I had to admit, he was a handsome man…god. He was tall with long wheat-colored hair that fell to his upper back, and he was nicely muscled under those jeans and V-neck sweater. He and Ember made a good pair. It occurred to me that, broken as I felt, Ember had been broken in a different way and she still came out on top. Maybe I could too.

  As Herne walked out the door, talking on the phone, I turned to the others.

  “What’s the likelihood that Névé would even grant me an audience, if she doesn’t know that I’m out of favor?” I asked.

  Yutani shrugged. “I don’t know, to be honest. Both she and Saílle had a grudge against Ember, because she was a tralaeth. But you’re full-blooded Light Fae. If she believes you’re a princess in good standing, she might well make you welcome. I wonder… I thought of something,” he added.

  “What?” Talia asked.

  “My guess is that the Fae queens here don’t talk much to those back in Annwn—there’s so much rivalry that goes on in the courts. What if we said you’re royalty from Annwn, wanting to pay your respects? You’ve been working for us a couple of months, and chances are with the mess the dragons left behind, she won’t have paid much attention to us in the meantime.”

  “You make a good point,” Talia said. “Suggest that to Herne when he returns.”

  But when Herne opened the door again, his expression didn’t invite conversation.

  “We have a more immediate problem than dealing with Névé. Gyell’s been spotted in the city.” He dropped into his chair. “We have to find out if he’s actually here.”

  “Crap,” Yutani said.

  Kipa paled. “Crap is right.”

  “Who’s Gyell?” I asked. I seemed to be the only one who didn’t know.

  “He’s a shadow dragon,” Talia said. “One of the Luminous Warriors who was high up in Typhon’s army. Cruel doesn’t begin to describe him.”

  “He also worked with Pandora,” Kipa said. “Raven’s going to freak if she finds out. I know she’s better, but Gyell and Pandora were like this.” He held up crossed fingers. “Have there been any sightings of the bitch queen around?”

  Herne shrugged. “That I do not know. But yes, we’re going to have to find him and—now that we can—dispose of him. As long as he lives, he’s a threat.”

  “Do you have his last known whereabouts?” Wendy asked.

  “Yeah. It was down near the docks. He was seen heading toward the Viaduct Market.”

  “Why would he be going—” Wager stopped. “The catacombs. Could the dragons still be hiding out using the catacombs? After all, the vampires haven’t returned yet. Though they will be soon enough and won’t that be a lovely showdown.”

  The thought of the dragons going up against the vampires was terrifying. For one thing, we still didn’t know if the shadow dragons could control the undead, since they were connected to the Netherworld. But dragons were no longer immortal, and the thought of a war between the two factions sounded brutal and bloody.

  “We’d better do some reconnaissance work first,” Herne said. “And we have to tread lightly. Even though we can kill them, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to be easy.” He sighed as Yutani raised his hand. “Yes?”

  “I need to speak to you in private,” Yutani said. “You know what it’s about.”

  For a moment, I was paranoid they were going to discuss me, but then, once I tuned into the energy in the room, I realized it wasn’t directed at me at all.

  Herne closed his eyes, looking pained. “Your office.”

  As soon as they left the room, I turned to Talia. “What’s up?”

  “Yutani’s reached the end of his tether.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Haven’t you noticed how tightly he’s been wound?” Wendy asked.

  I shrugged. “Not really, but then I’ve only known all of you for a couple months.”

  “Yutani’s acting more chaotic lately. I think his father’s powers are coming out in him and he doesn’t know how to handle them,” Talia said. “The Great Coyote is a trickster—he’s a chaotic force, and Yutani’s starting to grow into his blood.”

  I worried my lip. “He’s intense, but I thought he was always that way.”

  “To a degree, yes, but it’s gotten worse over the past few months. I don’t think he’s handling command here very well.” Talia stood and stretched. “Anybody hungry? I brought in doughnuts.” She opened the large box on the counter as Wager made a fresh pot of coffee.

