Alejandro narrowed his eyes, and after a bit he nodded but didn’t lower his sword. “It was not me you remember, but my cousin. Why are you here? Who has sent you?”
The Rider looked away, letting his hands fall to his sides. “I rode with the Basilisk.”
Nik found himself hefting the poker.
“The Cycle has turned,” Alejandro said. “The High Prince would welcome you in her court, as she has welcomed others of your following.”
The Rider smiled, but it was the kind of smile that Nik thought would break your heart. “I know. I would give anything to bring that to pass, but alas, I have nothing left to offer. I must hold by my pledged word.”
“Even when the dra’aj of he to whom you pledged has returned to the Lands?”
The man swallowed and looked away again, taking in a lungful of air. He spoke before looking back. “It was a dra’aj oath.”
Nik didn’t know what that meant, but from the way Alejandro suddenly stiffened, it couldn’t be good.
“I pledged not merely to follow the Basilisk, but to forsake the Prince Guardian and to fight against him always. I cannot take back my dra’aj oath.”
Nik glanced at Alejandro. The Rider’s eyes were round, and his lips parted. “Certainly you cannot, not now when the one to whom you swore is gone.” He swallowed, and inclined his head in a slight bow. “If you are not here to join with us, why are we speaking?”
“There are others like myself, others who cannot retract their oaths, who cannot—” The Rider rubbed at his mouth with his hand. “Who cannot stop. There has been killing on both sides and we…we cannot stop.” He let his hand drop again. “We could not even think of stopping, until we came here, to the Shadowlands. This gives us hope. There may be a way out for us, if someone would carry my words to the High Prince. We may even be of service to her.”
Alejandro made an impatient sound that reminded Nik of his grandfather. “You call her the High Prince, you acknowledge her? And yet you ally with the Hunt, the enemy of us all? Is this how you offer your service?”
Nik saw the point of Alejandro’s sword rise as his grip tightened. Sunset on Water saw it as well, and took a step back. Nik cleared his throat.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” he said. Maybe he was being an idiot, maybe this wasn’t the best basis for an alliance, but it was probably the only one they had. He moved closer, but didn’t make the mistake of standing between the two Riders. That big an idiot he wasn’t. “If there’s common ground somewhere between you, isn’t it worthwhile to look for it? If lives can be saved?” Especially Outsider lives.
Alejandro relaxed. Sunset on Water glanced at Nik, and returned his eyes to the other Rider.
“It is not by choice that we ally with the Hunt, I assure you, Sunward one.” The other Rider spread his hands again, as if proving that he didn’t carry a weapon. “What I would propose is another alliance entirely.”
“Go on.”
“Here, in the Shadowlands, our oaths weigh on us less, we can tolerate them, though we are not free of them. Here we could live, build lives for ourselves, escape the poison of the Basilisk Prince. Do you see? There need not be contention between us. Let the High Prince grant us the Shadowlands, and we will destroy the Hunt for her.”
Nik’s throat closed. Great, someone else who wanted to take over the world. This is what he got for trying to help out. The role of mediator only worked if you were a disinterested third party.
“Why have you not made this offer to her?” Alejandro asked.
“We could not. Not while we remained in the Lands, in the same world as the Prince Guardian. We came to the Shadowlands almost by chance, hunted to a Portal, and found here a sufficient distance from him to think and speak clearly of the matter.”
“Hang on; wouldn’t you need to destroy the Hunt anyway? I mean, they’re a danger to you as well, aren’t they?”
Again, the Rider looked at him, but turned to Alejandro to answer.
“We could tolerate them. So long as they have humans to feed upon, we are in no real danger.” Sunset made a tossing motion with his hand. “But it is not what we would best want. I would end the killing, even if it means we cannot return home.”
“So you would give us your help against the Hunt.”
“As you say.”
Oh, crap. Nik was torn. On the one hand, this was Rider help against the Hunt—but as far as he could see, this guy wasn’t carrying any gra’if, so was the help useful? But Alejandro was considering it, so there must be something these guys could do. Nik cleared his throat, and suddenly both sets of eyes were aimed at him.
