by T. A. White
She caught sight of several children peering out of those holes, only to be jerked back into their burrows as soon as Tate noticed them. Their parents met Tate's gaze with flinty expressions.
"Have you ever seen anything like this?" Vale asked in a hushed voice. There was reverence on his face as he took in the unexpected beauty of their surroundings.
They stood in a large depression in the earth, rock curving around them. The walls of the chamber rippled and twisted, horizontal striations marking their surfaces. No doubt a river had once run through this place, carving deep into the stone and molding it around its rushing waters. Small spires joined the ground to the roof, the rock columns delicate and curved.
There was evidence of Silva occupation spanning years. Wood walls met rock, providing privacy and creating living spaces.
"I wouldn't think you would find this impressive, given where you live," Dewdrop said, referring to the tunnels the guardians had carved out for their temples.
"That's man-made," Vale said. "As talented as our artisans are, they can’t hope to compare with something like this."
Tate agreed. There was something alien and wondrous about standing in a space that had taken thousands, if not millions, of years to create.
"Welcome to the home of the Kinjisan," the doyen said.
"Thank you," Evan said, the spokesperson for now. "We appreciate your hospitality and offer no violence against you and yours."
"Some of you anyway," Lita muttered.
Gabriella lifted her chin, but didn't retaliate at the obvious dig against her.
"You'll have to excuse my daughter. She is simply protective of me," a woman said. Her voice echoed from a honeycomb burrow halfway up the wall. The person inside would have a bird’s eye view of everything below but those standing on the ground wouldn’t be able to see her unless she stood at the very edge of her burrow.
Gabriella stiffened as the woman swung onto a ladder that had been propped against the wall next to her home. She landed on the ground with feline ease.
"Mia," Gabriella breathed.
Mia's expression was reserved as she acknowledged Gabriella with a small nod. "Gabby, it's been a long time."
"I thought you were dead." Gabriella sounded off-balance, her expression stunned and upset.
"I would have been if not for the Kinjisan. They took me in when I was left for dead."
Mia moved with a predator's confidence as she approached, her passage silent.
Dewdrop choked in surprise as the woman got closer.
It wasn't the fact she was short, her limbs muscled and strong or the danger radiating off her. No, it was the furred, pointed ears on top of her head, the thin covering of fur they could see on her exposed arms.
She moved like Night, as if her bones were liquid. Each step precise and elegant.
"This is impossible," Dewdrop whispered.
Tate made a sound of wordless agreement.
Mia was a bearcat—one with a human form like Night's children.
Until this moment, they'd been under the assumption Night and his children were the last of their kind—the rest discarded when the Creators decided they were too flawed.
Suddenly, so many things made sense. The interest Gabriella and Tala had expressed in Night when they'd met him in Aurelia. The doyen's shock when Night first appeared. Everything.
Tate started to ask if Night had known about this but stopped when she noticed how still he’d become. He hadn’t moved since the woman appeared.
It was more than a predator’s alertness. His posture spoke of shock, as if everything he thought he knew was being realigned to take in this new curve ball the universe had thrown.
Tate knew what that was like. No words would help. All Tate could do was sit tight and hope Night didn’t get too emotionally banged-up in the interim.
Dewdrop’s eyes met Tate’s over their friend’s still form. Understanding reflected there, and the urge to help.
She nodded at him. He and Night shared a special bond. He might be able to help.
“Night,” he said softly.
I don’t want to talk about this. We’re here for a reason. Focus on the mission.
Dewdrop’s face fell and he swallowed hard.
Night’s stance softened as he sat, his expression calm and remote. I appreciate your help, my friend, but I can’t deal with this right now.
“Whatever you need, Night,” Tate said softly.
Night’s gaze turned to hers, pain shone in their depths. She nodded to show she understood. All they could do was be there when he was ready. It wasn’t much, but it would do for now.
Dewdrop looked slightly lost when Tate glanced at him, then he straightened his shoulders and sent a glare toward Mia. He might be the youngest, but his heart was just as fierce and protective as the bearcat’s. They’d get through this together.
“Hello,” Mia said as she watched Night with soft, wondering eyes.
Tate cleared her throat when Night didn’t respond. “How are you alive? We thought the rest of his kind had been destroyed.”
The woman pulled her attention from Night, focusing on Tate with sharp, intelligent eyes. “The ancients loathed waste. They rarely destroyed their creations in case they ever needed them again. After our kind came into being, they decided they preferred a form closer to the Silva’s.” Her lips tilted in a bitter smile. “We were a touch stubborn and difficult to control.”
Both Tate and Dewdrop nodded in understanding. They were well acquainted with the stubbornness in a bearcat’s makeup.
“There’s no evidence of your existence,” Dewdrop said. “We looked for others like him.”
Mia inclined her head. “Our younger cousins protected the secret of our existence. It’s one of the reasons the Morain was formed, along with clans such as the Kinjisan. Both groups took in our kind and protected them when it was thought we would suffer from the prejudice of the other races.”
“There are other like you here?” Dewdrop asked.
“A few,” Mia responded.
The doyen shifted at her side, his expression hard.
