The Tainted Web (The Godhunter, Book 7)

by Sumida, Amy

  “Like in Castle Aithinne,” I recalled how it never seemed to take very long to get all the way to the top of the castle.

  “Yes, most likely,” Danal agreed. “Most of the royals utilize the spell.”

  “Fascinating,” Odin wandered back out into the hall, to peer at the floor as if he might be able to catch it in the act of folding space.

  “Is he alright,” Danal watched him warily,“mentally?”

  “He's fine,” I pushed the fey's shoulder. “Give them a chance to adjust.”

  “Take all the time you require,” Danal grinned. “I trust everything is acceptable for your needs?”

  “Yes, perfect,” I smiled my thanks and then called out to Odin. “It's not Dune, you're not going to be able to catch the tree folding space, Odin.”

  “And we don't have sand worms either,” Roarke smiled to himself, inordinately pleased that he was able to catch my movie reference and I have to admit that it was nice to not have to explain myself. I looked over to where he was stretched out on one of the couches, posed as seductively as possible. I don't think he even did it on purpose, it was just a cat thing, looking beautiful while being lazy.

  “Do you want me to rid you of this annoyance?” Danal waved his hand at Roarke.

  “He's not that annoying,” I shook my head when Roarke proved me wrong by sticking his tongue out at Danal. “Roarke,” I groaned.

  “What?” He blinked wide green eyes at me.

  “Leave Danal alone.”

  “I did nothing.”

  “Well if you stick that nothing out at me again,” Danal patted the sword at his hip, “I shall cut it off.”

  Roarke sat up in affront, letting out a long meow. “A little extreme don't you think?”

  “You've been spending too much time in the God Realm if you think that's extreme,” Danal huffed and left.

  “Hmph,” Roarke made a snide face which slowly faded away. “Yeah, maybe he's right.”

  “No one's cutting anyone's tongue off while I'm here,” I sighed.

  “Unless it's you doing the cutting?” A slick voice asked from the doorway, garnering everyone's attention.

  The excitement that had been building in my belly, clenched and shot out into my limbs with a shivering delight. I turned slowly to face him, a smile spreading over my face that I wasn't able to suppress. Then I saw him, he looked so different from the way he did in my mirror. As beautiful as he always seemed when I spoke to him in the looking glass, reality was so much better when it came to my husband.

  “Arach,” I went over to him.

  “A Thaisce,” he wrapped himself around me and his scent filled my head, citrus embers and dragon musk, an earthy sort of smell with a tinge of sweetness. “I've missed you.”

  “It's good to see you too,” I limited my emotional response to him, in respect of my watching lovers and my indecision regarding our relationship. I pulled back but I wish I could have stayed in his embrace and judging by his expression, he knew it.

  “Well met,” he said to the others and they all came over to shake his hand, though Trevor and Odin were a little more reserved than Kirill and Az.

  Odin had a sort of connection to Arach. They were both leaders of the Wild Hunt, guiding a host of warriors through the night to hunt down people and kill them horribly. In Odin's case, it was done to punish criminals, evil-doers. For Arach and his Host, it was the same where fey were concerned, a punishment for aberrant behavior, but all other races were fair game, hunted just for the pleasure of it. They each thought poorly of the others version, Odin saying Arach's was bloodthirsty slaughter and Arach proclaiming that Odin had twisted something pure and natural, restricting it with his idea of order. The disagreement hindered their friendship a bit. Oh, that and the fact that Odin had to save me from Arach's Wild Hunt.

  And then there was Trevor.

  “You look well, dragon,” my wolf growled, eying Arach's wide shoulders and the bulges his arms made, where they strained his velvet tunic.

  “You as well, wolf,” Arach grinned. “Well enough to take the news that I'll be absconding with my Queen.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “What?”

  “Explain, now!”

  Arach was bombarded immediately by questions from my men. He just laughed and held up his hands. “Please, gentlemen, relax. Can you not allow me my Queen when she is in Faerie? I haven't seen her in nearly a year. Her subjects haven't seen her. I need her to stay with me, with us, while she's here. Our rooms are just there,” he pointed out of the open doorway to a hallway that branched out from our, er, branch. “She is well within screaming distance.”