“You can’t leave humans out of this equation,” he said. “The High Prince is looking for the Horn on our behalf so in that sense, we’re already your allies.” Nik nodded in Alejandro’s direction. “We need to be a part of this negotiation. We need a—” Nik racked his brain for the words he wanted. “A treaty of offense and defense.” He looked between the two Riders. Their faces remained impassive, but not unfriendly. “Mutually,” he added.
“Will you speak for your people?” Alejandro didn’t sound at all as though he were joking.
Oh, hell, no, Nik thought. He couldn’t really speak even for all Outsiders, let alone all humans—but someone had to say something, and say it right now. Don’t screw up, Nikki. “Sure. I mean, yes. Yes, I’ll speak for my people.”
“Speak.”
Nik took a deep breath, and a tighter grip on the poker he was still holding. Somehow, this simple human tool gave him comfort. “This is our world. The Hunt’s no part of it. And neither, really, are either of you. We only have a problem because of you. It’s only reasonable that we expect you, at the very least, to clean up your problem.”
“And what can you offer in return for our help?” If there was underlying menace in Sunset’s voice, at least the Rider was now speaking directly to him.
“I’ll remind you that my people are already allied with the High Prince, against the Hunt, and—at the moment—against you. If you make a bargain with Riders like Alejandro—” Damn, what was Alejandro’s Rider name again? “Then, you make a bargain with us.”
“Is this true?”
When Alejandro didn’t answer right away, Nik’s heart sank. He was trying to come up with some kind of delaying tactic when the Rider spoke up.
“The High Prince has pledged to rid the humans of the Hunt, so in this much, at the least, we are allies.”
Nik wasn’t the only one who jumped at this fourth voice. Sunset on Water spun around, revealing the tall, very fair woman dressed in black and red standing behind him. Moon must have finished playing with the elevators. She had an umbrella in her hand, and was holding it in the same stance that Alejandro held his sword. Nik had only met her when she came back from the Lands with Alejandro and Nighthawk, but he was pretty sure the umbrella was just an umbrella.
“I have heard what you have said, Sunset on Water. You know me; I am Walks Under the Moon. In this matter, I know what is in my sister’s mind, and for her, the humans will always be taken into account in any decision made.”
The other Rider gave Moon a shallow bow. “Very well.” Sunset on Water didn’t seem at all put out by this qualification, but Nik wasn’t so sure it was time to break out the champagne. “We would undertake not to interfere in the lives of humans, if we are granted permission to use the Shadowlands as our territory.”
“These are only preliminary discussions,” Alejandro pointed out.
“We will carry your words to the High Prince,” Walks Under the Moon said.
Sunset on the Water nodded, his lips pressed tight together. Finally, he raised his head. “Can there at least be a ceasing of hostilities between us in the meanwhile?”
“I see no reason why not.”
Sunset, still nodding, asked, “Then will you carry word to the Rider Nighthawk? He who was once Warden to the Exile? His father and mine were of the same fara’ip, and I would have words with him, if he
is willing. He might also speak for us.”
“I will tell him.”
“Let him meet me in some neutral place then, at sunset. He need not come alone,” the dark Rider added when Alejandro frowned.
Nik decided to step in. “Inside or outside? Crowded or empty?” he said. “As a place to meet, I mean. ’Cause I’m thinking the Hair of the Dog. It’s a bar,” Nik added, turning to Alejandro. “Lots of people coming and going. They’d be just another couple of guys. Who’s going to notice?” The dark Rider hesitated. “Corner of Church and Wood?”
“I know the place.” Sunset was nodding, but he still didn’t look very happy. “It is not far from a den of the Hunt.” But then he gave a sharp nod, and looked Nik in the eye for the first time. “Not far, but perhaps easier, then, for me to break away.”
“Where are you supposed to be now?” Nik asked.
“Watching a building north of here, where there has been a great coming and going of humans of interest to the Hunt, humans like yourself, with no scent.”