She made a hum of assent. “That’s not what you came here to ask, however.”
"I don't understand how you’re here," Gabriella whispered.
"It's simple. The Morain turned on me," Mia said. "The Kinjisan found me. They gave me a home after nursing me back to health."
"You betrayed the Harridan," Gabriella said, recovering from her shock.
"I did not. The person we knew as the Harridan is gone. Her mind is clouded and vague. If she continues to rule, she'll pull all of the Silva down with her," Mia returned. "Ending her life would be a mercy. It's what your doyenne should have done years ago."
"Tala is hoping she returns to herself."
"In the meantime, your Harridan has brought war to our doorstep. Do you think the Emperor will allow us to continue as we have been if either of his dragons are harmed?" Mia gestured at Tate and Ryu.
The smile Ryu aimed at Mia had a lot in common with his dragon's, toothy and fierce. "You'll find we're not such easy targets, lady."
Mia's attention landed on Tate and Ryu, her expression thoughtful. "No, I suppose you aren't. Still, I do not see good things in our future. Not when the Harridan has lured you here for another's purpose."
"The deceiver?" Tate wasn't surprised when Mia nodded. "Do you know who he is?"
"I haven't seen his face. We've tried to get several of our people close enough, but he always sees through our attempts," Mia said.
The heavy weight of sorrow in the air told her they'd lost more than one in the endeavor.
"I have a feeling you know who he is." Mia's amber eyes pinned her in place. "He has a marked interest in you. Everything he's done has been designed to draw you out and lure you from your allies in Aurelia."
Tate didn't see the connection. "I'm here because the Emperor ordered my presence."
"Convenient after so many months of denying the Harridan'
s request," Mia said.
"She's right," Gabriella said, seeing the doubt on Tate's face. "The Harridan has sent at least three requests that I know of."
"The assassination attempt," Ryu murmured.
He's right. A good predator might have anticipated the Emperor's need to get you out of the city, Night said. If you survived, they'd want to send you somewhere they thought you'd be safe.
Ryu nodded. "It makes sense. If you somehow managed to survive an attack, this would be the logical outcome."
"I don't understand why he would draw me all the way out here."
"You should return to the capital," Mia said.
Not an option. "She has my people."
"You could always leave them behind."
The words seemed like a test. Still, Tate couldn't help the way her eyes hardened or her tone lowered in threat. "You don't send people into danger and then forget about them."
"How very Savior-like," Mia murmured, then paused. When Tate didn’t react, she prowled past them, saying over her shoulder as she disappeared into the shadows. "Come, I have something to show you."
Tate and Ryu glanced at each other. He shook his head in resignation. They might as well play along for now.
Mia led them through a narrow tributary that ran at a slight angle from the main artery of the slot canyon. Their pace was leisurely as they moved through the passageway. Abruptly, the canyon widened. Light stabbed through the darkness from long openings in the ceiling. They moved through shadow to light and back to shadow again as Mia and Lita waited on the far side next to a long smooth wall.
"You shouldn't show them this." Tate caught Lita saying just as she arrived.
"Hush, child. If she's who I think she is, they need to know."
"You're being too trusting again, Mother." Frustration colored Lita's words.
The woman lifted a hand, brushing Lita's hair back from her face. "That's one thing a Morain has never been accused of."
Tate jolted as the wall paintings behind the two finally registered. White symbols marched up and down the length of the wall, reaching to the slab of sandstone above in some places. It filled every bare piece of rock. There were so many symbols, Tate had trouble focusing on any one. They were impossible to decipher.
The simple image of a dragon, wings spread caught her eyes. It was bigger than many of the other symbols. Important. Under it, the name Allegra was carved into the rock.
"What is this?" Tate asked, shock making her words harsher than she intended.
Mia didn't answer, her eyes enigmatic as she waited.
"I recognize this handwriting. It's Jaxon Kuno's." Excitement ran through Vale's voice as he pushed his face close to the wall, staring at the symbols from only inches away.
Emotion and turmoil froze Tate's vocal chords. Jaxon was everywhere she turned recently. She wanted to know why. This couldn't all be coincidence.
"Why do you show us this?" Ryu asked harshly.
Mia met his gaze with the same strength and stubbornness Tate often found in Night. "Because I believe I know what this deceiver is after."
"What's that?" Dewdrop asked in challenge.
Mia pointed to a section of the wall, the symbols slanted with urgency. Jaxon had drawn the symbol for death, over and over again, his turmoil bleeding through. "A weapon."
Tate's attention caught on a depiction of a hand several feet away, chains wrapped around it, each finger tipped in a metal cup. It had no connection to where Jaxon had urgently scribbled, but it was familiar. Christopher had been wearing it during their confrontation.
Tate stepped close and rested her hand on the paint, her head bent. "What is it exactly that you're asking us to do?"
"I want you to recover the weapon Jaxon Kuno trusted us to safeguard. I want you to find it and steal it."
Of course, they did.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Tate moved through the Kinjisan’s rock home, noting how the Silva kept their distance while still sending curious gazes her way. She wondered how many of them had ever seen strangers. Something told her they didn’t get regular visitors this high in the cliffs. Understandable, given the less than friendly greeting she and the Avertine had gotten.
