“What's going on, Elaria?” Darcraxis asked.

  “Ky says my magic is good; this should work.”

  “Perhaps we need to call in the other spellsingers to help you,” Odin suggested. “This is a god; he may be able to guard himself against spells, even yours.”

  “No; I can feel the spell forming.” I shook my head. “It's just not touching him.”

  “We don't want him to sleep,” the Emperor said. “We want him to hibernate; a sleep without end. Could it be that your words are wrong?”

  “My words,” I murmured. “Words make the magic.”

  I could change the meaning of a song by latching onto a few words, but I couldn't change the meaning of the words. They were more important than the melody or the message intended by the composer; the words gave my magic a weapon I wielded with my will. But these particular words weren't the right weapon. I considered it; what would calm a god of dragons? What would send that sort of being into a sweet slumber? A hibernation. And then I chuckled. Could it be that obvious?

  I started singing the opening lines to Ed Sheeran's “I see Fire” a capella, and my lovers instantly sent their strength into me again. I figured that maybe a song written for a dragon might do the trick.

  The bittersweet words brushed against the Dragon God like the hand of a lover, and I felt him go still. My magic eased forward, more carefully this time, and bled into the music as Kyanite brought the gentle strumming of a guitar to accompany me. I sang softly of fire, blood, and smoke, making the lament into something alluring; something fit for a dragon.

  And the mist shivered.

  My voice strengthened and reached deeper into the fog, and then I connected with him. I felt him there; the dispersed power and futile fury. Firran wanted to burn and fly and kill. Those were the only things that could give him peace. So, I wove images of burning cities and fleeing people with my words. I sang smoke into his soul and bathed him in blood. I painted pictures of mayhem inside his watery cells, and I did it all with a tender, dulcet voice that lulled him into hibernation.

  A lullaby for a dragon.

  The mist faded softly into smaller and smaller droplets until Firran disappeared completely. I knew he was still there, that fury still burned in his heart, but I'd fought fire with fire and put the beast back to sleep. Hopefully, dreams would be enough to satisfy the Dragon God, and I'd never have to stare into his heinous heart again.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The Emperor invited us to a celebratory feast, but Odin refused on our behalf, explaining that we had several more gods to calm before we could celebrate. Junjie nodded gracefully but as we left, he caught my hand and held me back.

  “Should you ever need assistance, Spellsinger, the Ryū will answer your call.” The Emperor slid a silk pouch into my hand. “This is from my personal hoard. Hold it tightly and ask for me, and I shall be pulled to you.”

  “Thank you,” I whispered. “This is beyond generous.”

  “My friendship is eternal,” he said with a soft smile, “but the offer of our assistance is singular. Be certain you need me before you call.”

  “It's a one-time thing.” I winked at him. “Got it.”

  Junjie chuckled. “You're delightful. Good luck singing the Gods to sleep, Queen Elaria.”

  I thanked him again, and then we used our travel stones to return to Coven Cay. It looked as if Odin wouldn't have to call Vivian for a check-in.

  Our Witch escort went to freshen up while they had the chance while the rest of us went to see Vivian. She answered her door seconds after Odin knocked on it.

  “The Dragon?” She demanded.

  “Happily hibernating,” I reported.

  Vivian smiled in relief. “Well done. No further distress calls have come in, but we've had some witches return from their investigations.”

  “You sent out witches to investigate despite the fact that El was already handling things?” Cerberus asked in irritation.

  “Elaria cannot be everywhere at once,” Vivian said. “I assumed knowing exactly where to find these gods and possibly gaining some background information on them might speed up the process.”

  “Oh,” Cerberus muttered. “Yeah; that's a good idea.”

  “What have you learned?” Slate asked her.

  “We've learned where the whole genie in a bottle story came from.” Vivian smirked.

  “Are you talking about the Jinn?” Gage asked with an eager expression.

  “I'm talking about their goddess.” Vivian waved us into her suite.

  We didn't sit on the feminine furniture. Instead, we stood around Vivian and waited for her to tell us what the hell she was talking about.

  “One of our witches just returned from planet Zuja with this report.” Vivian lifted a piece of paper from an end table. “She discovered the location of T, Goddess of the Jinn.”

  “Tea?” Darc asked. “Her name is a beverage?”

  “Not tea the drink; T the letter,” Vivian corrected. “Her entire name has been lost to time. Perhaps it was concealed on purpose; you know how Jinn are.”

  “Their names can be used to control them,” Odin explained for the benefit of any of us who may not know the Jinn. “It makes sense that their goddess wouldn't want her name revealed either.”

  “She may or may not have been trapped through the use of her name,” Vivian said. “That much is unclear. What is known is that the Jinn waited for their goddess to assume her spiritual form and then vacuumed her up into an iron bottle.”

