Dragon Blood (Reclaiming the Fire Book 4) Read online

“You’re behind,” I said. “There’s already been plenty.”

  “A man was killed last night,” Davril said.

  “Yes, I know. I and my people do keep watch. This is our facility, after all, not yours.”

  Taron Deepnight raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been spying on your betters?”

  “I have no betters, only guests. Please respect that. Maybe you’re only used to dealing with people who’ve bent the knee, to borrow an expression from Game of Thrones, but I damn well haven’t. And I won’t be talked down to.”

  “You go, girl,” I said.

  Davril frowned at me, then Ainu. “I apologize for … the bloodshed. And for what almost happened just now. This is all quite unusual. Don’t think it typical of our kind.”

  Ainu inclined her head, accepting this. “If I thought otherwise, I wouldn’t have allowed you access to the resort.”

  I studied the rings she wore on her fingers, then the rings her guards, if that’s what they were, wore. All boasted shiny gems and jewels, some glimmering faintly with what had to be magic.

  “Would you have stepped in if Prince Jereth had attacked just now?” I asked.

  “That’s for me to know. Hopefully none of us will find out.” She paused. “I want your assurance that no fighting will break out. I won’t permit damage to come to the Floating Gardens.”

  She wasn’t worried about loss of life, I realized, only damage to the grounds. Well, the grounds were amazing. But so were the Fae Lords.

  “Hopefully no lives or property will be lost,” I said.

  “If I catch some human spying on me, it will go ill for them,” Lord Deepnight said, and I could tell by his wife’s expression that he wasn’t bluffing.

  Ainu didn’t apologize or promise to stop keeping tabs on her guests. She merely nodded once more, this time in farewell, and backed away into the shadows of the shrubbery, taking her men with her. When I went forward to investigate, they were gone.

  I shrugged at Davril. “I don’t get it,” I said.

  “A secret tunnel, perhaps.”

  “Not that,” I said. “I don’t care how she left. But coming forward like that, confronting us. What did she hope to gain?”

  “It was a show of force,” Davril said. “Or show of presence, anyway. Reminding us that this is not our home to despoil.”

  “I won’t be reminded of my place by a human hotel manager,” scoffed Lord Deepnight.

  “She’s right, though,” Lady Deepnight said. “This isn’t our home. We can’t let our own infighting destroy this place. Our coming to this world already darkened Central Park, if indirectly. This is one of the few green places left in the city. We can’t let ruin come to it, too.”

  Davril returned his attention to Lord Deepnight. “About that talk …”

  Taron sighed. “Yes. Right this way.”

  He led the way inside, and we found a parlor to hold a private conversation in. Taron had his guards wait outside and cast a spell over the room so that no sound inside could spill outside. After all that preamble, I was prepared for some big revelations, but it turned out that he had nothing new to say; he was just private and firmly believed in the medieval caste-type system of the Fae Lords. He was on high and his guards and servants were beneath him and should not listen in to lordly affairs.

  I realized then how important it was that the lead investigator on this matter was a king. Or at least as much a king as Taron was. I still wasn’t quite sure if they all still considered themselves kings and queens or not. I vowed to bring it up with Davril when he was in a better mood and we were in a better place. If that ever happened.

  “So you see,” Taron finished after only a few minutes, “I was with Etha here and was nowhere near poor Therin at the time of his untimely death.”

  Davril’s face betrayed no expression, not that it ever did. The man was a stone when he wanted to be. “But you have no one who isn’t in your House to corroborate your story?”

  “The members of my House are the most reliable and true citizens of the Nine Thrones that have ever been, and I am insulted at your suggestion.”

  “So you’re calling Neva a liar?” I said.

  Taron drew himself up, affecting a wronged but noble attitude. “I can see no other option, can you? Then again, she never saw me, only my armor, which, as I’ve said, is missing.”

  Lady Etha Deepnight smiled pleasantly at us. “I think we’re done here.”

  “Not quite yet,” I said. “We need to search the grounds for the armor.”

