Dragon Blood (Reclaiming the Fire Book 4) Read online

  His head rocked back. “No! Why would you ever say such a thing?”

  “Because …. the spiders … you attacked us ….”

  “It does look pretty damning,” Davril admitted.

  “I don’t care what it looks like,” Greenleaf said. “I would never have harmed Master Therin.”

  “But us you don’t seem to care so much about,” I said. I was actually kind of hurt by that. I’d thought in his own way Greenleaf was our friend. He was an arrogant prick, but I thought his heart was in the right place. Kind of.

  The Grand Vizier absently stroked his ring.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Davril said. “If you summon more of your creatures—”

  Hastily Greenleaf dropped his hands. “You don’t understand, either of you. And I wasn’t about to summon the creatures.”

  “But you did do it before?” I said.

  “Well … yes.”

  “Why?” said Davril. “Why would you want us dead if not to prevent us from finding out that the murderer was you?” A thought seemed to occur to him. “Are you protecting someone?”

  Greenleaf ground his teeth in visible annoyance. “As a matter of fact, yes.”

  “Who?” I said.

  He spread his hands, as if indicating us. “You, naturally.”

  “Me?”

  “You, Davril, those knights back there, everyone.”

  I raised my eyebrows at Davril. “Is this making any sense to you?”

  To my surprise, Davril inclined his head in the affirmative. “Actually, I think it’s starting to.”

  “Care to enlighten me?”

  To Greenleaf, he said, “You thought you were protecting the realm, didn’t you?”

  “I didn’t think it, I knew it,” said Greenleaf.

  Suddenly I understood. I remembered that Greenleaf had earlier suggested doing anything to stop Jereth from making peace with the Queen. He’d even tried to rope me and Davril into his shenanigans.

  “You sicced those spiders on us to delay the investigation,” I said, putting it all together.

  Greenleaf steepled his fingers at his chin. “Indeed. I only hoped to run out the clock, as they say in this world. Prince Jereth gave a firm deadline of three tonight. I had hoped to force you to go beyond that in your investigations.”

  “We would have been very tardy if we were dead,” Davril said, not without a certain amusement.

  “Did the spiders ever try to harm you?” Greenleaf said.

  “Well … yeah!” I said.

  “Did they, or did they merely tried to spin you in their webs? That’s what I sent them to do, to trap you.” For the first time, his face gentled. “I would not have wished either of you harm. I hope you know that.”

  “I would’ve known it better if you hadn’t sent those hell beasts after us,” I said. To Davril, I said, “Think he’s telling the truth?”

  Davril seemed to be considering the situation. “As near as I can recall, I don’t think the spiders actually tried to bite or eat us. They were mainly interested in webbing us or in taking away our weapons and overwhelming us.”

  For some reason, a weight lifted off my shoulders. We might not have come any closer to finding Therin’s killer, but at least we wouldn’t have to arrest a friend. An ally, anyway. Or would we?

  “Even if we believe him, though, he still sent those things after us,” I said. “He assaulted Fae Knights and obstructed an investigation. There’s got to be some charges there, right?”

  “Perhaps, but those might be charges the Queen will pardon. I’ll have to consult with her before taking any action.”

  “Whatever,” I said. Suddenly, I spun to Greenleaf, hoping to catch him off guard. “What about the wraiths?”

  Greenleaf frowned, perplexed. Either that or he was a damned good actor. But hell, he could have been. I wouldn’t have put it past him. Anyone that mannered had to be lying half the time.

  “Wraiths?” he said.

  “Haunts of Vorkoth,” Davril said. “We saw them earlier.”

  Greenleaf’s frown deepened, and once more he stroked his ring, but he didn’t do it threateningly, I sensed. It appeared to be a nervous gesture, or maybe his thought had just been directed to it, since he said, “When I access the Emerald Plane, I can summon forth those beings and no other. I have no ability to call on the darker powers.” A look of affront crossed his face. “And I would not!”

  “What do you think?” I whispered to Davril.