  “A genie in a bottle,” I whispered. “And Jinn are afraid of iron, aren't they?”

  “Yes; it seems that they inherited the aversion from their creator,” Vivian confirmed. “T is not only afraid of iron, she's weakened by it. The Jinn trapped her in that bottle and then froze the bottle in a block of ice. They have an affinity for fire; another gift from their goddess.”

  “So, they trapped her in water.” I glanced at my men. “That seems to be a theme; using an element to weaken the god or goddess.”

  “The elements are powerful on every world.” Vivian shrugged. “But the good news is; the Jinn were able to locate their old records of T, and they've found a map to where she's imprisoned. It just so happens to coincide with an area that's been experiencing an increase in avalanches.”

  “What a co-inky-dink,” Cerberus huffed.

  “The Jinn Prince is waiting for you in the dining hall,” Vivian ignored Cer. “He'll take you to Zuja in the Altaman Realm and lead you to T.”

  “Fine,” Cerberus grumbled. “But I swear; if you sing that stupid Christina Aguilera song, El, I'm going to strangle you.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jinn don't grant wishes. They're not misty blue people who live in bottles either. I didn't have to rub a lamp to talk to their prince. I just walked up to him and took a seat at his table in the Coven's dining hall.

  “Hello, Prince Saif,” I said as I held out my hand. “I'm Queen Elaria.” I introduced the rest of our group as I looked him over.

  It had never occurred to me how much in common Spellsingers had with Jinn. We are both limited physically but possess great magical power. Power that could be easily crippled. In the case of the Jinn, their true names could control them, and with Spellsingers, a gag could stop our magic. Not mine, not anymore, but I was a special case. Despite that, I, in particular, had even more in common with the Jinn. I had an affinity for fire; a talent I thought I'd inherited from my father but could also be attributed to an echo of my goddess magic. I'd left Darc with some magic, it was entirely possible that the Shining Ones had missed a few spots when they cut away mine. Or, it could just be something I had inherited from my father; a fire witch. Either way, fiery songs always worked better for me.

  The Prince—whatever his real name was—nodded regally at every member of our party before settling his burning stare back on me. Was it just a coincidence that the first two gods I'd been sent after were associated with fire? Perhaps. Three is the charm, though. I'd wait and see who was up next on the god roster before I brought it up. Anyway, Saif—unlike Emperor Junjie—was a prime example of his race. Not only did he have their fiery stare, but he also possessed their glossy, ebony hair and dark skin. He had the lean body of a long-distance runner and elegant, soft hands that betrayed his royal status more quickly than his expensive clothes.

  “Thank you for helping us with this,” Saif said regally. “My parents and I are deeply concerned.”

  “I'd imagine so.” Odin grimaced. “Do you have the map with you, Your Highness?”

  “I do.” Saif reached into his tailored, leather jacket and pulled a rolled parchment out of an inner pocket. He spread it on the table between us and pointed at a symbol etched in sepia ink; stylized flames in a teardrop shape. “This is T's mark. We believe she's imprisoned in the Albard mountains. We've come up with coordinates by tracking the source of the avalanches. If it isn't her exact location, she should be very close.”

  “Avalanches,” I murmured as I looked down at my jeans and long-sleeve shirt. “I think I may need a jacket.”

  “We'll provide all of you with cold weather gear,” the Prince assured me. “We don't venture into the Albards often—the cold is not our friend—but we like to be prepared for the possibility.”

  “What can you tell me about your goddess?” I asked him.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I need to know what will calm her,” I explained. “What does she want; beyond freedom, that is?”

  Prince Saif frowned and cocked his head. “I only know what I've read about her. Let me see... she formed us from her fiery breath, but I don't think that element calms her.”

  “What about her name, or rather, the lack of it?” I asked. “It seems contrary to what a goddess would want, but did she crave anonymity?”

  “Not at all,” he said immediately. “In fact, I think it was a great burden to her that she could never be called upon by her true name. You know, she used her name to create us; that's why it has such power over her—why our names hold such power over us—and it was how she was trapped in the end.”

  “She was trapped with her name?” Odin asked in surprise.

  “Her priests betrayed her.” Saif nodded sadly. “It's shameful, but they did it to save their people.”

  “So, she probably has a deep desire for others to know her,” I murmured. “Thank you; that's helpful.”

  “Of course.” Said nodded. “Anything you need, just ask.”

  “All right; we'll go in the morning,” Odin said. “We've just returned from Ry and could use some sleep before confronting another god.”

  “I understand,” Prince Saif said. “I've been graciously given accommodations here. Come and find me when you're ready to leave.”

  The Prince might want to stick around, but I had no intention of sleeping at Coven Cay when I could return to my own bed in Kyanite Castle. Plus, everyone agreed it was safer for Darc and me in Tír na nÓg. Declan and Torin needed to check on their kingdoms, Banning wanted to make sure his blooders were all right, and Slate had to see to his Zone. So, it was only Cerberus, Darc, and Gage who traveled back to Tír na nÓg with me. We would regroup at Coven Cay in the morning.

