Realm of Mirrors (The DeathSpeaker Codex Book 3) Read online

  Then I had a conversation with her.

  I decided it wasn’t a great idea to tell these people I’d just met that I was the DeathSpeaker. Most of the Others seemed to know what that meant, and it wasn’t usually welcome news.

  After all, Milus Dei wanted to use me as a genocide weapon to wipe them all out.

  “I can imagine who might’ve helped you.” Cobalt smiled slightly.

  “You’re probably right,” I said. “So what do the tattoos do? I mean, besides glow. And why did they start glowing?”

  He looked around uneasily. “I’m not sure whether you want me to discuss certain…aspects of your circumstances in front of others.”

  At first I had no idea what he meant. Then I remembered how awkward it was when I went to him the first time. There I’d been, eighteen and stupid, trying to stumble through some total bullshit story about why I’d wanted cover-ups without actually saying the word scars.

  I think at one point, I even asked him if I could get tattoos without taking off my shirt.

  “You mean the scars,” I finally said. “Yeah, it’s fine. Discuss away.”

  “All right.” He glanced at Will, and I wondered why. But he didn’t elaborate. “Well, I’d never seen a Fae so marked,” he said. “We don’t scar easily. If you’re half human, that accounts for some of it, but…” Suddenly, he couldn’t look at me. “You seemed lost. Defenseless. And I wanted to help.”

  “Uh-huh.” I couldn’t help noticing he still hadn’t gotten to the point. “So, how did you?”

  He made a vague gesture. “For the most part, the enchantments help to guide you along the Path.”

  “Um, great. What’s that?”

  “It is a Fae’s sense of place, of being,” Taeral said before Cobalt could answer, looking at him with something other than fury for once. “And a heightened awareness of danger.”

  Cobalt nodded. “Quite useful in a city like this. Since you didn’t seem to have access to your abilities, I sought to give you something that would’ve felt natural, even if you’d not known why.”

  “Oh. Well, thanks. I think.” That didn’t sound bad. But he’d also said ‘for the most part,’ which meant there was more. “And what else do they do?” I said. “There’s still the glowing thing.”

  “I did not expect them to glow,” Cobalt said softly. “You were so damaged, and I’d no idea whether…whatever caused that damage was still a threat. So I cast an enchantment that would boost your healing and hold back those who intended you harm, in the event you were critically injured. Your natural healing must have made the magic visible.”

  Right then I understood why he was so reluctant to explain this. It wasn’t a bad thing either. He just knew I must’ve been critically injured recently, because it was the only way I would’ve noticed the tattoos did anything.

  At the time I realized it, I’d been half-dead on the ground, surrounded by Milus Dei soldiers who had weapons and wanted to make me all dead. But they’d backed away, because they were afraid.

  I had no idea why. Until now.

  “Good news,” I said. “They work.”

  Cobalt gave a sad smile. “Yes, I gathered that. I’m only sorry you had to learn this firsthand.”

  “All right. This is all very touching,” Uriskel drawled as he straightened and strode toward the couches. “And now that you’ve had your explanation, you’ll get out of my brother’s house.”

  CHAPTER 5

  It was a real effort not to get up and walk out of the place right then, before Uriskel could do something unpleasant to make us.

  Cobalt rose to meet his brother. “You’re right. It is my house,” he said quietly. “That means I decide who stays, and who goes.”

  “Really, Cobalt. Your soft heart will be your downfall yet.” Uriskel bared his teeth at Taeral. “That one is dangerous,” he said. “And the female is a werewolf. You do realize what that means?”

  Sadie was on her feet before either of us could stop her. “I don’t know what it means,” she said. “Why don’t you tell me?”

  “Your kind is a threat to us.”

  “You don’t know me!”

  “Aye. And none of you know me. Nor will you, ever.” Uriskel’s hands clenched into white-knuckled fists as he faced Cobalt again. “If you’ll not make them leave, brother, then I’ll take mine. Be it on your head if anything happens.”

  I thought I saw hurt in his eyes as he turned and stalked away. But I was probably imagining that. I doubted much of anything could hurt him.