  Everybody I met seemed broken in a different way. As I stared at my tablet, a notification appeared telling me that Raven had emailed me. I opened her note.

  Lyrical, I talked to Sejun. He’s more than willing to help you deal with what Kilnakarn did to you. Here’s his email address. He has an appointment open tomorrow at three p.m., so if you can get away, I’d be happy to escort you over to Annwn to visit with him. He’s living in Herne’s castle now. Maybe we can stop by and say hi to Ember.—Raven

  Since I was in the process of becoming Ember’s first priestess, dropping in to visit unannounced seemed like it might be awkward. But she had done the same to Morgana, so maybe it wasn’t unprecedented. I was so used to a certain protocol from my days spent in my family’s court that, even though I balked at the restrictions, I obeyed them.

  I emailed back:

  I’ll ask if I can have the time off. I’m ready to face these damned demons and put them to rest, at least as best as I can. I don’t know if I can ever see someone like Jason Momoa and not shudder—the resemblance is so uncanny—but I’d like to be able to stop running away if he pops up on the TV.

  I thought about adding the news about Gyell, but I didn’t know if that was private. Raven didn’t actually work for the Wild Hunt and, while Kipa would probably tell her, that was up to him and not me. I had no more pressed send when Herne and Yutani came back in the room, both looking somber.

  Talia poured them both coffee and brought the plate of doughnuts over to the table.

  Herne took a sip from his mug. “Well, Yutani and I’ve had a talk, and I called Ember and Morgana and Cernunnos. It looks like I’ll be coming back here to work for a while, and Yutani will be going back to attending to the IT work for the agency full time. So, I guess I’d better get situated. Wager, take Wendy and Lyrical and head into the catacombs this afternoon to see what you can find out.”

  And just like that, Herne was back with the agency.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  I approached Herne after the meeting broke up. He was changing out offices with Yutani, who was moving into the empty one next to me. I waited till he was alone and then closed the door.

  “Hey, Lyrical, how can I help you?” He settled into the chair behind the desk, looking right at home. “It’s so odd to be here again, especially with Ember back home in Annwn.”

  “I imagine it feels strange,” I said. “Speaking of Annwn, I was wondering if I could take some time off tomorrow afternoon.” I hesitated, then added, “I’m going to talk to Sejun about…about Kilnakarn. I think it’s time I get hold of my reactions. Last night…”

  “Yutani told me,” Herne said. “Your reaction was understandable, but yeah, we need to be able to rely on you not to wig out when we’re in a fight. When’s your appointment?”

  “Three. Raven said she’d take me through to Annwn.” I sank into the chair opposite him.

  “Take the afternoon off. You can leave at lunch time. Traffic’s a bitch. Have Raven meet you here and you can take the portal up at my place. I’m glad I kept it. I guess I’ll need it now.”

  “What happened to Ember’s house?” I asked. “I know that she and Angel owned one.” Then, feeling awkward, I added, “Should I be calling her ‘Lady Ember’? I don’t know how any of this works with the gods, especially since my boss is a demigod—or rather, now…you—a god.” I stumbled to a halt, tongue-tied.

  “ ‘Ember’ is fine. I think that as you grow into being her priestess, you’ll find she doesn’t stand on ceremony. She’s one of the most unconventional goddesses you’ll ever meet. My mother was like that for a long time, I gather, but she grew into her stature over the centuries.” He paused, then asked, “How’s Yutani been? I know you’re still living with him.”

  “I’m looking to find my own place. I have nothing against living with him, but we’re both… We don’t want to cramp each other’s styles, if you know what I mean. And there’s a lot…” I wasn’t sure whether to tell Herne about the attraction that had formed, nor that I drank chi off Yutani on a regular basis. I had no idea how he’d take that.

  Herne held my gaze. “You two seem very much alike in many ways. I’ve been wondering.”

  After a pause, he said, “Never mind. That’s not an avenue I want to explore right now. Anyway, if you’re looking for a place to live, Ember’s house is still available, and now that Raven and Kipa are back in her house, it’s open. If you take care of it, I’m sure you can live there. Might as well make use of it.”

