Realm of Mirrors (The DeathSpeaker Codex Book 3) (24 page)

The mirror mender’s eyes glowed steadily. She ducked her head in approval and made a sound that was almost a purr. “You are most welcome, Mistress Sadie.”

I couldn’t help grinning. All this was definitely worth a lousy cup of tea.

Much as I loved the new threads, I changed into my own human-realm clothes before we left the mirror mender’s castle. Didn’t want anything to happen to them, and we still had to take on the Unseelie Guard and the Queen.

Sharde showed us out to the courtyard and closed the big door firmly behind us. The place was already showing signs of reverting back to hibernation—castle walls yellowing, flagstones buckling and separating, vines creeping around the statuary. “Does this place always curl up and die between guests?” I said.

“Aye. It’s how she’s served the Arcadian nobles as long as she has,” Uriskel said. “She and her…attendants shut down completely when their services are not required. Only the troll remains alert, to wake the mirror mender once a visitor is approved for an audience.”

“Troll?”

He nodded. “Sharde Switchback. He’s served the mirror mender since her beginning.”

“And when was that?” I said.

“Many thousands of years ago.”

Damn. No wonder the guy was cranky—I’d hate everyone too, if I’d been awake for thousands of years.

“Hey. Lord Gideon.” Sadie approached me with a smile. She’d changed back into her fighting outfit, and it was really hard not to notice the way the clothes clung to her. “I think I have something that belongs to you,” she said, touching the pendant. “Now that I have my own moonstones, it’s probably safe to take this off.”

Taeral looked from her to me. “You gave her the moonstone?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Because there’s a super-charged full moon here. She went wolf when we crossed over, and it was the only way to keep her from changing. The stone absorbs moonlight.”

He raised an eyebrow. “This was your idea, brother?” he said. “I am impressed.”

“Thanks. I’m only an idiot half the time.”

“Well, maybe less than half,” Sadie said. “Anyway, you should have this back.”

“Wait.” Uriskel glanced at the sky and frowned. “Are you certain that’s the best idea?” he said. “The stones on that collar are far smaller. They may not absorb enough light.”

She gave him a wry smile. “Tell you what. If I go wolf, I promise to kill you last.”

“I fail to be reassured by that,” he muttered.

“Whatever. Here we go.” She paused, and then took the pendant off.

Nothing happened.

“I guess you guys get to live today,” she said as she handed me the moonstone. “See, that wasn’t…oh. Oh,
crap
.” Her jaw clenched, and she closed her eyes tightly. “Jesus, I can really feel it now. The moon is so damned strong here.”

I shoved the stone at her. “Take it back, quick.”

“No. I’m okay.” She opened her eyes and looked up with an expression of wonder. “I could change right now, if I wanted to,” she said. “But I don’t have to. I can control it. The collar’s taking just enough light so the change isn’t forced. And I bet it’ll work like that back home, too. No more hiding from the full moon.” A grin spread on her face. “I
love
this thing.”

“I gotta say, it’s pretty awesome.” I put the pendant back on with a powerful feeling of relief I hadn’t expected. I’d known it would be safe with her, but giving it up still hadn’t felt right. There was probably only one person I could give the moonstone to without hesitation or concern.

I was the caretaker, but the stone belonged to Daoin.

“Well, I guess we’re as ready as we’re going to be,” I said. I’d already told Taeral the short version of my visit with Nyantha, and he was glad I’d gone. Turned out that was who he’d planned to see about the DeathSpeaker stuff in the first place. “So, now what?”

“Now, we assault the palace,” Uriskel said.

Taeral gaped at him “Excuse me?”

“I am a full royal. The portal works both ways—I can create one from here to either of the Courts,” he said. “So we go to the palace and demand entrance. If we’re denied, we defeat the Guard and enter anyway.”

“That’s your plan,” Taeral said. “Defeat the Guard and storm the palace.”

“You’ve a better one?”

“Aye, I do.
Any
plan but that one.”

“Well, let’s hear yours, then.”

Taeral scowled. “At least let me attempt to contact Levoran,” he said. “He may be able to help us get in without drawing the attention of the Guard.”

“And if that fails?” Uriskel said.

He clenched a fist. “Then we fight.”

C
HAPTER 33

W
e emerged from the portal in a field of tall blue grass, like the stuff along the banks of the stream in the woods. In the near distance was a massive gate of black bars between two stone columns, with what looked like a single guard in front of it. And beyond the gate, at the top of a broad, gently rising hill, was the Unseelie palace set off against a backdrop of evergreens—the first of that type of tree I’d seen in Arcadia.

I squinted at the pale blue, glittering structure. “Is that castle made out of ice?”

“Celestine crystal,” Uriskel said. “But yes, she’d meant it to be symbolic of the Winter Court. And she’s quite vain as well. Pretty things appeal to her.”

“Like my father,” Taeral muttered under his breath. Louder, he said, “I cannot make out the guard at the gate from here. Whoever it is doesn’t seem to have noticed us, or it may be Levoran. Though I doubt we’d be so lucky.”