  Davril didn’t answer, but I could see the resigned look in his eyes. He believed Greenleaf on this, too. Damn it. I did, as well.

  He held his hand out, palm up, to Greenleaf. “For the time being, I will take that ring of yours, Lord Greenleaf.”

  Greenleaf seemed to have been expecting this. Without arguing, he removed the ring from his finger, then sent it floating through the air. Davril caught it and slipped it into a pocket.

  Just then we heard sounds outside—shouting and the clash of swords on shields. A thrill of alarm ran through me.

  Breathless, we raced to the balcony door and stepped outside. Below us, Prince Jereth was leading his hosts, such as they were, across the lawn toward the Big House. Sunlight glinted on his armor and on that of his many knights. Lady Sunheart in her red plate-mail strode just behind him, and though she had her visor down I could imagine her smug smile. No doubt she’d slipped through Davril’s cordon, hopefully with no loss of life to the knights he’d stationed around her place.

  “Blast!” said Davril.

  “‘Fuck’ is what I think you mean,” I said.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to give me that ring back?” Greenleaf said. “We could certainly benefit from my green friends’ intervention right about now.”

  The Queen’s knights were trying to block Jereth, but he and his many supporters shoved them back. More knights joined them from inside the palatial bungalow. Beside us on another terrace the Queen herself emerged, a grim look on her beautiful face. At her appearance, Jereth halted his charge, at least for a moment.

  “What is the meaning of this?” she said, her words rolling across the gathering like thunder.

  Jereth ripped out his sword and stabbed it straight at Lord Greenleaf. “You’re harboring a traitor and a murderer, Mother.”

  “So says the man who betrayed me and murdered many of his fellows in the worst kinslaying of our time.”

  With his free hand, Jereth pulled up the visor of his helm so that he could stare at his mother directly. “Would you have another kinslaying, or would you hand the villain over for justice?”

  Beside Queen Calista stood Captain Boldsteel, who was the captain of her guard. From his neck hung an ivory horn, and I knew that if he blew that than all the houses allied with the Queen would flock to the Big House, and battle would be joined. His fingers strayed toward the horn, but the Queen shook her head, and he dropped his hand, at least for the moment.

  “Mob rule can provide no justice,” Calista said. “Now begone, Jereth, before this gets ugly.”

  “So you refuse to hand him over?”

  “You don’t even know what he’s accused of, and if you do you know it may or may not have something to do with Therin’s murder. Have you so quickly forgotten your accusation about Lord Deepnight? What makes you think the Grand Vizier is any more guilty than Taron is?”

  “So you do blame Taron Deepnight!” Jereth’s voice was exultant. “I knew it!” He seemed on the point of ordering his mob to turn around and make for the Deepnight’s’ residence again, but before he could five shapes whizzed in from out of the sky, magic shimmering about them.

  I started to laugh, seeing five figures on five separate flying carpets. After all my time amidst magic, it never failed to surprise me, and delight me, too. Flying carpets!

  In the lead, on the foremost carpet, was Ainu, her dark hair blowing behind her and her Chinese-style robe rippling in the wind, just as her carpet did. Four dark figures with runes on their robes an
d wands in their hands occupied the carpets arrayed behind her: her wizards. They looked ready for war. Which is why the laughter died in my throat.

  “I told you that there will be no violence in the Floating Gardens!” she said. “Must I evict all of you, damn it?” Flames burned in her dark eyes, and her face was set like stone.

  I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side, I thought. Then I realized I was. Shit.

  “You cannot stop us!” roared Price Jereth. “You might have some human mages, but we are Fae Lords! Dare you defy us?”

  “This is her property, or near enough,” said Queen Calista. “Lords or not, we don’t destroy other people’s works. Indeed, it’s our duty to preserve them and to spread goodwill for the Fae amongst the folk of this world. Desist, Jereth! If you don’t, the summit will be over.”

  “It’s over when I say it is!”

  Ainu’s eyes blazed. “It’s over when I say it is.”

  All parties tensed. Davril widened his stance, and I did, too. Damn it all, but this was going to hell in record time. We all need a chill pill, I thought. A big one.

