Kyle dropped the jewel.
Crwys bent down and retrieved it. He stuck it in his pocket.
Kyle held up a hand. "The Aces are in place."
Crwys wasn't surprised that Kyle had been brought into the pack link. He'd been accepted as Jack's mate. He nodded and turned as he continued following the path laid out by Tas.
They stepped off on the second platform, then moved to a different tree, each of them with a base as big around as a silo. Or a rocket. Two more spirals up, then a turn to the left and then the right, and another several spirals up to a platform.
"Whatever you do, don't look down," Levi quipped as he moved to the edge of the area and looked over the side.
"I'm gonna be sick," Kyle said and kept himself in the middle.
Crwys didn't have any issues with heights. Being a Dragon sort of precluded that. But looking over the side…yeah. "Just keep back, Kyle." He wasn't sure he could actually see the ground.
"I think we're in the highest most tree?" Levi had his hands on his hips, looking up. Above them was a canopy of thick foliage. If there was a sky, it wasn't visible.
"Yeah." Crwys looked up and then down again. "Only…" He looked at the tree the platform hung from. There was a door in its side. A heavy, thick door with iron chains. Real…iron. "I thought iron was poisonous to Faeries."
"Faeries and Goblins," Kyle said as he stood beside Crwys. "What's wrong? Is the King in there?"
"I don't know." Crwys moved to the edge again. "With the King in the basement, I assumed we'd go down. But we've only traveled up, and the map says we go through that door."
"Maybe it's a spatial thing?" Levi shrugged. "Because the area was in a basement, we all assumed it was under the ground…but maybe what she built doesn't actually have a fixed location except where you want it?"
"Maybe." Crwys didn't feel convinced. Something seemed just a bit…off. He didn't feel it was a trap, and they hadn't seen a single Nisse. Unless they were all in the Greater Kingdom. He went back to the door, and with a single yank of his strength, tore off the iron chains. They clattered to the wood but didn't cause an echo. They were too close to the ceiling, perhaps?
With a glance at the others, Crwys pushed the door in.
The darkness blinded them for a few seconds until Kyle's tiny sun moved past them and elevated inside in the center of a round room. It was the exact circumference of the tree itself, with a smooth, if not scarred floor and walls. A pattern of a sunburst, the King's crest, decorated the floor. There wasn't another entrance or exit from the room, save for a tiny window at the highest level of the room. Red sun filtered through that window and shown on the center of that crest where a young man had been chained between two posts. He had long white hair that obscured his face and no horns, and wore little more than the remains of a pair of brown trousers. His bare feet dangled several inches off the floor.
Crwys moved the hair aside and recognized the face a few seconds before Kyle hissed, "Who the hell is that?"
Kyle got to the Prince first and wrapped his arms around the young man’s hips. "Crwys…the chains."
But he was already working on them, melting them with his fire, a foot from where the manacles had rubbed the Prince's wrists raw. Crwys helped get the young man to the floor and checked his pulse. It was weak but there. His skin was cold and clammy. There was very little bare skin that didn't bear the mark of a severe beating.
"What in the hell…" Kyle was saying as Crwys stood. “Why did Tas lead us here to him?”
Crwys put his hands to the young man’s head and felt there, exposing pointed ears.
Levi joined him. "I thought we were rescuing King Satar."
"That's what I assumed." He looked at Levi. "The truth is, she never really said. I assumed it, but…why would she want us to this guy?"
They heard horns sound from below, and the two of them dashed out onto the dais to look down. Crwys spotted streaks of red far below. Torches maybe…
And then he heard the unmistakable growls of Wolves.
The Aces had come in through the hole…they were inside the thicket.
"I got him," Levi said as he hoisted the young man over his shoulder. "You two need to make cover if we need it. Think you can get us back out?"
"I'm counting on it." Crwys checked his gun for ammo, just in case, and then led them back down the path he'd come…only…the map was fading.
By the time they reached the last set of the steps, the map was entirely gone from his memory. Luckily, the opening was marked by the Wolves standing beside it. The Aces flanked them as they went back through and pulled the still unconscious young man into the Human Realm. Once out, Crwys threw him over his shoulder and started toward his car…only…
It wasn't there.