Outsiders? Does he mean the hospital? Crap, what if he meant Elaine’s place?
“Return to your post. I will tell Nighthawk,” Alejandro said. “We will speak again.”
Moon edged to one side, lowering her umbrella just enough to let the other Rider by. Nik noticed that she watched him the whole time, waiting until he’d reached the far end of the corridor before turning to face them.
“It appears there may be reason for cautious optimism, at least on one front.” She shook her head. “Dra’aj oaths—did I hear correctly? I have not heard of such things outside of Songs, but it goes far to explain the frenzied attacks my sister has been faced with.” She turned to Nik. “You are worried? When Sunset on Water told us where his post was, your face changed.”
“I thought he might mean Elaine’s place, where our office is,” Nik said. “There’s been a lot of us coming and going there lately.”
“An area of potential danger? Then I have a suggestion.” Moon moved closer. “I have need of activity. Now that Valory and Wolf are on the track of the Horn, my work is over, but I find I cannot sit idly by in my sister’s court while all around me work. You two have no real need of me. What if I work with this Elaine? I could make myself of use, even if it is only to Move humans quickly to safe places.”
Swift River Current was enjoying herself, leaning on the parapet on the northeast corner of the train station, sitting in the sun, eating sausages from the sidewalk vendor. It was amusing to watch the humans walking by.
“What about that one?” Badger nudged River’s left arm, indicating a very tall, very slim man with skin the color of ebony. “Think he’d taste any different?”
“Nah, it’s just skin color, it doesn’t go any deeper.” River had tried a few of the darker ones in Australia. Still, it was fun to pick out who might be her next meal, and then come up with reasons not to eat them—yet.
“They’re so totally oblivious,” Badger said. “They don’t even know what danger they’re in. Hey, what about that blonde?”
“She’d be good. Okay, why not?”
“Uh…skirt’s too short for those legs. I wouldn’t want the fashion police after me.”
The two Hounds laughed until they howled.
River was just wiping away a tear when she glanced across the street and saw Sunset on Water come out of the hotel. She whacked Badger on the arm and pointed, still breathless from laughing. Badger dropped her half-eaten Italian sausage with hot mustard and onions to the sidewalk.
“What’s he doing here? This’s our lookout spot.”
“Shouldn’t be anywhere near here,” River agreed. “Pack Leader’s keeping all the Riders away.” She didn’t know how much the other Hound knew. Didn’t know whether Badger knew about Wolf. But for sure Fox wouldn’t trust his brother to any of these Rider so-called allies.
Her eyes narrowed and her hand went into her pocket, looking for her phone.
“Just a sec.” Badger put her hand on River’s wrist. “What say we go see what he’s been up to first?”
River nodded, smiling. “Sure. Who knows? We might have something really interesting to report.”
It was easy to backtrack the Rider from the door where he’d come out of the building. He’d used the third elevator on the right-hand side of the main bank of elevators, and ridden down from the top floor. The hallway was deserted, and the trail led right up to a plain wooden door with a dragon-shaped knocker.
Badger pressed her nose to the crack of the door and almost immediately leaped back, sneezing. “This is a Dragonborn’s lair, someone very powerful.” She licked at a line of drool that threatened to escape from her mouth.
River approached the door more cautiously, nose lifted, nostrils spread. “Yeah, but that’s not who Sunset was meeting. There’s someone else, someone—” River snapped her head back. “The old Rider, the one with the girl! Sun of a bitch! Sunset met with the Old One.”
“I don’t smell anyone else.” Her nose now clear, Badger was using it again. “What’s Sunset doing, meeting with the Old One without Pack Leader? Something smells bad about this.”
“You think?” River shook her head, mouth twisted to one side. “Well, well, well. You’ve just made a serious mistake, my Rider friend. A very serious mistake.”
Badger grinned back at her. “Maybe the last one he’ll ever make, huh?”
This time River got her phone all the way out of her pocket before she shoved it back in.
“What?”
“This is too important. We need to tell Fox face-to-face.”