  Even as I thought this, a figure burst out of the foliage, out of breath, and I recognized one of my fellow knights of the Queen. His face was wan, and he seemed shocked by the sight of impending war at the Big House. He’d come on some other errand, then, and not a happy one.

  “What is it?” Queen Calista said, her voice revealing more than a little strain, not that I blamed her.

  The knight panted. “Lord Gleamstone sent me to tell you, Your Majesty. There’s been another murder.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Damn, I thought. Another one. Dread built in me as I imagined who might have been the victim this time.

  “Speak,” said the Queen, and for a moment the simmering violence that had almost erupted died, and all bent their ears to hear the news.

  “It is Neva Coolwater,” said the messenger. “She’s been slain.”

  I closed my eyes. I hadn’t really known Neva, but I’d liked her, a pretty girl in love with a boy of the wrong house. It had been very tragic and romantic, I thought, and I’d been very sad for her that Therin had been killed. Now she was dead, too? It didn’t make any sense.

  “How did she die?” asked Calista.

  “I don’t know, Your Majesty. But it was foul play. The Coolwaters have gathered their forces and shut themselves up in their bungalow. That’s where … the body is.”

  Pain passed across Calista’s face, but she nodded, then turned fiery eyes on Jereth. “You see, Lord Greenleaf couldn’t have been the killer. Someone else was just murdered while he was here at the Big House.”

  Jereth looked stunned, but he didn’t argue. Mentally I was thinking that Greenleaf still could have killed Neva, if he’d used his familiars like before.

  But Jereth said, “Fine. I’ll withdraw.” Surprisingly, he turned his attention to me and Davril. “Your deadline still exists.” He glanced at the sky, noting the location of the sun. “It’s about three in the afternoon as humans reckon time. That gives you twelve full hours to bring this thing to a close or I’m taking my followers and withdrawing.”

  “Is that what you really want?” Calista said, and I saw that she was directing her attention to House Strongwall. Lord Von Strongwall looked huge and grim in his armor, standing not far from Jereth and leading his own company of knights, among them his son Meril. “Do you really wish to return to a haunted castle under permanent siege, Lord Strongwall? Are you not a king? Don’t you wish to breathe the free air again?”

  He lifted his visor, and his face looked hard. No wonder. His son had just been violently slain.

  “I will follow Prince Jereth,” he said, without elaboration.

  “Good try, Mother,” said Jereth.

  He turned about and led his people away from the Big House. Above, Ainu on her flying carpet said, “That was a close one, Your Majesty. Please see that it’s the last one.”

  “I will try,” said Calista, sounding tired.

  Ainu nodded to her wizards and flew away, the mages on their own carpets following her. Frowning, Calista turned to Davril and me on our separate balcony.

  “I guess you know what you must do.”

  Davril inclined his head. “We’ll go to inspect the body immediately.”

  “So I’m free?” said Greenleaf.

  “For now,” Davril said. “But we’ll have more words with you later about what you’ve done, after we’ve spoken to the Queen.”

  “And my ring?”

  “We’ll hang on to that,” I said.

  Without wasting another second, we trooped down the stairs and met the messenger that had come on the lawn before the Big House. The sun shone overhead, but I barely felt it. Would the bloodshed and the tension never end?

  “Go,” said Davril. “Report to Commander Gleamstone and have him bring Liara and her Sisters to the Coolwaters. Lady Jade and I will go on ahead.”

  “Very good, my lord.” The messenger bowed and left.

  Davril turned to me. “Well, shall we?”

  We found a path through the ornate forest and took it in the direction of the bungalow the Coolwaters were staying at. I half expected more green spiders to jump on us from the trees.

  “Where did they go, anyway?” I said. “The spiders?’

  Davril patted his breast pocket, where the ring had gone. “I think they probably dissipate after a while. Return to the Emerald Plane, as Greenleaf calls it.”

  “You ever heard of the Emerald Plane before?”

  “No, but I know there are realms and dimensions beyond my ken.”

