The Stradolan turned to me. “I’m sure he’s told you that I sired him. I no longer claim him as my son, but that doesn’t remove the biological connection. You may refer to me as “Sir” as he does. Or as Your Honor, for I am a judge in my world, another fact I’m assuming he has mentioned?”
“Yes, Sir.” I tried to steady my voice, not wanting to sound afraid, even though I was petrified. The energy coming off the Stradolan was intense, and I could feel it in my core. It was the energy of the Netherworld, of death and the harvest. It was the energy of the end of all things, and it also was wrapped up with pain and harsh judgment. The “Enforcer” fit Shade’s father as a name, and it was hard to imagine Seratha living with this energy day in, day out. She seemed a rather cheerful sort, as far as shadow dragons went.
“Delilah. You are a Death Maiden.”
It was a statement, not a question, and I wasn’t sure whether he expected me to answer, so I merely said, “Yes.”
“You wear the energy well. It cloaks you. We are not dissimilar, then.” He sounded almost pleased.
I blinked, wanting to shout, Oh hell, no! but I kept my mouth shut. No way in hell would I accept that I had anything in common with him. He wasn’t sneering at me, nor was he sounding sarcastic, but the complete sense of detachment made me fear him. He simply didn’t care—he had truly let go of any feelings for his son, that much I could tell. He had written Shade off, like he might toss out a used tissue.
The Enforcer must have noticed my expression, for he grunted out a laugh that held anything but mirth within it.
“You disagree with me, but look at what you do, Death Maiden. You mete out death. You can make that death painful, and I can feel that you have done just that. You may not be the judge, although I suspect you’ve taken that role on yourself at least once or twice, but you are the executioner. You’re an assassin for the Harvestmen. You’re a weapon and you never think to disobey. You are an avatar of death, as am I. You’re more like me than my own son is.”
His words bit deep and I grimaced, not wanting to admit that he was right. I wasn’t sure what to say, in fact, and glanced at Shade for help.
“Don’t needle my wife.” Shade looked wary, but he pulled me to him, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
The Enforcer paused. I wished I could read his expression, but the shadows around his face grew deeper and I had no clue what he was thinking.
“Father, remember, you came to them. They did not come to you,” Lash said, keeping her tone respectful but firm.
He glanced at her, then back at us. “True. I just hope that Shade realizes he’s married the very nature he sought to distance himself from. Let this be a lesson: You cannot escape your essential self, boy. It will find its way to you through one path or another.”
After a moment, Shade let out a long breath. “Why did you come? You seem set on continuing our estrangement.”
That brought a swift response.
“I came to make this formal. I will never accept your choice to turn from our birthright. By choosing to bind yourself to the Autumn Lord, you’ve placed yourself in a position of subservience. And my lineage has never been subservient to another, in all our history. Therefore, unless you recant and rejoin the family business, from this day forward, I will never acknowledge you as my son.” And with his words, there it was—the reason Shade had been disowned. Pride and caste, both so important in the dragon world, but apparently even more so in the realm of the Stradolans.
Shade hung his head, then softly said, “Sir, I respect you. I have always respected you. But I will not live the life you want me to. Delilah and I are bound to the Autumn Lord. He is our master and we willingly embrace the destiny he’s set forth for us. I cannot return to your side and take part in a job that I consider cruel and unnecessary.”
“Is this your final decision?”
My husband seemed to flare, a nimbus of energy forming around him.
“You’ve made your stance abundantly clear and I accept it. I’ve chosen my path and I stick by it. I’ve married the woman I love, just like you chose to marry Mother. If you don’t approve of me, then fine—I am no longer your son. But hear this: you’re never to return to my home, you’re not to hound my wife and me. You will forfeit that right when you cast me out of the family. Either I remain your son and you accept my path even though you don’t approve of it, or I’m no longer your son and out of your life forever. But make your choice and stick by it.”
Lash gasped, stepping back. I had to force myself to stand steady beside Shade, given both of us were in the direct line of fire.
The Enforcer stared at Shade for a moment, the anger receding behind the shield of disinterest. “I came to give you a second chance. To invite you back into the family, to offer you the chance to take up your life in the Netherworlds again. Your wife would be able to manage it, being a Death Maiden. But you’re a stubborn fool, and I see now that you never will admit your folly.” Somehow, in his indifference, he was almost more frightening.
“And you will never understand my reasoning. We’re too far across the divide to ever meet and agree,” Shade said softly.
Something big was about to happen—the room was practically crackling. I glanced at Lash, who looked like she wanted to weep, but stood stoic, witnessing the interchange.
Shade’s father straightened and in a cold voice, said, “Then let it be noted in the history of our family, as of this day, I officially erase you from the family tree. You will never enter our domain again. You will never refer to me as your father again. If your mother and sister choose to visit you, they do so on their own, without any official recognition. You are dead to me. I have no son.”
He turned to me. “I do not blame you for Shade’s missteps. He made his own choice. May you go easy into your destiny, Death Maiden. It’s a heady responsibility. Learn to corral that impulsive nature I sense within. As for you and me, we will never meet again.” Without waiting for an answer, he turned to Lash. “Come, my daughter. My only child. We return to our world. We have business to attend to.”