In its place was a thick, scrambled mass of vines, leaves, flowers, and roots.
"The thicket grew over your car!" Kyle said.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," he snapped and turned back to see a group of Risi, dressed in full leather armor, heading for them. The Aces were at their backs, but there was no way he would be able to get everyone to safety without someone getting hit.
He saw a flash of black and then heard the screech of tires on wet asphalt. A black van careened out of what had once been St. Philip Street and slid up next to the covered Mustang, making a god-awful screech as rubber roughed up the somewhat damp pavement. The passenger door opened, and one of Arden's coven members stepped out. She yanked the side sliding door open. "Get in!"
Crwys dove in head first with Riven, followed by Kyle and Levi. The sound of fighting Wolves surrounded the van as the coven member jumped back in and pulled the door closed just as a Wolf slammed its body against the metal. The coven member screamed just before a familiar feminine voice said, "This just won't do."
Crwys, Levi and Kyle turned to see Arden sitting in a wheelchair at the back of the van. She was paler than usual, and there were still bruises and scrapes on her face and neck. She wore a black shirt, sweater, and a very irritated expression. With a narrowed gaze, she put her hand on the van's wall.
Within seconds, they could hear the whine and cry of Wolves and Risi alike as water rose up from the ground outside. Crwys watched the water level rise past the windows and front windshield, yet none of the water ever leaked into the van. A beat later, it subsided and Arden was brushing her hands together. "There. A few drowned idiots will make the world a better place. Ceridwen, get us home. Ramming speed."
Crwys held on to Riven and the van's side as Ceridwen hauled ass out of that area. Within minutes, the scenery changed from a thick, mythical forest to the familiar city buildings of New Orleans.
"You three okay? And…who is that? I thought you were getting King Satar."
Crwys shook his head. "First off…how did you do that inside the thicket?"
"My van. My property. My contract." She grinned. "My power. Your turn."
"We're not sure who he is, but he was in the room Tas's map directed us too.”
Her expression darkened. "Then there is a reason. I doubt that woman does anything without one. This young Risi—no, he's not all Risi is he—has a very subtle, if not steady power. But he's not in good shape. We'll treat him when we get to Gypsy Gardens."
"Aunt Arden." Kyle moved to her, carefully stood, and gave her a hug as the van sped out on the highway toward Arden's place. "How did you know we were there? Didn’t you just get out of the hospital?"
"Yes. Ceridwen and Minerva here were picking me up. They told me what you were plotting, and I had them drive there right away." She reached down and thumped him on the back of the head. "How in the hell could you have handed over that land to a Risi? Because that’s the only way they could grow a thicket on this side of the veil."
"Ow…hey. I didn't do it. Sam did it."
"Why?"
Crwys said, "Because Brahms convinced her the only way to stop the Risi from porting in was to give him control of the land."
Everyone looked at t
he battered and still form of Riven as he lay beside Crwys. Ceridwen immediately got out of her seat and gently nudged Crwys aside as she knelt beside him and put her hands on his chest.
"How bad?" Arden said.
Ceridwen didn't answer immediately. Her eyes closed. "Broken ribs, hip, wrists…dislocated shoulder…concussion…there's internal bleeding." She opened her eyes and looked at Arden. "Should I administer aid?"
"Let me die,” the young Risi said weakly.
Arden snorted. "'Fraid not, little man. For some reason, Artemis believes you are important enough to risk other lives for. Go ahead Ceridwen. Kyle, you help her."
Kyle moved around Crwys and got on the other side. His hands glowed blue and yellow as he put them on Riven's hip.
"Miss Vervain," Levi said. "My blood…"
"Maybe." She held up her hand. "I want to wait till the last minute to see if it's needed. I don't know how Revenant blood affects Risi…and from his looks it's obvious he's not a full blood Risi. So what's the other half?”
Watching them work on the young man, an idea came to Crwys. "He's Feyn. This is Riven—the King's son."