  Cobalt watched him go, and let out a sigh. “I must speak with him,” he said. “And I hope you realize that he’s right. I should ask you to leave, if only because of the way you’ve treated him.”

  “He admits freely to what he is,” Taeral said. “Why should he take offense at the truth?”

  Cobalt’s jaw clenched. “Just because he’s used to being an object of contempt, does not mean he enjoys it,” he said. “Excuse me.”

  No one moved until he started down the stairs. Then Sadie reclaimed her seat next to Taeral, and said, “Maybe you were a little hard on him.”

  “Really. And he was so pleasant to you,” he said. “He is a murderous, scheming traitor. I’ll not discuss this matter further.”

  “Fine. Don’t.”

  The temperature in the room took a sudden plunge, metaphorically speaking. I suspected everyone would be sleeping in their own beds tonight.

  After an awkward silence, Will cleared his throat. “So,” he said. “You’re a werewolf, huh?”

  “Yep,” Sadie said.

  “What’s that like?”

  She smirked. “Overrated.”

  Just then, a raised voice drifted up the stairs. I couldn’t make out the words, but it was Uriskel—and he was really, really pissed. The shouting cut off, and Cobalt murmured something in return. Then there was more shouting.

  “Don’t worry. They fight all the time. Brother stuff,” Will said. But he looked distinctly uncomfortable, and I had the feeling this wasn’t one of their usual fights. “Hey, I’m sorry about your scars,” he said to me. “It’s not easy having people talk about that stuff.”

  I shrugged and looked away. “It’s fine.”

  “Sure it is.” He stared at me until I looked back. “I was in an abusive relationship when I met Cobalt,” he said. “It left scars. And it was a long time before I could talk about them, or tolerate anyone asking about them.”

  So that was why Cobalt looked to him before he started talking about my ‘circumstances.’ I felt bad for him, but sympathy didn’t change anything. I knew that better than most. “They’re old scars. Ancient history,” I murmured. “No big deal.”

  Of course, I was lying my ass off. They were a big deal, to me, and I still couldn’t talk about them. But my ex-family was no one’s business, especially someone I’d just met. I hadn’t even told Sadie about my past. Taeral knew only the bare minimum—the Valentines had hated me, and enjoyed proving their hatred in creatively violent ways.

  Another floor-rattling slam from below saved me from having to continue the conversation. It wasn’t long before Cobalt reappeared, looking more than a little drained. “Well, at least you’ve no need to fear for your lives,” he said. “Uriskel swears he’ll no longer protect me, and will leave me to suffer the consequences of my own bad decisions.”

  Great. I hadn’t actually been fearing for my life, until he said that.

  Cobalt looked at Will. “Is there more coffee, love?” he said. “Maybe I could manage to drink some this time. And perhaps our guests would care for a cup?”

  Taeral stood abruptly. “No need. We’ll take our leave, as well.” His rigid posture suggested he was about to say something stupid—again—but then he relaxed with a slight frown. “Thank you for the explanation, and for protecting my brother when I could not,” he said stiffly. “And I apologize for insulting your…Uriskel.”

  With that, he pivoted and headed for the stairs.

  “U
m. I’d better go with him.” Sadie got up and offered a tentative smile. “Nice to meet you guys,” she said. “Gideon, we’ll meet you outside? I’ll just make sure he doesn’t do anything he shouldn’t.”

  I nodded. “Thanks, Sadie.”

  When she was out of sight, I faced Cobalt and made a helpless gesture. “Big brothers, right?” I said.

  “Exactly. Sometimes, there are no words for them.”

  “Tell me about it.” I smirked and held a hand out. “Good to see you again. And I do mean that.”

  “Likewise.” Cobalt shook, but his expression pulled into a vague frown. “I couldn’t help but notice that your brother is…troubled,” he said. “In fact, there seems to be something hanging over all of you. Some dark cloud.”