Her group had been instructed to wait while the Kinjisan prepared for the journey to the Harridan’s city. By land, it would take a week or more—especially if they had to continue to dodge the Harridan’s forces. That’s why the Kinjisan’s doyen had decided to go by air.
All that remained was for the Kinjisan to decide who among their people were skilled enough to act as guides and navigators.
The wait while a decision was made allowed Tate’s party a little time to explore the unusual city they’d found themselves in—an opportunity Tate had grabbed hold of with both hands. She’d left Vale and Gabriella in the cavern going over the cave paintings. Dewdrop had been content to find a place to sit, while Ryu was talking with the doyen.
Spotting the bearcat she most wanted to check on, Tate slowed. Night lay warming himself in a patch of sunlight. His attention was focused on one of the beehive burrows in the canyon walls.
She heard a small snuffling before a cub stumbled to the edge. She sucked in a breath at more proof of how integrated Night’s species was in this clan.
The cub was young, its fur lacking the markings of an adult bearcat, but even then, Tate could see the promise of what it would one day become.
The cub peered over the edge of its burrow in curiosity before turning and scooting backwards toward it. Claws, not quite as sharp or lethal as a full-grown bearcat, dug into the stone as it stretched its back legs to the floor, not quite reaching.
The cub let go, landing and falling over backwards. It rolled to a seated position and shook its head, opening its mouth on a squeaky complaint.
The cub was adorably inept and reminded Tate of Pax and Willa when she’d first met them. The twins had been slightly older but still had had that same awkwardness.
Its complaints grew louder until Night stood with a sigh, padding over to the cub and placing one paw on its head. The cub reached up, ineffectually trying to knock Night’s paw off. Distracted by the new game, he wrestled with Night’s leg, nipping and swatting as he rolled onto his back.
Tate bit back a giggle at the antics. She wasn’t quite successful, and the cub shot her a curious look.
She walked over and crouched next to Night. “Hello, young one. Are you having fun?”
The cub rolled to face Tate, making a curious chirping sound. Tate raised her hand, bringing it in close to let the cub playfully swat it.
A slight noise from behind announced the presence of someone. Tate lifted her head and glanced up.
Lita waited, watching the two of them with the cub, a frown on her face. Now that Tate knew Mia was her mother, she noticed similarities between the two. They had the same eyes and there was an echo of Mia in the shape of Lita’s face.
“Taine, you know your mother said you weren’t to leave the burrow until the strangers were gone,” Lita mock-scolded, putting her hands on her hips.
The cub grumbled its disagreement.
“Don’t back talk. She gave you that rule for a reason,” Lita said. “Now, go home. The adults want to talk to them.”
Taine’s face fell as he made a sad sound. Night stood, grabbing the cub by the scruff of his neck before rising to his back legs and putting the cub back into its burrow. He nudged the cub when it continued to sit there.
Reluctantly the cub ambled back inside as Night dropped to four paws.
Tate gave Lita a guilty look as she stood. The other girl didn’t comment except to say, “My mother and the doyen expect you at the winger cave shortly.”
Tate nodded. “We’ll be there.”
Lita hesitated. “You’d better not bring trouble down on them, mad dragon.”
She walked away without waiting for a response.
“Charming. I’m thinking a sharp tongue is definitely a bearcat trait,” Tate observed w
ithout looking at Night.
He shot her a look that she saw out of the corner of her eye. She pressed her lips together to stifle the smile that wanted to grow.
You are incredibly childish, Night said in disgust.
“Then I fit in well with our band of misfits.”
They walked in the wake of Lita, trailing her slowly.
Night was silent and Tate thought she’d lost him to the darkness in his mind.
“It’s not a bad thing to find you’re not alone,” she observed.
He grunted but didn’t respond.
She couldn’t help but remember their conversation on the edge of the cliff before the Kinjisan had waylaid the caravan. She had to wonder if his answer had changed since then. Would he still say he was happy in Aurelia now that he knew he and the twins weren’t the last of their kind?
I’ve always thought we were alone, Night said finally. I’m not sure how I feel with this new information. This changes everything and nothing at the same time.
Tate made a thoughtful noise. “Do me a favor. Keep in mind you’re not dealing with this alone. Dewdrop and I are your family, even if we don’t share a speck of blood between us.”
And I’m yours, Night promised. Which is why if you try to talk Dewdrop or me into letting you do this alone, I will rip your arm off.
Tate stopped walking to stare at him openmouthed. “That’s a little harsh.”
It seems to be the only way you learn. Night continued walking, his tail swishing behind him in satisfaction.
“Here I am, trying to have a memorable moment, and you threaten me. Sometimes I regret rescuing you from that cage.”
A slight laugh was his only response.
*
"Please tell me you're kidding," Dewdrop said, aiming a faintly pleading look at Tate.
She shook her head. "They said this is the fastest way. And safest."
Night's tail whipped as he stared at the cliff, several contraptions with wings sitting near the edge. His expression was no happier than Dewdrop's. If my kind had been meant for flight, we would have been given wings.
"You could stay here," she suggested.