  Twenty minutes later, both dispirited by our lack of progress, Davril and I left the Deepnights and began an aimless stroll through the wonders of the Floating Gardens. It wasn’t even noon yet, but my belly had started to rumble. The threat of violent action always got my system racing. I held my hunger in check, though. We had bigger problems.

  “So what now?” I said. “Other than Neva’s testimony, we have fuck-all in the way of evidence against Taron.” There had been no sign of his armor, either. “He could be telling the truth.”

  Davril swore under his breath. “The hell of it is, Jade, that I believe him. I know him, and I think he was being honest.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Damn. So do I. But if we don’t arrest him, or someone, Prince Jereth is going to burn this place down. And that is seriously going to piss off Ainu. Not to mention it won’t give us what we need to fight Nevos.”

  At the mention of his brother, Davril’s mouth quirked. He could be a stone at most times, but he did have his soft spots. Or sore spots, I should say. And that was probably a topic I should steer well clear of. I was really hoping this case would reunite us, or whatever, not drive us further apart.

  “Anyway,” I said hastily, maybe too hastily, “do you really think what the Queen said was true—that the Coolwaters might side with Jereth?”

  “Well, they did refuse to take sides during the fighting,” Davril said. “And now that they know their daughter was, ah, consorting with someone from Jereth’s faction, that really might draw them closer to him. They could have been united by marriage.”

  “Apparently they were pretty close to that before the war. Back in the Fae Lands.”

  “Indeed.”

  “If they were that close then, and they’re still that close now, it’s a wonder the Coolwaters came to the Queen’s side at all, even after the fact.”

  “Lady Coolwater may not be the most loyal subject, but she is smart.”

  “Yeah, I guess she knew who buttered her bread. But it could be that she’s always resented that, had always wished she’d had the guts to side with Jereth and the Strongwalls. And when she realized that one of the Queen’s true followers killed Therin, her would-be son-in-law, that could drive her even closer to Jereth’s side.”

  “Or it could show her that now she has no reason to side with the Strongwalls. Now that there’s no possibility of marriage.”

  “Well, Therin does have a younger brother …”

  “You think their alliance could still continue?” Davril asked. I could tell that the idea had never occurred to him.

  “I guess that depends on Neva and the young lad, I forget his name.”

  “Meril.”

  “Yeah. Him. Unless it was something Lady Coolwater demanded, like an arranged marriage or something.”

  “We haven’t had many of those since coming to your world. I suppose now that we have no lands or kingdoms, there’s not much point to such things.” Davril rubbed the back of his neck. “So … the Coolwaters and the Strongwalls … could be coming together … and the Deepnights have been implicated …”

  “Jereth’s faction lost a man, but it’s growing stronger.”

  “So it appears.”

  I stopped suddenly.

  “What is it?” Davril said.

  “Maybe nothing. Only …”

  “Yes?”

  “Well, it’s interesting that all this came about after our conversation with Mia Sunheart. She gave us the information
about Neva and Therin. She led us to the Coolwaters …”

  “And from them to Lord Deepnight.” Davril whistled. “You think she did that deliberately? That she set all this up?”

  Slowly I nodded. “She wanted the dominos to start to fall, I’d bet on it.”

  A look of determination stole into his features, and I could have kissed him he looked so noble and full of purpose.

  “We must talk to her,” he said. “See if she really did set this up. Find out what her game is, and how much she knows.”

  “Think she’s the killer?”

  “I don’t know, but if nothing else maybe she’ll reveal more than she intends.”

  “Let’s do it.”

  Now with a destination in mind, we marched through the beautiful trees back in the direction of Lady Sunheart’s bungalow. The sun shone brightly overhead, and my stomach rumbled again. Seeing a brightly colored apple hanging from a tree, I grabbed it and took a large bite. The crunch reverberated throughout my mouth, and the sweet juices filled my mouth.