Everyone stopped and looked at Crwys, then looked at the unconscious young man. "Seriously?" Dharma said as she moved even closer to the Feyn. "I thought they killed him."
"They came pretty damn close."
Arden’s brows arched high on her forehead. “A Feyn? Risi and Leanan Sidhe. Those are extremely rare… So, let’s wait and see what these two can do, shall we?”
Levi nodded.
"Arden—"
"I know, Crwys. And…I don't know. I can't find her either. If Sam's still alive, she's beyond our reach."
TWENTY TWO
After getting everyone home safe, seeing to the wounded Aces, and having a tense but much needed talk with Bastien, exhaustion weighed on Crwys. Staring at the clock, Lethe’s time limit was still a few hours away.
After a shower and a change of clothing, including jeans, sneakers, and a black Club Hell t-shirt, something Arden still had from when her people had cleaned out his warehouse, Crwys came down stairs and joined everyone in the dining room. It was the largest table in the house and Arden wanted everyone gathered. Levi, Kyle, Dharma, Ivan, and Arden. Arden’s staff served cold sandwiches, drinks and coffee.
Ceridwen greeted him at the door with a cup of hot black coffee. "Just help yourself, Detective," she said with a smile and pointed to the sideboard, laden with food.
Crwys was going to say thank you, just as his stomach growled. A few snickers and he grabbed a few donuts to go with his coffee. Yeah, a cop and donuts probably looked like a stereotype, but he needed the sugar. He sat in the chair Arden gestured to, at her left at the table. Sipping his coffee, he put his elbows on the table and looked at Arden. “How’s Riven?”
Arden sighed as she placed her finger tips on the coffee mug in front of her. She wasn’t eating. “He’s resting. His wounds are intense enough that we’re having to heal him in stages. My Coven’s healers need to rest as well. But I think he’ll survive. When he wakes, I hope to question him, learn more about what happened with Brahms and Yolyn and the wolves.”
Crwys nodded and choked down a couple of donuts, but his thoughts kept returning to Sam. Was she eating? Had she eaten anything? Was she in pain? Had she slept somewhere comfortable? He hated that he couldn't tell. He couldn't sense anything. This was more unbearable than when she was out with Bastien.
"Morning," Jack said as he stumbled in. He still looked tired with circles under his eyes. Jack had been learning to control his shifts a bit better, but the power needed to do this took a lot out of him. Ben had this ability and was now officially the pack's Beta. Because Bastien felt responsible for Jack's transformation, he'd adopted Jack as his own and was now training him to be a leader.
Kyle stood and the two embraced by the buffet. Arden looked on with a slight smile on her lips before she turned to Crwys. "We haven't located her yet."
He wasn’t sure if Arden said that because of the look on his face when he watched the two lovers embrace. But Arden could be perceptive that way. He sat back as Jack helped himself to the food. "I know."
"But she's not dead," Ivan piped up.
"No, she's not dead," Crwys answered. "I would know. The fact it's hard to reach her terrifies me. Either it means she's being shielded or…" He looked at Ivan. "She's not here."
"You mean not here as in physically," the Cyber Witch said. "Like she's in Faerie?"
"Could be," Crwys said. He ran his fingers through his hair. "What I'm still trying to understand is why Tas sent us in there to rescue Riven." He slid his gaze from Ivan to Arden. “Have your people learned anything?”
“No. But I’ve been giving that a lot of thought myself. The only thing I can come up with moves along the same logic you and Levi used. Tas is in that thicket because she chooses to be. She felt Riven’s life was the most important. She’s protecting him.” She shrugged. “It might have something to do with his bloodline.”
“I’m not following,” Crwys said. Everyone at the table was quiet, listening.
Arden paused. “Feyn and Goblins, those offspring from the Leanan and Daoine Sidhe, possess greater power than their separate lineages. That power flows through their blood. I spoke with Tzariene an hour ago and it’s her guess they kept him alive because his blood is Elemental Blood.”
“What is that?” Ivan asked.