Uriskel narrowed his eyes at the gate. “What does this Levoran look like?”

“He is…well. Since my spark is recharged, it’s simpler to show you.” Taeral shimmered in place as his glamour shifted, and he became someone else.

Someone I recognized.

“I know him.” My mind drifted back years, to a time I never liked to remember. I was fifteen when I’d met him, just the once—a massive, grizzled man with a scarred face, huge hands, and deep blue eyes. He never gave me his name, but he did give me something. “The moonstone,” I said. “He’s the one who brought it to me.”

Taeral abruptly turned back into himself. “Levoran gave you the stone?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I don’t know how he found me or knew who I was, when
I
didn’t even know…but that was him.”

Taeral frowned slightly. “Daoin trusted him above all. I suppose if he were to leave it with someone, it would be Levoran. Though I’m not certain why—Moirehna always wanted the stone. It would’ve been easier if he’d brought it to the human realm in the first place.” He turned to Uriskel. “Can you tell if it’s him?”

“Of course not. I can see no better than you from here,” Uriskel said. “But I’ll find out.”

With that, he jumped off the ground—and kept going up.

“Holy shit,” Sadie said. “I guess he really can fly.”

Taeral was too busy staring in shock to comment.

I looked at the gate again, and the lone figure in front of it. Something just didn’t seem right. Why would there be only one guard? I didn’t see anything at all moving between here and the palace. And if we could tell that was a person from this distance, shouldn’t the guard be able to see there were people in the field? Especially considering the way we came in—through a big, glowing rip in the air.

I had a very bad feeling about this.

“Taeral,” I said. “He should’ve seen the portal.”

He tore his gaze from the sky and blinked at me. “What?”

“The guard. We came here in a big flash of light, remember?” I said. “And the guard didn’t do anything. He’s still just standing there.”

“That is…unusual,” he said as concern filtered into his face. “Perhaps we should—”

Sadie elbowed him and nodded up. “He’s coming back.”

Uriskel floated overhead and landed easily a few feet back from us. But there was nothing easy in his expression. “I’ve seen the guard,” he said in rough, reluctant tones.

“Is it him? Levoran?” Taeral said.

“Aye, it is. But…” He shuddered visibly. “He’s dead.”

Jesus Christ. Well, that explained why he didn’t move—but it was the most horrifying explanation I could imagine.

“No.” Taeral backed up a step, shaking his head. “No, he cannot be. He is an Unseelie Guard,” he said. “The Queen has never ordered one of her Guard killed, no matter what they’ve done.”

“Well, she has now,” Uriskel nearly shouted. “He’s
dead
. She’s had his corpse tied to the gate, and hung a blasted sign on him. He is—”

“
No
, he is not!” Lip curled in a snarl, Taeral half-turned and sprinted for the gate.

“Taeral!” Uriskel glared at his retreating back, then relaxed on a sigh and lowered his head briefly. “We’d better go after him, then,” he said. “I’d not seen anyone else around out there…but that in itself is suspect.”

I had to agree with that.

We didn’t run as fast as Taeral, but we did pick up the pace. Just as we cleared the edge of the tall grass, Taeral wavered and fell to his knees beside the motionless figure. Sadie immediately broke into a run that faltered when she got close. But she went down in front of him, put her arms around him. And he embraced her back, his face contorted with grief and turned away from the gate.

The closer I got, the slower I moved. I could see Levoran clearly now—and I didn’t want to.

There was blood everywhere. Coarse rope tied his wrists and ankles, his middle and his neck to the bars of the gate, like some gruesome scarecrow. His face was frozen in eternal agony. And a wooden plank had been nailed to the center of his chest. Wisps of smoke drifted from where the nails entered his body—they were cold iron, and he hadn’t been dead long.

The runes burned into the plank read
traitor
.

“I may as well have killed him myself.” Taeral struggled to his feet, with Sadie still supporting him. “If he hadn’t helped me escape…”

“Then you would have died,” Uriskel said firmly. “Along with your brother, your woman, and possibly your father.”

No one corrected the ‘your woman’ part.

“He’s sacrificed his life for his loyalty,” Uriskel went on. “And it is a noble death. Now, only one question remains—will you honor his sacrifice and finish what you’ve come here to do, or wallow in your grief until you’re captured and your friend has died in vain?”

Sadie looked like she wanted to punch him. But Taeral’s features hardened, and he drew himself stiff. “I will
end
her,” he growled.

“Better. Much better,” Uriskel said. “And I truly hate to point this out, but…Levoran may still be able to help us.” He looked at me. “Isn’t that right, DeathSpeaker?”

Damn. Unfortunately, it was.

C
HAPTER 34

F
or the first time, talking to the dead felt like a violation. Or maybe blasphemy.

It was partly because I knew what really happened when I did it now. I didn’t want to drag this guy’s soul out of wherever he was and shove him back into the land of the living to ask him a bunch of questions. He should be allowed to rest in peace.