  I rolled my eyes. “‘Beyond my ken’. Being around all these Fae is really doing a number on your English. I can’t wait to get you back to the real world. Well, my world, anyway.”

  We came to the place where the Coolwaters were staying to find that Commander Gleamstone and several knights, along with Liara and a few of her sisterhood, were already there, speaking with Lady Coolwater on the terrace. Tears trickled from her red eyes, and her chest hitched. Her husband comforted her with a hand on her shoulder.

  A still form with a sheet pulled over it lay on a couch on the far side. Several family members knelt over it holding candles, and one was singing a low song of mourning. At the sight, my heart clenched, and I sucked in a breath. The sadness of it all had just hit me. This was a family in pain. In agony.

  Respectfully, Davril and I approached Lady Coolwater, but when she turned to us her red eyes were accusing, I don’t know why.

  Commander Gleamstone nodded to us. “I was just taking the Lady’s statement,” he said.

  I didn’t ask why he was doing that and not us. Davril was a king, but Gleamstone was technically higher ranking in the Order of the Shield, strange as that was. He probably saw it as a courtesy to the Lady to deal with her directly. Saying farewell to her, he drew us to the side and spoke to us quietly. The Lady returned to the side of her daughter. Liara and her sisters stood solemnly in a corner, trying to look unobtrusive.

  “What have you learned?” Davril asked.

  “Neva was found on the grounds not far away,” Gleamstone said. “She’d been taking a walk with her sisters but had wanted to be alone, probably to grieve for Therin. Her sisters let her be and wandered nearby, but they didn’t go too far. They had guards with them, but Neva only had one. They heard him cry out and ran to the scene to find him kneeling over the body. At first they thought he was the killer, but his sword is clean of blood and shows no traces of having been magically cleaned. I just checked it myself. They had restrained him and locked him in a room in this house. I’ve cleared him and released him.”

  “We’ll need to speak with him,” Davril said.

  I indicated Liara. “What about analyzing the body?”

  “Lady Coolwater won’t let us remove it,” Gleamstone said.

  “How can we inspect it?” Davril asked.

  “That’s what I was just speaking with her about. In a momen
t they’re going to repair to the interior of the house for twenty minutes, allowing Liara to examine the body.”

  “Not much time,” I said.

  “She can be fast when she needs to be,” Davril said, and I was reminded again that Liara and her sisterhood made their home at his castle.

  It all happened like Commander Gleamstone said. He departed, the family said their temporary goodbyes to Neva, then retreated inside, leaving us alone with the body. Liara drew back the sheet, and I choked back a gasp. Just as with Therin, a livid gash showed both on Neva’s belly and across her throat. There must have been a lot of blood.

  “Can you tell if that was made by a blade or a claw?” Davril asked.

  “It looks the same as the wounds on poor Therin,” Liara said. “And I’ve only just come to a determination about those. Let me examine these and see if they are the same, then I’ll tell you my findings.”

  While she and her sisters examined the body, Davril and I spoke with the guard that had been tasked with protecting Neva. He was just leaving the room Lady Coolwater was using as a study, and he looked chastened, as well he might.

  “She’s going to dismiss me from her service,” he told us when we drew him aside.

  I was tempted to say No duh, but I held myself back. “I’m sorry,” I said. “But what happened?”

  He shook his head, and I saw that his own eyes were red. “Lady Neva wanted to be alone. She asked me to wait outside a clearing while she had some privacy. There was a nice rock there beside a creek, and she wanted to sit on it and be by herself. I didn’t want to leave her there, but it was a command, so I waited some distance off. I would have kept her in my sight, but she didn’t want that.”

  “What happened then?” Davril said.

  “I heard her call out in fear and rushed to her side, just in time to see her crumple to the ground, blood gushing from her wounds.” He ran a trembling hand through his faint stubble. “It was awful!”

  “Did you see the killer?” I asked.

  “Only a shape, a darkness, moving into the trees on the edge of the clearing.”

  “That’s it?” Davril said.