Trytian left us by the door. “I need to get to the Demon Underground. I have to get back to the Sub-Realms and let my father know I’m alive and tell him of our victory. This is a huge blow to Shadow Wing, but you know he’s going to go ballistic. Be cautious. I’ll be in touch as soon as I know anything more about what he’s planning. I think now is a good time for my father’s army to strike.”
He took off into the night. I found myself hoping we’d see him again, hoping he would make it through the war. If he and his father could take over in the Sub-Realms, maybe we’d have some chance of forging a treaty with them—some possibility of peace.
The moment we opened the door, the household was in an uproar. Camille and Delilah dragged us into the living room, and Hanna immediately began clanging the pots and pans in the kitchen. We were probably going to be facing a feast—or rather the others would.
Shade let out a long whistle. “We’re exhausted, dirty, hungry, and thirsty. Let us have a chance to wash up first, please, before we go into details. Nerissa’s all right, given the circumstances, so give us a little breathing room.” He laughed, but I had the feeling he was one step short of barking orders. The fight with the hydra seemed to have set him on edge. But then again, the whole experience had set me on edge.
They backed off, and I sent Nerissa down to bathe, while I motioned for Delilah, Camille, and Smoky to follow me into the parlor. I closed the door behind me and turned to them.
“While we’re cleaning up, you have to get these to the Dragon Reaches. Smoky, you and Camille need to travel there tonight. Now. We can’t chance losing them again. Even now, Shadow Wing will be raging, trying to plan his next move against us.”
As I spoke, I unzipped my pocket and withdrew the four spirit seals. They hummed in my hands, their proximity to one another making them practically vibrate. As I laid them in Camille’s hands, she gasped. Delilah let out a shout and so did Smoky.
“Shadow Wing had his faux knights guarding Nerissa. We had one hell of a battle, and we lost all five of my vamps, and all of Trytian’s comrades. It was touch and go there at the end.” I softly stepped back. “Take these now—please. Don’t wait. We’ve dealt Shadow Wing two horrible blows in the past few days and he’s already unhinged. The Unraveller is going to be after us now with everything he’s got.”
“But now that we have all the spirit seals—well, except for the final one that still remains hidden—can’t we just assume he’s locked up for good again?” Delilah frowned, staring at the seals like they were ticking time bombs.
I shook my head. “No, because the portals are still breaking down, and because now he’ll have revenge in his heart. We can’t let down our guard.”
“Our next step is to find the final seal and the Keraastar Diamond. Then I can create the Keraastar Knights and bring them together to fully destroy Shadow Wing. But I have to take the throne first—and that will happen next month, during Litha. The Summer Solstice is going to be one hell of a show, that’s for sure.” Camille glanced up at Smoky. “She’s right. We need to get these to the Dragon Reaches now. Your mother is a secure guardian.”
He nodded. “True. Get changed for the climate, while we guard these. I don’t want to take any chances, not even here in the heart of our home. Not with four spirit seals in our hands.”
Camille headed off, stopping to give me a kiss on the cheek. “I’m so happy Nerissa is home, love. Take care of her. Even if they didn’t hurt her, the Sub-Realms . . . I can see it in your eyes. There are places our kind should never go, places that scald the soul.”
I nodded. “Too true.”
As she closed the door behind her, I gazed over at Delilah, remembering what Shade and I had talked about. “Kitten, come over with me by the fireplace. Smoky, can you . . . well . . . just give us a minute.”
He nodded, moving to the corner of the room where he sat in one of the overstuffed armchairs, staring at the pendants in his hand.
Delilah frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing . . . not really. I just . . . I wanted to talk to you about something that I thought of when I was in the Sub-Realms.”
“What’s it like there?”
I shivered. “Harsher than you could dream. Harsher than any place has a right to be. There is no softness there, no gentleness. Kitten, just being there reminded me of why we fight against Shadow Wing.” I drew her down on the sofa. “Listen, I was thinking . . . while we were trudging through a forest of stone, about when we were kids. About when you thought you would be dishonoring Mother’s memory if you ate eggs and ham instead of porridge for breakfast.”
She tilted her head to one side. “What a curious memory to crop up while you were there.”
“I know.” I didn’t want to tell her what Shade had said to me. She might think he didn’t have faith in her. “But it made me think . . . it’s going to be hard when Nerissa and I move in with Roman. And then, Camille moves to Talamh Lonrach Oll next month. You realize this will be the first time we’ve ever lived apart? I guess it just hit me while I was over there, how we’re all going our separate ways.”