Courting Darkness (36 page)

Speechless, I stared at him, a gaggle of questions racing through my mind, but I wasn’t sure just how to phrase any of them.

Delilah broke through my whirling thoughts. “Why did your father kill your siblings? I thought being the ninth son of a ninth son is important. Surely he couldn’t be insecure about his place?”

Smoky stomped over a fallen tree, barely noticing it. His voice was rough as he said, “It is important. I have greater powers than my brothers. Just as Hyto has greater powers than the others in his clutch.”

That explained a little more—so there
was
a birthright involved in dragon powers. I wondered if the girls had an equitable match.

“As for why he attacked his own children—Hyto saw them as threats for Mother’s attention and her treasure. White dragons are greedy. They are arrogant.” He stopped to help me over another downed tree.

As we started up again, Smoky let out a long sigh. “I have those traits, to a degree. But I honor my mother and chose to cultivate her legacy instead. Not all white dragons are vicious and evil—my grandfather isn’t. He fought next to the Northmen in the wars. But Hyto . . . he is the worst type of white dragon. I choose not to let his heritage corrupt me, though I admit I have his quickness to temper and his impulsive nature.”

At that point, we rounded a bend and Smoky stopped. He set Iris down, bidding her to stand next to Delilah. We were near a huge fir, one so tall I could barely see the top of it. The undergrowth around it was thick, covered with snow, and I nervously looked around. This would be the perfect place for the snow monkey to show up.

“Should we stop here? There’s too much cover and we could be in danger.” Delilah must have been reading my mind. Even Shade looked nervous.

“We’ve been in danger since we started out this morning.” Smoky let out a long breath. “We’re meeting help here. When I left last night, it was to ask someone to accompany us. She agreed to meet us this morning.”

She?
Wondering whether he’d made a trip to Talamh Lonrach Oll to ask a favor from Aeval or Titania—I knew he’d never ask Morgaine—I glanced around, looking for any sign of the Fae Queens.

But then, out from behind the fir, stepped a woman as tall as Hyto, but far more stately. She was pale, with eyes the color of gunmetal, and her hair flowed down to her butt, a sparkling array of silver strands with a pale ice blue cast to them. The tendrils moved and twisted and I caught my breath.

Dressed in a filmy robe the color of early dawn, she glided forward, graceful as a dancer. Her aura sparkled with magic and I let out a little gasp. Smoky was powerful. Hyto was strong. But here—here was the true nobility of Dragonkin. It permeated her every movement, her eyes, her stance. And I suddenly understood why the silver dragons were the Emperors of their kind.

The woman’s gaze met mine and she held me fast. At first, the energy rolling off her was aloof, but after a few moments, a sparkle filled her eyes, and for some reason I had the feeling that I’d passed a test.

“Iampaatar, I taught you better manners than this. You
will
introduce us.” Her voice was the sound of wind chimes tinkling in a thin breeze.

Smoky bowed low, pressing her hand to his lips. Then, standing, he motioned for me to come forward. “May I have permission to use your public name, my Lady?”

“Of course. What would you have her call me otherwise?
Hey you?
” The corners of her lips turned ever so slightly upward, and I met her gaze with a weak smile. I knew where this was leading, but no way, nohow was I taking the lead.
So
not my place to interrupt a dragon.

“Yes, Mother.” Looking contrite in a way that I’d only ever seen him look around Iris, Smoky cleared his throat. “Honorable Lady Vishana, it would please me if you were to greet my wife, Camille te Maria D’Artigo, priestess of the Moon Mother. Camille, this is my mother, Lady Vishana. Your mother-in-law.”

I waited, wondering what she’d do. Would she strike out, as Hyto had? Or would she ignore me? But the next moment, she reached out and took my hands in hers. As she held them, she gazed down with those steel eyes and then a smile spread across her face. Oh, she was still aloof, but the smile was genuine, and as she spoke, a note of sincerity filled her words.