  “Yeah. There’s something, all right,” I said. Wasn’t going to get into the Milus Dei issue, or the more immediate problems we had with Daoin, and my being the DeathSpeaker. Taeral had plans to deal with those immediate problems—but it wasn’t going to be easy. “We’re figuring it out,” I said. “It’s a process.”

  “I imagine it is.” Cobalt cocked his head slightly. “There are few resources available to the Fae in this realm,” he said. “But should you need help, I may be able to provide it. It’s something of a habit of mine, helping other Fae who’ve been banished or otherwise aren’t welcome in Arcadia. A habit my brother tends to disagree with,” he added with a crooked smile.

  “Thanks,” I said, thinking I’d probably never take him up on it. Mostly because Taeral would kill me.

  I shook hands with Will. “Nice to put a face with the voice,” I said.

  “Always glad to meet a listener.” He smiled. “Also, what Cobalt said. I’ll help too, if I can. Even if you just need to talk sometime.”

  “Appreciate the offer,” I said. “And I’d better get out there, because Mr. Cranky doesn’t always listen to Sadie. Or, you know…anyone.”

  Cobalt grinned. “Somehow, that does not surprise me.”

  We said goodbye, and I headed out of The Grotto convinced it’d be the last time I set foot in the place. It was kind of a shame, because I liked Cobalt and Will. And we could always use more resources. Or preferably, more friends.

  But there wasn’t a chance in hell Taeral would put up with that.

  CHAPTER 6

  I figured when we got back to the Castle, Taeral would lecture me about keeping my mouth shut when I didn’t know anything, and probably rant about Uriskel a while for good measure. But apparently he was serious when he said he wouldn’t discuss it further.

  He did ask Sadie and me to wait in the parlor while he got Daoin. So he definitely wanted to talk about something—only not what just happened.

  The Castle was an abandoned hotel we’d kind of appropriated when we needed a home for a bunch of displaced Others. For the most part, we’d managed to clean the place up, restore electricity and running water, and furnish some of the common areas. Everyone had their own room and brought whatever they wanted into it. The Duchenes, our resident voodoo clan, had the whole top floor to themselves.

  Once they’d claimed rooms, no one else wanted to share the space.

  The old-fashioned parlor off the back of the hotel’s lobby had been remodeled into something that was part sitting room, part home theater. The front half contained a few tables and chairs, some bookshelves, and an old bar counter where Taeral stashed the occasional bottle of booze he was trying not to drink. At the back was a big-screen TV and DVD player, a mismatched collection of couches and chairs, and a few growing stacks of movies that everyone contributed to.

  Electricity we could get. Cable, not so much.

  It was still before noon, so we had the room to ourselves. Most of the residents at the Castle were night people. Including me—and this was far too early for so much drama. Sadie sat at the table next to the window, and I took the chair across from her. “Did he say anything to you about all that?” I said.

  “Not a thing. He’s never mentioned Uriskel before.”

  “Yeah, well, he never talked about Reun either.” The Seelie noble who’d helped Milus Dei destroy the Others’ previous home had shown up here about a month ago, begging for the privilege of serving Daoin. Before then, Taeral would only say that Reun was dangerous. We finally got the whole story when he came here—that he’d done some horrible things to Taeral and a lot of other Unseelie back in Arcadia, and that Daoin should’ve been his mortal enemy because he’d slept with Reun’s wife.

  Reun had somehow accidentally killed her for that, but not before she’d erased all of his memories that included her. So Reun convinced himself that Daoin was the key to restoring the good things about his three hundred-odd years of marriage.

  Unfortunately, Daoin had lost an entire lifetime of memories. Now Reun was practically glued to him, insisting that he had to protect him, and Taeral grudgingly tolerated his presence.

  Sadie frowned, tracing aimless circles on the table with a finger. “He doesn’t talk about Arcadia at all,” she said. “Not for as long as I’ve known him. I’m really worried about this plan of his.”

  “That makes two of us.”