  “What kind of rent are you asking? Shouldn’t you ask Ember first, if it’s her house?” The question slipped out before I remembered I was talking to a god. “Oh, I’m—”

  “What?” Herne rested his elbows on the desk. “Don’t sweat it, girl. Yes, I’m a god, and yes, Yutani’s a demigod, but neither of us are going to strike you down for being inquisitive. Not unless you’re hurting someone or causing havoc. We don’t work that way. Some of the gods do, but not the younger generation, for the most part.”

  “Like the Exosan?” I asked.

  The younger members of the Ante-Fae were known as Exosan, and they were kind of like the hippies of the human race, rebelling against old standards and practices. It struck me that Herne was right. The younger gods were like that, standing on less ceremony and creating new standards of what was considered acceptable and what wasn’t.

  “The Age of Aquarius, I guess?” Herne laughed. “Yes, I suppose we are like the Exosan. And you’re right. It is Ember’s house. I’ll ask her what she thinks about you moving in, if you’re interested.”

  “I’d be interested, yes. I don’t relish trying to find a new place. I wish I had a roommate, though I doubt that Kipa would appreciate me moving in with him and Raven, and I don’t know anybody else well enough to live with them, except Yutani.” I glanced at the clock. “If I’m going to head down to the catacombs with Wager and Wendy, I’d better get ready.”

  “Good idea. By the way, I see Talia gave you the Wild Hunt tattoo. Good job.”

  Everyone who worked for the Wild Hunt had to agree to getting a tattoo on their left forearm—or elsewhere, if they already had ink there—of an exquisite dagger with green vines winding around it. Talia had been thorough and the ink was beautiful, though it felt odd to be marked. At least it wasn’t a brand. I’d shown no one yet, but I had a small brand on my inner left thigh, high up, marking me as belonging to Kilnakarn.

  Every time I saw it, it made me cringe, and made me remember both the pain and the shame when I’d been given it. The branding iron had been white hot, and the pain searing. Kilnakarn had watched while his guards held me down, legs spread apart, fully naked. The jokes had flown between him and his guards, and all the while I was screaming from pain, Kilnakarn had laughed and threatened to fuck me with the branding iron. He hadn’t, but given the sadist he was, I had believed him when he said he was going to.

  Shaking out of the memory, I returned to my office to prepare for the catacombs. I brushed my hair back into a braid, then made sure my boots were firmly laced. Ankle boots, they laced up the front through O-rings, held on by grommeted leather strips. The boots had four-inch platform soles but I could run in them. I stuck my keys and wallet in the inner pocket of my jacket, along with my phone, then headed toward the break room.

  Wager and Wendy were already there. Wendy was dressed in a pair of jeans and a black turtleneck, and she was wearing Doc Martens. Wager was wearing jeans and a leather jacket over a tank top. Both were armed with daggers, and Wager had a stun gun. I made certain my dagger was firmly strapped to my thigh, and that my boot knife was strapped around my ankle.

  “Ready?” Wendy asked, holding up her keys. “We’ll take my Jeep.”

  We headed down to the parking garage. Wendy had a 2015 Jeep Wrangler. It was a gunmetal gray, with dark gray top and trim. I rode shotgun, while Wager sat in the back.

  Wendy started the engine and we went bouncing out of the parking garage. She was a damned good driver. She’d been a test driver for some big car company before quitting after a colleague spun out and was killed in a gruesome death. Then she’d gone on to work as a mechanic for a while before making her way to Ginty’s. She knew how to handle a car, and how to fix them too.

  We headed down toward the Viaduct Market. It wasn’t far from the office but it was better to drive in case we had to get out of there fast. Many years ago, it had been called Pike Place Market. But the market was still a network of various vendors selling handcrafted items, food, and various shadow services like tattoo shops and fetish brothels.

