunt creatures that have broken our laws,” she replied icily. Something in the way she said it made me think she was suggesting to Usuriel that he didn’t want to be one of those creatures.
Cerridwen didn’t move her gaze from Usuriel. “Hunt them because it is my role. Tasked to me and mine by the broader council for these ages past.”
“Those of us who have other roles to play need resources too, Lady,” he said. “San Francisco is dangerous. Two demons in too short a time. We all need to defend ourselves.”
We were getting back into posturing territory. “So, was it the blond kid?” I asked.
Usuriel turned those eerie black eyes on me. “Who?”
“I saw a young man, blond hair, black eyes kind of like yours. Was that him? Or—” I cocked my head at him—“was that you?”
Usuriel smirked, clearly not going to answer.
Cerridwen shook her head reluctantly. “It would be difficult for Usuriel to walk Morgain’s halls without her knowing. She would feel the change in the fates if nothing else.”
Usuriel’s smile turned a little smug at that, but he didn’t contradict her. Which didn’t equal a denial. It made sense. In his place, if I had a way of moving undetected that I didn’t want the others to learn of, I wouldn’t be offering it up to Cerridwen either.
“It was Gwen,” Aubrey said. “At least she did something that opened a door. She shoved me through. I don’t know who knocked her out. Maybe that was the boy you saw.”
Usuriel scowled at her.
“The tanai?” I asked, ignoring him.
“Yes. Is she all right?” Aubrey asked.
“She was last time I saw her,” I said. “Someone knocked her out, but Lady Morgain woke her. Enough for us to know that you had been taken.”
Usuriel didn’t look particularly surprised or upset at this news. “I was wondering how you found me so fast. I underestimated Morgain, it seems. I believe there were more in your party. Where are the others?”
Oh no, I wasn’t giving out any information about where Damon and the others were.
“Gone from the realm,” I said flatly. “Lady Morgain sent them home. They will be well into the human world by now.” That was a lie, if I was any judge of time here, but I didn’t want Usuriel trying to interfere, and hopefully he wasn’t good at knowing when a human was lying.
Usuriel’s black eyes were unblinking. “I wonder if that is true.” He took a step toward me. “It would be easy enough for me to find out.”
“If you fear me because you think I’m a demon witch,” I said, dropping my hand to my sword. “Then I would suggest that it is better that you do not upset me. If you interfere with my friends, I will be upset.”
He did blink at that. “Is that a threat, little human?”
“It’s a statement of fact,” I retorted.
“Maggie,” Cerridwen said sharply. She turned to Usuriel, “Forgive her forwardness, Lord Usuriel. The humans tend toward impulsiveness. It is, I think, a reflection of their short lives.”
It was a reflection of my desire to ensure that no one hurt Damon, fighting to not draw my sword.
“How did you even get to Gwen?” Callum asked. “If she is in Morgain’s service?”
“I have my ways and means of seeking out the dissatisfied. Something in their nature calls to me.” Was that how he enticed people over into his night court? The ones who weren’t Nichtkin to begin with? Which surely Gwen wasn’t, if Morgain had allowed her to serve in her territory.
“Dissatisfied how?” I asked.
Usuriel shrugged. “The tanai had changed her mind. She wishes to return to the human realm.” He glanced off to his side and stretched out a hand. “Isn’t that right, my dear?” He made a tugging gesture, and Gwen appeared out of nowhere, stumbling toward Usuriel, eyes wide with terror. Her hands shook as she held them up to ward him off.
Well, fuck. Not good. He’d lifted her out from under Morgain’s nose, too.
Gwen went to her knees at Lord Usuriel’s feet. “Yes, my Lord,” she said in a soft, shaky voice. “I wish to return home.” She looked up at him. “I did as you asked.”
Usuriel stared at her for a long moment. “Not exactly. I asked for that one,” he nodded at me.
“You said a human woman traveling with the s’ealg oiche,” Gwen said. “The blonde one felt more powerful to me. I assumed she was who you wanted.”
Aubrey and I didn’t exactly look alike, so I wondered if Usuriel hadn’t bothered to give Gwen a proper description.
“I did as you asked, my Lord,” Gwen repeated, pleading.
“You delivered the wrong human, tanai,” he said. “So our bargain is not yet complete. We will have to find another way for you to satisfy me before I let you go.”
“If she’s human, and she wants to leave the realm,” I said, “then that’s her right under the contract.”
I looked at Aubrey for confirmation.
“Well, that is not exactly true,” Lord Usuriel said. “They can leave the realm if their parent allows them to do so.”
“This one, however…” He reached down and cupped Gwen’s cheek with his hand, and she flinched away, cringing as his nails pressed into her skin. “This one has no knowledge of her Fae parentage. She followed some other tanai into Morgain’s court, and the lady took her on as a servant. She made that agreement; now she’s made another one with me. Until she fulfills those agreements, she is ours to do with as we please.”