  “I don't like this,” Trevor said, practically snarling.

  “I agree with Trevor,” Odin nodded.

  “Kirill?” I looked at my lion and then my angel, “Az? You guys have anything to add?”

  “I zink you have many people who need you, Tima,” Kirill frowned. “I can't deny zem ven I know how much vould hurt to be vithout you.”

  “As the one who gets to see you the least,” Azrael shook out his black wings, out in the open since we'd arrived. I think he was enjoying the open spaces made to accommodate beings with wings. “I have to agree with Kirill, it's unjust to deny people who love you a chance to be with you. I leave the decision to you, Carus.”

  “Thanks a lot,” Trevor glared at them, “for making us look like assholes.”

  “No, you're right,” I said to Trevor, surprising everyone it seemed. “If they're so close, there's no reason for me to stay with Arach. I can visit with them and still sleep here.”

  Arach's face fell but Trevor looked happier than I'd seen him in ages. Odin simply nodded, as if he'd trusted me to make the right decision all along.

  “A Thaisce,” Arach started but I held up a hand.

  “I'm not here to jump into bed with you,” I sighed, what a shame that. “It may have been a year for you but for me, for us, it's only been a couple weeks. Things are still fresh and we're not sure where this is going yet.”

  “You love me,” he said confidently and Trevor growled. I heard Odin whisper something to him and left him to deal with my wolf's temper.

  “This isn't a damn Beatles song,” I shook my head at Arach, knowing he wouldn't get the reference but making it anyway. “Love is not all we need. I have love, lots of love, and although I do love you, giving you that love comes with a price I'm not sure I want to pay. That's part of why we're all here... together. We need to try and figure out what this is going to be between us and I can't do that from your bed.”

  “Here, here,” Odin agreed.

  “I need my Queen beside me,” Arach said with single-minded determination. “It will reflect poorly on the House of Fire if she is not.”

  “We'll have to talk about that later,” I frowned. “Honestly, with this extreme time difference, I don't know how I could possibly be a good Queen for our people.”

  “The time difference is the very thing that makes it all possible,” Arach smiled. “Don't you see? You could stay here for months at a time, helping me rule, and then go back to your other lovers without them missing you. You'd be gone mere days.”

  “Huh,” now why hadn't I thought of it like that.

  “It is good point,” Kirill nodded.

  “When the fuck did you join Team Dragon?” Trevor hit his best friend in the shoulder.

  “I vant vat is best for our voman,” he looked accusingly at Trevor and Trevor looked away with a sigh.

  “Damn but you're too good for the world, my brother,” Trevor shook his head. “Too good for us.”

  “Maybe you should come hang with me in Shehaquim,” Azrael joked. Shehaquim was one of the Heavens, the third I believe. “You're actually nicer than some angels I know.”

  “I vould like zat, actually,” Kirill smiled and Az smiled back.

  I was overjoyed. Kirill and Trevor had been so close that my other two men were kind of left out but then Trevor had bonded with Odin ov
er this faerie thing and Azrael became the only man left in the cold. I was glad he was finally making friends.

  “Okay,” Azrael's wings were high over his shoulders and it surprised me to realize that I could tell his mood by their lift. He was happy too. “We'll figure something out.”

  “Is this something I should know about?” Arach was starting to look confused.

  “They're just becoming better friends,” I rolled my eyes. “Don't worry, we'll get back to you but not right now. I think all these questions and decisions should wait till after we're all rested and settled. For now, I'll go with you to see the fire fey and everyone else can stay here and relax.”

  “Minn Elska,” Trevor started.

  “I'll be right over there,” I pointed down the hall. “I promise I will be okay and you just heard me tell him there's not going to be any sex.”

  “I was just going to ask how long you're going to be.”

  “Oh,” I laughed, “sorry. Probably a few hours, I need to see how everyone is.”