Lash started to turn back to Shade, but her father took her arm, forcefully directing her to follow him. She silently obeyed, and within seconds, they vanished from the room, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
Shade stared at the spot where they had stood. “Well,” he said after a moment. “It’s official. I no longer have any legal status in the Netherlands.”
“What do you mean?” I wasn’t sure of what to say or of how to comfort him.
“When one of your parents disowns you, officially, your very status of existence is erased from the roles. It doesn’t matter which parent. All it takes is one to blot out your life. At least your life on paper, so to speak.”
“Does this mean you can never go back to the Netherworld?” My heart hurt for him. It had been bad enough when his powers were stripped away, and I had rejoiced when they returned. But this— This felt gut wrenching. And there wasn’t anything I could do about it.
“No, I can come and go without a problem. But it means I have no official standing there. I’ll never be able to go back to my home. If Mother and Lash want to visit me, they’ll have to come here, and I can’t send messages to them. They’ll be turned away at the door.”
I thought for a moment. “Can I send messages for you? He didn’t forbid me from showing up at your house.”
Shade wrapped his arms around me and leaned his forehead against mine.
“My sweet love. Don’t worry your head over this, truly. I knew my father would never come around and I’ve been preparing for this day. It had to happen at some point. My mother and Lash will figure out ways to communicate with me. I made my choice long before I met you—long before I knew you existed. So don’t think you were a part of his decision. If I had gone back to the fold, you would have been a welcome addition. In fact, I think he would have liked you better than me, once he took the time to get to know you.”
I believed him
—Shade didn’t lie—but I couldn’t help but feel bad. When my father had turned away Camille for staying with Trillian, whom he had hated based on Trillian’s heritage, it had been so hard to handle. At least they had made up before Sephreh died, but I had the feeling that Shade’s father would never compromise.
“Come on,” Shade said. “Let’s go warm up the pizza, curl up in front of the TV, and talk about your day. You can tell me what the big hurry with the meeting was.”
I followed him into the kitchen, trying to push the Enforcer’s visit out of my mind, but I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of ruthless world view it took to write off your own son just because he chose to pursue a career path other than the one you wanted him to. And that thought haunted me the rest of the evening.
Chapter 9
Camille
“CAMILLE? WHERE ARE you?” Morio’s voice echoed from the other side of the room.
I was sitting on the bed, cross-legged, preparing for my ritual. Since the upcoming New Moon was going to be spent in the fight of our lives, I decided to perform a ritual drawing on the power of the Moon Mother, to prepare myself and my Knights.
“I’m over here.” I was naked, staring at the clothes I had picked out for the evening. The gown was a deep indigo blue spidersilk dress, long and warm, with a low-cut neck, and a lace overlay sparkling with crystals that looked like stars. But I had yet to put it on.
Morio frowned as he approached. He was wearing a long black robe over a karate gi. Both pants and jacket were black, fastened by a black cotton belt. His hair was drawn back in a long ponytail and his mustache had managed to achieve truly awesome proportions. He had a true Fu Manchu mustache now, neatly trimmed, with the ends reaching down to where the goatee, also neatly trimmed, accented his chin. It made him look even more roguish.
“Shouldn’t you be dressed yet? The others are waiting.”
“I know,” I said. “I’m just thinking. I’ve been thinking a lot the past couple of weeks.” I slid on my panties, then fastened my bra, shifting my breasts to fit in each cup. “Do you realize that in two nights we’re going to summon Shadow Wing? Two nights? This war feels like it’s dragged on forever and then, suddenly, it’s right here, in front of us. How did that happen?”
Morio sat down beside me, handing me my dress. I slipped the gown over my head and fastened it at the waist with a silver cord. Then I slipped the lace kimono over the top and moved to the vanity. I had a maid, but for rituals I dressed myself. I took off my circlet, then picked up my brush. Morio moved behind me and took the brush from me. He began to brush my hair in long, even strokes while I closed my eyes.
“How did it happen? It’s the way of any major life event. Anytime there’s something big going down, that you know is coming, the waiting seems long and stretched out. It doesn’t matter whether you’re anticipating it with joy or dread, the waiting is always the hardest part. And then it’s as though time telescopes and you’re suddenly there in front of it, staring it straight in the face. I think it’s worse when it’s something you’re dreading. You get used to thinking it’s going to be sometime in the future, but there’s always a point where the future becomes the present, and boom, there it is.”
He pulled my hair back, tugging on it just hard enough to make me lean back. As he bent over me, pressing his lips to mine, I drifted into the warmth of his kiss, thinking about what he said.
“And now, my lady, how would you like your hair tonight?” He nuzzled my ear, then straightened up again.
I would have much rather crawled into bed with him, but I let the thought drop away. I had magic to work.
“I think a braid. I don’t want any distractions tonight, and that way, it won’t fly in my face.” I waited while Morio finished plaiting my hair and tied the end with a beautiful bow, then reluctantly slid my feet into the ankle boots I had chosen. They were low-heeled, with silver buckles and chains draping across the sides.