  Cerberus had a tower reserved for him in Kyanite Castle. He traveled there directly while Gage, Darc, and I went to my tower suite. We weren't there for more than a few minutes before Sara—my ex-maid who I'd upgraded to lady status—came striding across the bridge that connected Torin's tower to mine. All of the towers of Kyanite Castle are connected by bridges. Mine is the largest and the central tower while the others spread out around it. My men each had one of the towers directly beside mine, but Cerberus and Sara had towers one layer out. In short, Sara had to take a bridge to Torin's tower before she could cross over another bridge to mine. Which meant she'd started walking as soon as we appeared. Which meant she'd been watching for us.

  “Where the hell have you been?” Sara demanded.

  “Putting Gods to sleep. Is that all right with you?” I snapped back.

  “Sure! That's just great,” she continued her tirade. “If you had let us know, it would have been even better.”

  “What are you pissed about?” I growled. “As far as you knew, I wasn't going to be back until next week.”

  “Except that King Darc contacted me and told me you'd been abducted after the ceremony and had to put the Titans to sleep.” She spared a nod for Darc. “And that you were going to try to put all the other gods back to bed too.”

  “So, you were told.” I narrowed my eyes at her.

  “Not by you.” She narrowed her eyes back. “And no one told me when you'd be coming home. William has been driving me fucking crazy with all his questions about your wedding to Darcraxis and your return.”

  “If you had accepted the invitation to my wedding to Banning, you would have seen it all firsthand,” I pointed out.

  “But someone has to watch your damn kingdom,” she huffed.

  “That's exactly what William's job is.”

  “William needs help.”

  “I'm sorry; what exactly are you bitching about?”

  “I was worried,” she finally admitted.

  “I know, you sassy bitch.” I grinned at her before I hugged her. “I'm okay. We've put the Dragon God to sleep and tomorrow, we're going after the Jinn Goddess.”

  “But they're still locked up?” Sara asked as her face finally settled into worried lines. “You won't have to fight any of them?”

  “So far,” Gage answered for me. “If we don't get to them in time, they might find a way out.”

  “The easiest way for them to get out would be to use either myself or Elaria,” Darc reminded Gage. “And that's not going to happen. The Gods will stay in their prisons until we get to them. Don't worry, Sara; it will be fine.”

  Sara gave Darc a goofy, grateful look and nodded. “Okay.”

  “Okay?” I gaped at her. “You yell at me but tell him 'okay?'”

  “He's hot and he calls me,” she said primly. “Those two things go a long way with women.”

  “Fair enough,” I conceded.

  “What has William been troubling you with?” Darc asked.

  “That's my cue,” Gage said as he came over to kiss me goodnight. “Kingdom business will put me to sleep right on my feet.”

  “You're going to your tower?” I asked in surprise.

  “I'm too tired to want anything other than sleep,” Gage said. “You and Darc can have the bed to yourselves tonight. Have fun.”

  “Thank you,” Darc said as Gage headed out to the balcony and the bridge that led to his tower.

  Gage just waved over his shoulder. That was one sleepy griffin. I guess it had been a long day. Not only that, the events of the day before had carried over; the weariness of it lurking in my bones. I had a feeling it would be there until I sang my last aria for the Gods.

  “Beyond wedding arrangements—which are already decided on—William's been complaining about there not being enough of a stockpile of supplies in case of a siege,” Sara went on as if Gage hadn't said anything. “A siege! Can you believe that?”

  “You've made a good choice in this man,” Darc said to me.

  “I know,” I said smugly.

  “Good choice?” Sara gaped at us. “Are we in danger again?”

  “I'm always in danger.” I shrugged. “You know there's a possibility that beneathers might come after Darc and me for our blood.”

  “They'd have to get past the wards of Tír na nÓg first,” she scoffed.

  “It's been done before,” I reminded her. “This planet is not impenetrable.”

  “Tell William to do what he feels best,” Darc ordered. “He has our full support to bring in whatever supplies he thinks are necessary.”

  “Shit,” Sara whispered.

  “We'll probably return here only to sleep,” I said gently. “I doubt our enemies will try to storm the castle. Even if they did, they'd know that Darc and I could easily escape with our travel stones. Trying to abduct us here is a bad idea.”

  “Unless they don't storm the castle,” Sara pointed out. “If it were me, I'd sneak in with the servants and take you unaware.”

  Darc blinked at Sara and then looked at me. “You've made a good choice with her as well.”

  “I know,” I said in the same smug tone I'd used earlier.

  “Yes. Lovely compliment; thank you.” Sara rolled her eyes. “What do you want to do about our vulnerability?”