  “Okay,” Trevor nodded and pretended to be nonchalant. “It's cool.”

  “Cool, eh?” I laughed and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. “Okay then, wolf. I'll catch ya later.”

  Chapter Three

  I followed Arach down the hall to his wing of the branch, (Branch of the branch? Whatever) in an awkward silence that lasted all of three seconds.

  “Do you not want to be with me anymore?” Arach's eyes darted over to me and then away. “With us?”

  “I want to be here,” I sighed. “I wouldn't have come if I didn't but as far as being with you goes, it's not just up to me. My men need to approve of you and Trevor has the last word. You're supposed to be buttering him up, showing him that you all can get along, not patronizing him and raising his hackles.”

  “I can't help but be as I am,” he frowned. “I don't know what butter has to do with anything.”

  “Never mind,” I shook my head. “Maybe it's better that they see you as you are, no charm to sway them. I'm not even sure I'll be able to handle another man anyway. It's pushing my limits, having four. Five kind of seems ridiculous.”

  “You'll barely be taking any time away from them at all,” he stopped walking and faced me, his eyes started to slant up like they did when he got passionate about something. “Can't you spare a day or two from your world to spend a month or two in mine?”

  “It sounds fair,” I agreed, “but again, this is not entirely my decision. We need to have this discussion with the others if you truly want an answer.”

  “Of course,” he took my hand and started walking. “I apologize for my attempt at haste, I've been waiting so long to resolve this and now that you're here, it takes all of my control to not just reach out and take you. Dragon's are not creatures known for their diplomacy.”

  “I know,” I smiled a little, “and don't think I don't appreciate how much time has passed for you, or how important this is. I know you've shown restraint already.”

  “You have no idea,” he gave me a wicked grin. “But enough of this,” he opened a door on his left, grandly. “Your people await.”

  I walked into a room even larger than the central room of our suites. I guess it had to be, to house all of the fire fey who had joined Arach. They all jumped to their feet, coming toward me in a happy wave of multicolored limbs and eyes. Soft, rough, and even slimy skin all brushed against me and I reached my arms wide, welcoming the attention.

  “How have all of you been?” I laughed as I found individuals to hug. “Isleen, how has the new council been going?”

  I'd suggested to Arach that he create a council of advisers to help him gain insight into what was going on in the daily lives of his people. Isleen was the leanan-sidhe representative.

  “It goes well, Queen Vervain,” she smiled and backed away so others could greet me.

  “Feargal, Breck, Neala, Ciaran,” there were so many faeries to hug, Neala was still in her phooka(dog) form, I had yet to see her as a human. “Where are the others?”

  “What others?” Arach scanned the faces of our people.

  “The Hidden Ones and the pixies.”

  “Ah,” he smiled, “the Hidden Ones are named so for a reason, Vervain. They're the most fearsome creatures in Faerie, to bring them to court would cause a riot.”

  “They have every right to be here,” I was getting mad and the fey could sense it. They stepped back a little, watching our interaction avidly.

  “Of course they do,” Arach touched my cheek gently. “And I love that you want them here but they love to terrify the other fey. I promise you, they don't take affront to being left behind. They well know their affect on others and without it, without them, the Hunt would not be as powerful a deterrent to those who might hurt the House of Fire or break the laws of Faerie. I've made sure that they know their importance to us.”

  “Oh,” I frowned, still feeling the ache of my missing subjects. “Okay but what about the pixies?”

  “You know how they're viewed by most fey,” Arach shrugged. “It's a kindness to leave them behind, trust me.”

  “Not enough magic,” I frowned, thinking about how even the fey could be racist, though I guess elitist would be a better term. The pixies had the least amount of magic of any fey, they weren't even immune to their own element, and most lived on the outskirts of their kingdoms. The fire pixies lived just outside of Castle Aithinne, in the Forgetful Forest and as much as I wanted them to move into the Fire Kingdom, they felt more comfortable there so I'd let them be. “I'd really wanted to see them.”

  “You can see them if you come back with us after the Ball,” he smiled mischievously.