“Camille, I have been waiting to meet you since Iampaatar first told me of his marriage. So you are the one who has stolen my son’s heart? Welcome to the family.” And then she leaned down and kissed me briefly on the cheek.

As she stood back, still holding my hands, I breathed a slow sigh of relief. Then her gaze fell on my neck and she reached out to finger the collar. I swallowed. What the hell was she going to think of me, wearing Hyto’s symbol? Would she resent me? Would she despise me for being weak?

But as she searched my face, I felt myself opening up to her. There was something regal yet just about her energy, and I leaned closer, silently pleading for her to understand that I had not
chosen
to allow Hyto into my life.

“I am so sorry that my ex-husband found his way to you.” She read my expression thoroughly, and when she’d finished, she turned toward Smoky and her words came out with a catch. “I should have denied him sooner. This would not have happened if I’d paid attention when I first began to notice his behavior. Shortly after you and your siblings were born, I should have cast him out. But I wasn’t sure . . . I thought perhaps he was still young and rash.”

Smoky shook his head. “He’s gone over the edge. Hyto is lost.”

Finding my courage, I spoke up. “He’s furious at Smoky and at me. He means to destroy us. He kidnapped me and was going to use me as bait to lure Smoky in, but with a little help, I escaped.”

Vishana listened, then crossed her arms. “Surviving Hyto’s perversions takes a strong spirit. We have to be cautious. He’s wily and will not give any quarter.” With a glance past us, she pointed to Iris, Shade, and Delilah. “Introductions, my Iampaatar. You are not bred from coarse society. You
will
be civil.”

As I tried to stifle a laugh, Vishana flashed me a sly grin. “I’m sure you’ve found my son a chore to tame. I understand you have two other husbands, as well.”

Startled that Smoky had given her that much information, I nodded. “Yes . . . actually. I hope you don’t—”

With a harried gesture, she cut me off. “It is of no concern. In the Dragon Reaches, we, on occasion, allow plural marriage, and taking a lover is common. But I am surprised at my son. He was always the most headstrong.” Then, after a beat, she added, “For him to share you means that his love is stronger than life. Remember that, Camille. You are blessed. But so is he—for you to come with him on this hunting expedition tells me you have a brave heart, and the conviction to stand by your husband is honorable.”

I had a feeling that
honorable
was an important word in Vishana’s household. Turning to my sister, I started to introduce the rest of them, but my mother-in-law held up her hand.

“Ah, ah, ah! I asked my son to do the honors. It is his task, and I will not have him turning into a boor. Mind you, keep control of your household, Camille. Just because he is dragon, there is no reason for my son to ride roughshod over everyone. Do you understand? The household rules are set by the wife and to be obeyed.”

Smoky fumed but said nothing while I let out a laugh. I’d just been given permission to scold my husband by his mother.

“If you’re quite done talking about me, please allow me to introduce my sister-in-law, Delilah Maria te Maria D’Artigo. And this is Lady Iris Kuusi, priestess of Undutar. And this is Delilah’s lover, Shade. He is—”

“Half shadow dragon. I can sense it, my son. And . . . half Stradolan.” Smoky’s mother looked Shade up one side and down the other. “Fascinating. I’ve never met a half-breed shadow dragon before. Your kind seldom mate outside the ranks.” There was nothing inherently rude about the comment, but somehow it felt like she’d given us a valuable tidbit of information there.

Shade bowed. “Honorable Lady Vishana, I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Please accept my services.”

“You are soft spoken and well mannered. Teach my son a lesson or two, if you would. I fear that living alone for so many centuries has made him pigheaded. But he is a good man, and I’m proud of him.” Vishana glanced at the top of the slope. “Well, then. Shall we find Hyto and take him down? I don’t have all day to dawdle, and I’m in no mood to prolong this battle.”

I stared at her. “You’re coming with us, then?” I hadn’t been entirely sure what she was here for. I’d been
hoping
, but hope doesn’t always spring true.