  Davril and I passed across a beautiful white bridge of an elegant lacy composition, and fifty feet below us rushed a clear babbling stream. The white flashes of flying fish caught the sun. I sure would have liked to visit this place when I wasn’t on duty. Of course, then I wouldn’t have been able to afford it. Still, it was a shame that I wouldn’t even be able to take Ruby here. My sister would love this place, I thought.

  Passing over the stream, we entered a lush forest and to either side stretched tall trees swaying gently in the wind. These weren’t apple but elm and beech trees, and their leaves whished gently, making little feathery rustling noises.

  Only not all the noises were of feathery rustles.

  No, there were some skitters mixed in there, too. And some clicks and clacks.

  The hairs on the nape of my neck stood up.

  Davril stopped suddenly and put an arm out for me to do the same. “Jade, do you hear that?”

  “Uh, yeah.” My hand had already fallen to the butt of my crossbow. “What the hell is going on?”

  Actually, that last word came out as more of an “onnnnnn” as my voice because a frightened squawk. A shape had just materialized in the tree to my right. Then another to my left.

  Each was a huge spider fashioned of what looked like green emerald, perfectly blending in with the foliage.

  Without hesitation, the spiders pounced.

  Chapter Nine

  I shot one of the spiders in the abdomen. The bolt bounced away, deflected by the hard exoskeleton. Or maybe the damned thing was emerald all the way through. I thought it might be. It was even kind of transparent.

  The jade horror rushed down at me, heedless of my weapon. Hair flying, I jumped to the side, almost caroming off a tree. I hit the grass and slid. Coming to a stop, I flipped over, raising my crossbow, though I wasn’t sure what good it was.

  “Jade, watch out!” Davril cried. I could vaguely see him ducking and weaving the groping limbs of a second spider.

  A third spider descended from a branch above me; the branch creaked under its weight. Shit, the thing was heavy. I fired at its belly. The bolt glanced away.

  Meanwhile the spider that had originally pounced on me was scuttling toward me. Even as I watched, it raised itself up on its long, many-jointed legs and aimed its green ass at me.

  Thick webbing shot out, widening as it went. It was going to paste me to the tree behind me. Then the spider and its buddies would suck me dry.

  I rolled aside, actually striking a tree this time. It hit me in the legs and belly. Awkwardly, I scrambled to all fours, dropping my crossbow. It was useless, anyway. Just as I climbed to my feet and spun around, one of the damned green spiders rushed at me, mandibles clacking.

  I jumped up, grabbing an overhanging branch, and pulled myself up. The spider’s forelimbs flailed at my legs, but I yanked them out of range, crouching nimbly on the branch. I peered through the trees toward the trail, where I could just make out Davril hacking at two of the spiders with his shining sword.

  Damn, where had these things come from?

  Another of the fricking bastards was clambering from one tree to the tree I was on, but higher up. How many of them were there? At least half a dozen, by my count, but maybe more. Maybe many more.

  I scrambled out onto a branch and leapt through empty space to a branch on an opposite tree. Thank God the trees were close together here. I landed hard, almost slipping off, and my right foot thrust between the fork where the limb branched in two. I tried to yank my foot out, but it stuck.

  Scuttling, clanking noises reached my ears as something moved in the limbs above me. Either the same spider that had been descending toward me a moment ago or a new one. Either way, I had to get free.

  Desperate, I pulled at my foot.

  The scuttling noises drew closer. Closer.

  With a cry, I yanked my foot loose and stumbled forward. I lost my balance and started to fall, but my hands reached out and caught myself on a stout limb above me. Glancing up, I saw the green shape of the closest horror approaching.

  To the side, on another tree, a different spider propped itself up like before and aimed its spinneret at me. Sticky green webbing shot out. I had no time to dodge, but luckily the webbing hit the tree limbs and stuck.

  The spider above me splintered the branches in its reckless pursuit, barreling right at me.

  “Bite me,” I said. Probably a poor choice of words.

  I threw myself right below where the webbing spanned between arching branches, narrowly missing it, and latched onto a lower branch. The green spider racing at me shrieked in fury, and I turned to see that my plan had worked. The webbing had ensnared it.