  “Yeah, like my guys are going to let me go back to Castle Aithinne with you,” I scoffed.

  “Why not?” He frowned. “If we can come to some kind of an arrangement, why not start now?”

  “Arach,” I growled. “Stop pushing or I'm leaving right now.”

  A small whimper came from my left and I looked down to see Neala amid a pack of phookas.

  “She's not leaving, Neala,” Arach reassured her.

  “Who are these guys?” I knelt down by the fey dogs and reached out a hand for them to sniff.

  One of them shifted, tumbling forward as he became a human shaped toddler, and fell into my arms. He giggled, tossing dark hair out of his fiery eyes, and placing a wet kiss on my cheek.

  “Oh,” I laughed, “now I know you. You sat on my lap once. You've gotten big.”

  “It's been almost-”

  “Yes, I know,” I cut Arach off. “I get it.”

  “I've brought your crown for you to wear tonight,” he continued as if I hadn't interrupted. “I have a dress as well, if it would please you to wear it.”

  “A dress?” I remembered the dresses I used to wear in Faerie. They were magnificent. I'd kind of regretted not taking any of them with me but it's hard to pack up things a guy gave you while storming out on said guy. So I'd left everything except my sketchbook. “Okay, let's see it.”

  He held a hand out to me and I put the naked baby down to take it. The child transformed before his feet touched the floor, once more becoming a dog. Then Arach led me over to an adjoining chamber, in which a massive four-poster bed crouched and leered at me. I turned my back on it resolutely. It was definitely not going to see me naked.

  “Here it is,” Arach took a dress from the armoire in the corner and held it out to me.

  It was yellow. Somehow I'd been expecting it to be red. You know, fire and all that. I was a little surprised but then I looked closer. Calling it yellow had been a disservice. It was more what yellow wanted to be, it was the thought of yellow, or rather what you thought of when you looked at yellow. It was warmth, like sunlight, a pale, shimmering heatwave.

  A heatwave, that's what it was exactly. It wasn't mere fabric at all but something that should never have been able to pose as fabric, enchanted into taking its shape. I reached out for it carefully and the closer I got, t
he warmer it was. It had an indistinct shape, not because of the drape or cut but because of how it wavered in and out from itself, blurring from pale yellow to bright white. It did have a well formed neckline though, hemmed with brilliant canary diamonds, and then a belt of the same stones. I had the impression that the stones were what was keeping the whole thing together, bespelled by some fey seamstress.

  “That looks rather dangerous,” I rose my brows at him. “I might catch the castle on fire.”

  “Only you can feel the heat,” he laughed. “It's been made for you, to make you feel comfortable here. Everything and everyone else will only see the beauty of it, no one will get burned.”

  “No one will get burned, eh?” I looked at him meaningfully but of course, he didn't get my meaning. So I just took the dress from him, admiring how it flowed out and in again horizontally. “You won't be able to see through this, will you?” I peered at it but couldn't seem to make out anything of the room behind it.

  “No,” Arach laughed as he took it from me. “Would you like to wear it or not?”

  “Yes, please,” I smiled and he gave it back.

  Chapter Four

  “Please tell me that's not what you're wearing,” I said when I got back to my suite.

  “What's wrong...” Azrael started to say as he looked up but then he caught sight of what I was wearing and stopped short. “Is that?” He got up from where he was sitting and started to come over.

  “Great balls of fire,” Trevor exclaimed from the doorway of one of the bedrooms.

  “Nyet,” Kirill said from the terrace as he too came forward. “It is great dress of fire.”

  “It's amazing,” Azrael had reached my side and was holding a hand over the shimmering form of my dress. “Is it safe?”

  “Perfectly,” I smiled bright and turned in a circle so they could admire the dip in the back and the short train that seemed to shimmer up like heat over asphalt.

  “Holy fire of Hades,” Odin breathed as he walked out of his room. “You look smokin'.”

  “Yes, yes,” I laughed. “Everyone get the fire jokes out of the way now before we go downstairs.”