“No. She is not.” Aubrey said. She moved sideways, putting space between them. “You are mistaken, my Lord.”
Usuriel didn’t let go of Gwen, but his head turned to Aubrey. “What are you talking about?”
“Under the contract your people hold with mine, if one of the tanai tells the Cestis that they wish to return home, we are allowed to help them negotiate that return.” Aubrey said. “I’m sure Lady Morgain will see reason. Her agreement is the original one. Obtained without coercion.”
“I did not coerce her.”
“You didn't give her all the information she needed to complete your task. A lie of omission is still a lie. And that is forbidden under our agreement,” Aubrey said. Her voice was steady, her accent growing more precise with each word. “Maggie, do you have that copy of the contract?”
I nodded and dug into my jacket pocket. I felt it and pulled it out, offering it to Aubrey. She took it, making a show of flipping through the pages.
“I can find the chapter and verse for you, my Lord, but if Gwen has asked to return home, then I am honor bound to take that request to the Cestis. As Lady Cerridwen said, you need to honor our agreement, or the consequences can be difficult for everyone.”
Particularly difficult for Gwen, who seemed to be facing a life of enslavement in the Fae realm if this didn’t work. Which meant we had to try to convince him to let her leave with us.
And the Fae, according to nearly everything I’d learned about them, didn’t often do things without wanting something in return. There were exceptions, of course. Like Cerridwen and Callum, who didn’t make every interaction into a trade. But I doubted Usuriel was inclined to altruism. So, what could we offer him for Gwen? The answer came to me almost immediately, souring my mouth with fear.
I swallowed, forcing myself to speak. “You said you wanted me, not Aubrey,” I managed, the words coming slowly as though part of me didn’t want to say them. “Why is that?”
Cerridwen made a warning sound, and I waved her off. “No, if Lord Usuriel wanted me so badly, he can tell me why.”
“Perhaps I merely wish to satisfy myself that you are indeed no danger to us.”
“And how are you intending to do that?”
“I do not need demon stone to recognize demon taint,” he said. “My people are closer to the dark than some of our kind. We know the power they can wield. I would sense it in you, should it linger.”
“Are you asking if you can read me in some fashion?” I asked. “Will that put an end to your nonsense once and for all?” I didn’t like the idea, but I would do it if it meant that we could all get out of here.
Cerridwen made another warning noise. “You do not wish to do this, Maggie,” she said quietly.
“I want to go home. And I don’t want to have to spend the next fifty years wondering if Lord Usuriel is going to move against me. If we can relieve him of his fears, it is better for all of us.” I spread my hands. “What do you want to know, my lord?”
“That you’re not going to destroy us all by walking in the realm,” he said bluntly.
“And how do I convince you of that? You’ve already heard that I’ve been tested. You know that my binding was involuntary and that I killed the demon that was trying to recover me.”
“And how exactly did you do that?” he asked, disbelieving.
“I called lightning. As I told the council.”
“A human should not be so powerful.”
Aubrey shook her head. “I must correct you again, my Lord,” she said. “There have been humans through time who can do extraordinary things. Maggie is powerful, yes, but her magic is her own.”
“Perhaps she is not entirely human,” he said.
“I am certainly not tanai,” I retorted.
“Yet Cerridwen is teaching you Fae magic.”
“I teach her such magics as will be useful for her in fighting the dark. It is because she is late to her human training that she can understand a little of it, unlike most witches whose minds become closed,” Cerridwen said, voice tight with irritation.
Aubrey looked intrigued at that. It wasn’t exactly true, though. Cerridwen was teaching me because I could learn and because she was using me as a loophole to aid the Cestis. The Cestis would not take such a large favor from an Elder. Could not risk the debt. But Cerridwen could teach me, and I could share my knowledge once I had learned. Better that Usuriel not know that, of course.
“Still,” Usuriel said, “I would satisfy myself.” He took another step toward me.
Callum moved between us, standing sideways, one arm stretching to Usuriel to block him. “He’s dangerous. You should not let him inside your mind.”
“I can shield myself.”
“You may not be able to keep him out. He’s an Elder. And skilled at manipulation,” Callum said.
I gritted my teeth against the shiver of fear that slid through my gut. When I was sure I had control, I let myself answer. “I’ve kept a demon from overwhelming me. Not even the walker could keep its grip on me.”
Usuriel hissed at that. “You killed the walker?”
I smiled, teeth bared. “Still want to touch me?”
His eyes narrowed. “You are bold, human.”
“I will protect what is mine. And I do what is right. The Cestis believe in protecting those who need protection. Like tanai who wish to come home. So. A trade, my Lord. I will let you touch me, touch only; and in return, you will let Gwen leave with us, and you will let us return from your territory and the realm unharmed.
“All that for a touch?” he asked.
I nodded. “Whatever it is you’re afraid of, you want to stop it badly enough that you are willing to kidnap a witch and risk endangering the realm. You can determine that I am not what you fear with your touch. Isn’t that worth letting her go?”