  The catacombs ran beneath the market, accessible via several ways. There were secret entrances through certain businesses, and the ones that weren’t quite as secret were heavily guarded. For a while, the public had been able to visit the underground, but as the vampires took over the catacombs, the tours had been halted and the living had been warned against wandering around down there.

  Wager had conducted his PI business from the catacombs, and while he now worked for the Wild Hunt, he had clued in certain clients how to still find him. After Wendy parked in the parking lot across the street, we followed him over to the entrance of the market. Business was booming. Since the dragons had been routed, people were beginning to come back out of their shells.

  Some areas of the market had been damaged during the fight between Echidna, the Mother of Dragons, who had been on our side, and Typhon, the Father of Dragons, who wanted to enslave all of us. Much of the downtown core of Seattle had resembled a war zone by the time they finished, but months later, a good percentage of the rubble had been cleared away and businesses were rebuilding, using some of the treasure stashes a few of the dragons had left behind when they fled to fund those who took heavy damage.

  As we followed Wager through the winding hallways, I looked around. I’d never been to the market and it seemed like a patchwork of brightly colored shops and scents. We stopped in front of a shop that was locked up and dark, but Wager pulled out a ring of keys and unlocked the door.

  “There used to be an art studio here, but unfortunately, the owner was one of the casualties in the war. She was taken out by a dragon strafing the area. But I have a key because this…well, you’ll see. I’ve taken over paying the rent so I can keep easy access to the catacombs.”

  He opened the door and let us in, then locked it behind us. He led us through the dimly lit room to a curtained entrance leading to a door that opened into a stairwell. Next to it was an elevator. He motioned for us to join him in the elevator, to which he also held a key.

  As we entered the car, Wager turned on an overhead light. “We’re headed down into the catacombs. There shouldn’t be any vampires, but if there are, let me take care of things and whatever you do, don’t try to stare them down. We’ll need to be quiet—if the dragons are gathering down there, we don’t want to bring any attention to ourselves.”

  The buttons were labeled “S1” all the way to “S5.”

  “What’s that stand for?”

  “ ‘Sub-Level.’ And each level is divided into sectors.”

  “I can’t imagine going up against a dragon down here. Hell, if they turned back into their dragon shape, it could bring down the streets overhead,” Wendy said.

  “Yeah, and can you imagine trying to get away from a burst of flame in the narrow hallways?” Wager said.

  I was growing nervous as the elevator descended. My claustrophobia extended beyond simply being underground. Tight spaces where I felt confined freaked me out, too. But I was able to hold it together and a moment later, the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Wager peeked out, then slipped out and motioned for us to follow him. We did so, quietly.

  Never having been in the catacombs I didn’t know what to expect, but as I looked around at the spacious halls and high ceilings, I realized this was truly a city beneath a city. The shops were all dark and it seemed like we were walking through someone’s well-preserved memory.

  “Did vampires run all of these shops?” I asked, keeping my voice low.

  Wager nodded. “Most of them, yes. The vamps helped me get my start. I owe them big, and I miss a few of them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m wary of them—I’ll never fully trust them, but I owe my life to a couple of them.”

  He looked around, pointing to the floor. “Dust.”

  The dim lights illuminating the hallways showed a layer of dust that had built up over the months, and I realized we were going to leave footprints if we stepped in it. But we would also be able to see whether anyone had been through the area recently.

  “This way,” Wager said, turning to the left. He started out at a good clip and we followed, keeping close to the wall. The hallways seemed to be circular, and every now and then, there were signs that read “Sector” and then a number, as Wager had said.

  “It reminds me of a labyrinth,” I said.

  “It’s easy to get lost down here, so don’t get separated. Cell phones don’t work well down here so it’s not so easy to keep track of each other. Most of the vamps had landlines for their shops.”

  It felt like we were walking through a tomb, in a way, with the dust and the abandoned shops. A ghost town, of sorts. I tried to remember if I’d ever met a vampire, but I had no clue. I doubted if they were populous in Ireland. Though with all the old castles, who knew?

  “What are vampires like?”

  Wendy let out a low breath. “Scary as fuck.”