“Ready?” He held out his hand.
I let out a long sigh, but nodded. “As I’ll ever be. Let’s go see what happens this time.”
And so we were off, to a secret grove near my Barrow that was reserved for only me, my Keraastar Knights, and Morio, my consort and High Priest.
WISTERIA GROVE, AS I had named it, was a secluded clearing near my Barrow, and it was guarded day and night to prevent anyone from wandering in. In the middle of a thicket of cedar and fir, the clearing was a good forty yards in diameter, with four gates—four tall arches—to guard and mark each of the elements.
The earth was in the north, air in the east, fire in the south, and water in the west. Each arch was made of a different wood—the north gate was oak, the east was birch, the south was holly, and the west was yew. Each arch was ten feet tall, and decorated with ribbons to match the colors of the elements—green for the earth, white for the air, red for fire, and for the water, blue.
The outside borders of the grove were defined by a ring of rose bushes, mums, and ferns. In summer, the roses would bloom a deep burgundy. As they faded, the mums burned to life with a coppery rust color, and when winter’s chill put them to rest, the Charity Mahonia’s yellow flowers cheered up the gloom. The ferns were large enough to withstand the winter weather, dying back to a degree but still impressive, and they blossomed out with new growth in the spring.
About two feet inside the ring of flowers was another circle, this one composed of fly agaric, their brilliant red and white caps forming a true faerie ring. The mushrooms were ever growing, new ones coming up to replace the old year round due to the magic inherent within the land.
In the center of the ring was an altar table, compact in size but big enough so that I could lay a ceremonial blade across the top. I was still using my silver dagger, but I knew the time was coming when I would replace it with something more suitable. I wasn’t sure what that blade would be, but I’d know it when I saw it.
“Can you move the table? We won’t need it tonight.”
Morio obliged, moving the table to one side, leaving enough space for me to form a circle with my Knights. Morio took his place by the eastern gate. Ever since the Moon Mother had taken him in and made him my priest, we had worked together in Circle, doubling the power of our rituals, but he could not enter the web that I wove with my Keraastar Knights, and so he stood vigil as a magical guard.
As I waited, a rustle sounded from the woods to the east and the Keraastar Knights began to emerge, in a single line. First came Venus the Moon Child, whom I had appointed the leader. He wore the seal of fire opal around his neck. Every day, the crusty old werepuma delved deeper into the fiercesome force I expected him to become.
Second in line was his captain. Bran, the son of Raven Mother and the Black Unicorn. He wore the smoky quartz seal, and his eyes were dark and unreadable, but we had set aside our mutual antagonism when he had taken the seal and pledged himself to my service.
Third was Amber, wearing the topaz seal. Followed closely by her brother, she moved silently, eyes focused ahead. She was proving to be far stronger than we thought she would become. In training, she could bring a man down without breaking a sweat. Both she and her brother Luke—who wore the aquamarine—were werewolves, and by now, their seals had taken them fully over, and they were the walking embodiments of the magic itself.
Fifth in line was Chase, wearing the amethyst seal. He was composed, gliding along behind them. Over the past few months, Chase had thrown himself into his training, and I was worried that he was rapidly heading down the rabbit hole along with Amber and Luke, but that was the nature of the spirit seals. The seals changed their guardians as the nature of the stone blended in with the essence of their host. The Keraastar diamond would do the same to me, over time. That much I knew, though where it would lead, I had no clue.
After Chase came Tanne, wearing the emerald seal, and then Clyde and Lisa, hosts for the citrine and sapphire seals, respectively. Bringing up the rear was Shamas, with the ruby seal draped around his neck. He g
lanced at me, then focused his gaze on the back of Lisa.
The Knights spread in a circle around me, shifting position until their outstretched hands could clasp. We had been meeting at least three times a week since I had taken the throne of Dusk and Twilight, working to attune our energies and to bring our focus in line, all in anticipation of the day we would face Shadow Wing.
I walked the circle, gazing into the eyes of each Knight in turn. The energy had already begun to cycle and I could feel it building.
Fast, I thought. This is faster than any time before.
We were a powerful group, but it had always taken a few moments of guided meditation to prepare them. However, today it felt as though our link from last time held. Walking the Circle simply reinforced that bond and made it stronger. Each of my Knights stared steadily back at me, and I caught the flashes of lightning in their eyes, the sign of building magic. When I was done, I returned to the center and drew my dagger.
“Seal the gate,” I said, motioning to Morio.
He stepped outside the gate, standing beside the arch as he wove a magical seal across it to keep in the power, and to keep out anybody who might be spying on the astral.
“Done.” He took up position.
I smiled as the power began to rise.
A veil of flames, a veil of shifting shadows danced in and around us.
I withdrew my blade and walked outside the ring of the Keraastar Knights, holding my dagger directly out to my side with my left hand as I faced the north and began to circle deosil. I walked the Circle three times, once for each verse, as the power built in the wake of my blade and song.
Lady cast this Circle white, weave a web of glowing light,
Earth and Air and Fire and Water, Bind us to thee.
Lady cast this Circle red, weave the strands of glowing thread,
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