  I’d only known I was the DeathSpeaker for a couple of months, and the job hadn’t come with an instruction manual. When it came to my abilities, I was basically winging it—and there were a few major problems. One, talking to the dead was painful. Especially if they didn’t want to chat. The dead couldn’t lie, and most of the corpses I’d spoken to hadn’t wanted to part with the truth. The harder they resisted, the more it hurt. And two, I couldn’t do it for long. I’d start to bleed from various orifices, and if I didn’t break it off, I’d pass out.

  But apparently, I wasn’t the first DeathSpeaker. There’d been others before me—long dead now, but Taeral said there were some Fae still living who’d known the previous DeathSpeaker and might be able to help me figure all this out.

  Unfortunately, they were in Arcadia. We’d have to go there to find them. And he wanted to take Daoin over too, in the hopes his father would regain the memories that Milus Dei had tortured out of him over twenty-six years of captivity. Reun had been able to help a little—enough that Daoin managed to remember he had two sons, most of the time. Not that he’d known me before.

  The big problem was that Daoin had been banished. And for a banished Fae, returning to Arcadia was a death sentence.

  It wasn’t long before Taeral returned with Daoin. I’d gotten used to his appearance, but it was still a brief shock at first, every time. Daoin had forgotten that he had magic, so he didn’t wear a glamour—a basic spell most Fae generated constantly to give them a human appearance. He was always in his true form. Blue skin, pointed ears, long limbs, and extra joints in his fingers. Twin crescent scars curved down either side of his face, markings Taeral had mentioned he’d had as long as he could remember.

  The only thing not natural was his hair, which had gone white with shock shortly after we rescued him.

  Daoin smiled as he entered the room. “Is it time for the movie?” he said.

  “No, Father. Not yet.” Taeral winced a little. I’d only known Daoin the way he was now—mostly cheerful, perpetually confused, and prone to spells of half-remembered horrors that could shut him down for hours, or days. But to Taeral, he was a once-proud warrior who’d been reduced to an empty shell, and it hurt him to see his father like this. “We’ll watch the movie later tonight,” he said.

  “Yes. We’re going to see The Godfather, aren’t we?”

  “We are.”

  “Oh, good.” Daoin turned his attention to the table. “Hello, Gideon. Hello, Sadie,” he said. “I’ve remembered your names, haven’t I?”

  “Yep, you got it,” I said. “Right on the first try.”

  “If I say the names, I can remember. And you are…my son. Like Taeral.”

  “That’s right.”

  Sometimes I almost understood how Taeral felt, even though I’d never gotten the chance to know the real Daoin. Now was o
ne of those times.

  “Father, we need to discuss something important,” Taeral said as he guided him toward the table. “Do you feel up to having a conversation that may be…somewhat difficult?”

  “Difficult?” Daoin gave a vague frown. “You mean because I forget things sometimes.”

  “Yes, because of that. But I’d like to talk about something that may help you remember.”

  Daoin glanced at him again, and then sat in one of the chairs. “Sure. I’d like to remember things,” he said. “The way I remember that you’re my son, and I’m your father. And my name is Daoin.”

  Taeral closed his eyes. “Aye,” he said hoarsely. “Your name is Daoin.”

  I assumed he wanted to talk about going to Arcadia. As he took a seat between Daoin and Sadie, I said, “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

  “No. I am certain of nothing.” He raised a faint smile. “But I must try. And…I’d not wanted to have this conversation alone.”

  Okay, that was unexpected. Taeral never asked for help with anything. He wasn’t exactly asking for it now, either, but he was more or less implying that he needed moral support. Which definitely wasn’t like him.

  Running into someone from the past must’ve shaken him a lot harder than he’d let on.

  Taeral drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’d like to take you on a journey,” he said to Daoin. “To a place you’ve known before, a place you’ve forgotten. You and I, we come from this place. It was…home.”

  Daoin cocked his head slightly. “Is it a nice place?”

  “It can be,” Taeral said. “But there are dangers as well. The journey may be a great risk for you, Father. However, it may also be the only way to restore your memories, and return you to yourself.”

  “Does this place have a name?”

  “Aye.” Taeral hesitated, and finally said, “It is called Arcadia.”