“Simply blood that contains the five elements. It’s what gives these offspring their power. Feyn and Goblins are wanted throughout all the worlds because of the healing properties of their blood, according to Tzariene. I think…” and she looked at everyone. “Yolyn was keeping Riven alive as a backup if they couldn’t get to King Satar. She might believe the boy’s blood could cure Lethe’s curse.”
“Jesus….” Someone muttered.
“Then,” Kyle began. “Some of those wounds…Cerridwen said it looked as if they’d been injecting him…but what if they had been syphoning instead?”
“You mean drawing blood?” Dharma said.
Arden nodded. “I wouldn’t be surprised. My people tell me Yolyn was hit with one of Tas’s arrows, but she survived. How else could this happen?” She put her hands flat on the table. “I think this is why Tas wanted him rescued. Not only to save him, but to insure they couldn’t use him as their own fountain of renewal.”
Crwys couldn’t find any fault in anything Arden said. It made sense to him. Artemis…Tas…would look out for those around her who couldn’t defend themselves. He formed a question for Solomon and then looked around. "Where is Solomon?"
"Tranquilized." Arden sat back. "I don't know what it is you did to him, but he's become obsessed with something called the Dragon's Eye. I figured…we handle one crisis at a time. Don't worry, he's fine."
Kyle leaned forward, obviously not worried about his mentor. “Aunt…you said Riven’s blood could cure Lethe’s curse.”
“It might. We don’t know for sure.”
Kyle looked at Crwys. “Then I say we use it to trade for Sam.”
“We can’t take that man’s blood without permission and just do that,” Dharma said. “We’d be no better than the Risi who were using him.”
“I can do it,” Crwys spoke up. He had already been toying with the idea and a quick look at his watch sealed the decision for him. “I’ll take responsibility. Tas had us rescue him, not the King. That might be because even she can’t get to him, or,” and he looked at everyone at the table. “She knows what Riven’s blood can do. She’s given us the means to fight back.”
Crwys felt he was right. This seemed like something Artemis would do, but mostly it felt like the God Mother’s hand was on the button. If there was one thing he knew about the All Mother…it was that she was always steeped in machinations that would make Machiavelli proud. The world was not built on an individual's fate by chance, but on the whims of the Creatrix. So what was her endgame in this? Other than the death of a disappointing ch
ild?
And what did Samantha have to do with this crap?
Crwys had slammed his fist on the table in an act of frustration without realizing it. When he heard the loud bang, he looked at everyone. Their eyes were wide. "Sorry."
"We'll find her, Crwys," Arden said.
Jack suddenly dropped his fork with a clank and stood up just as a commotion came from the other room. Bastien came barreling in, dressed in little more than a smile. Geez…doesn't that guy have clothing?
"My Lady! I told him he needed pants!" Ceridwen said as she rushed in around him.
But if Arden noticed, she didn't show it. She kept to her chair, but all her attention was on the Wolf's face. "Bastien?"
"They're on the move. Over twenty Nisse soldiers. And they have Tasoula with them." He looked at Crwys.
Crwys was on his feet, tossing his napkin on the table. "Where are they?"
"Approaching Gypsy Gardens."
"What?" Arden put her hands on the table. "Are they readying for an attack?"
"Non," Bastien said. "They are moving through the woods to the cabin."
Crwys looked at Arden. "The Cairn."
She pushed herself up as two of her coven helped her stand. "Why would they be approaching the Cairn?"
“No idea,” Crwys said as he stood.
“Bastien, find out if they have reinforcements hanging back. We're heading out there."
"Oui," Bastien said and started to turn. He hesitated before he looked at Crwys. The two men stared at one another for a few seconds before Crwys said, "We haven't found her yet."
The Alpha seemed to accept the answer and left.
Crwys and Levi joined Arden in her golf cart as Levi drove it over the grounds and south to the cabin. The rest of the coven followed in a more…unconventional method. Crwys could sense them, but he couldn't see them. Ivan and Dharma remained at the house.
"Arden," Crwys said as Levi steered the cart down the path. "Exactly how are they able to enter your land if you have the proper wards up? I mean, if they can go there, can't they just waltz into the mansion?"
eldritch files 07 - elemental blood Page 16