  “Eat me, asshole,” I said. Another bad one-liner, considering. The One-Liner Police really should file a complaint.

  I dropped to the ground just in time for another spider to lunge at me. I avoided it, then jumped onto its back and propelled myself to the other side. They were fast but just a bit clumsy, at least clumsier than a cat burglar and half-shifter.

  I ran back to the pathway, ripping out my official Fae Knight short sword, really more of a dagger, as I went. It might not do much, but I felt better with a weapon in hand, and it was enchanted, so there was that.

  Davril was just finishing hacking one of the spiders into pieces, avoiding the swipes of the other one, when I reached him. Sweat drenched his hair, and his face was flushed. Just the same, his eyes burned, and a small smile played about his lips. He lived for action. Seeing him so joyous in battle, my heart sang.

  “Need a hand?” I said.

  “If you have one to spare.”

  I pressed my back up against his, and together we warded off the spiders as they bunched around us. One shot another wad of webbing at us, but we ducked and it sailed overhead. Another jumped at my torso, but I kicked it away. I was strong and able to take more punishment than a normal human by way of my shifter blood, but even so the damned thing was heavy and the effort shot pains up my leg. A third rushed at me, snapping its mandibles. Using my shortsword, I hacked at its legs. One shattered. The thing shrieked and drew back.

  More spiders took its place.

  “There are too many,” I said.

  “I’m … afraid … you’re right,” he said, panting as he battled a particularly large spider. At last he thrust his sword through its head, and the emerald thing burst into a thousand pieces.

  “This way,” I said, tugging him back in the direction we’d come. The spiders were thicker along the way we’d been going, and I had a feeling that was probably by design.

  “Fine,” he snarled angrily—not angry at me but at the necessity of retreat. He was a warrior and proud, too proud to fall back easily. But he wasn’t stupid, either. “At my side,” he said, signaling how our fallback was to go.

  Nodding, I retreated step by step at his side, hacking and thrusting, dodging and weaving as we went. At last I heard the sound of water and knew we had c
ome to the bridge.

  “Only one can come at us at a time on the bridge,” I said between thrusts. Sweat flew from my hair and stuck my tunic to my chest beneath my mail. “That’s good, right?”

  “Could be,” he grunted. “Or they could just scuttle under it and pop up behind us.”

  “Shit. Hadn’t thought of that. So what … do … we do?” I said this last as I was shoving a spider away from me with my foot.

  “Climb,” Davril said.

  “Climb?”

  We had reached the bridge. Quickly he showed me what he meant. He grabbed some thick vines trailing over the side of the cliff and swung himself down them. I feared that his armor was so heavy the vines would break, but they held firm. Bless that light Fae armor! Swearing under my breath, I dodged one last wad of webbing, grabbed a vine and began rappelling down the side of the cliff.

  Water rushed fast below, gurgling down the stream. It wasn’t exactly a raging river, but if I fell I knew I would drown, pulled under by my armor, light or not. The same went for Davril. He may be Fae, but he needed air just like I did. Meanwhile the spiders gnashed and clacked above us. This really was a desperate gambit.

  “This sucks!” I said.

  To my surprise, Davril grinned. Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised. He was an odd duck. Then, to my even greater astonishment, his face sobered.

  “I’m glad you’re here with me, Jade McClaren.”

  Gulp.

  “Well, that makes one of us,” I said. D’oh. Why did I always have to say exactly the wrong thing?

  Switching vines when we had to, sometimes climbing down rocky handholds, we reached the bottom of the cliff, where a narrow bank flanked the rushing stream. I glanced up.

  “Shit.”

  Sunlight sparkled on the bunching abdomens and arcing limbs of the emerald spiders as they scuttled down the cliffside toward us.

  “Blast,” said Davril.

  I saw an opening further down the stream, a dark place in the cliff wall, and beyond it a trail along the cliffside leading back up, but to a different area to judge by the curve of the river and the trees above that spot.

  “That way,” I said.