“Oh, yes, my dear. I’m here for a fight, and I won’t leave while Hyto still stands. Come then. Iampaatar, lead us to the battle. Camille, protect yourself. I will not lose a daughter-in-law the day I meet her.”

And so, with Smoky carrying Iris in the front, we headed up the mountain to the crest of the slope, as the snow fell silently around us.

 

Delilah fell in beside me, with Shade bringing up the rear. She leaned close. “I never thought about the fact that my future mother-in-law might be a dragon also.” She seemed thoughtful.

I nodded. “From what Shade says, though, you may never meet her.”

“What should we watch out for with Hyto?” Delilah fingered Lysanthra—her silver dagger. No use using an old iron knife on Hyto. Dragons weren’t vulnerable to the metal. I didn’t want to tell her that no matter what side you came in from, he was dangerous, but that was simply the fact.

“Whatever you do, keep away from his hair. Which means distance attacks, which you don’t have.” I bit my lip, thinking maybe we should have brought Rozurial. He had all sorts of tricks up his sleeve.

But then Delilah surprised me. She pulled a handful of little round red balls out of her pocket. I recognized them immediately.

“Roz’s fireballs! When did he give you those?” I loved Roz’s gear—coveted some of it, actually. But he never gave me any of his baubles, probably because of my predilection for making the wrong things go
boom
.

“This morning, before we left. Nobody wanted to be left behind.” She bit her lip, the tip of one of her fangs piercing the skin. A drop of blood oozed out and she licked it up.

“I know. But we can’t focus on our job if we’re trying to protect the others.” And there it was: If everybody came, then we’d be not only leaving two unprotected members of our family at home—along with Hanna, Georgio, and Estelle—but we’d be so busy trying to make sure that Hyto didn’t hurt them, we’d all end up dead.

Smoky stopped and held up his hand. We were near the top of the hill. We paused, then started again. The woods here were silent, and a pall fell over me. The tension of the forest rose; it was as if some silent intruder had taken root. The elephant in the room that nobody wanted to talk about.

My breath came in puffs as we ascended the last fifty feet of the trail, which led to a plateau. Cresting the top, I stopped cold. There, about fifty yards away in the clearing, stood Hyto and Asheré. They weren’t alone. In front of them stood a mountain troll and several hungry-looking wolves.

As we approached, Hyto stared at Vishana, his expression shifting. “What are you doing here? This is not your fight. Get out of my sight,
sclah
.”

I looked up at Smoky. He was scowling, barely holding himself back. “He just called my mother the equivalent of a cunt.” His nails sprang into talons and he began to tremble.

Grabbing his arm, I shook my head. “We have to get rid of the riffraff first. Cannon fodder—to weaken us.”

Hyto sauntered forward. “My son, how does it feel to know what I did to your wife? She loved every minute of it. When I was fucking her, she screamed out my name—not yours. And then begged me for more.”

I caught my breath. “He lies.”

“I know,” Smoky said, cautioning me as I brought out the horn. “Save it for him, after we take care of the others.”

Turning to the troll and wolves, Hyto said, “Save the dark-haired girl and my son for me. The others you may destroy at will.”

The wolves trembled, and I realized they were no ordinary wolves, but goblin steeds. Trained to destroy, with glowing red eyes and snarling muzzles that showed long, razor-sharp teeth. Delilah let out a cry and I sensed her beginning to shift. Within seconds, a black panther stood next to me, and next to her I saw a ghostly leopard. Our sister Arial had come to join in the fight.

Smoky pushed me behind him as Iris moved in by his side, her wand at the ready. She had a look on her face I’d never before seen—dead anger. And I’d seen Iris pissed off before, but this look . . . I stepped back.

Shade moved forward and held up his hands—I couldn’t tell what he was doing, but it was death magic of some sort. That I could feel into my bones.

And then the wolves leaped forward, and the troll moved in.