Wolf was gone, and then he was back, and then we were outside the tower, and Wolf was helping me on my Cloud Horse. I don’t know whether it was the distraction, but I was actually feeling a bit better.
“That’s Moon’s.” I’d meant to get hold of Wolf’s wrist where the gra’if was, but I’d touched this golden bangle, about as thick around as my little finger, instead. “I don’t mean that’s her bracelet,” I said, letting go of it. “I mean that’s her hair.”
Wolf had been looking over his shoulder at the tower’s broken door, as if worrying that something else might come at us. “Yes. She made it.”
“And you made her one.” It occurred to me I hadn’t seen a dark bangle made of Wolf’s hair to match this one on Moon’s wrist. Only Lightborn’s pin on her collar. Anyone could see the significance of that.
Wolf heaved himself up into his own saddle and the Cloud Horse turned so we were facing each other. “After Truthsheart became High Prince, both Moon and I had need of a place of family, a place to rest and finish the Healing she had begun.” Wolf stroked the horse’s neck. “We were fostered with Honor of Souls, the mother of Lightborn. One day she spoke of this old manner of making a keepsake between members of a fara’ip.” Wolf turned it on his wrist. “I remembered seeing them on the wrists of some of the Wild Riders, so Moon and I made our own.”
I touched the bracelet again. It was like touching Moon, but different. Touching something that belonged to someone often gave me much clearer images, since I didn’t have the person’s emotional state to contend with.
“She’s in the Shadowlands,” I said. “With Alejandro. No, with Elaine.” I glanced up at Wolf, but his face didn’t change. I started to relax, then tightened up again. “Does she have one of these? Of yours? Can it be used to locate you? To Move to you?”
But Wolf was already shaking his head. “Impossible. Only gra’if can be used in that fashion, and then only by those with powerful dra’aj.” He gestured to his throat. “The High Prince wears the Guardian Prince’s torque, for example, and he hers. They can use the torques to Move to one another, but—”
“But they’re the Princes, okay, I get it. And the bad guys don’t use gra’if anyway, even if they were powerful enough, which they’re probably not. Sorry I brought it up.”
I was sorrier that I’d said that. I had to shut my eyes and breathe slowly to make sure nothing else got brought up.
“Valory?”
I swallowed, my ears popped, and I realized I had better take more Gravol. I would have been nodding if it hadn’t meant the world would have wobbled. “Okay.” I paused a moment to phrase my words properly. “Let’s go. A specific question. Concentrate.”
Wolf thought for a moment, doing as I’d instructed. “What are the lyrics that will lead us to the Ice Tor?”
I reached out then, and took a firm grip on his arm above both bracelet and gra’if. At first, I felt nothing but the warmth of Wolf’s skin, the muscles trembling just beneath. Maybe I was too tired after all. Too sick. This had never happened to me before, I always got something. I swallowed, and I was looking for the words to tell Wolf we weren’t going anywhere, when information started coming. [The scars on his face had come from a clawing he’d suffered when someone else wanted to be Pack Leader; blue had been his favorite color; he’d been annoyed and envious when his little brother had manifested his Guidebeast first.] And then everything else had faded into the background, and all I could see/read/feel was the Song.
“‘Where the sun stands high in the north, never setting;
Where the chill wind creeps down from western crags.’”
I let go and the images stopped. “That can’t be right. The western wind is always warm.” Wolf raised his eyebrows. “Well, in any poetry I’ve ever heard anyway.”
“Shadowland poetry?”
“I take your point. Anyway, the next bit goes ‘Soft footfalls trace the edge of air; A cold snake lurks in the valley.’” I stopped singing and cleared my throat. “That’s how it starts anyway. Is it supposed to rhyme? Because this part didn’t come out that way.”
“Not always,” Wolf said. “They are easier to remember if rhymed, but there are many Songs, and passages of Songs, that do not.” I took another breath, but Wolf stopped me before I could recite any more. “That is enough for us to begin,” he said. “If I Sing, we should Ride to that part of the Road closest to what I describe.”
Shadowlands Page 34
